“The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.”- Orson Welles.
Most people think you need to have endless options to be creative but, in reality, if you don’t set yourself some kind of parameters, you will find yourself floating around the studio with no direction. When I could do art fairs I would always have weekly assignments because I needed to restock whatever sold out the weekend before. I kept a list of animals to make as ornaments or sculptures each week. I am still going to this list periodically, especially when I need to fill leftover space on a tray that’s going into the oven to bake. But with these new, long stretches of time to fill, I felt I needed to give myself more interesting assignments.
A scrap pile waiting to become something… maybe fish!
One job I often give myself is the clean-up-the-work-table assignment. This really appeals to my 10-year-old self that was always told by my mom to clean up my project space. I always dreamt of the day I wouldn’t have to do that anymore, but since then I’ve turned the duty into something enjoyable. I challenge myself to create with whatever is leftover on the table, trying to use up all that is there. This is, of course, a much slower way of cleaning up, but much more fun!
Earlier this month I started with this clean up concept on my corner table which has become a landing pad for all kinds of things, including my old title labels for pieces that have sold. They are made of clay in order to make them waterproof at outdoor art fairs and are colorful; I just hate to throw them out. Often they go home with the buyer but not always. I have a large pile now from sculptures that sold at galleries or from when the purchaser didn’t want the tag.
Pile of unused title tags waiting for new pieces…
Recently, I decided my next assignment would be to make new pieces with the same title but they had to be completely different from the original. For example, if it was originally a wall sculpture, it would be a teapot this time around or if it was a small piece before, I would aim for a large piece with totally different techniques. The challenge was to take the limitations of the title as a launching pad and see where it would take me. One of my favorite titles was from a piece that sold to a preschool in Miami entitled: “Are There Doorways in the Waterfall?” I applied this title to a teapot!
Left: “Are There Doorways in the Waterfall?” 2014 Right: The teapot version, 2020
Now I’m working on a piece called “Protecting the Three Puddles.” The original piece was a small sort of “doodle” with clay. This upcoming one is going to be about 5 feet tall and include a large owl with its wings “hugging” three puddles: each slightly more detailed, with the last showing microorganisms that live in ponds. My musings on this title and concept has lead me to think about the story that is emerging from the sculpture and how the number three is an integral element of fairytales. As a result, I’m thinking my next assignment will be to create a series that continues to focus on these common fairytale and folk tale components and to experiment with how presenting these universally innate qualities of story in my art can prompt the viewer to imagine their own stories.
I’m excited to see where this next assignment will take me! I‘m lucky to have additional time in the studio to create new works which I hope to exhibit in several gallery shows in the future. Stay tuned to see what emerges!
Close up of the microbe in one of my “puddles.” Keep an eye on my Facebook page and on Instagram to see the progress of this new piece and series.