looking back to look forward
gofun shirayuki
hi there. i'm home. it's been a few days of catch up city. vacations are great. they create a sense of wonder - i look at things in new ways. i dream about possibilities of moving [even if i don't ever intend to move], i notice differences in weather, landscape, people, smells, foods. i'm going to spend the next week showing some pictures and some fun moments of the trip. lisa c made a great traveling companion. we took turns in comfy beds and generally agreed on everything. so nice!
cadmium orange
i'm not sure if this happens to all artists - but once i put up a show i have this disconnection happen. i'm still attached to the work - i can remember the moments of when i did certain things - or the frustration of tying a bunch of french knots - but somehow i can view the work as separate from me. this is helpful in trying to determine what is successful and not successful and often once a show is up i gain a new insight to the work - but ultimately it's still a little strange. i'm curious what other artists/makers think - does this happen to them?
you can see all of our pairings here
malachite
so - the opening was really fun - although there was a torrential storm that caused havoc for some folks trying to make it.... i got to meet so many kind and creative people lisa de john and her fantastic husband, abby and her super sweet husband , kind leah from boston, elizabeth the brains behind squam [the camp we all want to go to!], megan bogonovich the ceramicist who makes ultra intricate work, fun and funny sarah whose family lives in rochester, the wonderful artist jen , and super smart and sweet betsy . i feel so lucky and honored to meet such folks - all talented. and this was just the beginning of meeting interesting people. and i have to thank all the artstream crew again....
tyrian purple
so each of our pieces involved researching each color. most of mine have several components that weave together... both lisa and i posted little info plaques next to our works to explain our thought processes. if you want to read my explanations of each piece you can visit them all on flickr
alizarin crimson
more on the trip this week.
hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Comments
would love to talk this week.
xoxox
xx
i think for me when i get something framed first of all, and then look at it, i'm always thinking 'that's mine?,,, that's mine!'. i don't really know what that means but i think it is sort of a disconnect, like looking at photos of yourself when you were a child or something.
but also for me after i part with the work, especially if it's new work, i always need a bit of time to switch gears, before starting another series. there's almost a little sadness, but i think that's just a kind of 'coming down' from all the frenzy to prepare and from the excitement.
that's probably more than you wanted,,,
glad you're back!
The disconnection? I completely get that. So much for me is developing the idea, sketching, researching, and the process of creating, and then, well, I move on. I am fascinated by what pieces appeal to people and why. And this often surprises me which I really enjoy. (Really? You like? I was about to paint over that work. or Wow! I thought people would be wrestling for that particular collage. But no.)
As for meeting you in person? You know how I feel about that. It was amazing, and I can't wait to see you again. :D xo
:)
Your pieces are great, by the way!
concept
behind
the pieces...
and where
you both took them.
wish i could
have gone...
do you really
think you
will never move?
xo
lately, i've been dreaming of living in some small coastal town in new england. i sure do miss the ocean.
and yes, i hear you about that disconnect. this happens with me when i publish a poem or when i show my work. i've only had poems and art in group shows and journals, so it's always also heightened by seeing my work along other's work too. it's like my thinking/ seeing has just gone public. and then i move on, in a new way. i suppose this builds a case for continuing to put the work out there: the public/ disconnect/ letting go parts.
Congratulations!
My reaction and feelings often change once something I've designed is said and done. Like as soon as it's finished, it's no longer mine. Especially if I see it in it's intended context; because it's out there for everyone.
Anyway, so glad you're back. You were quite missed, but I'm so glad to hear the show turned out well! :)
Welcome back, sounds like you had a great trip! :)
Sometimes I feel detached from my work - when the pieces are older - but when they are fresh, they are almost like little babies for me and I don't want to give them up. But actually it depends on the individual piece. I am more connected to some pieces than others.
I think that what happens is that when you hang a show you are creating another entity, and in doing so some of the heartstrings that hold you are released a little.
The new entity has the paintings reacting with one another, saying more than they did before, demanding where they need to be hung irrespective of what you may have had in mind.
In being able to stand back and look at the show as a whole you are aslo able to be more dispassionate about the individual works, hence the feeling you call disconnection.
Some works, however never leave you. I still regret selling two in particular, twenty years later. I had not lived with them long enough, they were ripped from my womb. Now, however, painting to earn a living, I am happy to wave goodbye to commissioned work, and wish I had more time to create my own babies.
xox
As for the disconnect--I get that for sure. Yes, I think it is part of understanding the success of the piece, as others have said its ability or inability to stand on its own. But to expand that a bit, while it's still in the studio you have the control of concept, but once the artist separates from the piece there is no control as to how it will be translated or understood. That's the last little thread of connection to be cut before knowing the success of the piece. That's the thread I always have a problem with.
When we look at Art we have the art object, the viewer, and the "gap" between, in which interpretation takes place. Each brings his own frame of reference to an artwork, therefore while all can 'read ' art, each will have a different reading.
Now I want to ask about your use of the words "success of the piece". Can we judge a work to be succesful, or a failure, (other than perhaps on a technical level) other than as much as it lives up to our own expectations?
As we cannot stand in another's shoes we cannot possibly measure the reaction, level of involvement, or quality of interaction another might have with our work.
I suggest that if a piece holds a viewer's interest for more than 4 seconds, chances are that on some level it is successful.