A Tease and a Discussion of Art Making

This is where I have been spending what feels like nearly every waking minute (that I'm not at job/work.) I have been a very dedicated studio artist, doing what seems like a year's worth of collage and art making compressed into three or four months. But this book project is almost done and it gives me a moment to reflect on the process...
It is very interesting to see the difference in my own working habits when they're linked to a specific show, and a funding source. Typically, I do a bunch of pieces and I have total control. If I get bored or an idea runs into a wall and I no longer am compelled by it, I can abandon it or put it down temporarily. In a case like this one, where I have actually received working money up front, I am expected/required to provide a finished project. Very different!
I am fortunate that the ideas I've been exploring have come fast and furious and my interest has been sustained because I'd be in deep shit if I hadn't wanted to complete the project. I am assuming this does indeed happen. I can imagine having "the well run dry" half way into something, and thinking, "What a waste of time! How on earth am I going to finish this mess!" Like I say, I'm lucky that hasn't happened, but I will allow that I am tired of working so exclusively on one piece and I am very glad to be almost done.

So here's the book, Better Guns and Gardens, spread out over my auxiliary table. That's a tease, alright as I don't think you can see too much at this small a scale except that, yes, it does exist! All I have left to do is finish editing one "article" and finish up my "outro" (what I like to call my conclusion, being the opposite of an "intro"). Parts of it are pretty funny and I'm assuming parts of it aren't, because it's hard to be consistently funny. But lord knows I tried and in general, I am very happy with it. I have a roughly mocked up edition that I keep jiggling; I need to get the order of the pages just right. But the end is nigh!
Again, the freedom afforded me if I do work simply to please myself is great but as I make a lot of work, I don't often get to exhibit/show all of what I do. Much of it lingers in squalid oblivion in a drawer of my flat file and only gets viewed by the occasional fortunate friend. Even the grants I have received in the past didn't stipulate a particular body of work or "themed exercise"; this has been different.
I'm not attempting to draw hard conclusions here about whether one experience is "better" than the other. Really, I'm just reflecting on two different modes of working. I think, ultimately, I'd love to be able to be in my studio full time and not have to interrupt my studio work with the necessity of making a living. I've been luckier than some artists. I can honestly say I've made part of my income form my art! And I can't wait until I get installment #2 from this project so that I can buy Bob and I a new computer...
And oh boy! I have another project for the show in NYC to finish. Guess I know what I'll be doing until January!

Whoops! Almost Forgot to Blog!

I've been so busy that I almost forgot to blog! And I think my one year blog anniversary is rapidly approaching... I'll have to do something really special like put up more pictures of our deranged dog. (See above photo. Sometimes, Bob wonders why we allow these truly weird animals with sharp fangs to live in our houses with us... And Jules wasn't even growling; he was sleeping upside down.)

So it's been busy around here because both Bob and I applied for grants for art making and boy howdy would it be nice if at least one of us got a grant this year. Make it both of us and I be REALLY overjoyed). Filling out grant applications is an odd process as the people who "create" the forms are so obviously not artists or even vaguely right brained. (I think right brain is the right one right?) Anyway, the on-line forms suck and have all these crazy pitfalls, like concealed slide bars and areas that you can't cut and paste words. You have to type them all out. It's archaic and arcane. And not at all interesting. But there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

And Mommy isn't doing really well. My mother is 91 years old and I keep saying her batteries are wearing out. She's had a good long run but I suspect that old quality of life issue is beginning to raise it's ugly head. Mommy is at present in a convalescent facilty and not too happy about it. I'm really not sure what to do...

Jules just woke up so I need to take him outside. I promise to post a more insightful blog tommorrow. That's if I don't barf listening to rabid republicans yattering away about how much money they make. Screw them!