Art. Life. Place. - A Blog
The Art of Practice
When I sit down to work I focus on bringing projects from conception to completion, rarely deviating to explore new territory or simply sit and work on a technique. Lately I’ve been trying to force myself to take the time to just sit and practice the craft. It’s not a lot of time, maybe just 10 minutes on some days and an hour or more on others. Regardless of the time, the work is focussed on the exploration of technique, not on the quality of the final product. I’m only a few weeks into this, but I’m finding that it’s made me a better artist and opened up new avenues I wouldn’t have considered before. While I’ve found this process immensely helpful, it is still a struggle to find the time, and when I do, to just let go. It seems practice requires practice, too.
Details
I often fall into the trap of focussing on the finished piece and how it will look on the wall, forgetting to spend time appreciating the detail work that goes into a piece. I spent time this past week revisiting some of my older pieces, looking at them up close, and reflecting back on the drawing process. Given that I’ve recently shared what my artwork looks like when you take a step back, I also wanted to give an up-close look. I thought others might appreciate this different perspective.
The Telephone Pole Art of South Mashpee
If you look carefully as you drive Red Brook and Great Neck South roads in South Mashpee you’ll notice that the telephone poles have become gallery space for art installations. Someone, somewhere knows something about the origins of the telephone art, but it isn’t me. I’m just a spectator and a fan. Recently I’ve noticed some of the older pieces are starting to disappear. Given the transient nature of the art, I wanted to attempt to preserve some lasting memory of this art.
On Starting Over
It’s not easy to start over. You’ve invested the energy and time into something and you’re left facing the prospect that despite all that, it’s time to go in a different direction and start over. When I start to doubt myself I’m learning to show up, put my nose down, get to work, and trust the process. By focusing on what I put into things, and not worrying about the expected outcomes, I’ve freed myself from what I have no control over. Starting over is daunting, but I’m embracing the journey and looking forward to it. I have no idea where it will go, but in many ways it doesn’t matter.
Skin-Deep Beauty
When I was gathering reference photos for the long-finned squid drawing, I was struck by the beauty of the chromotaphore patterns in the squid skin. This is a short image blog of long-finned squid inspired designs.