Untitled – Such a non-title! It seems a bit lazy, the artist finished the work and couldn’t be bothered to give the viewer anything to make an initial engagement. Once we give a glance to the work in a gallery or museum, we look at the label – name of the artists, date, medium, then….what? […]
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Trying Out the Idea….
A few weeks ago I delivered work to a gallery and wanted to change directions or perhaps I was ready for some fun experimentation – nothing serious with no particular agenda in mind. But…I had several ideas whirling around, all calling out for attention – pick me, pick me! While I thought experimenting would be […]
READ MORE...Little Pinch Pots
In amongst other art tasks, I’ve been preparing for a workshop and building pots/vessels/containers with a variety of techniques and styles, experimenting to see how fabric, paper and stitch can be constructed into different shapes. The premise for the workshop is “Clay? No Way! Explore a different way of dimensional “pot-making” with fabric, paper, stitch […]
READ MORE...It’s Not a Dry Spell
You’re probably familiar with the verses about seasons – from the Bible and then a song Turn, Turn Turn made famous by The Byrds and since my residency ended, I’ve not done much creating….but I realized that I had been spending 6-8 hours each day in the studio during that time and I needed a […]
READ MORE...Not Done Yet….
It’s been just a week since our exhibition at the art residency and its time to reflect on the experience – three weeks to work on a focused topic which has been leading me for the past year and more. It began when I was on residency in Crete and continues as I explore, fine […]
READ MORE...But Wait…there’s more!
In my last post, I mentioned how much fun I was having working with using the Khadi paper as a dimensional form. The paper takes the ink very well, I can stitch through it easily and it is sturdy enough to hold a shape. I also mentioned that I was somewhat concerned about these pieces […]
READ MORE...It’s Also About the Work…
I am coming to the end of my second week here at Eutopia and the work has been going incredibly well. My sketchbook has been filling up with notes, colour samples, poor sketches and a few museum tickets and ephemera. It will be not only a nice reflection of my time here but important documentation […]
READ MORE...Kallimera – Good Morning
A quick little post this morning – I had a great day yesterday, walking up to the fortress on the hill – yes, it was up and up! With a fabulous view on a lovely day. Years ago, we might be offered a “slide show” of someone’s vacation and yes, thats what I am doing […]
READ MORE...The Days Fly By
Today is Saturday and I arrived at Eutopia Art Residency last Monday – its is a lovely spot in a residential neighbourhood, some apartments and some single homes, there’s a coffee shop right across the street and a pizza place around the corner. The downtown area is about 2 kms. Away, so an easy walk […]
READ MORE...The First Part of the Journey
Since my last post, I’ve travelled half way around the world and so happy to say that it has gone very smoothly. Buses, boats, planes and trains were all on time, I didn’t sleep through the alarm and in fact, I managed to survive on not much sleep at all! You know when you have […]
READ MORE...A Boat – A Bus – A Train….
Boat – bus – train – plane – plane – train – bus – hotel – plane – taxi – hotel…..are you exhausted yet? And that’s just to Thessaloniki where I spent a few days of research! Tomorrow is the day that will stretch on for about 48 hours as I begin the journey to […]
READ MORE...A Sort of Betwixt and Between
After spending several weeks finishing up From a Distance – our collaboration series (if you haven’t already, check it out: https://www.susanpm.com/from-a-distance-works-in-correspondance/) , I have found myself not really ready to take on big, new work – not really raring to go but more like that time when the house guests have left and now its […]
READ MORE...Working Together and Apart
Three days ago I delivered 24 pieces of art to an exhibtion – it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my soul – a bit like delivering a much loved and somewhat tolerated relative to the airport and waving them goodbye at the gate. I loved the visit, cherished the conversation, late […]
READ MORE...Some Thoughts about Self and Change
The hardest task of life may be to become entirely ourselves — to continually purify and clarify who and what we are, shedding the shoulds of culture, convention, and expectation to discover the innermost musts: those deepest and truest callings of the authentic self, or what we might call soul. And yet, to me, the paradox […]
READ MORE...Simplicity is Hard
Simplicity in art can be deceptively challenging, and while it might seem easy to create a minimalist or simple composition, it requires an understanding of balance, negative space, and subtlety. The challenge lies in conveying depth or meaning with limited visual elements. As someone who focuses on creativity and mark making, I understand that every […]
READ MORE...Getting Off Course and Back On
A couple weeks ago I noticed that my current art focus had veered off course into a repetitive, boring ….meh! While it’s sometimes natural for this to happen; when I’m making art for an upcoming Studio Tour – time and quality/quantity of work is critical. I first noticed this when I had made a couple […]
READ MORE...Explore, Experience and Experiment
I’m not sure I invented this, but occasionally I like to reference what I have titled the “3 E’s” in my art practise. These came about when I was on an art residency and attempting to explain my experiences of building and maintaining a dedicated focus of subject and going “deep” into my ideas. Experience […]
READ MORE...Going Deep into Our Art
I think we artists tend to be a bit like magpies, hoarding all those shiny new supplies (Bright Shiny Object Syndrome), latest techniques and e-courses. We’re constantly looking around at all the fabulous art being shared, and we want to keep trying our hand at new techniques and styles. Which is definitely fun, of course, […]
READ MORE...Honouring Your Supplies
Do you ever walk through your studio door and say “thank you”? I’ve been thinking about this as part of my “honouring” series on this blog and how my art practise can be a way of thanking (by using them) …. those items I use to create. I think most of us have an abundance […]
READ MORE...Honouring Your Creativity
When I host an open art studio or exhibit my work in public, I often receive comments from visitors such as “You are so creative” or “I could never create something like this” and I can’t help but feel a tinge of sadness in these statements. It’s disheartening to witness people unaware of the creativity […]
READ MORE...Honouring Your Space
Our creativity is an vital part of ourselves, our wellbeing and the way we present ourselves to the world. It is, indeed, very precious and in some ways, depending on your beliefs, sacred. My lecture, titled Scared Cloth, Textiles of Faith centres around how different religious and cultural groups use cloth as part of their […]
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Take the Risk – Open the Door
A few months ago I wrote about how vital it was to continue in my studio even if it meant that all I could do was to just be there…the work would come but sometimes all the work I could manage was simply to be present in the studio. This was during a time of […]
READ MORE...Do the Work…
Do the Work… Philosopher and Statesman, Sir Francis Bacon reminds us, “Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake. That first sentence can be changed into almost any desired action – call […]
READ MORE...Three More Words
I learned to sew as a young girl – first with Barbie and doll clothes and then moving into my own wardrobe as a teenager and eventually sewing for my own little family. But in junior high school the first item I learned to make was an apron to use in the cooking part of […]
READ MORE...Just Two Words
I have a sheet of paper on the wall in my studio – its a sheet of newsprint that I tore out of the sketch pad because I was in a hurry to write something down before it left my aging, leaky brain. I have meant to write it all out again on some 300 […]
READ MORE...…when my feet aren’t quite touching the bottom
Like me, you probably receive many email newsletters and material into your inbox every day. Sometimes I sign up for a newsletter and after a couple issues, hit the “unsubscribe” button. Or sometimes the businesses want to capture your email address to send “daily missives” about their sales. And every once in a while I […]
READ MORE...The Industrial Shoreline
A whirlwind couple of weeks and such a wonderful experience…all the work got finished on time and turned out so well. My husband, and friend, Monica helped to hang the show and it all fit in and looks much better than I expected. It’s one thing for the piece to hang in a studio or […]
READ MORE...Week 34 – Home Again, Home Again
It might be week 34…I just picked a logical number! Now we are home, lighting the wood stove and making savoury soups in our home in the forest….what a change from last week. Its time to reflect on the residency and … in a different reality (it seems) prepare for my upcoming exhibition! When I […]
READ MORE...Art Making in Lakkos
Now that I am firmly into the residency here in Crete, I am beginning to look at the end next week..and lest you think I am just touring around and checking out the museums and ancient sites I thought I’d catch you up on some of the work I’ve been doing. And a bit more […]
READ MORE...Week One is Done!
It’s been just over one week at the residency and looking back it has been such a wonderful experience of colour, art, images to excite the eye and so much more…I admit that its been challenging to focus and go deep into any one component of my ideas that I began with! My plan in […]
READ MORE...At the Residency!
Once we arrived in Crete last week we took the bus to Chania for three nights…a lovely seaside town with tons of history, another museum and sweet little alleys and corners. We’d definitely recommend a visit to this town if you get a chance. At the Folklore Museum, small rooms recreated as they […]
READ MORE...Week something-onto Athens
Being a car owner and used to grabbing a set of keys, its nice to leave the driving to someone else and hop on a bus. Travelling by bus in Greece and perhaps a lot of Europe is quite affordable and frequent. We took the bus back to Athens, checked into our apartment and went […]
READ MORE...Week 30-ish from Nafplio
I admit that I’d never heard of Nafplio before planning our trip to Greece. My friend, Alexandra, recommended the town as a place that combines the charm of an old town with great museums and walking areas. We flew to Athens and overnighted in a hotel near the bus station and then it was an […]
READ MORE...Week 29 – From Paris with Love
This was the first time for us to visit Paris – we’ve been to France a few times but when kids were little we avoided big cities. so we fell in love with the city this time…who wouldn’t? First: DH (dear husband) uses walking poles for distances, eventually there will be a knee replacement but […]
READ MORE...Week 28 – not in the Studio
We are half way around the world since my last blog post and we have crammed a lot in as well as enjoying some downtime! Plus a couple textile and related exhibits that we enjoyed! Our first stop was York to get over some jet lag and enjoy a bit of the city – its […]
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