sea monsters and citrus fruits

 

Since I finished up edits on the new book and am in a holding pattern on the latest poem project til I figure out what the hell I want it to do, I've spent this weekend working on visual things, including assembling these little postcard packs for the SEA MONSTERS series that is one of my faves (you can find them in the shop as of this afternoon. )

I often feel like art is just a different language for saying many of the same things, telling the same stories. While this series is not particularly rooted in mythology as much as some of the others---like the Persephone or Iphigenia collages, or even the The Muses, it was spawned both by some lessons on Greek sea stories I was writing and researching, as well as the Calypso myth, which was always a favorite, so I suppose is in a similar vein. I've been making collages, sometimes daily, sometimes in a burst like the ones that will accompany GRANATA, and the processes are different and vary. Sometimes, I save up clip art and stock images and snippets. Sometimes I go looking as I go, finding the elements I need. Sometimes I just start with something and see where it takes me.  

I've especially loved the recent discovery that I can mix video with still elements and have a little more control and options for the animated bits, especially when I am making fun little content for IG reels, which admittedly is my addiction of late. I left the Persephone ones still, only because eventually they will be printed, but I may go back and do some animations later, even if they're just simple drifts.

I feel like I've been working far more digitally than analog for many reasons the past year, one that I am already on my computer all day and the transition is just faster at the end of the day and easily can be manipulated for other media purposes without having to photograph or scan them. (the one tragedy of leaving the library was losing access to amazing scanners.) I also gave away and tossed much of my stash of materials when I moved the studio and later left the library. I have some, but they are buried on the shelves under other art supplies and half-finished projects. Most of my analog efforts these days are just small paintings. 

Strangely, I find the process of making art more energizing than writing, as in it leads to more. Writing, even small poems are draining, and sometimes I feel like I've squeezed out an orange or a lemon to the point of disintegration. Sometimes, unless I'm writing first thing, I feel like I need a nap. Whereas, I make one collage and there are many more oranges appearing in the bowl. Or the orange is whole again. (I have no idea where this metaphor is going, only that it is going well.) The other night, it was 4AM before I finally stopped and retired to bed and really, if I hadn't hit physical exhaustion and what I felt was an endpoint, I could have kept going until dawn.