Walking along, thinking of nothing in particular, I found this board, carried it home even though it made my hand blue and rubbed chalk down one leg. I thought I'd use it as a base for a painting, except....
Except, having had it in the kitchen since the weekend, I love it exactly how it is! Treasure!
And it has got me thinking. This is the kind of artwork I've been attempting (and failing) to produce these last few years. So, instead of using square or rectangular canvases and boards, guess where I'll be looking? Yes, the tide line and maybe a skip in a backstreet for discards. And instead of tightening up and scratching my head hoping to be inspired I just need to press go and explore materials in a way more akin to how I do free writing or free improv music. More akin to how I produce other work that I then go on to polish or edit or develop. More akin to how I work best.
I always liked throwing and pouring ink, rubbing surfaces in sand and grit, letting the land add something to my sketches, using thick gesso or decorating filler and scratching into it.
All very exciting. I feel the kitchen table might not do any more!
24 comments:
Hello, I just found you on Art Propelled (Robyn's)side board. I love this post and this board.
I too work this way and love to pour ink and let my work be free.
Can't wait to see what you do. I will be back.xoxo
That is exciting, and I know just what you mean about wanting your work to look like a beachwashed object!
That piece looks like wabi sabi denim already. I can see why you were drawn to it. Now you will draw on it I suppose.
I would have brought home as well!
Hi Annie. Well thanks so much for dropping by and for leaving a comment. Pleased you enjoyed visiting. What a gift - I still can't believe I found this. So, new art adventures are going to be on the way. Hoping to stay playful. Ax
Hi Deborah. Good to hear from you. Very exciting! Good timing for me as I've been unhappy with most of my artwork for some time now, so hoping this might help free up some marks.
Hi Kim. Nice to hear from you. I know!! Well, I'm going to leave this one because I just love it the more I look at it. So hope to find some plainer pieces of wood drifting to shore soon.
i love finding treasures like this one along my travels. it's interesting to see where it leads one's creativity. good luck with your new projects. may they be inspired. have a great night~
Hi Annie - what treasure indeed - I'm envious of course - I'm always bringing back finds from the beach and you've reminded me of a lovely piece of wood I found a couple of years ago - like you I intended 'doing something with it' but I can't bear to touch it - I'll find it take a photo and blog about it - making reference to your post of course
Hi Naquillity. Yes, it's great to just come across something like this, especially on a beach where the litter pickers can get a bit over enthusiastic. Thanks for your good wishes.
Hi Rosie. Pleased I'm not the only one who couldn't bear to add to something washed up on the beach! Often what I find is so huge I'd need a truck and a crane to bring it home so this was the perfect size! Be interested to see this piece you mentioned.
Oh lucky you Annie - this is beautiful, and says it all really doesn't it? I like that i has sat there just being itself and being beautiful, and then as added value it encourages you to find some simpler bits to work with as a bases for your own art. What a gift! Have fun with the relaxed and loosened up options the new surfaces will offer...
Something's brewing! It will be interesting to see where you take your new ideas. Like you I also have a beautiful piece of weathered wood found on the beach. I brought it home to incorporate in a carving but I just can't spoil it because it is so perfect. It has a hole through it and I have a feeling Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth would have been enchanted with it.
Hi Fiona. Thanks. Yes, Great that it came ready to enjoy!! Very inspiring and timely, as other projects are buzzing at the moment so energy for artwork is even more stretched. So I'm looking forward to getting playful with it all.
Hi Robyn. Definitely!! Interesting that in the midst of such a busy few months creatively, when I've had so much on my plate, I've been itching to get on with some visual work as well. I'm going to seek out my some Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth images - been a while since I looked, so thanks for the reminder.
Annie, I found you via Seth (always a great way to meet new people) and I just love your writing. So pleased to meet you!
Hi Carol. Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. Good to meet you too and to hear we both enjoy Seth's lovely blog. All the best, and thanks again.
Annie...just beautiful! Isn't it wonderful and exciting when you discover a new facet of your own creative process....looking forward to seeing how this all unfolds! Enjoy the discovery!
Hi Annie, I enjoy your writing. I like the board just as it is too. It looks like someone is wondering down a path through grasses to get to the water. Lovely surface. I'll be watching to see where this leads you.
Hi Patti. I was just eating dinner looking at the board again! Yes, really interested to see where things lead now the penny has dropped about art surfaces! Thanks for your good wishes. Work eases off for me soon, so will be able to let rip!
Hi Chris. Thank you so much. Good to hear from you. Yes, there is a narrative element with the board which I didn't see at first as I carried it home the other way up. That dark area in the top left "distance" looks very similar to the chalk cliffs we have here, so that figure is heading East along the coast from here. Whatever, I actually like the edges of this board best, how they are snapped back to the underneath layer.
A treasure for sure and perfect as it is. I found this post so exhilarating and inspiring. Makes me want to make some art!
Hi Seth. Yes, there's no way I can add anything, except maybe a nail on the wall to display it on! Thanks for your kind words.
a new path on your journey.. amazing how a small discovery can open up new doors and bring new inspirations and ideas and a new way forward.
Hi Donna. Yes, I think it might be! Interesting to think that if I'd walked a more usual route I'd have never found this piece. I think I was meant to find it!
Yes, Annie... yes. I can feel it, a quiet pulsating energy; it speaks of the tumble of waves, the murmur of ocean swells, whale song, the tang of salt. Just as it is.
Hello Annie,
Recently I've posted a call to artists on my blog: "Ode To Blue".
http://ericadamajournal.blogspot.nl/2012/07/call-to-artists-ode-to-blue.html
I should like to include this beautiful board in the online show.
(And perhaps a poem about "Ode To Blue"?)
Yours sincerely,
Eric
Hi Lyn. Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment.
Interesting that it evokes many senses for you, sight, sounds, smells and movement. Me too! It's still propped up in the kitchen. Pride of place!
Hi Eric. Well, that's interesting to hear. Thanks for asking me. Pleased you like the board just as it is. Now, after being away for a while, I'm hoping I'm not going to be too late to join in. I'll head over to your blog to read more. Thanks again.
That board is fantastic- just the sort of thing i was looking for in the creek when I broke my ankle. It's wonderful to let yourself be spontaneous in your art-making; I wish you great success.
Hi Sharmon. Thanks. Pleased you like the board. So, your ankle, are you still out of action? Rocks and currents and bare feet.....Hope the next creek treasures make it to the edge for you.
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