In which I begin to appreciate the cumulative effects of patience and a steady practice
April 1 2023
March darted past like a thief, and this first day of April has arranged a soft landing, bringing mild temperatures and its traditional offering of rain. A good day to get stuck back into my studio practice, having neglected it much of the past month.
Not by choice— but because a major deadline at my job resulted in many long days that left me rather too depleted or time-starved to play. My studio hours topped out at less than half of February’s tally.
In spite of that math, I somehow managed to be fairly prolific between late January through Mid-March, and have some new pieces to share. Below are some drypoint prints from my five week class at Manhattan Graphics Center. I’ve posted some of these in my shop if you’re interested. These prints vary quite a lot from one to the next; in this way they are more like monotypes. So there will be more posted at some point, along with some new ink paintings.
Earlier in March, I also undertook to do 100 sketches of a single thing or idea. The book, Design as Art by Bruno Munari displays examples of this sort of practice in the form of many many ways to represent a face. That is, two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. In keeping within the realm of my ink paintings, I chose tree as my idea / thing. I thought this might be a vehicle for injecting a little art into my over-busy work days, even 5 or 15 minutes. But so far I’ve only reached 25: one quarter of the way.
I see so many challenges and ways of encouraging persistent practice on Instagram and elsewhere. Have you done any? If so, what did you gain from it?
I believe one of the things that’s allowed me to create and finish things during this busy time has been my steady studio practice. A couple of years ago, I began keeping a journal as a way to stay connected to and aware of how much time I actually spend on art. The journal has become a daybook in which I record all sorts of things, and it helps to keep me grounded. I no longer ever mean it when I say “where did all the days go?”— I know how they were spent, and it has helped me to not take time for granted.
Ergo my pointed awareness: we’re one quarter of the way through a year! It’s time to welcome Spring— garden season approaches. Also a number of trips. These things, too, will steal time from my studio practice; but when they do, it’s not a sorrow.
Thanks for reading, and until next time—
xx Liz