Make Mistakes, Make Good Art.

"Make interesting mistakes,

make amazing mistakes,

make glorious and fantastic mistakes.

And then.....

Husband runs off with a politician?

Make good art.

Leg crushed and then eaten by a mutated boa constrictor?

Make good art.

IRS on your trail?

Make good art.

Cat exploded?

Make good art."

Break rules.

Leave the world more interesting for your being here.

Make good art."

Neil Gaiman, from a commencement speech given at the 

University of the Arts in Philadelphia, in May of 2012.

I found this quote in the book "Neil Gaiman the View from the Cheap Seats", a collection of his non-fiction - essays, speeches, book reviews, interviews, etc.  The book came from our local library, so I must give it back, but the book impressed me so much that I intend to find a used copy on line and buy it. This review of the book by the journalist and author Caitlin Moran explains exactly why I want my own copy.

"If this book came to you during a despairing night, by dawn you would believe in ideas and hope and humans again. This is a beautiful book."

Motivational Slump

I admit, for the last month and especially after Tuesday's election, I have been pretty depressed. For lack of a better term, my "muse" has gone into hiding. I don't blame her.

There were two projects started.

 Back in September/October it was the cropped jacket experiment, the inspiration for which I found on Pinterest. I got as far customizing and futzing with making the pattern, getting the material, and cutting out the outer layer, which will eventually be stenciled and beaded. Part of the delay with this was the stencil I had intended to use just didn't work, so I will have to drive into the next county, hit the Michael's over there, and try to find one that works. The other setback was the work table I use for cutting out cloth and stenciling got buried under...stuff. So I had to clear that off...again. It seems to attract "stuff" like honey attracts bees. Then the election became utterly terrifying, and my worst nightmares came horrifyingly true. I cried! I actually cried over the results of an election! Unfortunately, I am still depressed. I decided to give myself time to grieve before attempting anything creative. I am afraid it would color in a negative way whatever I tried to do.

The other project was a painting I started toward the middle of summer. I love the concept, and I am really happy with the drawing. I struggled with the painting, but felt things were moving along okay. Then some outside circumstances put things on hold for a few weeks, then the light fixture over my drafting table wouldn't work, then the weather got cold and rainy (I work in the garage), then the election added to the gloom. For me, it was a no-win situation. Now the garage corner where I paint is cold, and because we get no sun until late in the day, if at all, my corner, even though the light fixture is working again, is still on the dark side. That is something that needs to be addressed. Also, some kind of heater will help with the cold, but it has to be radiant heat, not something with a fan, or the paint will dry too fast.

This probably sounds like a litany of "woe is me" and to a certain extent, I guess that's true. But when your soul is in such despair, it's really hard to get motivated. I look at my poor painting, which is pleading with me to finish it, and I have good intensions, and then...just can't. Until I can reboot myself, I have brought it into the house so it doesn't get dusty. Since it is in the same room as the computer, it also forces me to look at it guiltily every day. Maybe the guilt will eventually overpower the depression, or something will happen to get me fired up again. Or maybe a week or so to do nothing but read, work my horses, and just breath will solve the problem. At this point, I just don't know.

This is the progress/progression on Embrace the Night so far. The last photo was taken in the house today, which is why the colors look darker, although parts of the painting were darkened before I left it. At this stage, I consider the painting about halfway finished.

Hopefully, this artistic funk I am in won't last. Maybe I can entice my muse out of hiding with a nice glass of wine, one of my favorite art books, and a lovely chat about inspiration?

The Frustration of Photographing Art

When it comes to photographing my art...whether it's a drawing or an article of clothing, I always seem to have problems. One, my house is dark, so anything photographed inside, has to have lots of light focused on it, which with drawings, creates glare. If I take things outside, depending on the weather, the color can be off.

Then we come to scanning. I thought if I scanned this latest piece, it would show better, and the colors would be truer. Alas, no. The scanner's bright light washed all the color out of the drawing. I fiddled with the dpi, and the image got darker than the original. So, I gave up, and went back to just photographing the piece in my "studio." Which gets a slanted angle, but truer color. Gah!

Here is what I mean.

Scanner run...the first.

It looks like this went through the laundry by accident, and all the color got washed out.

Scanner run...the second.

This is the scan after I fiddled with the settings, and in all honesty, I like the richer colors in this version, but that is not how the original looks.


Lastly..my photo of the work.

Bad angle, with one corner cut off, but the colors here are truer...even with a slight bit of glare from the lamp.

So, that is my frustration. I think I need to take a tutorial on how to photograph art so that it comes out looking like the original, instead of my dorky attempts at getting the color right. I have had success with my scanner before, so I am not sure why it wouldn't work this time.

As for my assessment of the artwork itself, well, a few things. It still looks too "flat" to me, and my attempts to make tree-ish background shapes are more distracting than anything else. Also, I couldn't get the intensity of color I was after (which is why I like the seconded scanner version) , and this is probably because I haven't worked with the colored pencils enough to understand layering. I've seen it done, so it's just my lack of experience that is at fault.

Bottom line, these early pieces are learning exercises. Trying to get my mojo working again. So far, Ms. Mojo is standing over in the corner with her  arms crossed, shaking her head, and saying, "Not yet, deary, not yet."

Nature is a Presence

I believe with all my heart that nature is a presence all around us. She has eyes, ears, and a voice. She sees what we do, she hears our loud existence, and speaks to us but we rarely listen. Sometimes nature fights back, but most of the time she can only watch as we slowly destroy the very thing that gives us life. I suspect that most of the time, nature is angry. She has every right to be.

This will eventually be colored in with pens, watercolor pencils, paint, and gouache. 

"I am Watching" 8.5" x 11" done on 130 lb, 25% cotton drawing paper.

Pencil drawing, with just a few lines inked in. When I am figuring out a drawing, I work really rough and kinda sloppy - more of a quick gesture drawing. I get focused and a bit anal after the pencil is done flying around, and the paper is full of erasures. Which is why I need tough paper or board. Otherwise I would rub big holes in the drawing before it was ever finished.

Here is the drawing now inked over, with most of the pencil erased out. I used a Micron 05 pen in a dark blue. I mainly ink drawings in dark blue, dark green, dark brown or dark grey. I rarely use black.

This is the inspiration for the drawing. The photo is one I took on our property, of a an oak tree bole. The woman figure was cut from a fashion magazine. The leaves and twigs are ones I picked up on my way back from the barn.

The only thing I am concerned about is that the paper has a slight bit of texture to it, and I am used to working on illustration board, which is smooth. If I don't like the results on the paper after I put in the color, I think I will redo the drawing on board.

So, while it has been raining and foggy, this is what I have been working on. My husband and I have pulled back on quite a few of our horse activities this year, for a variety of reasons. One of the big ones for me was, wanting to get back to my artwork, which has been on the back burner for years. The pencils and paints still feel a bit clumsy in my hands, but...

I have missed them. 

New Year, New Ideas, and a Few True Confessions

I don't make New Year's resolutions. I used to, with every good intention of keeping them, but that never happened. Then I'd feel guilty because I failed to keep my resolution. It was not a win-win situation, so I quit doing it.

For the last few years I have tried to concentrate on new ways to think about things, or ways to improve my life. Mostly that has been to simplify. Getting rid of things I don't use that have been sitting around the house, closet, or garage for years collecting dust.  That has been a very satisfying endeavor, and I have given away lots of things to people who were thrilled to get them. Last week I donated a large bag of mixed beads to a non-profit organization for kids projects. Tomorrow I am delivering a small drafting table (I have two others) to a young girl who is a great budding artist. She will get a lot of use out of that table, which has been sitting in a storage unit for six years.

Another thing that I am going to work hard on, and this is a tough one for me, is to be more a person who sees the glass half full, rather than half empty. I admit, I am a dyed-in-the-wool skeptic, and tend not to trust people. I suspect this might be part and parcel with my introvert personality.

One of the big things for me to overcome, both in life and in art, is to stop worrying about what other people think, and to stop comparing my work/life with theirs. To be inspired is one thing, and that is great, but to be envious, especially if that person is successful and/or popular, is a hard thing to avoid. The risk is that I might try to make my artwork or beading projects look more like theirs, even if their style is not mine. The reasoning behind that being, "Well, maybe if my work is more like theirs, I will be more popular." When I find myself thinking like that, I have to back up, slap my forehead, and tell myself to "SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Most of my adult life I was given to believe that unless you could make money at your artwork, you weren't an artist, you were just dorking around with a fun hobby.  My first husband was really great at making me feel like the artwork I needed to do to feel human and get me through some tough times, wasn't worth much because it wasn't "a job" that created income. Fortunately, my second husband of 25 years is just the opposite, which is a relief. But there is always that niggle that if I can't make the artwork/jewelry pay for itself it means that what I am doing isn't worthy, because no one else wants it. This is the wrong attitude to take, and very self-defeating.

Lately I have been reading more and more about what is called "Guerilla Artwork." Small pieces of artwork or inspirational sayings left in public places for people to find, like a gift from the universe— no strings attached, not a stealth advertisement, not self-promotion. Its only purpose is to make someones day a little brighter. Art just for art's sake. Art for the simple joy it will give to a total stranger. I love the idea and want to play. This simple act dispels for me the idea that in order for artwork to be valid, it must make money. And no, I am not badmouthing artists who make money. I admire them. I have made a bit of money myself. But for me, this idea of a gift of art for whomever finds it, just appeals. The world can be a depressing place. Wouldn't it be great of someone was having a totally crap day and found my gift and it made them smile?

To that end, I have started sending out my small contributions to this fun way to spread a little joy. Over the years, I have found dozens of bookmarks left in books I have checked out from the library. I decided that putting small bookmarks that I have made in the books before returning them would be a easy way to start. On the back of each bookmark, I am writing a note that says, "This is for you to keep, or to leave in the book for the next person to enjoy." I also thought that a pair of simple earrings, taped to an index card and left, say in a ladies restroom, would be another fun way to play. On the card it would say something like, "This is a gift to you from the Universe. Hope it brings a smile."

So, no New Year's resolutions, no promises to myself that I know I won't keep. Just a desire to keep working on simplifying my life, play more with my art/jewelry/beading, and at the same time send some small bits of artwork out into the world. Ideas I think I can stick with and enjoy, totally guilt free.  

Icon

They covered my hair in black veiling, encased my body in heavy brocades, and assigned jeweled insects as my familiars. Surely the small miracle I performed did not warrant becoming a prisoner of their adulation?

Small mixed media collage, done about ten years ago. Alas, the gold in each corner isn't showing up in the photo as well as I would have liked. The piece was done for a members show at the Grants Pass Museum of Art, with the theme The Number Three.

The Love of Stencils

Recently I have discovered many wonderful uses for stencils. Years ago I stenciled a pattern of twining leaves high on the walls of our dinning room, and I may have dinked around with a few since then, but nothing very exciting. Over the last two years or so, I have had all kinds of fun with them. The nice thing about stencils is, they are inexpensive, and can be found in all sorts of places. I picked up the variety you see above from JoAnn's fabrics, Michaels Crafts, Home Depot paint dept, and the rose I found at the Goodwill.

It started with seeing Rice's work over at the Voodoo Cafe. She used stencils to cut out patterns for the Alabama Chanin-type clothing she was making. So, not only did those posts inspire me to make some of the same types of clothing (and buying the AC book), doing all the stitching by hand, and getting back into embroidery, but it also got me using stencils in new ways.

The little amoeba-looking beaded star was my first attempt. I never used it on anything because the beads (only ones I had at the time) are heavy, so it's still in a drawer, waiting for a home. 

I started on cloth first, both for design and for stitching around, and for reverse appliques. I did three boleros, two tank tops, a T-shirt, and a sweatshirt. Here are three examples.

I have just started using them on paper for my artwork for background designs. My first try was on this color pencil and ink drawing of Nomad 2. Here is a close up of the stenciled part of of the background.

I drew around the stencil with a light pencil, then colored it in and added highlights. Worked great.

What's next? Well, once again, Rice has featured a new technique that I want to try, using stencils. You draw the stencil pattern on cloth, much as I did for the above drawing. Rather than use paint to color it in, you go over the drawing lines with stitching.  You end up with a lovely stitched pattern. Since I love the little boleros so much, and they are so easy to make, I want to try this way to use a stencil next. Rice used it on denim (or maybe it was linen, I can't remember), and it looks wonderful.

Just an FYI, if you have never visited Rice's blog site, I highly recommend it. She is always finding new ways to decorate fabric...she's now into dying her own embroidery thread...not to mention her other projects and trips to art conferences, photos of her cats, and just general fun everyday thoughts and, yes, sometimes a rant or two, but she's always inspiring.  Some of her posts will make you laugh out loud.

Nomad 2

This is another drawing from the series I am working on, so far called Nomads & Gypsies. I like the composition of this, but don't think the colors are quite as successful as the ones in Nomad 1. Color work is hard for me, so I struggle with it and don't always get a successful outcome.  But since these are for practice, to get back into drawing and using color, I don't think it came out too bad. I like the pose so much I am thinking of doing the same one, only bigger, and on illustration board instead of paper.

Anyway, here is the process again, for those of you who are interested in this kind of thing.

Drawing with source material...again, found on Pinterest.

Here is a better one of the drawing. Sorry, I didn't realize the photo was so crooked until I uploaded it, and by then I had already done the color work, so couldn't re-shoot the photo.

Next is the drawing after I inked it with a Pigma Micron 05 pen in dark blue. I started to add color then went, "Whoops, need to photo ink drawing first" so that's why there is that bit of blue on her head scarf.

And at last, the finished drawing. I think I got a nice melancholy expression on her face, as if she is day dreaming of something a bit sad. The design on the green (meant to look like tile) was a stencil I drew around then colored in.

I am going to have to press this one for awhile, as the paper wants to curl up on the corners. I tried carefully rolling the paper in the opposite direction of the curl, and was only marginally successful...barely enough to get the photo. And, in looking at this, I think the green background needs more work. It still looks rough. Like I said, these are practice runs, nothing too serious — yet.

Other than working on these drawings, I have been practicing mounted archery in order to get ready for a clinic in two weeks. So far the weather has been steady, except for a few rain sprinkles, so that has helped. I have also taken a deep breath, for fortitude, and started reclaiming my garden from the weeds. I bought a cherry tomato plant and a basil plant, which are still sitting on the deck in their original pots, so those need to go in the ground soon.

Best part of the warmer temps = sitting out on the deck in the evening, sipping wine, sampling snacks, and having a nice relaxing moment with my husband...who drinks a beer instead of wine, 'cause tasting wine makes him make funny faces and hand the glass back to me.

Nomad 1

Yes, I really am making an effort to get back into drawing and painting. Unlike a lot of people, I like to draw. Always have. To the extent that, as a kid, before sidewalk chalk, I would draw on the sidewalk with an ice cube wrapped in a wash cloth. My mom's idea of cheap drawing tools. With five kids, it was the best she could do at the time. I didn't mind, and it was really fun on a hot summer day.

Anyway, I have been thinking about a series of drawings/paintings on nomads and gypsies, with a bit of fantasy thrown in for fun. Not too much of the fantasy element in this piece, because I am trying to feel my way back into things, using colored pencils. So, this is basically a practice run. However, it turned out better than I thought it would.

So, I thought I would share the stages it went through.

The two sources I used, both found on Pinterest, and the pencil drawing. 

Here is a little bit better one of the drawing.

 

The next one is after I inked the drawing, using a dark grey Pigma Micron 05. I usually ink drawings in either dark gray or warm brown, rather than black.

And here is the finished drawing, using Prismacolor and Karet colored pencils. The spot on her cheek is a tribal tattoo, similar to the one in the old postcard photo.

Two of the design features I really want to play around with a lot more, are the silhouette of buildings against a sunset sky, and getting a bit more outlandish with the costume. Anyway, I thought for my first dive back in, she didn't turn out too bad.

Only big thing I will change will be doing the drawings on illustration board instead of on paper. The Karet colored pencils are watercolor pencils, but I didn't dare use them that way on this paper, which was just some Strathmore sketch paper.  It would have crinkled up like crazy. Crinkles = NOT good.

This last photo is just of my work table, showing the finished drawing, the source pictures, and the scratch paper with color tests, which I do as I go.

So, that it. Can't wait to start on the next one.

Art And Questions

Funny how one little book filled with forty-nine creativity exercises started me questioning how and why I create, and how does what I do relate to "the big picture?" The book is The Trickster's Hat by Nick Bantock. I was having a lot of fun working on some of the exercises, and reading ahead to see what was coming up next...until I got to number thirty-one "Learning from others." It is mainly about how all artists are influenced by the work of others in some form or another. But what got me into this rare introspective mood was this quote from the book:

"Our job as creative individuals is to acknowledge, develop, and shine light on all realities, whether they be concrete or mythological—not for individual glory but because it feeds the collective unconscious and gives permission to others to widen the periphery of their vision."

Whew!

After reading that I had to ask myself if what I was doing really did widen the periphery of other people's vision? Uh...I have no idea. Even worse, I started thinking my artwork was, well, pretty insipid, the jewelry quaint, the stitching a cute hobby. Then I started asking other questions.

If a limited number of people, or no one, sees your work, how can it be helping the "collective unconscious?"
For art to be relevant does it have to be put out in the universe for others to see?
Does each work of art have to say/mean something? Can't it be just a pretty picture?
If you make figures with cute little party hats and butterfly wings, is that art irrelevant? Is it even art?
If you do art—any kind of art—simply for yourself, are you a mere dabbler, rather than a true artist?
What is a true artist?

As you see, my mind was in turmoil. I admit, showing someone my work and getting no response at all, a total "meh", is worse than someone instantly wanting to hurl rotten fruit at the piece. At least with the fruit hurler I got a reaction, even if his/her unconscious might be damaged for awhile..never mind what it would do to my ego. But how do I make my work relevant? Is that something I should even think about? Constantly asking myself if what I am working on is for the greater good, other than putting me in my happy place, would quickly smother any creative spark...and yet, here I am, asking myself that very question. 

Then I asked myself...

Is the very act of creating saying something, even if I'm not aware of it at the time?
The ideas must flow from somewhere, and mean something to me or I wouldn't bother, so simply by doing...whether painting, drawing, sewing, jewelry making, writing...it must be relevant from the very start...right? But is it relevant to the "collective unconscious?" Does it need to be? And if it isn't, am I wasting my time doing it if it has no higher purpose?

I still haven't come to grips with all of these questions. But the fact that I am spewing them out here, shows that I am very unsettled by them, which must meant I am looking for the answers.



So, after all that exhausting introspection, here is something to lighten things up a little. Photos of the iris growing in my garden.

On the white one, look closely. Can you see the hidden beastie?

Getting briefly back to the whole question of the relevancy or non-relevancy of art, I suspect all creative types ask themselves these same questions, and struggle with understanding why they do what they do. Hopefully, we don't hog-tie ourselves with so many questions and self-doubts that we quit creating. The collective unconscious would surely be diminished if that were to happen.

The Astronaut's Courtesan

She always worried about him, alone, way out there is space. Sometimes she wouldn't see him for months and months, but she didn't mind waiting. While he was gone, she took other lovers, but he was always her favorite, her special one.  The others brought her flowers or jewelry. None of them had ever brought her rocks from the moon, or rings from Saturn.

This is a collage I did years ago, when I was first experimenting. It's still one of my favorites. Only thing I would change is the signature placement. I use a cartouch now, and that would fit in better.

"Trickster's Hat" Lesson 3

This is lesson 3 from Nick Bantock's book "The Trickster's Hat." It is supposed to be a landscape. I decided mine ended up looking more like detritus washed up on a beach. Because of that I cheated a bit. None of the stamps could be used for what was actually pictured = a tree couldn't be used as a tree. But I couldn't resist using the leaning capitol dome, buried to its pillars with trash, to finish my lesson.

Just Get It Done

"Don't think about making art, just get it done.

Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. 

While they are deciding,

make more art."

Andy Warhol

For Love Or Money?

In a pod cast done with Lorri Scott over at the Voodoo Cafe blog, the question came up on whether you create things to make money, or for the love of it. This mainly applied to those attempting to make money off of their artwork/clothing/jewelry, etc, as opposed to it being more a hobby. Should you follow trends and attempt to make things strictly for the buying public, or do you stay with what you love, and hope it sells? I think it is a question anyone wanting to make a few bucks from their work will ask themselves at some point. If you are depending on your work as your only source of income, it's critical.

I'm lucky in that I am married, with a husband who makes enough money to support us. I am also retired, so I get that little Social Security check every month, which helps. So for me, I don't really have to make that choice. I can make what I love, put it up on my Etsy site, and hope it sells. Sales there have been hit or miss...mostly miss. I have better luck at SCA events where people can actually see the pieces, hold them up, try them on, and fall in love with them. I make enough to break even. Sometimes a bit more.  If I relied on my jewelry to support me, I'd be doomed.

Some artists are lucky. They make what they love, and it sells like hotcakes, or at least they sell enough to keep them from signing into a 9-5 job. Then again, if you rely on your artwork, I suspect your hours are more like 12/7, with no medical insurance or 401K plan. To make that commitment, you must be passionate about what you do, or you'd go nuts. And I don't think you could be that passionate making stuff just for the sale value. Could you churn out stuff you didn't care a fig for, just to make money? I know I couldn't. I'd become a greeter at WalMart and keep doing what I love on the side.

Depending on your circumstances, it's a tough choice to make. Some may not have the option. Some may do both...make things more commercially viable, while also making things they love. It can be frustrating, and tempting..."Wow, look, pink plastic sonic bracelets are selling like crazy on Etsy. Maybe I should make something out of pink plastic? Maybe I could actually make some money?"

How true to your artist visions can you stay, and still make enough money to at least keep you in supplies, let alone make enough money to live on? How do you make that choice? How much are you willing to bend? How long are you willing to try before giving up?

I suspect most true artists, like me, would do what we do whether we got money for it or not. It's just in our DNA to create. You can't NOT make something, whether you keep it for yourself, or attempt to sell it. Between my jewelry and drawings, and my writing and gardening, I am always busy creating something. Some things I attempt to sell, hoping that others will appreciate what I do and love them as much as I do. Some I keep for myself, because I love them too much to turn them loose. Others, if I haven't sold them and they've been around for awhile gathering dust, I donate to silent auctions or raffles. Others, made for a specific person, I give as gifts. But they are all pieces that I loved in one way or another. Nothing was made of cheap goods, or slipshod workmanship...to the best of my currant ability. It's the only way I know how to work.

  
So, the bottom line for me is...I do it for love. I am blessed, in that I have the time, additional income, and understanding spouse that allows me that luxury. I give thanks for it everyday.

(Necklace pictured is made of antiqued brass findings, worked black wire, beads that look like polished steel, and in the center of the filigree medallion, a vintage button with faceted jet chips.)

My Imaginary Interview With Seth Apter

I recently won a book, Seth Apter's "The Pulse of Mixed Media", from a giveaway on The Voodoo Cafe. After reading the book, and being intrigued by the questions Seth asked over a hundred other artists, I decided to pretend he had given me a call and asked me a few of the same questions. So here we go...my pretend interview.

Seth: What three words do not describe your artistic style?

Me: Cute, bright, minimalist.

Seth: Is there a color that rarely shows up in your artwork?

Me: Yellow (really, anything pastel).

Seth: What is your current art obsession?

Me: Perfecting the things I already know how to do, to take them to a new level.

Seth: What is your biggest pet peeve in terms of art?

Me: Pretension. Artist who describe their work and what that work is trying to say, in terms so esoteric no one can understand what they mean.

Seth: How do you express passion in your artwork?

Me: I think all true artists are passionate, or they wouldn't do what they do. Their art is their passion, and every piece would show that passion.

Seth: Do you deliberately hide messages in your artwork?

Me: Sometimes, but the most consistently hidden element in my work, even my jewelry, would be cat hair. I live with four indoor cats. There is nothing in my house that doesn't have a certain amount of cat hair on it.

So, there it is, my imaginary interview. Seth asked many more questions of the artists in the book, and they give very interesting, compelling answers. It's a very good insight into how these artists feel about their work, and why they do what they do, and do it so well.

And thank you, Seth. Call me any time. :=)

Here is a link to Seth's blog, The Altered Page.

Who Dusts?

Sorry, it’s been a while, I know. Summer was a busy one, but, I’m back now, and I have a question.

From my personal library I am re-reading a very excellent art book called Art Making & Studio Spaces by Lynne Perrella. It is a showcase of 31 artists and the places they work their individual styles of magic. Eye-candy to the max. Loads of ideas. But...

Each of these studios is crammed with stuff—supplies, books, baskets of fabric or paint tubes, collections of figurines, seed pods, chunks of wood, toys, personal shrines, artwork of their own and by other artists, ephemera...just about anything an artist needs for work or inspiration. In almost all of them there is not one inch of table, shelf, or cupboard space that is not covered with something. And in every studio there was not one speck of dust. Nary one spider web clinging to a corner of the ceiling...nadda.

Now, I realize that in a photo shoot for a book you would clean your studio to within an inch of its life, and they probably had a set decorator or stylist to help arrange things in more photogenic ways...but what about the rest of the time? These places would be dust magnets. Who is going to go around and dust bits of dried grasses, tiny Simpson figurines, or shelves full of Day of the Dead statues? Really. It’s a duster’s nightmare.

And no spider webs? Come on. Not one? Spiders would love these places. Hideouts galore. Maybe they were there and camera shy...but the webs should have shown up somewhere. An artist studio without one spider seems a bit too sterile for me somehow.

And don’t get me started on flooring. Carpet...in a studio? Seriously? Even if your art form is sewing or quilting, I know from experience that pins love to hide in carpet, and are only found by me stepping on them. In one studio it looked like, under a table with drips of paint dried to its edge, was what looked like pristine beige carpet. So, where did all those paint drips go? Does this person go to all the trouble of putting a big drop cloth under the table when she works, and then pulls it away the rest of the time? Seems like a lot of work. Why not just have a paint-friendly floor in the first place? It’s a studio, after all. The floor is meant to get grubby and paint-spattered.

So, that’s my question. When the camera crew is gone, and life goes back to normal for these artists....who dusts?