Friday 24 April 2015

Ready-made projects

A while back a group of us planned a biggy "proper" exhibition, in a gallery and everything, and I started a series of work based on one of my husband's poems. Well then the others got cold feet, so we cancelled and my work was put in a box file and shelved.

Fast forward and I actually have three exhibitions coming up this year, with an urgent need for new work! And one of them (thankfully the last one, in November) is at the gallery we pulled out of previously. So after musing about what to start, but needing to start something, I pulled down my box file and just look what I found:

Sketchbook pages ready to be stitched and bound





Painted papers for collaging ideas


Designs


Musings on imagery and symbolism


Wordles


Pattern pieces organised in folders


Bags of threads, fibres and fabrics


Tentative samples



Love this bit...on water soluble, but not yet dissolved.


This is virtually a kit! All I need to do is remember how I was going to get all these ideas to work together....and decide on a scale.....and actually start....again

Why is it that we get so far with things, and then just as they reach the point where they could be finished, or we reach that breakthrough moment, we shelve them? Anyone else find this?

4 comments:

  1. Wow looks as if you have an exhibition nearly sorted, wonderful pieces. I spend a lot of my time trying to have work ready in advance of what might come but it never seems to work.

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  2. Obviously only talking of my own experience but I usually find I've shelved something because it wasn't quite working or it didn't really enthuse me. Hope that's not the case and you get to finish lots of lovely work!

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  3. Yep. Done that! I have six canvases stacked in various stages of completion...at least a dozen journals and a huge (and now annoying) pen & ink wildlife piece all waiting for attention. If I'm not 'feelin' it' I can't do the work! I do finish them - they just have their own schedule! I've given up worrying...:)

    Loving the stuff you've found and I'm looking forward to seeing what you create - will it be the same as your original ideas I wonder? Ooooo..... And congratulations on THREE exhibitions! Your work is INCREDIBLE - I'm glad so many people will get to enjoy it in person. Big hugs from Shroo:)x

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  4. Absolutely! I think I have a bit of a fear of finishing in case the work doesn't turn out exactly as I'd envisaged it but more often because my little magpie brain has gone, "Ooo, shiny!" and not been able to resist starting something else!

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