Sometime in 2019 I started making some 3D pieces out of paper. I was working with collage, so I’m used to working with pieces of paper. I’ve long enjoyed the space created by collage, the pushing and pulling of space. One day I found a scrap of paper with a black edge, painted in ink. And an idea, more like a picture, formed in my mind. I made a series of shapes, blackened the edges with ink, and started forming something. I often think of art-making as a map, with roads and landmarks, places and territories. There are unknown paths, there are deserts. I tend to go where I am led. It doesn’t mean I can just go anywhere, there are limits. And stop signs, and fenced -off areas. I do think I just extended the flat picture-plane into the space I’m in. That excites me.
Finding your way back to Art
Have you been busy with other things? Children, spouse, career, houses, gardens, etc?
Art is so unique, and not easily replaced with anything else. You have that desire to be creative, in any form it takes. It also enables you to escape a little bit, into your mind, your imagination, your loves. I think it’s necessary to put yourself first. There are ideas swimming around in there, if you can just access them. And silence the critics. You can’t be both the critic and the artist. The joy of painting is its own reward. It will take time to find what really engages you, and you will need to try to paint/sculpt/draw frequently. Then you can start to see the path forward. Starting is hard, but not not starting is worse.
