Feeling Abundance: Gathering, Observing, Reflecting, Creating
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A panoramic view of the western side of my live/work space at Rensing Center.
It's been a time rich in observation, reflection, and transformation these past weeks at the Rensing Center. So much has unfolded I can't possibly describe it all. Here are some highlights...
The frog pond behind the Pottery (the live/work studio space in which I'm residing while at Rensing).
I've been gathering inspiration by observing nature, having important and stimulating (and often humorous!) conversations with fellow artists, and just sitting, literally, to observe moments unfolding and noticing the abundance and order of life.
This contemplation and noticing is such an important element in my studio practice, the work that comes from it, and my life. I watch the spiders, centipedes, and butterflies do their work, then I go to work.
A night's work for this thorny looking little guy.
Butterflies visit the Lantana plants daily in the Pottery garden.
I've been journaling about my own studio practice, methods, materials, etc. I've been experimenting with it all and indulging every artistic whim as it comes without too much concern for the outcome at this point. This place is overflowing with materials, both natural and man-made, ripe with potential. I've been trying to utilize as much as I can- like the giant ball of thread scraps I discovered in a cabinet, likely left by a former resident. With it I created the piece below.
Untitled, 2015, 18x24 in. acrylic, conté crayon, pastel on paper. ©2015 kristenmwatson
Untitled, 24x36 in. found thread scraps, centipede and snail remains, acrylic and pastel on paper. ©2015 kristen m. watson
I unearthed a pile of metal heating grates that were repurposed as stencils. I've been experimenting with spray enamel on canvas and paper.
Untitled work in progress, 24x24 in. acrylic and enamel on canvas. ©2015 kristen m. watson.
Work in progress, spray enamel in altered book, 9x6 in. ©2015 kristen m. watson
I've also spent some time on the weekends touring the area and meeting a great diversity of upstate residents. From a silent hike led by a wonderful yoga instructor, to the Drinking Liberals social group (quite a few Bernie fans here) at nearby Clemson University, to the Civil War re-enactors, the virtuosic fiddlers who carry on the Scotch-Irish and Appalachian music tradition, the colorful characters at the weekly flea market, and the members of Soapstone Church (a black church founded by freed slaves and stewarded currently by their descendants), I can say that I've experienced a cross-section of the complex place that is upstate South Carolina. I've posted photo albums on facebook so check it out.
The abundance (an word/idea I've been working with since my arrival) of insight and ideas I'll bring home with me is daily revealing itself, and for that I'm unspeakably grateful.
The ubiquitous, generic glass vase (I think every house has at least one), a typical flea market find, and unusual (to me) pine cones I gathered are making for an interesting assemblage. Untitled, acrylic paint and medium, glass, found objects. ©2015 kristen m. watson.
