So many lines, so much texture.
tangent lines
You know that thing when you're driving through an area and your radio gets good and bad reception? Or when you are in a building and the only place your cell phone works is the northeast corner? I always wonder what fourth dimension traffic is really affecting those waves.
hmmmm..... I wonder what would happen if I stitched a line at each seam of a composition. Would the composition show hot spots or areas of greater traffic? better reception?
the back might matter
Normally I don't pay attention to the back of my pieces except to tie off loose threads, iron new seams and finish rough edges. But the other day, while talking to a friend about the mind map piece I have been working on, I turned it over on the design board to focus on the construction lines.
and I like it. In fact I like it so much it might end up being a two sided piece.
Mind map, Paula Kovarik, back, work-in-progress
So for now, I will turn this piece over and work from behind. It may change the front, it may add new depth. We'll see. Working from the back allows for more stream of consciousness line making. Mysterious, complicated and perhaps, in the long run, revealing.
Variations
I have spent the last year and a half experimenting with different website layouts. My provider, Squarespace, announced new templates to choose from last year. I played around with them and was mightily confused about how the tools worked. So I abandoned the project. Then, about a month ago, they announced a new interface for the tools and I was encouraged to try again. The new templates allow for bigger images and the pages change based on what type of screen you are using. It wasn't as fun as I expected, very challenging, but worth the exercise... I think. You are seeing the results of that effort now. And I don't think I can turn back. There are probably bugs that I haven't noticed, navigation that is different, and a new feature for a newsletter subscription. Join up by going to the contact page to see what I might come up with in the future. And let me know if you see anything that is not working or spelled wrong.
Meanwhile, back at my design board, I worked on this piece yesterday coming up with six variations that I am considering. The piece started as a focus on immigration, changed to refugees and now might be better titled...followers. I snapped a pic of the current layout (upper left) then using Photoshop, I experimented with a number of compositions seen here. Not sure yet which I will pursue. If you have a vote, let me know!
Oh, say can you see? ©2014, Paula Kovarik
Playing around
I am a lucky participant in an invitational art show in which each artist was provided a wooden cigar box. The show will be in alternative art gallery in October. This past week I looked around the studio for raw ingredients that might find a route into this creative gate.
I am a collector of scraps. twigs. thread. snippets of fabric. rocks. dried weeds. you name it I got it. The pile of colorful threads next to my sewing machine started to look like it might have a heartbeat so I decided to take a stab at weaving it all together. Crosswise, lengthwise, in a circle, over a ball, into a nest, around a heart shaped rock and just plain balled up. The texture was emotive, chaotic, and intriguing.
The box I have is from Mexico. I have vivid memories of the colors and thread work I saw when visiting there a number of years ago. The art, the people, the history and the countryside are rich with inspiration and passion. Frankly, I was surprised. I was a victim of bad media coverage: fear of getting sick, attacked or kidnapped are all potently exploited by news reports here in the States. Fact is, it can be dangerous wherever you are and if you let fear rule your decisions you can miss out on a lot. It's a lesson that Congress could benefit from.
So that was the seed for this assemblage. The fact that we are a polyglot society dependent on and richly endowed by our immigrant population seems to be missing from our politicians mindsets. Woven together we are stronger, more creative and richer by far. At times it may look like chaos, but underneath there is a tapestry of truth.