It’s finally here! I’ve been participating in Art Every Day Month (AEDM), hosted by Leah Piken Kolidas at her Creative Every Day website, for 5 years now (at least). For the last two years I’ve met the challenge of making art every day – it’s a stretch and I love it!
You can see past offerings by looking under “categories” on the right hand side and perusing AEDM 2010 and AEM 2008, or click through on some of these links:
2010 AEDM 21: Change the Rules
2010 AEDM 15: Kiss the Frog So It Can Fly
Leah also runs monthly prompts throughout the year for those who wish to follow this a year through (I am not that disciplined!), and other sites run monthly and yearly challenges too. So if you like this, browse through and pick out somthing that intrigues you! Two Birds in a Bush Singing is my covering 2 different challenges with one blog.
This has been a restless year, a year of taking stock, stepping back and lots and lots of play. I fell in love with artjournaling and mosaics – they are a part of the same energy of piecing together things that are old with those that are new and what is broken into a healed whole, of juxtiposing one piece of work with one or two more (thanks to the lovely availability of scanners at home) and seeing what happens.
Previously when working on AEDM, I focused on finishing one piece a day. Rhe past year, however, I’ve started art work that isn’t a one-sitting thing. With art journaling I became enamored with backgrounds – what does and doesn’t show, and that transferred to my paintings. Once upon a time, I painted the background a flat color and painted on top, or a flat fill-in color after I had the focal finished. No more! Now it’s all about layers and texture. Can’t do that in one day! So my Day 1 offering is a look at a new 24″ x 36″ piece I’m reclaiming – going over an old picture I’m done with. That actually speeds things up because my underlayer is already done.
I’ll also be working on mosaics. I have work in the kiln right now that will go toward a long, narrow piece I”m working on. More about that tomorrow.
Today’s offering is the original painting I’m going over, and two layers that I completed and need to let dry before I go further. I’m still not sure what the main idea of the painting is, but that doesn’t matter because the background is so much fun!
Here’s a picture to show you how they end up sooner or later:
Wylde Women’s Wisdom
When we are restless and our lives feel colorless, it is a clue and a cue that they are about to become colorful- if we cooperate. Prayers, and especially creative prayers, are answered, but answered in ways we may not anticipate or appreciate. this is why artists speak that spiritual-sounding word – inspiration. That is not some gauzy bromide, it is our actual experience. As artists, we are irrationally, intuitively, and insistently inspired. Julia Cameron
12 Comments
[…] also worked some more on my mixed media on paper piece that I started the first day of AEDM. It sat for a while with the pieces sitting on it because I was focused on the mosaic. […]
[…] I did work on my process piece yesterday. Did some sketches for it and played with how it’s going to come together. Did some […]
Oh I LOVE “Making my Own Myth”! It has such lovely energy. 🙂
I love watching you expand and grow. You inspire me!
Warmly,
Tracy
I´ve been pondering these past two weeks about the AEDM 2011 approach. I´m fascinated by the concept “body of work” and have been thinking if this year´s process would be only one craft (as 2010 one scrapbooking page a day) or a mix & match thing.
So far it looks as an “anything goes” for me. 😀
Thanks for sharing how you have evolved over the past year & your current art process. Love how the depth of layers is creating such depth of meaning.
I really enjoyed your art last aedm, I look forward to seeing this year’s creations.
Really enjoyed the glimpse of process and can’t wait to see the finished product… will be a great month with AEDM
Dave – oh – it’s not finished yet. The one finished picture (the one that’s here twice..quirk of wordpress or my non-techieness, don’t know which)…and it is fun to photograph and watch the process. Thanks for stopping by! I stopped by your site earlier but had a problem with the signature. I’ll be back!
I love working with layers and texture too! It was fun to look through all the stages of your painting to see the original painting gradually receding to the point where there is very little visible on the surface. I love the finished piece!
Even if there is little left of the original painting, it’s still in there affecting the new work in some way. What a beautiful and mysterious process!
Wow your work is incredible! So glad you’re doing AEDM I’ll love watching what you do over this month. Much love Jennibellie x
Christine
I find the layering thing mesmerizing – all that “stuff” and only the artist knows exactly what’s there. Can’t hurt to give it a try!
thanks for stopping by!
I’ve taken the approach of creating something every day too, and it’s been great. Recently I was watching a presentation by an artist who spends years on a single piece and it got me yearning to dive deeper into projects.
I recognize a desire to make sense from the layers. I work with them a lot digitally, perhaps its time to also think about them in traditional media?