My cyber friend Mary has been posting photos of the products of her creative energies on Facebook, reminding me that we can spend a little time and make a little something without the need to create a full-blown masterpiece. Attempting to follow suit, I cleaned out a bit of junk in my studio space, cleaned off the surface of my desk and started rummaging through unfinished work to find inspiration and motivation. I found the bits of one of my very small art dolls I made YEARS ago and decided to put them together in a fashion a little different than I've been doing for so long, using a thick cotton embroidery floss instead of the clear fine thread (which I've found grows brittle and breaks). While I was wrestling with the needle and thread, my daughter's boyfriend passed through the room and said, "Are you making Voodoo dolls?" I laughed and told him that no, not exactly, though I suppose it could serve that purpose.
As always, I struggle with issues as simple as posting a photograph of my artwork. Can I take the criticism that may come with it? If I were confident, I'd worry that someone were going to try to copy my style, then I laugh at myself and say, "Really? It's too weird." Do I post photos just to work on getting past the fear of wrinkled noses and squinty looks of people trying to figure out what the heck it is that I make? Ugh, it's exhausting being such a fraidy cat.
I'm going to get past this fear and post pics (as soon as I get the stupid card reader problem resolved on my computer so that I can post a decent photo and full body shot.
The little guy I worked on today is 9" long from head to toe. He's leaning on my cup-o-junk while the wires in his head settle down with the glaze I used to give it a bit more stability. I'm using my Wacom Bamboo tablet to try out different versions of painted facial details before I call him finished. It isn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel like I'm dusting off and warming up.
