drawing lots of thumbnails

I’ve begun working on a series of small works. After completing the Stone Mothers I was kind of burned out with working big. I’ve wanted to do some small “sketches” and have been really interested in working with multiples. So, I’ve been working up these small squares. The squares are three-dimensional but not very deep. I’m mounting them on panels give them more visual heft.

I’m thinking of them as details, like the detail photos of my work. The square format emphasizes that for me, cropping in on the work. I also like the way it plays off the format of quilt squares. I’d like to see them hung in compositions, much like a modular quilt.

It took me a few days to figure out the patterns. There’s not been much square about my work up until now. The first couple of patterns were quite frustrating. But there’s nothing like multiples to help you figure things out.

There’s been a lot of learning in the this new, as yet unnamed, series. The work is about the details, the up close look at what I’m doing. And it’s also about a sense of discovery, about finding pleasure in the work itself. I don’t ever want to get to the place where the work isn’t feeding me. It’s important for me to take some time to play, to not take everything so seriously. Otherwise, Cameron is not going to be much fun to hang out with.

picks to be turned into full size drawings

editing down the full size drawings

Making patterns in paper

glueing up the first piece to a panel

the finished first piece