The almost there point! It takes a lot of discipline to stop drawing at this juncture, to take the piece and turn it to the wall, and resist the urge to look at it for a couple of weeks before bringing it home.
Needs must- and that's where experience comes in, with the knowing that fresh eyes are a must, and trusting in one's ability to hone in on the target.
See you soon, level eyed Jayne.
There comes a point in just about every piece where it is on the road to being something, but not quite that yet, but the realm of possibility has shrunk considerably: the future is no longer wide open.
And here we are. Taking a leap of faith and settling in for the long haul in the process.
Come along, Jayne, you of the level head and level eyes. I know you're in there.
New studio, new year, new work. Last spring I had the honor and pleasure of participating in an exhibit of "Artists Who Teach", held annually at the Charles H. Taylor Art Center in Hampton, Va. It was the first time I'd been able to participate- the walls gather the works of the faculty of regional academic institutions: William and Mary, Christopher Newport U., Hampton, U., Old Dominion U., Regent, Va Wesleyan, as well as the community colleges and some other institutions, and I was quite pleased to be in such fine company. It was a crazy time for me- we were in the middle of building a house, selling a house, moving, my husband's career switch, not to mention that I had commitments to a couple of other shows, and a commission on the easel in addition to my teaching, so I was just keeping my head down, but not really expecting anything. Then I won Best-In-Show. This was wholly unanticipated, and one one hand it made me very happy, but on the other hand terrified me as a solo show accompanied the ribbon. Not that I didn't want a solo show, but because the craziness was not going to abate anytime soon, and I knew I'd have no place to work for at least half a year.
Within weeks I had to commit to a title and theme for the show for the Hampton Arts schedule- "The Rest is Silence", drawings, because silence was what I wanted, and drawing is my true love, but still not space to work in sight. But the ideas started percolating, informed by the beach walks that became part of my rhythm, and slowly but surely the arc of the show formed. But still no place to work.
Finally, November arrived, and with it the completion of the studio space, and finally, I could start in in earnest. The first planned drawing fell through when model did, so on to the second plan, "Turn/ coin of the realm", plus the forensic drawings. Another plan was put on hold for the next body of work, so as to not go to far off the reservation, and now another one of the anchor drawings is on the easel.
"Jane of the level eyes"- working in silverpoint on a separated figure/ground platform. Means that before I apply the ground I have to know exactly where the drawing will go, commit the ground to it, covering the drawing, and the having lost it, trust that my commitment was not misplaced, and find the figure again.
