Feb. 14, 2009

Hello - it's been awhile since I've written in this blog. I've been busy with grad school work as well as teaching my college students - something I love to do. I've been thinking lately about my process of creating works. It really is a ritual for me - a sacred act - something I've stated before. I have a difficult time explaining what happens during the course of creating.
I begin with finding the metal, bones, or whatever found object I'm using. Sometimes it is aged when I discover it but other times, it's aged by me. I burn, tear, scratch at the object - whatever works to age it. I want the object to show something of its past whether that past has been processed over long period of time or a shorter one. But at some point, the object shows this aging and it begins to speak in a beautiful visual language. This is the part where I have a hard time explaining just what I see. It is very personal and intrinsic. Something exists within the colors, the edges, the actual material of the object that excites me. It is then I decide to join it with the wax and create an object of art.
Once the object is ready I work with the borders of the paper or wood to see if the two will work together. That can take a while to find the right combination but once it happens, I can see how it will resolve itself. I then begin to stitch either on the paper or through the wood if that is what I see as a resolution to the piece. Some pieces have the stitching completed before I paint with wax and other pieces are stitched afterwards. I can't control all aspects of this process for once I begin to paint the wax onto the support, it begins to have a life and direction of its own. I feel that I'm more of a facilitator at this point. The colors and layers of the wax combined with the stitching and the object begin a dance if you will that is wonderful to witness as they join in one statement. Sometimes the wax covers the object but other times it remains as it is naturally. The stitching creates a wonderful texture that reminds me of a journey, a constant presence within the piece. The stitching is sometimes metal thread and sometimes it is other material such as rafia grass. I love the combination of the man-made with the natural. It is how we exist in this world.
During the painting process, I meditate in a very personal and quiet way. Some talk about the painting process as 'being in the zone'. That for me is my deepest type of prayer. I'm drawn into the materials and how they work together. It is as if I'm working with contemporary relics - relics of our existance here on earth but these relics are not exalted like the relics of religion. These relics are the discarded remnants of our being which need to be transformed into something of beauty.
Once the materials and object join together completely, the work is finished. It is a place of rest and satisfaction, not a place of uncertainty for me. The work (and this will sound funny) will speak and let me know when it is finished. It is a wonderful feeling - something I don't experience anywhere else other than the studio. It's great!
Well, again, thanks for putting up with my rambling. Until next time - take care, enjoy, and God bless!