Saturday 16 August 2014

Explaining quirk strangeness and charm

quirk strangeness and charm........occupies a shop space. Prior to our ownership it was an antique shop, a taxi office, a bakery and I believe a takeaway pizza place. Not necessarily in that order.
Now, it doesn't fit any easily explainable,rational model.



We bought this place because we could.
Because it had a great feel to it.
Because it was big enough for 4 humans and 2 cats ( this was life before the Hairy Herberts; we had fluffy felines then) and it had a separate space for us, two recent art graduates, to work without encroaching on any of our living space.


That was 10 years ago.


Rambling Randall does still paint and photograph stuff but it is mainly me that occupies the shtudio.
Shop/studio = shtudio.
Not a word that ever issues from my lips but is often on the tip of my tongue.


My skills-that-pay-the-bills consume 3.5 days a week.
I am very lucky that they don't consume any more but there is all the other domestic and life stuff to do so I only commit to being in the studio 1 day a week although I am in there much more than that. Early mornings. Late evenings. Waiting for the washing machine to finish or food to cook.
Most days,at some point, in fact.
But on Saturdays I commit to being in there and opening the doors between 10 and 4. Every week.


It is creative chaos as you can see.
I love this space with all my heart.
It is my home.
The other rooms are where I cook and eat and sleep and stuff. But in my studio is where I am truly at home.
Or out to lunch!
Away with the fairies!



If I were renting this space from someone else I would have to admit financial defeat. As it is my poor accountant thinks I am heading inexorably toward the home for the artistically insane.
And it doesn't make sense.
Not on any kind of spreadsheet or ledger.
But to my heart and to my soul it makes as much sense as oxygen does to my lungs.

Flow

You know how it is.
Sometimes life is all ragged round the edges.
Nothing seems to fit or go according to plan
And other times it is a joyous seamless blend.
I think they call it flow.
Bit like this dress, these flip-flops and these toes.




I love my feet.
So far they are ageless and the same size that they were when I was 21.... unlike no other part of my body.
As you know my levels of self care are poor so I have delegated foot care to my lovely friend who is dusting off her skills as a beautician.
It gives me a sense of well being like nothing else and it gives hear a few quid and practise.




Not only did my clothing flow this week but so did ideas.
The houses began to speak to me and slow progress was made.
After the paper mache construction bit they get painted in white acrylic. Very time consuming with lots of drying time in between the layers of glue and paint.
When they are all white I start the even more laborious task of applying bits of paper and tissue. I do love decoupage but it is a bit of a faff.
And I think of it as cheating.
Just a little bit
So I have been wondering how I might incorporate my own drawn or painted images. Had a little light bulb moment followed by an "ah ha!"
Painting on tissue paper as in this sketchbook page.
















This little shelving unit "said let me house the houses". And so I did.
Now as much as I value D.W.'s words of wisdom I had to move past them and throw a few bricks at beauty anyway.








And I was quite pleased with the result. But, the words do still look like bricks to me!