Studio Time – A Bad Day in the Studio


RedMarble, originally uploaded by carolsLittleWorld.

This weekend, I tried to do a few encaustic paintings in my studio. (Encaustics are, like what you see here, paintings made from beeswax and artist pigments.)

I even had a hard time getting into the studio. At first, I slept a lot and did not get much done. I had to get groceries (and you know, you just know how much I love doing that.) I had to go pickup some artwork at the gallery downtown. I had to do some other stuff. Eh, don’t you just hate it when life gets in the way? Why do we have to do all of this “life” stuff when we clearly have other things to do, right?

Then, finally today I had some time and I was a really nice day outside so I decided to go into the studio and, you know, finally try to make some stuff. I tried, but I failed. I mean, sure I made some stuff. Technically, I made some stuff. But, is it stuff I want to look at ever again? Is it stuff I’m proud of? Is it stuff that will withstand the tests of time and trends? Not on your life.

I did one piece that was sort of minimal, which is what I wanted to do. A great success, right? Eh, looks too plain. Can’t use it the way it is. It’s only saving grace (and really this too is even a stretch) is that I might be able to put some kind of a “found object” into it and it might look…well…if I had just the *right* found object…truth be told, it might look kind of cool. But, finding that found object and putting it there? Eh, probably not going to happen. So much for that idea.

Then it was onto something else I wanted to try in the studio. An experiment of sorts! Oh, how I love those. At the end of it, I decided that I liked the experiment, it’s totally something I want to do again, but I got frustrated. At one point, I got really frustrated, covered it entirely in wax and just started working it, almost angry like. Sadly enough, at this point, it almost started to look ok. I have to say this piece I might be able to save. If, you know, if I have some kind of a stroke of genius and suddenly figure out how to paint again overnight (or, you know, some such thing happens to me.) Maybe I get hit in the head with a lightening bolt of sorts. Yes, that always works and that’s sure to fix it. (Wink wink.)

Encaustic painting can be so difficult. Why, oh why, can’t I fall in love with acrylics? Something easy. Something that doesn’t turn into worthless blobs of wax without the slightest of provocation. Why can’t I do stuff like that instead? (Yeah, yeah, I know, “happy accident” and all…I just have to learn to love my mistakes…embrace the process, work the materials more, etc.)

Maybe my frustrations are born of the fact that I am progressing as an artist and so my work is ready to take a “giant leap forward?” Ha! Yeah, right. I’ll believe that when I see it. I don’t really buy into that theory at all, in fact, I think that’s just crap artists say to each other when they want to make themselves feel better…feel better because, you know, because they had a bad day in the studio. A bad day in the studio…just like I had today. That’s a whole lot of “meh” and it’s got my name written all over it.

Bad day aside, tomorrow is another day and, if statistics hold, this means I’m going to hit a winning streak any day now. In fact, I’d have to say, I’m overdue for having a run of good luck in the studio so maybe that will happen next. You know, I could just get lucky. Hey, you laugh but that too could happen to me, couldn’t it? Why can’t I be lucky? Surely, luck has to shine my way at some point, I mean, crap, I haven’t built up *that* much bad studio Karma, have I? (Gulp.)

In other news, it’s almost time for NaBloPoMo. That’s National Blog Posting Month. Look for that to start, along with all of the blog craziness, on the first of November.

Tomorrow too, I will be handing out candy to little kids, so look for lots of tweets, twitters, and maybe a Facebook posting or two about all of the hobgoblins in the ‘hood. Who knows? I might even make a blog post about this? It beats me telling you how crappy I was painting earlier today, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it?

Nevermind, please don’t answer that. I hope you have a great art-filled Halloween and a lot of fun on this the last day of October.

Until next time…

2 Comments

  1. Great Grandma Lin
    Author
    October 31, 2011 / 2:08 pm

    well there are breakthroughs that do come. after dealing with some issues in our local writing group, I wrote 17 poems in one day. So don't beat yourself up just keep creating. maybe halloween will bring some inspiration…lol!

  2. Carol
    Author
    November 1, 2011 / 1:47 pm

    Thanks, Lin! I had a blast handing out the candy to the kids. The costumes were great and the kids are incredibly cute. Inspiration indeed!

    And now it's NaBloPoMo time. Always fun, always fun. November is such a great time to be a blogger, isn't it?

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