praying for inspiration

This December I will have a small solo exhibition of my clay drawings.  By small, I don’t mean insignificant – but, small spatially.  Perhaps compact better describes the space.

I’m planning on six pieces.  Smaller pieces than most of my previous drawn clay work.  The size thing is a real challenge for me.  The dedicated space for the exhibition is about 10′(h)x38′(w), which requires me to think and create differently.

I’ve always sort of thought visually in terms of actual size – life size.  As an undergraduate my drawings and paintings never fit into the confines of little illustrated vignettes.  I built and stretched large canvases for my paintings.  Life drawings were, well…life sized.  My BFA solo exhibition included several ‘sofa sized’ paintings.  Except, mine were actual paintings of sofas (and the occasional chair).  In drawing class I refused to be limited by the size of the paper.  A small page could easily be filled with a ‘large as life’ figure.

Thinking small.  Small in size.

I was a student of few financial means – as are many students.  I couldn’t afford large, lovely sheets of paper.  Often, I would scrounge in the trash for the crinkled brown paper that had been used to wrap rolled sheets of the good stuff.  Those crisp, hot pressed, mud colored sheets became my drawing surface.  Though the wrapping paper was less than ideal (and no where near archival), it was big and free.  On the occasion I was able to invest in good paper, it wasn’t uncommon for me to sit in life drawing class with a halved or quartered sheet of paper concentrating on a foot or hand because it filled the page nicely.

Thinking concise.  Concise in character.

In graduate school, I was once accused of having “little girl/big art” syndrome.  This comment was flung my direction as I loaded a 160 cubic foot car kiln with the parts to just one installation piece.

Thinking intimate.  Intimate in voice.

Praying for inspiration.