Life slowed down

 I think this has been one of the least active years for my blog posting - with no travels to incorporate, and some trying times in the studio, there hasn't
always been a lot of fun stuff to share. Not that there is any great news now - I am bogged down in gallery applications and the tedium of finishing, framing, and photographing work in order to promote it. The making of this body of work has been an interesting journey, which I brought to a partial close today as I put away the rack of fabrics I had hanging up for use in exhibition pieces. In tidying up, I have pushed it one step further away, and hopefully created room for new work to begin percolating in. Clearing space is important, as I have been feeling a little overwhelmed with the amount of 'stuff' I have, and am supremely conscious of making more 'stuff' - where is it all to go? This has been further compounded by works returning home from the World of WearableArt Museum - with more to come later this year! The large box to the left is clogging up the entrance to StudioSvenja! I no longer op-shop, nor go to Reverse Garbage unless I have a specific need, and felt I was quite brutal in some of my decisions today - perhaps driven by the heat?

However, it was worth it, as I now have a clean desk and floor in the studio, and a little more room sans fabric rack. Yet the office is filled with stacked works waiting to be seen, and I continue to work on the more sculptural and installation pieces. They have been the most elusive for me, as they require a level of abstraction which is certainly challenging me. Above the stack of paneled work are my most recent works - moulded leather on a wire base for hanging as-is on the wall, as yet unpainted. I still haven't found the perfect way to convey the lushness and solidity of fresh kelp hanging on the racks without simply trying to re-create it. 

A little detail of one of my mossy works.

Spirits were also lifted this week with a Peking Duck lunch with Lyn Baxter and Sharyn Hall - mates from the early days of the QLD branch ATASDA (Australian Textile Art and Surface Design Association). There's nothing like connecting with those who understand the creative mind and who can relate to the sometimes elusive search for artistic mojo.