A Cross Section of Awareness, 36 x 72 inches (triptych), acrylic & mixed media on panel
©2013 Deidre Adams
The experience of the immediate few days after returning home from a 4-week residency is not unlike the post-show letdown syndrome. The normal routine has been broken, there’s stuff piled everywhere that you have to deal with, and that little nagging inner voice of self doubt rears its head again. The fabulous time of working in a huge studio with so many other creative people nearby is over and you miss them – a lot. And it’s so easy to just sit in front of the computer wasting precious time instead of dealing with any of this.
I allowed myself several days of down time because I just didn’t feel motivated at all. Then I got tired of looking at the piles and started putting things away. Looking at tubes of paint and piles of paper and books and realizing I don’t have room for all these things in my current small space was a motivator to leave them out and start using them right away. Luckily, I had left myself a nice gift: an unfinished painting. Finishing this painting was just what I needed to get myself back into the habit of working again, because I love the rhythm of the process. I had decided to do this one in 3 parts because after having worked with some 48 x 72-inch panels earlier this year (see here and here), I realized these were just very difficult to deal with in my current setup. Working modularly is a great way to do a fairly large piece without so much of a struggle.
A Cross Section of Awareness, detail
A Cross Section of Awareness, detail
And because of my web-induced ADD personality, I have to have multiple things going on in the studio, so I’m continuing to do more Excavations pieces in between letting coats of paint and medium dry on the paintings on the floor.
I’ve also got this crazy idea now that I want a studio outside of my house. I so much enjoyed working in a community of other artists and having a space I could get really messy in, which just isn’t practical in my house. So far I haven’t found anything I could stand to be in at a price I can afford. But I’ve only been looking for a week. So we’ll see.
I finally got a studio outside of my house—best thing I’ve done in years! My work changed, I got to be messy, I have regular contact with other artists. Price is more than worth it.
I have been enjoying reading about your experience in a residency-I have been considering that too, and plan on applying next year. If there is any more advice you can give regarding your experience, I would appreciate it! It looked and sounded wonderful.