Phew, the Exhibition Blues seem to be lifting - I told you they wouldn't last long. I'm still very physically exhausted and having to curtail my activities accordingly but my mood has thankfully improved.
I am currently planning my garden. This is the first year that I've experimented with sowing seeds and - fingers crossed - so far it seems to be working. I lost one tray of teeny tiny lobelias when Chiana knocked them over in her rush to attack next door's cat (he had dared to come and sit on the windowsill, the bounder!) but everything else is still miraculously alive.
Kirsty Hall: Seedlings, March 2009
Things are seeding and growing on the art front too.
While I was in London, I had an idea for a short daily project. I realised that I was missing The Diary Project and also wanted to challenge myself to just start something straight away instead of ruminating on it for months or years first!
So for the duration of March, I'm making a small object no larger than 10cm in any dimension every single day. These aren't necessarily high art or great sculpture but they are fun and a good way of experimenting with form and materials. And I'm enjoying doing a daily project again: I don't think I'd want to work this way all the time but it does often seem to benefit my practice. It feels a bit like a musician doing their scales.
Kirsty Hall: March Object No 2, March 2009
Kirsty Hall: March Object No 3, March 2009
It's not a requirement of the project that I make the objects with materials that are lying around the house but it seems to be the way it's going. I'm especially enjoying taking bits of rubbish and making art from them. So far I've used the wax from some BabyBel cheese, a bit of a plastic milk bottle, a torn up paper bag and the thick paper insert from a chocolate box (they're fabulous if you pull them apart because they're sort of corrugated inside).
Kirsty Hall: March Object No 5, March 2009
Kirsty Hall: March Object No 6, March 2009
Oh yes, and quite a lot of thread and yarn. I can't help it: thread is apparently still where my brain is at. In fact, I'm having to force myself not to use thread on every single one and to experiment with other materials.
Margaret Ryall
I think that this daily practice would make you look at everything around you in new ways. Interesting! I have a feeling you will also come upon new ideas in this process. Do you have any idea what you will do with the created objects in the end?
Marianne Potterton
Hi Kirsty, I am glad you are feeling a lot better. It is really strange maybe not strange but I almost posted photos of my seedlings on my blog today too! Yours are bigger but I am sure I actually saw one of mine grow today! I really like your hand made objects too. I have been obsessively painting juice cartons so I can totally relate to you using every day materials that you find around the house.
Keep arting
Marianne
Marianne Potterton
Hi Kirsty, I am glad you are feeling a lot better. It is really strange maybe not strange but I almost posted photos of my seedlings on my blog today too! Yours are bigger but I am sure I actually saw one of mine grow today! I really like your hand made objects too. I have been obsessively painting juice cartons so I can totally relate to you using every day materials that you find around the house.
Keep arting
Marianne
Kristen (Thoughts from the Bus
Green shoots beat the exhibition blues!
Love the objects you've been making, I must try this myself - I keep all kinds of weird bits and bobs 'just in case' and this would be a fun low-pressure creative challenge. I guess 9 out of 10 objects might go no further but the tenth could be the catalyst of something new!
Kristen (Thoughts from the Bus Stop)
Green shoots beat the exhibition blues!
Love the objects you've been making, I must try this myself - I keep all kinds of weird bits and bobs 'just in case' and this would be a fun low-pressure creative challenge. I guess 9 out of 10 objects might go no further but the tenth could be the catalyst of something new!
Kirsty Hall
@Margaret: At the moment it feels like I'm working through old stuff with the objects but hopefully by the end of the month I might start coming up with more original stuff. And even though it doesn't feel earth-shattering, I'm still enjoying it. Sometimes you just have to make work to generate work. I want the objects to be displayed in a wooden shelving unit (the sort with lots of little cubby holes) but I haven't found an appropriate one yet.
Kirsty
Post author@Margaret: At the moment it feels like I'm working through old stuff with the objects but hopefully by the end of the month I might start coming up with more original stuff. And even though it doesn't feel earth-shattering, I'm still enjoying it. Sometimes you just have to make work to generate work. I want the objects to be displayed in a wooden shelving unit (the sort with lots of little cubby holes) but I haven't found an appropriate one yet.
Kirsty Hall
@Marianne. Thanks for the kind wishes, Marianne. I am feeling a lot better this week, which is just as well as I have things to do.
The seedlings are big because they are sweet peas, which are quite big seeds. I have lots of much smaller seedlings from tiny seeds too but they didn't photograph well.
I love the idea of painting juice cartons, what a fun idea.
Kirsty
Post author@Marianne. Thanks for the kind wishes, Marianne. I am feeling a lot better this week, which is just as well as I have things to do.
The seedlings are big because they are sweet peas, which are quite big seeds. I have lots of much smaller seedlings from tiny seeds too but they didn\'t photograph well.
I love the idea of painting juice cartons, what a fun idea.
helle jorgensen
Kirsty....... these are wonderful little pieces. How long will you doing them for? I must try an artwork/day too.
helle jorgensen
Kirsty....... these are wonderful little pieces. How long will you doing them for? I must try an artwork/day too.
helle jorgensen
Kirsty, I love these beautiful little pieces. Imagine if you did one every day for the rest of your life! A wonderful collection that would be.
helle jorgensen
Kirsty, I love these beautiful little pieces. Imagine if you did one every day for the rest of your life! A wonderful collection that would be.
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Kirsty Hall
@Helle, thanks for commenting. As you can see, it takes me a while to respond. I am a bit rubbish that way!
I decided just to do these particular little pieces just for a month but I think I'll come back and do a longer stretch soon. I'm considering doing different monthly projects every other month so that I get some time off to work on bigger pieces as well.
I think that doing one every day for my whole life might be a bit overwhelming - even though they are small, they'd start taking over the house pretty quickly, I think! But certainly the idea of making daily art is a powerful one and I recommend giving it a go.
Kirsty
Post author@Helle, thanks for commenting. As you can see, it takes me a while to respond. I am a bit rubbish that way!
I decided just to do these particular little pieces just for a month but I think I'll come back and do a longer stretch soon. I'm considering doing different monthly projects every other month so that I get some time off to work on bigger pieces as well.
I think that doing one every day for my whole life might be a bit overwhelming - even though they are small, they'd start taking over the house pretty quickly, I think! But certainly the idea of making daily art is a powerful one and I recommend giving it a go.
Margaret Ryall
I think that this daily practice would make you look at everything around you in new ways. Interesting! I have a feeling you will also come upon new ideas in this process. Do you have any idea what you will do with the created objects in the end?