Cottage
Did I mention I dabble a little in poetry? Warning: I am an amateur poet. In order to get ideas flowing, I usually write a poem or two to determine what I wish to communicate in my next piece. Doodles, sketches and photos are also included in the brainstorming process, but writing out my thoughts is usually the first initial step.
The ink sketch is a doodle I did during the planning process of Cottage. The image of the skyline is a photo I took in search for inspiration for the final piece. While I like to pull from the web (or simply my imagination) to define my figures, I like to work from photographs of landscapes that I have personally experienced. This particular image was taken in the driveway of my aunt and uncle's garage. A great amount of my youth was spent in the forest surrounding my aunt and uncle's home, so my art tends to reflect and use that location's imagery quite a bit!
COTTAGE
BY JOAN GRAVES
There is a cottage
In a wood
That has gone unused
Untouched
Unmoved
Some who would venture
And use
The walls, roof, and floors
As shelter
Will uncover
An existing wound
No fire will catch
The fireplace
The throat
Is stripped, swollen
Black
Never to warm
A man's face
It may be the driest day
Of the driest year
But no spark shall light
For the cottage is tired
She has endured
Her final fight
She has been abandoned
Left hallow
Bare
There has never been love
Never a presence
To care
A self-served sentence
A blanketed figure
With passive pain
The cottage in the wood
Holds all
Even herself
To blame
Song Choice: Red Earth & Pouring Rain - Bear's Den
(While enjoy listening to music while I work, I do find burning a scented candle helps my focus too. When I experience difficulty concentrating, staying engaged, or sitting still for long periods of time, I try and keep as many senses engaged as possible: play music, burn a candle, and have a coffee to take sips from)
The final image I should probably share is of my completed work. The painting Cottage was started in 2017. I began the painting but became lost on how to finish it. Only this year did I wrap it up and finish the painting. Sometimes making art is like that. I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to not walk away from a painting until it is finished. Of course breaks are acceptable, I'm not a complete lunatic, nor can I complete a painting in fifty hours straight. But, I do have a hard time moving on to a new work without completing the last. BUT, I force myself to do so! If not, I would never get anything done.
(While enjoy listening to music while I work, I do find burning a scented candle helps my focus too. When I experience difficulty concentrating, staying engaged, or sitting still for long periods of time, I try and keep as many senses engaged as possible: play music, burn a candle, and have a coffee to take sips from)
The final image I should probably share is of my completed work. The painting Cottage was started in 2017. I began the painting but became lost on how to finish it. Only this year did I wrap it up and finish the painting. Sometimes making art is like that. I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to not walk away from a painting until it is finished. Of course breaks are acceptable, I'm not a complete lunatic, nor can I complete a painting in fifty hours straight. But, I do have a hard time moving on to a new work without completing the last. BUT, I force myself to do so! If not, I would never get anything done.
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