Archive for February, 2011

on procrastination….part tres

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

Been back from vacation for a week and experiencing all sorts of unfamiliar emotions. I was completely relaxed for 3-4 days. I really got into it, did some reading and not much else except the requisite exercise. Then a bit of life anxiety began to creep back in and so I chose to tackle a project on which I had been procrastinating since November!

 

detail, Ziplips
Tallgirl Series: A Body of Work

 

Three months of procrastinaton is pretty darn good in my book. There was a small post-it stuck to the monitor to remind me to revise the PowerPoint lecture I am giving at a May conference. With that lecture requiring 6 performances in 2 days still over two months off I figured if I did the revision now I would free up the energy being reserved for it. So I started in and 3 hours later it was 80% done. Then I remembered a few more slides to add but alas it was time to do my gourmet best in the kitchen so I put it aside. Now for the past two days I have been attempting to get back to it with the idea that I could just wrap it up and the rest of the weekend is mine (which it is anyway!)……..but that hasn’t happened.

 

Now I fear it is back-burnered again as I prep for my TallGirl lecture next week. It is surprising how much prep is required considering it is my life story. You’d think I would know it…and I do. Mainly it is about speaking out loud to regain my voice quality. With email and the internet my speaking voice occasionally takes a hiatus.
After that the world is my oyster. I could either finish the revisions or go harvest a pearl in the studio. I love having choices in how to spend my days.

Posted in procrastination, tall girl, travel | No Comments »

the obsessive with a camera…

Monday, February 21st, 2011
central coast

We’ve just returned from a road trip. We went to Ventura, CA with no other motivation than to play tourist in our home state. Initially we had no bad weather to escape just an excuse for a change in scenery and to visit spots on our bucket list which so easily get overlooked. This was a program through Road Scholar…we have never been disappointed!

I am one of those people who often complains about those in museums shooting every aspect of an exhibit instead of just looking at it. Cellphones with cameras have only made this problem worse. While I frequently and spontaneously will shoot a cellphone image, I chose on this trip to take a small point and shoot digital camera, thinking I would be sparing my phone battery. Ha…I created a monster! I began with shooting the usual textures and patterns and before long I was taking multiple images of many things. I became one of those obsessed who might only experience their trip in looking back at the photos on the PC at home. Well not that bad, but close.

At the Ventura and Santa Barbara Missions a total of 37 images, mostly of weather stained resist on walls, succulents and doorways or windows…

 

 
Getty Trees

At the Getty Museum lots and lots and lots of photos of architecture, trees, cactus and views of the LA Basin on a cloudy rainy day (huh?)

We drove down the Central Coast and so there were dozens of shots of the coastline and an incredible 67 of the birthing and mating rituals of the sea lions near San Simeon. Clearly we spent way too much time there!

sea lion maternity ward

 

 

 

My husband gave his first Presidential news conference (wearing his nametag in case the voting public forgot they elected him) at Reagan Library. This was taken with my late employer in mind who always said…who was on this vacation when I showed him piles of photos of textures, patterns and landscapes.
Additionally there were countless shots at the library especially of these cool windows where Air Force One lives.
window, Reagan Library

 

santa cruz island
And surprisingly I managed to climb to the top of Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands with the help of a cane, my husband and a myriad of colorful words. I was reminded that one man’s ‘a slight incline’ is indeed his perception based on his experience. Afterwards I was both astonished and proud that I accomplished this daunting task. And I only hurt for two days afterwards!
And for the next time when I am asked if I have any work with succulents, I have inspiration.

Posted in Central Coast, patterns, photography, shapes, textures, travel | 2 Comments »

a long day…

Friday, February 4th, 2011

Today I spent a full 8 hours in the studio working on a deadline. Actually I finished the project in just about half that time and then decided to press on (no pun intended) to wrap up the rest of small projects looming . I am exhausted. I have become so unaccustomed to doing anything for 8 hrs a day!

I also have started the stitching phase of my latest work. As many are aware I have been applying surface design with dye, paint and wax on fabric for a decade now which allows me lots of wonderful choices when I design new work. Earlier this week when I was designing the current piece there was some sadness as I came closer to the end of what had turned out to be a dynamic fabric in my stash.

aftermath

©carol larson 2009

Normally I design a yard or smaller. Yet this piece which I designed 2 years ago was over 3 yards long. At that time I co-wrote an exhibit proposal for the Art Cloth Network. My partner in crime and I chose “quake” and its many manifestations as the theme for this exhibit.

For the first time I planned and labored rather than spontaneously painting seven layers of dye and four of paint. As I sought to create such an illusion of despair and destruction I kept on day after day on two large pieces, neither of which was selected for the exhibit! To this day I believe it was my poor photography that undermined me. As you can see this is a pretty dull shot taken with an old point and shoot camera.

The fabric itself is stunning and intriguing. The second piece, a jacquard woven damask tablecloth is not nearly as beautiful. The cotton sateen has been incorporated into several pieces and is now less than 1/2 yard. And I am sad. It is not like I can order another 5 yards online.

I know some nit-wit is going to tell me I can just re-design another piece of it but that is not how I work. Why go backwards when there is so much more to learn and explore?

Posted in surface design, time management, wisdom | 1 Comment »