a little less than a week ago i completed ::fearless fierceness:: for the Arts & Education Council's upcoming annual Silent Art Auction; Art.a.ma.jig. as soon as i knew what the word or theme was i decided to try my hand at painting cacti. i knew i needed a lot of time, so i got started as soon as possible. i felt like creating the type of work, i'd never tried before, something i'd never seen except for inside my head. i knew that i would be challenging myself to create a highly detailed work that might not actually be all that successful in the end. i began searching for an image or a photograph that might help pull the ideas out of me. i found this and this. that and cut out maps i'd seen somewhere began serving as my inspiration. but my work is all pretty much free hand painted. i do trace from a stencil some of the time but with this piece there ended up being a lot of fine line work that took a steady head and hand, mental concentration and energy. i had no idea what i was getting myself into. needless to say i barely slept for two weeks straight.
in the end i decided to leave a lot of the under painting of paper uncovered. the dark colors i felt were just as beautiful and almost serve as shadows, allow for depth. i have never done this before, left so much exposed and i do feel a little exposed. a little vulnerable here at the end. but i have decided to be fearless and fierce about my decisions, in my art, technically speaking. to have a work that is both very detailed and very open is what i hope i am as a person. i think i might be a complex person, that the details of my life are like a map, but i think i am also open, honest and authentic. for me it is a different way of looking at my art and how i make and create what i feel is going on inside my head. i feel confident that what i was meant to learn from creating this piece is exactly what i needed. and to question or doubt is foolish mistake.
with that said, i am relieved and am looking forward to seeing how my fellow artist have delved into creating something fierce.
really quick. i am working on creating an email newsletter with information about my upcoming events, shows and exhibits. if you'd like to sign up for that newsletter please leave a comment with your email address and i'll make sure you receive all updated information about where you'll be able to see my work next. if you'd rather; email me at catcollier@hotmail.com
i also wanted to mention with a tinge of excitement (still). that i wrote my first article for chattarati; chattanooga's best online source for news and opinion. if you have a moment and would like, read the article and if you're in the area, might i suggest you seeing the exhibit. it's fine!