It's quite a summer so far with times in the studio having to take a back seat, but today I had a few hours to ready some art for two art tables I am vending here in St. Louis and to find a little bit of myself in my art. It always fascinates me when what is bubbling under the surface arrives so unexpectedly right in the middle of your composition. It can be the raw you that you don't show the world regularly (but give a glimpse of yourself every so often), or something that resonates so deeply that you are sure it came from your soul. I am so humbled when this synergy happens because it doesn't happen with every piece of art.
The piece above is a second ink manipulation of CitraSolv. I used the second manipulation to push back part of the word voices that was left behind the first time. Voices have come and gone in my life from the voices that told me to keep going late into our infertility years to the thoughts (still voices in my book) that for years kept me up most nights, refusing to be silenced. Those voices have receded for the most part, but I actively do a lot of meditation, some yoga, many essential oils, and take the required pill each night to keep my brain in balance. I am indeed lucky that I was very high functioning all of my life. I kept the plates spinning for many years with only a few dropped. Others aren't so lucky and the stigma of having a mental illness still exists. Until that changes, many won't get the help them need just to feel "regular". Off my soapbox, but now you can see why I pushed back the word.
I added the Allegro treble because of the solace I have found in music. From the depths of personal despair in the early '90s with no child (REM's Losing My Religion) to a new favorite by Matt Skiba & the Sekrets (appropriately titled, Voices), music has always been my confidante and my inspiration. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't listen, wonder, and try to decipher what the lyrics mean to me. I've given up trying to figure out what they mean to the songwriters.
Finally, I just received a delightful assortment of Seth Apter's new stamps with Impression Obsession. I had the pleasure of meeting Seth in his class with Mary Beth Shaw in April. I enjoyed the day, the art, and even getting to know him a bit. He's a keeper so make sure to check out his urban art when you get a chance. It's something else. The matboard is done with his bar code stamp. I did some light mark-making in gray around the perimeter and then inked up only part of the stamp with black StazOn and used pressure to get the small contrasting marks.
It felt good to be back in the studio. I managed to get about 15 pieces done for my artist tables in August. Join me at the first annual Valley Vinyasa Marketplace on Saturday afternoon from 1:00-4:00 PM. My other event is a private one that evening. I'll be putting the extra art in my Etsy after the events.
I'll post some other sneak peeks in the upcoming weeks. I travel to Stampaway next week for my two classes and a lot of fun. Hello, Skyline and Jungle Jim's.
