"Who Am I?" is the title of this mixed media piece, currently showing here in Sedona. This is the theme of the show itself, sponsored by the Sedona Visual Artists Coalition.
I am the artist, and I am the image in the mirror. What a provocative idea. To me, using a mirror reflects the varying aspects of asking that question. Don't we all change every day of our life? It can be going on inside, our feelings and emotions, as well as the outward reflection.
I have been mixing collage with my calligraphy for a while. I chose to use sepia tones in my photos, ripping the edges as I like to do. Can't have things too orderly. There are pictures of me from long ago both on the edge, and in the compartments on the front.
I am telling the story of where I came from; what I have done; experiences that make me the person I am today.There is even a compartment for ideas and comments from the viewer. Interactive art.
Incorporating my skills as a ceramic artist, I made the letters in various calligraphic styles out of clay. That is a big part of what I am about as well.
I like that each time I look at this piece, or you do, we will see the current image of "who I am?" right now.
This is a calligraphy card I created entitled "Patience". It is another of my "ripped torn" collage series, with handmade papers,gold watercolor, and ink on a white background.
These aren't my words, but they could be. It makes me smile becasue of the inherent irony in the choice of the words. Patience is a hard one for me.The dictionary defines patient as meaning "capable of tranquilly awaiting results or outcomes". I think it is the tranquil part that often eludes me. I suspect I go into my head, or into my story, if I do not get a response, engage with the other person, or get my outcome soon. Maybe that is why the wonderful world of texting has become so popular. We get our answer Now.
Art can be an excellent teacher of patience. It does no good to try and rush the time it takes the ink to dry. If I don't wait, it will smudge, and so I have to put it aside until it is the correct time to continue. I think artists become very good muti taskers, because we learn to do different things while we are waiting for the glue or the paint to dry. Sometimes we can even work on more than one piece at its various stages, really because the materials dictate proceeding to our next step.
So am I able to take these lessons and put them into my every day life? I am trying.
Any helpful hints from my readers?
The peace before us.The peace before us. This is a 5" by 7" card I designed as part of my "ripped torn" collage series. I decided to use my own words instead of another's on this design and hopefully, those yet to follow on my creative journey.
I remember looking out on the red rocks and noticing how peaceful the image looked to me.Shades of reddish browns, glimmering in the sun; ragged edges of rock formations that tucked into each other; a sense of harmony that nature always seems to offer to me.
This of course becomes the artist's first challenge. How to convey these impressions in the creation? I chose a Canson paper with a pattern for the darker shade. The lighter shades was something I had in my paper file. There is always the element of surprise when one is tearing paper. So there is always the element of going with the flow, a way I like to work.I think the words I chose here came to me this way.
The materials actually help give direction, and then I adapt..Less is more. Empty space actually brings attention to the image before us. The vast, western blue sky sets off the smaller silhouettes of the mountains.Our attention then focuses on what is in that space.
I notice when I am out in nature I find it easier to look inward. So, if there is peace in front of my eyes, can I take it inside of me? This is a journey I am still on.
Your thoughts?
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