Transitions & Exploration
This year has had an incredible sense of speed. Of just barreling forward. I’ve been creating non-stop, usually with some sort of deadline to meet. I’ve been very lucky to have several opportunities to show my work this year, and it’s been absolutely wonderful. But equally exciting is this 3-month window I’m about to embark upon where I get to create for no reason, other than to fulfill my own creative expression and desires.
This last quarter of 2022 I’ve set aside to really explore what it is that I want to convey in my work moving forward. I’ve started writing down what really interests me, what messages I want to convey, what feelings I hope to evoke, and what topics I want to explore. And that has led to the build of my studio mind map / vision board…
I was inspired by fellow artist Tansy Lee Moir. She creates the most beautiful, soulful paintings and drawings of ancient trees, full of wisdom and personality. Tansy recently posted her mind map on her instagram, full of imagery, words and phrases that she wants to keep top of mind as she’s creating, and while I have post-it’s here and there, and a book of inspirational images, I loved the idea of having something up on my wall in my studio as a constant reminder of my focus.
So what is my focus? What do I want to express? What do I want to explore?
Through my mind dump and studio mind map, I’ve found some clarity. ..
I really want to capture the energy of a moment. I want to convey to the viewer the feeling of my experience and memory of a landscape - somewhat fleeting, a little blurred or hazy, but rich with feeling and emotion. I want there to be able to be a connection to the memory of my view of the landscape and the beauty of mother nature today with a viewer 50 - 100 years from now.
I recently had the privilege of hearing the amazing pastellist Tara Will speak, and she made me realize that I want to leave room in my work for there to be a conversation with the viewer through the looseness of my mark making. Which means, I have to find new ways to loosen up and be more “painterly” with my marks. I think it also means investigating the mix of color temperature and the direction of my marks to convey the energy of the moment while leaving that space for the viewer.
I want to explore transitions. Transitions in my mark making. Transitions in the scenery itself, focusing more on those transitional times of day when the light is most expressive, in the times of transition within the seasons. And I want to explore what it means for our earth to be in this period of great transition as we feel the impacts of climate change amplifying all around us. As an aside to that, I want to explore the transmutation of energy. What energetic imprint is humanity leaving on the earth? What effect is that having on all living things? How can I distill any or all of this into my work?
It’s a lot. There is so much to explore, and I know that over time this map will likely become more and more refined through exploration and trial and error. But this is where I am right now. I keep reminding myself that there is no rush… The joy of being an artist is in the exploration of expression. Of the refining, getting clearer and clearer on the vision for the work, through creating again, and again, and again over a lifetime.
And I can’t think of a more exciting way to spend a lifetime.