Shaking things up.
Yikes. Shaking things up...not something I'd normally suggest in a porcelain studio...but most artists know better than to fight it. Personally it's something I can't resist, cutting loose is a drive, like food, water or sex...it keeps me alive, fresh, and evolving...plus, it's damn fun.
When we first purchased our current home 6 years ago, we were faced with walls. So many big, blank, empty walls begging for adornment. Serendipitously, this was also the year we first discovered IKEA...you can see where this is going. In a flash, our walls were lively, exciting, fun...our house had become a home.
Fast forward to last week. I started to feel that familiar restlessness, that tension and unease that tells me it's time to push the envelope, do something crazy, break free and play. I kept wanting the color orange. Like longing for it. And magenta. And maybe a little green. Meanwhile, despite his luscious eyelashes, I'd never really bonded with Mr. IKEA Zebra, having hung on an out of the way wall in my home for 6 plus years.
3 coats of gesso later:
Those stripes! Muted, yes, but very much still there, and I'm ok with that. Next up, color:
And finally, the end result:
Ahhhhh! Mission accomplished! The restlessness has been stilled...for the moment.
What has this adventure in color added to my "serious" work? It has reminded me to play, to stay loose, to keep having fun, keep experimenting and pushing the envelope, keep doing what I like, rather than what I know will sell. Practically speaking, colored porcelain is finding it's way in to my existing repertoire ... pssst, here's a secret: I'm working on a PINK batch right now!!! AND WOW, I'm loving it too...stay tuned for more soon!
