Deadlines!

At the moment I'm working on a project deadline, time is ticking away and so far I've only come up with one piece but still need to create one more...the pressure is on! The first piece I'm happy with. Well in saying that I don't know if an artist is ever truly happy with their work, as so many doubts and questions arise when creating work. The second piece I feel like throwing away and starting again. This could be to do with the fact that it's unchartered territory for me and the work I'm making at the moment and am not as yet sure if we're a compatible team (I'm using paper collage and stitch), but also I normally leave things until last minute, which generally means that I get a sudden burst of creativity and inspiration. The problem is what happens if you leave it right up until the deadline and you have a creative block. I'm feeling a bit that way at the moment and panic is starting to set in...aghhh!!

I will plan ahead!
I will plan ahead!
I will plan ahead!

At the moment I'm questioning when as an artist do I recognize when a piece is finished? Just recently I picked up a painting I did about 2 years ago and felt it looked unfinished and so started to add more and change it. Perhaps this is a reflection of not being content with previous work as my perception of art changes, but also how my own direction and focus as an artist has changed. This 2nd piece I'm working on at the moment is having this effect on me. Do I just leave it as it is now or continue to work on it? My concern is that I will either leave it wanting more or over complicate it, and therefore, have too much going on in it to make any real sense. Oh, the dilemmas! I suppose these are things that have to be worked out on each individual piece and perhaps only the creator will ever truly know if it is finished. Or maybe it's OK to return to a piece and add another element to it that was previously unseen in the mind of the artist.

Today will be a good day!

Do you ever have one of those days when you need to make a decision to have a good day? Before I got out of bed I was mentally preparing myself that it was going to be a hugely productive and positive day, probably because yesterday it felt like there was a a lot of sunshine lacking in my life. It’s amazing how you can have a completely different perspective on another day, even if that is just the next day! So here’s to good days.

Dreaming of Paris

I’m on holidays from college at the moment for a whole month...wow! Unfortunately this does not mean drinking coffee and swanning around galleries all day, as i still have my part time job to head into during the week and also have a huge amount of work to do for college over the break. In saying all that, I will get some down time as lovely Roly and I are heading to Paris for a few days! I am so excited as I’ve only ever passed through and never got a chance to soak in the culture. I can’t wait for fresh croissants and coffee, visiting markets and galleries, drinking wine and spending some much needed quality time with Roly. I’m also going home for a few days in April, which is much over due...it’s been over a year since I’ve been home to Dublin. Looking forward to seeing my sister Rachel’s new place and spending some time with my family.

Memories

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently about childhood and memories, my own in particular, of people past and present in my life. I guess this comes from a notion of my own existence, my life, my death, my morality. I'm heading home for a few days next week and have had it on my mind to go through some old photos that are hidden away somewhere in the attic, not seen but not discarded. Images that are redundant, they are not on display but are cherished when found and looked at.
I'm reading a book at the moment called Picturing Childhood: The myth of the child in popular imagery by Patricia Holland. "Family pictures are a part of the ritual of family life and contrbute to a sense of continuity and personal identity. They are collected and preserved to revive warm memories about a past that is part reality, part fantasy."
I can relate to this so much as I have a longing to reconnect with my childhood home and family, a place I haven't been back to in 18 months. I've been trying to jump start my own memories by documenting them in an attempt perhaps to regain my own identity.