“Note to Self”  Thoughts for labor day, and my work for this week.

”Do the work.” I ‘ve got that part down I show up every day.

“Take risks.”  Hmmmm. Not as easy for me.

Sometimes the risk-taking is forced upon me, and then I just have to dive.

On my worktable now is a piece in the series exploring the journey of a young girl. “Out of kilter.” The girl is static. But everything around her is askew. It has not gone where I expected.

I loved my sketch. I am interested in the concept – and that part has not wavered. But, once I got far enough along in the assembly that I thought it would be finished, it just was not working. What I thought would be sufficiently interesting to tell the story and frame the concept turned out to look more like a background texture. I had built the scene and the painted a flat behind it, and I had a character, but not the plot or the emotion. It just isn’t where I want this piece to go.

Right now, I am in the middle of the risk-taking. It’s not completed (neither the work nor the risk) but I like how it’s developing. It’s way more interesting. I’m adding things that are surprising me. A few additions have been spontaneous risks – applications of paint washes that have a “no-going-back-now” quality. Some major elements have gone through the Photoshop mock-up stage first. (I know. Not as impetuously risky. But it helps me think things through.)

And now... I’ll see what happens..