Check out what I made in kindergarten!

Okay, seriously, this is about my sketchbook and about my next piece.



So, some people have sketchbooks that are works of art in themselves (see also "journals").

It's not my way.  When I "see" the piece in my mind's eye, all I need are my notes to guide me to its completion. I have 8 x 10 notebooks in which I scribble those notes, with my rough (very rough sketches). Sometimes I'll colour them, most often not.

The piece I'm working on right now has had many incarnations - this was extremely unusual and troubling development for me.






For the most part, my art comes to  me whole - i.e. I see it, and my job then becomes to create it.  

The initial process takes weeks, sometimes months - from the time the idea occurs to me, to the "marinating time" (also known as "background music").  I have a kernel and then I let my subconscious play with it, toss it around, fondle it, coax it -  whatever it takes to breathe life into it while I go about my business. 

After a period of time, the idea will blossom, and one day it will appear - full grown in my head.  And then it's time to get to work.

With this one - it just wasn't happening.  I knew what the subject matter was and the feeling I wanted it to evoke - and thought I'd settled on "the one".  I quilted my fabric, I painted the background, I was ready to start. That was back in MARCH.

But all through April, and then through most of May, the Muse said "no". 

I kept turning it over and over in my hands, thinking and puzzlin' - I dreamed about it, day dreamed about it, doodled, chatted about it with Leah Hughes - I even talked it over with BSP; told BSP what  I was trying to say and the two of us tossed ideas back and forth about how to say it. 

And then two weeks ago - I was thinking that really, I should give up on the damn thing so I decided to start work on another piece I've been wanting to do for the Whitewashed series for the best part of a year.  

The background on that one has a laundry line against a field of wheat. As soon as I thought about that laundry line, the heavens opened up, the angel choir sang "Ahhhhhhh!" and there it was. 



As soon as I saw it, I called it good.

This piece is due July 1st - so.... wanna hang out with me over the month of June while I make what I saw?

Come play with me! :)

Kit 120

Kit Lang

3 comments:

  1. It's nice to hear about your process. I had a similar experience, I just couldn't come up with a solution for something so I put it on hold and started working on something unrelated and saw a picture that wasn't really related and suddenly I had my solution....I think, I still need to test it.

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  2. Sounds like we work in similar ways. My sketches often happen closer to the end of the development process, sometimes even after i've started making. Yes, I have to see it whole before i can start drawing.

    Can't wait to see your process in the making stage!

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  3. I too do very little sketching. Just notes, and photos of process. Sometimes I print the photos and mount next to the notes. When I 'journal' I think of (and make) words. Two-three pages a day. Few if any drawings. Totally different. I admire 'arty' sketchbooks but I'd rather do most of my thinking and planning with fabric!

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