Saturday, May 10, 2008

Change of Heart

Mixed media on 8" x 10" matboard.
Available at www.livefunky.etsy.com

It was another productive day today. More art papers and I photographed this collage I made yesterday. This is my favorite piece right now. One of the materials I used was cut up pieces of the thick layers of dried acrylic paint I peel off of my palette.

As quoted from my Etsy listing...

"One of my little artsy joys is to peel away the dried layers of plastic like acrylic paint from one of my palettes (a glass pie plate and a frisbee!). I never knew what to do with it besides enjoy the feeling of the chunky texture on one side and admire the accidental beauty of swirls of color on the slick, shiny backside. Now that I've been on this recycling kick regarding my art, I am loving the effect of depth that this raw material creates on an otherwise two dimensional piece. I think you'll be seeing more of these "chunks" in my work in the future. No more tossing out ANYTHING! It all can be reused and manipulated to create new work :) "

Chipping away at the materials I already have has been a fun and gratifying challenge. I've been doing a lot of thinking about living green and what that means to an artist, or I should say, to me as an artist. I don't know where these thoughts will lead me in the long run, but I'm just working with ideas and projects in the moment and not worrying about grand implications. Will I stop working on canvas? Probably not, but you never know. Maybe I'll switch to stretching recycled fabric. Or painting on odd found surfaces. I won't make any promises, I just know what I feel right now is a good feeling and I'm going to try and keep this train of creative energy cruising as long as I can.

On a more personal note, this was my husband's first week working day shift! Our prayers were answered, and it's a real change for both of us - all for the best. Tonight we ate dinner together and I literally cried with joy. Jazz in the background, the sun setting, my love sitting across from me sharing a good meal - that's it. That's what I've been praying for all these years and I feel so lucky that someone was listening...

This evening all I can think and feel is LIFE IS GOOD.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Recycling also helps on the wallet. The higher prices go, the more I waste not. I even cut open plastic tubes to get the last bits... be it toothpaste, hair gel or paint.

Congrats on you and your husband's schedules getting in sync.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful piece Jess!Thanks for sharing it with us!
As for your personal note, thanks for sharing that with us too!
I'm so happy for you both! That sounds like a romantic evening!
*HUGS*