This is a photo of my most recent piece, finished on Feb. 13, right before Valentine's Day. This collage had been languishing in my studio for a couple of weeks, unfinished. I had the back ground I liked (leafless trees done with stencil and India ink on green tissue paper), and the vintage images of the two little girls, but I was kind of stuck there. I stamped words on the girls' dresses and added glitter and sequin accents, but it still wasn't quite right. The stamped words were too distracting and I wanted something different, but no inspiration was coming.
"No inspiration" usually means that it's time for me to get out of the house. I attended a wonderful two day even called Curious Gallery and was deeply impressed by what I saw there. Many of the art pieces in the Curious Gallery show incorporated natural elements, like moss and dried plants, bones, etc. I loved the idea of gluing some twigs and moss to my collage to add texture and interest, so I did. I also was inspired by the Valentine's displays in the local Dollar Tree to cut up some lacy doilies and add them as pinafores to my girls (thus covering up the distracting words). The Valentine's issue of a magazine had a cute tea set pictured, which I also borrowed. After a week of nothing, the collage came together into its final form in about an hour.
When things are going slowly, I have to remind myself to take time to go out and see the world and enjoy some experiences, because this is what nourishes my creative wellspring. It feels like slacking off sometimes, but I have come to accept that this is a necessary part of my creative process. I have to take things in and let them steep in my brain for a while before they come out as useful ideas. Even going to Bi-Mart was an inspirational experience for me today. I'm not telling, but I've got two words - "cherry blossoms".
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