feathers & art

{copper plate I worked on last night in prep for prints! If the prints turn out successful, I just might maybe sell some....}

I keep talking about art projects I'm working on but never share them. I suppose it's because it's hard to find an end point with art. Even when I turn a project in, my mind is buzzing with "what ifs" what if I added more black paint, more glitter, less of this more of that. etc. Also, in the art world there is this idea that the less you share of your work the better. That your work has more value if it isn't overly abundant, that you have more control of how you are viewed by the select work you put out. And I suppose this is true, and at times has stopped me from sharing. But the truth is I, myself, am a work in progress. This struggle I have of trying to find "the artist in me" (sounds so cheesy) is a big trial for me. It involves me making lots of mistakes and {hopefully} learning from each one of them. But I like that process. I enjoy the process because it makes the small successes that much better. It's okay that my final project in ceramics exploded in the kiln. It's okay that my grisaille painting of glass jars looked like monochrome throw-up. It's a messy process, this art journey. But I'm grateful for it. And it's a big part of me, so I'm going to try to be better at sharing:

21 grams

art installation

*oh how I wish you could have been there to see this in person!

Installation art doesn't really translate in photograph...

the initial idea behind this work was a sort of therapy session i created for myself. ya see, someone had said something to me that hurt my feelings, like REALLY bad. and the more I thought about said comment, the more frustrated i got. after all, they were only words. why was i letting a combination of letters weigh me down so much? in a physical sense, they weigh nothing, but I let them be a burden. The work was to represent the unnecessary weight we give to things, things that don't need to and shouldn't burden us. it was mean to be a reality check of sorts, something everyone can relate to.

a single white feather weighing down a scale placed on a white fur rug in the middle of the room

I was much more fascinated with my classes' interpretation. Each person had a different take. the feathers were "people, waiting to be judged" the feeling was "slightly eery, though the content warm and soothing" and lots of "i wish there was a title!" My teachers noted the uncanny fact that the feather weighs 21 grams on the scale, and wondered if it had anything to do with Dr. Duncan MacDougall's ideas about the soul weighing 21 grams. After looking into that theory, a title was born.

this rusty old fan was the only noise, and hit the feathers that were suspended on fishing line,

so that they slightly quivered.

what do see/feel? what do the feathers, scale, layout mean for you? one of the most amazing parts about art is the subjective nature of it. I'd love to hear what YOU think.