Taking a breaking from blogging has come to a rough end. I am still feeling overwhelmed with my schedule for the year when it comes to quilting and collage. I made a hard decision this week to forego the yearly collage series and concentrate on quilting and preparing for craft shows. It hurts like hell to say the least. One problem is in pushing the envelope. The another is time and yet another is my health. I surmised that time would be better served by pursuing fabric obsessions and with that came I breakthrough a few nights ago. The collages that came first eight years ago when I was finding my way back into creating finally made sense. They are better understood as quilts. Come two in the morning I pulled a few of the works on paper from an old stash I had been keeping under the bed but moved into the bookcase. Flipping through I finally saw more texture than color and applique carried over into each section. My heart settled. I appreciate finding carry over through all the disciplines I exercise. Over the years it has been stunning to my intellect to find that purist approaches do not always satisfy my ethic and approach in the studio. Far be this from complaining, I am overjoyed with the directions I have explored in the studio. The mixing, melding, fracturing, joining, building up, and tearing down have done my soul good for over twenty years. Places I reside now are located in refining technique, executing a solid finish, and mastering a seamless approach to handwork.
Hmmm. Birthday month may be reserved for something different. No collage. No paper. No encaustic. No bees. (Well, maybe. I'm hooked for sure.) To learn a new skill perhaps. To participate in quiet reading and experimentation, perhaps. All little change may do me wonders and fantasims unseen; not that I need be on the cutting edge. For now I am happy with the little room I have got where I am.
As ever, stay hungry and curious.