Wherever I go, I see patterns and shapes - in leaves and shells, in furniture and buildings, when walking along the beach, in the woods or through the neighborhood. I find myself collecting things while on vacation, at work, at events. I see potential for art materials everywhere and often think “but wait! I can make something with that!”
My art is the product of that constant desire to create. It is also the product of my appreciation for sentiment, as I love to select special memories to be the foundation of a new project: a flyer from a performance, a flower from a wedding bouquet, old journal pages. The significance of the materials may not be obvious, or may be hidden beneath paint or the cutting process. It’s a little mystery, that you may not even be aware of, hidden right in front of you. It gives the art depth and meaning. It makes me smile and excited to share the secret with anyone curious enough to ask.
I have begun sharing my art more widely in the last five years over Instagram. I came upon something called “The 100 Day Project” and it gave me a structure and platform for sharing my art, both the process and the end product. It provided easy access to other people attempting the project and a supportive community to encourage me during the process. I live and work in western Massachusetts where there is also a strong, supportive arts community.
Since I began sharing my work, Instagram has helped me connect with artists from all over the world. I’ve always found the online artist community to be encouraging and supportive, which has spurred me to further develop my work. Art challenges - Bianca’s Art Challenge and The 100 Day Project - keep me connected and accountable without being harshly judgmental and punitive. My first The 100 Day Project was called 100 Days of Papercutting Meditation. During this time I searched for other artists who did papercutting. This is when I first encountered artists doing leaf cutting. Nina Pearse is an amazing artist and I’ve been inspired by her, Hillary Waters, and Susanna Bauer. Leaf cutting felt like a wonderful way to combine my love of papercutting with the natural world that I feel so connected to, a chance to translate the patterns and beauty I see all around me and share them with others. It has continued to be a mainstay of my artistic practice ever since.
That practice continues to take new forms as I let myself enjoy my process and evolve along with it. As I grow older, I find my inner critic has faded a bit. I'm able to produce more and judge less - which is fortunate, because I'm also realizing that quantity begets quality. Not only does practicing build skills, but also the odds of making one good piece are better when I make 20. In some ways, I'm frustrated that it has taken me so long to get to these realizations but suspect that’s just the way life works. In other ways, I'm glad I've arrived here now. Often there is some part of an artwork that I value even if the end product isn’t perfect. Sometimes just saying “this doesn’t have to look like a chair” before drawing a chair helps me combat my high expectations. This openness to seeing where the project takes me keeps me engaged and allows me to happily take on yet another 100 Day Project without judgement that I didn’t finish the last one.