Hungry

Hungry

I have always loved working with fabric. I grew up watching my mom and aunts sew clothing, quilts and curtains. I learned right alongside them making clothes before I was a teenager. Once I became a mother, I added quilting to the clothes I made for my children. 

Still…… 

There are times in my artist life, that sends me searching for something new…. an experimental stage. A yearning to try something new, to explore a technique that shows a different way to work. I don’t want to leave fabric, but instead reach for something more. I had a professor tell me once that an artist gets hungry with a strong desire to move into a different  space.

So….

Here I am. Trying hand stitching on a small intimate portrait. Working with canvas with all sorts of texture and trying out double needles and a couching foot for my sewing machine.  I have acquired raw wool and a felting machine and am learning what wonders that can produce. I’m printing leaves on linen and canvas then thread painting to embellish them. What joy!

Here’s the rub……..

What happens when a fairly established artist moves into different types of expression, there are doubts that the new work will be accepted. It sets my mind to wondering if it’s even worth the effort of trying something new if no one will have interest in it. I know I am sounding like an alarmist here. It won’t prevent me from this exploration. Nor will it stop my hunger. Another professor said that an artist is someone who says…. I wonder what will happen if I do ______ (fill in the blank)….. Then they do it.

Yes……. 

I am doing it. I’m moving around the studio from station to station learning and creating. Watch for some new techniques and different fabric choices. You will see more hand stitching as mark making along with more multimedia pieces as I include printing and painting into the mix. The good news is that the hunger far outweighs the doubts.