I have never been a one path sort of person.
My interests have always been varied, and
perhaps, without method. A little of this,
a little of that, and then just a smidge of
this other thing thrown in for fun.
Look at my room of art supplies:
there's the yarn and fiber, with its weaving,
knitting, crocheting, needling felting, nuno
felting, wet felting, dyeing, spinning, and
just plain coveting. Then there's the fabric,
with the quilting, the construction, the art
quilts, the bed quilts, bags, dyeing, and batiking.
Ah, and felt, both wool and acrylic, which both
is fabric and isn't, and the beads and sequins
that so often go with felt. Don't forget the paper,
making it, cutting it, tearing it, painting it,
(water color, acrylic, ink), the pencils (colored,
graphite, watercolor, inktense), the printing,
stamping, carving of stamps, collecting postage
stamps, sun prints, reductive prints, gelatin prints,
and the collage. The collage with sushi grass,
the glues, sewing of paper, layers, transfers,
the found papers, the purchased papers, the
maps, books, and "look what I found" elements.
I still haven't mentioned clay, or basket weaving,
or building of 3D installations. If it's out there,
I want to try it. Encaustic. I have all I need for
encaustic, but haven't had the right moment to
meddle. I am a mutt of artistic dabbling.
I am an expert in none of these areas, but I've
enjoyed them all, and taught others to use many of
them. In short, I am a collector of techniques and
materials. My main goal is to gather processes and to
share them. Art is a tool for self expression and relaxation,
not an end goal for me. It's not the product I am always
after, it's the journey and the play.
And this is why this past weekend was so amazing.
It was one of the rare moments in life when a collection
of disparate elements came together to form a new compound.
Interests dear to my heart, coalesced and made something
new, and I wasn't alone in my inspiration.