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Keep up with the latest art and adventures from Rene Shoemaker Art!

Finding the Time

Every artist I know (in addition to many other creative solo practitioners!) struggles with the challenge of finding some kind of time management system that works for them. For many, artistic time must be balanced with a job, family, or other responsibilities. Setting goals is one thing, sticking to them is quite another!

I have had to rethink my system a lot the past year, as I transitioned into retirement from working full-time as the librarian and gallery director of the UGA College of Environment & Design. While I have a lot more free time now, it’s very easy to let things slide – to this afternoon, to tomorrow, to next week. I must say, it is still true that if I have a deadline, then I am the most productive. I like having a clear goal, and I like getting something concrete accomplished, so I try to set my own deadlines and figure out a structured plan for meeting them. I know that this isn’t what works for everyone, but here are some of the things that I have found through trial and error to be very effective for me!

First off - coffee! As I mentioned in my first post, coffee is a driving force of my creativity. It is not just the energy coffee gives (who am I kidding?) but the quiet time I get from sitting with a cup of coffee. It’s so important to me to have that time to be introspective, let ideas bubble to the surface, and let my mind wander and sift and mix ideas and clear things out. A lot of people forget that making art isn’t easy - it involves sifting through all of the options of color and design and weight and size and purpose. For me, it’s essential to do this step during alone time – even if that means being “alone” in a coffee shop while the buzz of other people’s conversations surround me. It turns into soothing white noise that allows me to generate ideas, make plans, and feel a sense of accomplishment when I leave.

Also, it sounds simple, but I keep lists. I try to be methodical and organized about lists… but sometimes they get out of hand! I constantly use (my whole family constantly uses) index cards – they become running lists to follow what needs to be done. I used to be a big believer in the Franklin Planner – that was helpful when I was working, but now I am trying to wean myself off of that system and use Moleskine notebooks instead. I’m still always grabbing an index card to write on, though. If an item on the list does not get accomplished that day, I just move it to another day, and do the best I can.

I recently moved my studio from downtown Athens to a building behind my house. While being downtown was great since there’s so much going on, I can now walk out the back door and arrive at the studio without a 14-mile commute. So that saves a ton of time! Once I arrive at the studio, I often survey what I have intentionally left out – I set things out when I leave, knowing that right away it’ll catch my eye and I’ll be reminded to continue working on it.

When I was working full-time, Saturdays were pegged as my “work on art” day. Though I made adjustments here and there for important events (or avoiding football Saturdays!) I made a commitment to spend one day per week in my studio in downtown Athens.  With the support of my family, I was able to keep this schedule for close to ten years. So I felt like I had a pretty good work ethic going!

But NOW, since retiring in September 2010, I have to try to keep a schedule even though I don’t have an outside force driving my time decisions. Having structured time is very important for me, so I’ve set aside one morning per week to handle paperwork and research, and I try to spend four hours each day doing something creative. I LOVE to get up early, so I frequently get these four hours in before lunchtime! This is actually a very freeing goal, as it’s automatically built into each day, but it also allows me time to do my normal everyday things such as exercise, enjoy being at home, see friends, etc. Also, it leaves time to research and plan and do things that are inspiring, like poring over craft and fiber journals, going to see exhibits, traveling and going to libraries and bookstores.

One of the things that I have always tried to keep in mind was that if I worked hard and stuck to my time management goals, by the time I retired, I would have an art career started, and that I would be able to take off from that point in time, into a new world as a full-time artist. And here I am!

Sharing the Process

This week I’ll be sharing the process behind my hand-painted silk pieces.

I begin by sketching on-site. I love to look at the space in public areas, the relationship between buildings, and small architectural details that give a building character. In this case, I had been invited to exhibit and to give an artist’s talk at the Monroe Art Guild, and I wanted to include a piece depicting the historic post office building that is now home to the Guild.

Here’s my original sketch, made in black ink on paper on square (my favorite shape!) drawing paper.

 

I stretch the silk piece onto wooden frames that my husband makes for me, using hooks and pins to secure the edges. Then I can easily re-sketch the image onto the silk with a blue fabric pen (the ink disappears once the material gets wet). You can see that in this picture I have already started applying the resist over those blue lines.

You can see the little bottle of resist on the right in this picture. It’s waterproof, and keeps the different colors of dyes from bleeding into each other on the silk. My dyes are shown here, too, in the larger containers, along with the cups I use to mix more complex colors and the brushes I use to apply them to the fabric.

This picture shows the piece partway finished. After I mix a color, I apply it to the test fabric (on the left) and let it dry to make sure it comes out like I expect. If not, I adjust and test again. Once I’m satisfied with it, I apply it to the silk piece that I’m creating. I repeat this process for each color on the fabric…. It takes a while, but is one of my favorite parts of the process! I love that color can change the depth in a design and the feel of a piece just by making the color light or dark, saturated or soft.

Painting finished! Now it needs to dry for 24 hours before I steam it to set the dye. That process involves a large contraption that was specifically created to allow steam even access to every inch of the fabric.  Once it comes out, I carefully handwash it, air-dry it, and gently iron it to smooth out any wrinkles and enhance the texture of the silk. Voila! Finished!

Isn’t it magical?? Now this silk piece hangs permanently at the Monroe Art Guild – right by the front door!

I have so much fun with this fascinating, challenging, and rewarding process. Forming an idea, watching my drawing take shape, creating colors, and trying to evoke an experience – all of my choices directly influence the finished work, and it’s so much fun to watch the artwork develop. The pay-off is when the silk goes through the final wash, is ironed, and I can see how beautiful it has turned out. That step never ceases to amaze me – it is like watching something new becoming alive!