My word for the year is "Simplify." That mainly means a lot of long overdue decluttering and cleaning up, but it's also about mental focus. Trying to narrow down the things I do to those that are really important to me.
Last year I was catching up with posting my 2016 stitch components, along with showing how they were joining together, and also showing my 2017 daily stitch project. I needed stitching to have a separate post each week, but this year I'm going to mix my stitching in with painting in one weekly post. The stitching is coming along slowly. When I do it, I enjoy it, but I am not feeling compelled to stitch everyday, so I'm letting this project evolve as it will. Here's one I did over the course of a week. I am already thinking that I might like to join them together and do more in the white background area.
I seem to be more absorbed with painting than stitching this year. I thought I was going to do the 30-in-30 painting project this month, a painting a day for 30 days. That didn't last long before I simplified it to 30 paintings in a month, since I often work for days without finishing one, then might finish 3 on the same day. And then I decided to simplify that even more to just painting for 30 days straight. That now fits me. I am a slow painter and often have to work on a piece for at least 5 days before it's done. Even when it looks loose and random, it takes days for me to get it that way.
I seem to always be reacting to what I just did. I was painting dark, heavier paintings for quite a few days, then wanted to switch over to much lighter ones.
The thing I come back to over and over is my love of mark making. That's definitely my favorite part of stitching or painting.
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2 comments:
I see a garden view in that first painting with a lovely flower is the forefront and some smaller yellow ones in the background. Love it.
Maintaining focus is harder than it sounds, I think.
Thanks Suzanne—it does look gardeny. I agree that it’s very hard to maintain focus! I find that when painting gets hard, as it always does, I start thinking I should take up rug hooking, or do more collage, or..... I always have to ask myself how much do I really want to do the new project and how much am I just avoiding going deeper. Always a challenge!
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