It's Been A Week...

The piece isn't finished yet but it has gone home with Lori Jane so she can see it in her own living room - minus the plastic picnic blanket - and decide if she likes it BEFORE I attach the textile portion. After that, it's pretty hard to do anything different. Her concern is that the texture of the paint is too strong for the softness of the piece.




We added a black edging all around that further toned down the orange and blended the black border of the textile portion with the painted canvass. I think it works quite well. In fact, I love the whole thing but I'm not the one buying it.

The difference between the orange in yesterday's posting and the more muted one in today's is the addition of a thin layer of green. You can see that it was a light coat and almost mint like by looking at the green canvas in the background of the picture below. That's the color I painted over top. It was just enough to do what needed to be done.

Color is a fascinating subject. I love the way it moves and interacts and changes as you add to it. The dark orange is a combination of yellow, then a thin orange that looked like peach, then fuchsia, and then a thin green. Pretty fun isn't it.

Karen W wrote: Everyone has a different opinion. I like the orange canvas the way it is. But then I am not going to be the person who gets to hang it in my home.

That's the main reason why I don't do commission work. A description - say waterfall - brings to mind different visions for the artist and the buyer. The artist's job then becomes to create the buyer's vision even though they can't see it and have never experienced it in the same way. It's surprisingly tricky with color. We all see and feel about color in completely different ways. I did a few commission pieces years ago however my take was that too many opinions make for difficult working conditions. Now that I create with a spontaneous step-by-step process, it's impossible to do commission work. I have no idea what I'm making until I'm done. You also asked:

Have you seen the latest magazines for self home decorating? They are advocating buying stretched canvas and painting it or covering with fabric. A simple way to make a personal statement. Personal? When you use a piece of fabric that someone else designed and just fasten it on you are only saying that you like someone else's idea. VBG

There is a completely different approach to art by the general public versus artists. Not too long ago I was proudly shown some very nicely done cross-stitch pieces. All the pieces were gifts given to the person showing them to me. She did not cross-stitch. As we toured the pieces, she exclaimed about the detail of the border in one and the gradation of color in the other saying it was so artistic. All the pieces were made from patterns so there was - IMHO - no artistry on the part of the stitcher, simply good workmanship. I've been shown similar paintings and stretched fabrics to what that article describes. In each case, the individual is incredibly proud of what they've purchased or created.

I came to realize quite a few years ago that most people have no idea about original art and see art as something that includes a level of difficulty they could not execute and a range of colors they don't understand. Basically, if they couldn't do it themselves, it's art. What is and isn't art has been a contentious question for a long time. There are a lot of questions like that. Perhaps they exist to make life interesting.

It's been a week since I went for a walk and enjoyed not thinking about business anymore. In that time, I haven't developed a new product or a new marketing plan or a new strategy for increasing sales or anything new at all. Each day, I have been feeling increasingly lighter. I've mostly been a lump reading, knitting, and having coffee with friends. The most productive thing I've done is paint the canvasses for Lori Jane. I did alter a pattern for a blouse but have not even picked the fabric yet. This is fine. I'm winding down.

What I have thought a lot about is ideas for pieces. They continue to flow and gently ask to be birthed. In some ways, that is extremely comforting. I am carrying on with the best part of my business - the part that intrigues and nurtures and excites me - and have walked away from what was weighing me down. This is a good space to be in although - LOL - I don't think I will get anything more accomplished next week than last. We'll see what happens.

Tomorrow, I'm off on an adventure with Kyle and some friends - two mothers, two teenagers. We're going to the water slides. Next week, Howard and the boys are away and I'm taking a couple days to go art shopping with a friend. We'll drive down the road and any time we see an artist sign that looks interesting, we'll turn off and explore.

In Canada, along the highways there are blue signs with a big A on them to indicate an artist. Below, there will be a label of some kind - like painter or potter - and an indication of direction and distance. Typically, these are artists working in home studios in rural settings, the ones that you wish you could visit but you're always on the way to somewhere else.

I'll also spend a day next week with my friend Caroline from up north who is visiting with her husband's family. We've been friends for thirty-one years and have so much in common. I know we'll be going fabric and pattern shopping and out for coffee and hopefully a LOT more. I love to look at things with her and talk about the possibilities.

Right now, I'm going to grab another cup of coffee, curl up on the porch, and enjoy the quiet of the morning. Later, I'll take Kyle for a blood test, which he hates and then for breakfast, which he loves. Hopefully Lori Jane has made a decision about the canvasses and I can attach the two pieces, add the hanging wires, and be done. YES YES! Have a great day.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful: that I made the right decision about my business and am carrying on with the best part (in a limited capacity) while letting go of the most stressful