The Fort Gallery is such an incredible place. In their 10th year, they have many exploratory exhibitions under their belt. Founded by the amazing Suzanne Northcott, one of my mentors (and when timing works my teacher), this place has offered local artists something of a rarity in a contemporary gallery:
a space to challenge one's creative self with barely-there-rules shows. There have been kimonos constructed out of recycled take out boxes. There was the artist sleeping in residence exhibition with dreams written on the walls. I could go on.
When it became apparent that the next show would have to be thrown in super fast, the idea of sketches came up. No frames needed, we can hang the papers on pins, board, whatever. Because we all have hundreds of sketches ready to go, right? Well - not exactly. Not me. I paint. I don't sketch. If I wanted to contribute, I had to pull on my thinking hat and sip a glass of bravery. "They're not expecting your painting skills", I told myself. "Go for it, just jump in and see", played on repeat in my head.
Do I love the result? Not sure yet, but others seem to enjoy them. I'm happy that I did it and limited myself to finish within a half hour with each creation. A lot less time than I spent on my paintings, that's for sure. In the end, it was fun. I learned so much more about crow anatomy than I ever had from just working from my photos. I think I'll build on this sketching skill thing.
a space to challenge one's creative self with barely-there-rules shows. There have been kimonos constructed out of recycled take out boxes. There was the artist sleeping in residence exhibition with dreams written on the walls. I could go on.
When it became apparent that the next show would have to be thrown in super fast, the idea of sketches came up. No frames needed, we can hang the papers on pins, board, whatever. Because we all have hundreds of sketches ready to go, right? Well - not exactly. Not me. I paint. I don't sketch. If I wanted to contribute, I had to pull on my thinking hat and sip a glass of bravery. "They're not expecting your painting skills", I told myself. "Go for it, just jump in and see", played on repeat in my head.
Do I love the result? Not sure yet, but others seem to enjoy them. I'm happy that I did it and limited myself to finish within a half hour with each creation. A lot less time than I spent on my paintings, that's for sure. In the end, it was fun. I learned so much more about crow anatomy than I ever had from just working from my photos. I think I'll build on this sketching skill thing.
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