The outer world has settled down and I find myself back in my studio for a long weekend of work on the Bike Boys. I quickly discovered that time away has doubled the time it takes to get up and running. When working on a piece, there are routines that develop. When the routines are broken, it takes time to re-establish them. The second day back in the studio is so much more productive than the first. I’ve heard other artists speak of the value of practicing one’s art daily. Today I’m acutely aware of that wisdom. It’s not so important to produce art, but to be in actively involved in in the process; to stay connected to one’s learning. I’ve posted a picture of my progress, but the progress viewed is not equivalent to the effort expended.
As the bike boys surge forward, a couple of other problems are developing. First, in my process, I build the piece by putting together small sections, and then join them to make larger sections, and then put those together on the foundation fabric. Nothing goes together perfectly and the small imperfections I’m working through at the beginning, compound into 1/8 or 1/4 inch gaps by the far end of the piece.
coming undone
It’s becoming a real challenge to fit everything together which leads to my second problem: the fusible isn’t holding tight. I’m trying not to be heavy handed with the iron, but after heating, repositioning and re heating, the product is loosing it’s ability to hold. As the piece becomes larger it’s also becoming more delicate to move around. I’m hoping that I can get it all together and onto the long arm before it turns into a pile of scraps on the floor.
