You know how it is when you've been having thoughts, but
they're not living in the forefront of your mind ... just lurking,
tucked in the way-back and not getting much attention?
I realized after I made these photos on the ferry the other day
that this had been happening with my own ideas
about
working in a series ...
working in a series with improvisational bead embroidery
on my hand dyed cloth.
How did these photos lead to that ?
The quirky photo app that created these ghost (mirrored) images was a
lens & film combination on Hipstamatic
~ Salvador [for Dali] lens and the just-released Robusta film to be exact ~
and as I sat in my jeep looking at the results of this same view
illustrated three distinctly different ways
the idea came to me
to try it on some beadwork in process at home.
I couldn't wait to get back ...
I'm thinking there's something important to be said for having purposeful focus;
deliberate intent vs. just wandering [nothing against wandering, of course];
exploring aspects of a thing, in depth, until one knows it extremely well
and can express it with clarity, a sense of direction ...
These seem like sound reasons for working on a series.
There are six of these on my work table
and I'm going to think about them more deliberately - as a group, a series -
not only how they relate to one another, but what story they tell as a whole.
They are, after all, cut from the same cloth.
In the meantime, I'd love to read your comments about
what working on/within a series has done for you,
for your creative expression.
Has it changed how you focus?
Oh my, I love your 'series' - very evocative and I really, really want to see it in person so I can truly absorb it. I've worked in series several times in beading, punchneedle and art dolls. I liked it with dolls because each one had a theme but was 'like' the others. For punchneedle I'm limiting my series to two or three with the same theme. For me, working in a series allows me to explore, explore, explore. The first one has the bare bones of the concept, the next one gets a little deeper and the third one feels like an old friend.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these thoughts, Penny. Your word "explore" feels just like what has been happening with *the six* above. I have a word in mind that can be defined in many ways, dependent upon the point of view involved. They are being worked on simultaneously - I pick up whichever one seems compelling at the moment. Some are more beaded upon than others. It sounds as if you work on one piece at a time? That's an interesting thought to explore as well ... why do some of us prefer a group of works in progress while others of us complete one before moving onto the next .... ?
DeleteOkay, firstly, these rock the free world. To the max!
ReplyDeleteI'm kinda the queen of working in series ... both in theme and/or in style. The largest being a piece of art a day for 31 consecutive days (the month of October). And I don't think I've ever approached any of them thinking it was a way of studying anything in depth or saying something with more clarity. Though it may end up that way. I find that I work much better when I limit my options ... too many and it can stymie my creative process. I can focus on the subject or colour or style or tools without getting pulled down the 'more is more' path. (a little adhd maybe?!?)
Come to think of it, my least favourite work happens to be when creating outside of the series box. Go figure!
(Jen, me thinks you're the Queen of lots of things!)
DeleteI'm a little surprised that more blog followers have not chimed in on this post. So many who stop by here to read work in series and it seems like such an important subject - perhaps its just taken for granted. (Ahh yah, ok, and it's summer, everyone's busy). So thank you for joining this discussion. For some reason (which I need to explore) I really like what you've said about working much better when you limit your options. I've got a tendency to be all over the board if I'm without restraints. For some, that would be their creative catalyst but for me, I get stalled out in the water. And the very worst aspect of this is ... I RARELY FINISH ANYTHING. This is the primary reason I'm finding the idea of change very appealing ;>]]
Thanks. Thanks again for chiming in ~ I really appreciate it.
who knows what sparks people to respond?!? I've been at the blogging game long enough to know, it's ALL a crap shoot! ;)
Delete2 other things came to mind re: working in series ... I'm really lazy. like. really. and I work fast. If I didn't do multiples of things, I'd end up wandering out of the studio with nothing accomplished searching for teh shiny. which is another reason why limiting materials works so well or I'd end up with something that a kindergarten child created when given free reign in the art room.
I'm a bit in doubt about the "kindergarten child" part, Jen, but I'll take you at your word ;>P
DeleteI've never done a series before....but looking at yours is very inspiring. Lovely bead work on those fabulous markings from your dyeing. I really like the third image...lovely work.
ReplyDeleteSo nice to have you visit, Carmel - thanks for the kind words.
Deletei think working in a series is just how i continue, one thing leads to another and then another. i see my life's work as one big series of mini series.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. This is exactly how I *see* you, jude, and I've learned so much just watching [listening] to the way you work. I shall be extremely corny here and say that your mini series is a best seller in my eyes!
Deletesorry. couldn't resist.
working in series aka variations on the theme... I have been doing this consistently since 1999 when a friend asked me to illustrate the zodiac for this diary. That was very focused, channeling one star sign every 10 days from research to rough drafts to final work and I was exhausted by the end of the 5 months I had to work in so these days I enjoy giving myself more time within the framework (& don't take on commissions any more) I set a loose time limit of app 5 years for each big project to be able to get a fair few dream things finished in this lifetime but always allow a bit of time for side projects too, the things that come in from left field & need to be made from the corner of the eye, they are often the most interesting.
ReplyDeletethat should read his diary not this
Deleteoh and your photography and bead work has an integrity that is totally yours, it's in your eye the way you see things Christi... your work glows!
DeleteIn some respects I feel that I am running out of time. I feel that working in a series will greatly help with focus - I want to finish more pieces. No sure if I can even set loose time limits, as you do, Mo ... it sort of feels like the projects themselves need to set the limits. But I'm going to think further on this because there might be something valuable gained from pre-limiting.
Delete... "made from the corner of the eye ..." Oh. Yes to that.
Firstly, I love the beading and am really looking forward to seeing more of it! I'm not sure if I work in series or not. I'm always looking to explore something new so I think I tend to move on quite quickly. Then again there have been times when I've had more to discover and say about something so I've revisited the technique or concept several times before moving on. It's certainly got me thinking about my methodology, so thank you for that!
ReplyDeleteKeeping visits longer increases the communication, I think. I've moved on quickly myself ... the lure of the new?
DeleteMaybe now I just have more to say with cloth & beads?
No.
That's not it. Maybe I'm just braver about putting it out for others to see.
What a great subject for debate, I've just started working in a series as I normally only work on one thing at a time, I want to build a cohesive collection for an eventual solo exhibition. Its proving to be a very rewarding experience, building on previous experience and learning to extend it. I've also started working with more in depth research on my chosen inspiration source, which has very much enriched my understanding and emotional connection to the subject. It's also taken me in unexpected directions.
ReplyDeleteI love your initial photographic experiments and am amazed at your textile interpretation, your beaded pieces are beautiful.
What a great subject for debate, I've just started working in a series as I normally only work on one thing at a time, I want to build a cohesive collection for an eventual solo exhibition. Its proving to be a very rewarding experience, building on previous experience and learning to extend it. I've also started working with more in depth research on my chosen inspiration source, which has very much enriched my understanding and emotional connection to the subject. It's also taken me in unexpected directions.
ReplyDeleteI love your initial photographic experiments and am amazed at your textile interpretation, your beaded pieces are beautiful.
YESYESYES, the "unexpected directions" is so critical to this process ... staying with ANYTHING for a longer period of time always brings/takes us past the *expected*, wouldn't you say? Hugely important. Hugely rewarding.
DeleteThank you, Sharon.
I think whether I work on one piece at a time or several concurrently, the thing that makes them a series is the initial intent to make two or more pieces which all have one or more things in common. Your hand dyed fabrics and beadwork seem to have in common: a single, initially whole piece of cloth, a word of significance to you, and now an additional factor, your intent to place the work within a framework of direction, so that together they tell a story, almost so that together they are one piece, as in tearing apart the cloth and then making it whole again. You can do it! Go for it!
ReplyDeleteWhen I work in series, the most important benefit is the discipline of it, that which keeps me making more art. A secondary benefit for me is improving my skills in certain areas by keeping my attention focused on those areas (the common factors).
Thanks for posting this interesting topic; and thanks to those who commented.
Oh Robin, thanks for stopping to leave these encouraging words ... I so appreciate them. I'm going to go forward with this series idea. It is a discipline, as you describe, and I want to teach myself to follow it. Focused attention - such key words!
Deleteit is a natural thing to try one thing one way, then want to see it in a slightly different way, and although I don't create variations for the sake of 'going deeper', sticking with a theme or subject long enough really does take you to a different place with it.
ReplyDeleteDee, you must feel this way about your textile houses? And it must be such good history to look back on the progression of them, the thought processes that led you from one to the next. I wonder how the icon of *house* has deepened for you over time.
DeleteSome artists have returned to the same themes over & over in the course of their creative lives. Others have visited a subject in depth for a specific period and then moved on to others with nary a look back. It is all so interesting to me.
Such an interesting topic, Sweetpea. I do work in series but not always and most of the time I don't set out to make a series but when I notice it happening I run with it. My self excavation series has taught me such a lot and I'm nowhere near finished. There are so many possibilities! And that is what is so great about a series. You can see and ponder on all the directions it can take. I would love to do what you are doing with 4 or 6 small pieces on the table in front of me, going back and forth. It's different with wood but I think it could be exciting. I also have that feeling of running out of time and need to focus!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this thoughtful comment, Robyn. These words, "...when I notice it happening I run with it" are something I'd like to pay attention to from now on. When I worked on the Bead Journal Project - producing one beaded journal *page* per month - that was within guidelines pre-set from the get go and became a series on its own. It feels completely different to have a series evolve purely through the making process, one idea leading to another. Yes, and pondering "all the directions it can take"!
DeleteI'm delighted to find and follow your blog and must tell you this new series of yours is exquisite!
ReplyDeleteAlso happy to be a part of the 'series' conversation. I have always worked in a series...painting and printmaking and this past year I've been art making by exploring fabrics, re-discovering embroidery and falling in love with beads.
I'm drawn to research and study and combing with my own personal stores becomes my footpath to the work. This summer my series is about creating fragments of ancient gardens. I believe working in a series narrows ones focus!
Mary Ann, welcome here. And I so appreciate your kind words and hearing a bit of your own story about process. It is so encouraging to read about everyones path! I realized while reading your comment that I too, have been drawn to research on these latest pieces - it feels important to dig a bit deeper to try and understand why I am responding to them in this way. Questions come up like, what is the meaning of my response to these marks as symbols? And why does working on several at once compel me so much - is it the strength in numbers thing? Asking & digging like this is most definitely narrowing my own focus. It feels RIGHT - I am going with it ...
Delete