I have decided to let go of one of my deadlines.
The landscape themed show is not something I am comfortable with. Someday a show will come up (there) that is right for what I am currently doing and I will submit work for it...but until then I need to not beat myself up with the difference between wanting to participate and trying to skew what I do to fit a theme. It just doesn't work. Heck, if it was a show for textiles or oil paintings or glasswork or something specific I would be fine with just saying "cool, but not what I do" right from the get-go. I think maybe having an open call for all media in a subject makes me think I can do something that I am not particularly interested in... just so I can "play" too. I need to let go of that idea and just keep plugging away on stuff in my studio until the right calls come along.
Here is the thing. Yeah, I could push and complete three pieces for the show. But even if they DID get juried in I would be comparing my work to the work of the "real" Landscape Artists in the show -- the ones who make Landscapes because that is what they love. I might be able to come up with a landscape-like scene, but my heart is not in it. I realized this when I was juggling the elements around in the deep shadow boxes this morning. I was getting into the story of what was going on in the scenes, and I wanted to put more story into it. The fact that there were clouds and ground and trees and sky and outdoor elements was becoming less and less what it was about. And that might not make an overall difference, but it does to me. So...not a big deal about the landscape themed show -- it isn't what I do.
I am very very pleased with the elements that I carved and I absolutely will be making things with them...things that I do. I am still learning this lesson, it is just taking a while to sink in. LOL.
In the meantime...
Now I can give more time to the ATCs for the trade on Wednesday. AND I get to go to see goats at my sister's friend's farm on Tuesday!
This month's theme for the ATC trade is characters from children's literature and these are some of the Mad Hatters I am painting with watercolors. I will affix them to a card of the correct ATC dimensions. I am also doing some Cheshire Cats.
These guys are much brighter colors than how I originally did them on ceramic tiles. I like them a lot. I am going to do the cats in less saturated colors...I think it fits the Cheshire Cat more -- makes it easier for it to disappear.
I also have more time now to gather up a wider assortment of Art-o-mat examples for the presentation I will be giving at the meeting. Yay!
