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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Cutting, Pasting, and Holding My Breath


A sweet, young friend was critically injured in an accident last week and I just didn't have the focus to paint. So instead, I've been working in my collage book - a favorite creative outlet that can be easily parsed out in 10-minute sound bites. My rotating collection of ephemera is probably 20 years old and rarely does a sketchbook or Moleskin [or grocery list?] escape my glue stick, much less this devoted book. I am inspired by artists and images everywhere and constantly poke new scraps and ideas into the file. Confession: I am that person who tears half a page from an old magazine in the dentist's waiting room and I often carry UHU in my purse.

UT art professor and artist Kenneth Hale lectured recently in conjunction with the Matisse as Printmaker exhibit at the Blanton Museum . A very casual speaker, Hale gave a description of the process all artists engage in- regardless of era, medium, or subject - that stuck with me, "Well, first we do something. Then we do something to that. Then we do something to that."
Our young friend is improving - another friend called it 'the miracle of prayer, intention, and outstanding medical care.' Whew.

5 comments:

Linda Popple said...

These are great to look at! I like that my eye is so quickly drawn in and stays there for quite a while.

Angela Elledge said...

I do hope your friend continues to improve, how much we take our lives and others for granted! Love your collage pages, at least you follow through with your creations, I tend to hang onto scraps in their scrap form.

carol morgan carmichael said...

Mitzi, thanks for stopping by my blog. Glad you are going to Karin's workshop. I can defintiely see her influence in your work.
Your paintings are great and I love your collages. Really fun.
Hope your young friend continues to improve.

Diane Hoeptner said...

These are awesome Mitzi! It's been a while since I visited, so happy to see your new paintings too!!

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

I hope your friend is recovering and will be ok ;(