In the last three wonderful years of navigating motherhood, it's been hard to find the time and space to sit quietly with my thoughts and ideas — it has been even more difficult to thoughtfully put those on paper or canvas.
I think what you will see here now will likely take a different direction from the pre-2022 work. After all, I have changed, profoundly. My life has changed, completely. And so, it was important for me to write this post, as a marker, and to provide some context to this turning point.
I continue to be drawn to intuitive abstract expressions — with one key difference: I am much more scattered than before, and I am working in short bursts with much space between each session. Looser compositions are making more sense now than before, whereas in 2020 I would pursue a more definitive scene or form. I hope to use this blog to document my evolving art practice and a hopefully, a new body of work.
In the interest of not adding to my graveyard of used boards and canvases, today I’ve dusted off an old sketchbook to warm up and try out some ideas before starting a new piece. It’s great to pick up a brush and explore, with no end goal or the pressure of a brand new canvas to stiffen me up.
Indigo, a frequent flyer on my palette— is always a great choice for me to dabble with. There is something about this tint of blue that layers up, dilutes, blends, and works so beautifully with the rest of my muted, moody colors.
Understanding the proportion of the objects and shapes I place on my piece in relation to the boundaries of the space I have is an intuitive process with a steep learning curve, one that has contributed to the aforementioned painting graveyard. I will keep exploring compositions in my sketchbook, and perhaps I shall start a piece in the coming days to see how it goes.
I've also got a little studio helper now — my son Kal loves every opportunity to join me in here!
