More Than Scribbles
I've been away from my studio now for five months. Started with riding my motorcycle down to Florida at the end of October, spent time with family and friends in Exuma and south Florida, and toured parts of Australia, Singapore, South-East Asia and Japan. Now, I'm back in Miami, waiting for temperatures to rise enough for me to ride back up to Canada. It's been an incredible journey and I've had many experiences that are, inevitably, going to influence my art.
As an artist, I can't stop creating. I need to create. If I don't express artistically, I get agitated, irritable and very, very crabby. Ask my husband, he's the first to know! So, while I'm on the road and in the sky, I need to find ways to satisfy my creative spirit in a light, transportable, yet fulfilling manner. With limited luggage space, works on paper is pretty much the only way to go. People often assume that with all this travel, I must be inspired to create works that reflect my observations through literal subjects, such as the animals or landscape or flora that I came across. But, I am an abstract, process based artist. I create art through the creative process, which means that my travel inspirations will be expressed through a method of art rather than something representational.
It was in Australia that I came up with my newest project and began this new series of works that I call my Visual Diary. It started with black ink and evolved into incorporating colour as the travelling continued into Japan. It has been a way for me to share publicly while maintaining my privacy through a visual medium.
What conjures up in your mind when you think of a "diary"?
Your most intimate thoughts.
Your secrets.
Your deepest feelings.
Your fears.
Your private insecurities.
Your favourite memories.
Your darkest emotions.
Your personal observations.
Your most unpopular opinions.
Your inner most revelations.
Your path to self discovery.
Your voice.
Your heart.
Your mind.
Your soul.
All that is written in my "scribbles". Layers and layers of Me on paper. For the world to see. And if you look closely, you'll see that it is far more complex than what it first appears to be.
