Working Small
I've been spending quite a bit of time making small pieces of art lately. Mostly little mixed-media works, some no bigger than 2.5 × 3.5 inches.
I'm not sure exactly what started this little phase, but I've been enjoying it.
I've been pulling out different materials, adding layers, experimenting with marks and colors, and seeing what happens. Some pieces come together pretty quickly, while others seem to need a little more attention.
And then there are the ones I put aside because I have absolutely no idea what to do with them.
Those tend to pile up.
Actually, I have quite a few piles going on in my studio right now.
Over the past week, I've been sorting through some of those pieces, figuring out which ones are finished, which ones need to be flattened, and which ones I'm still not quite happy with. I've also been experimenting with different ways to protect and finish the work.
Who knew there would be so much to consider with a little piece of paper?
One thing I've noticed about myself is that I really enjoy the process of making art, but everything that comes afterward is another story.
Photographing it, measuring it, writing descriptions, getting it listed on my website. I don't necessarily dislike doing those things, but they can take me away from what I actually want to be doing, which is making more art.
And of course, while I'm working on all of that, I'm usually thinking about something else I want to try.
I have larger pieces sitting around that I haven't finished, and sometimes I wonder why I keep gravitating toward these smaller works instead.
Maybe it's because they're easier to pick up and put down. I can spend a little time working on something without having to commit to an entire afternoon in the studio.
Or maybe I'm just enjoying working on a smaller scale right now.
I don't know that everything needs an explanation.
What I do know is that I'm having fun experimenting.
I've also been looking back through some of the pieces I've made recently, and it's interesting to see how different they are from one another. Even when I'm using similar materials, I never really know what something is going to look like when it's finished.
That's probably one of the things I enjoy most about making abstract art.
I can start with one idea and end up somewhere completely different.
Of course, sometimes that means I have to know when to stop, which is something I'm still figuring out.
For now, I'm continuing to work through my little collection of artwork, finishing pieces, photographing them, and slowly getting them ready to share.
And knowing me, I'll probably start another handful of pieces before I finish everything that's already sitting on my table.
But that's part of the fun, isn't it?
