Little White Lies

I took the Encaustic class at Penland School of Crafts that I mentioned in an earlier post a year ago knowing I wanted to work 3 dimensionally, but it took me this long to finally get a piece done.

Sometimes work just has to percolate for a while.

And the main piece that has been brewing and stewing all along is Little White Lies.  It took me that long to bring it fruition because I struggled with what I wanted.  I am a big proponent of working in tandem with each piece, but I need to have some aspects in mind before starting or I could flail around wasting time.

Some of the issues I struggled with were:

• Should I have a wheel or not?  At first I thought the piece should be that literal.  But as I struggled through one wheel after the next, each looking just like a wheel that Fred Flinstone might have on his car, I started to reconsider.  The wheel barrow was stopped in its tracks, after all, so why have a wheel.
• What should I fill it with, if anything?  One thing I wanted to use were the little fortune tellers from my childhood, and something I use repeatedly in my work.  At this point I had thought the entire piece should be a pale pink for a sense of innocence, but the little voice in my head kept telling me, "no" to both.
• I landed on just using text to fill the bucket part.  So, what should the text look like?  How much text should there be? And what should be made of?

I decided to keep it pale white with a gray wash to highlight parts of it, and to use large flat text that is attached to the bucket with just a little overflowing out of it.

Here is an image of it in progress:

Kim Radatz
Little White Lies, 2013

And a detail near the completion:

Kim Radatz
Little White Lies, detail, 2013

Better photos to follow, just a quick peek for now.

What do you think?  Any input would be greatly appreciated!

May your day be a creative one!

Kim

One Year, One Month, One Day

That is exactly the amount of time that has passed since I last blogged.

Mercy me.

It wasn’t an intentional choice to stop, it just happened.

First, I went to Penland School of Crafts for an encaustic class.  Which was FABULOUS, by the way.  I learned lots and met a wonderful group of artists.  Hands down one of the best experiences that I have had taking a workshop.  (Below are a few pieces I made during the workshop.)

And then one thing led to another, and then another, and I got out of the habit of blogging.

I toyed with different blog post ideas from time to time, but they never made it past the idea stage.

But, here I am back again.

I’d like to think I’ll make it a regular habit, but in the past year I have also tried to let go of the many “shoulds” in my life, so I’m not going to force myself into a “one size fits all model.”  Instead, I’ll shoot towards once a week and hope for the best.

I do have much to share and much to learn from you, so I look forward to reconnecting again.

Until the next time, may your days be filled with lots of creativity.

Artfully,

Kim

Encaustic work done at Penland 2012
Kim Radatz

Encaustic work done at Penland 2012
Kim Radatz

Letting Go, Orange
Kim Radatz

Letting Go, Green
Kim Radatz 

Polka Dot House
Kim Radatz

You Say
Kim Radatz

Seeking North
Kim Radatz

Edit, Organize, Edit, Organize



Packed and ready to go to Florida.


Sorry for my long absence, but in the midst of packing up my tiny Minnesota studio to head south, a family friend lost his son to suicide. I watched my friend’s son grow from a little boy into a man and his suicide took the wind right out of my sails. I allowed myself some down time from the “shoulds” and savored the last few days in Minnesota and the trip home to Florida, as well.

And now, one week after leaving Minnesota, I am almost done getting my home-base studio in order. I tweak each year to edit down to the bare essentials and this year is no different.

Edit, organize, edit, organize.

So, unpacking takes a bit longer than packing. Both in the studio and in the house.

I feel a garage sale coming on. :)

Which has been our practice the last few years. Keep the stuff we edit out of the landfill and let somebody else put the items to good use.

But for now, it is back to sorting and editing for me. I’ll be settled in soon and back on track. In the mean time, I’ll keep working in my head and when the time is right I’ll be producing again.

Until the next time, may your days be creative!

Show and Tell Sundays – Remembering When

After two weeks away from my studio I’m working again and it feels great.

I love my studio. It fills my soul.

And Remembering When is what I have worked on since being home.


Remembering When, Kim Radatz


There’s more to do, but I wanted to share it with you. I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

Until then, have a fabulous day!

Dorothy was Right

I am home.

In my studio.

And I couldn’t be happier.

Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love my Minnesota home. Ditto for my tiny studio. But as I already mentioned, I was sans working supplies this past visit. And working is what I missed the most.

Today I am super eager to get to work. LOTS of ideas to bring to fruition. I wish I could do them all today. But I know these things take time. So I’ll forge ahead and see what transpires.

I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

I hope your day is a productive one too!

I Wonder What Tomorrow Will Bring

Woo Hoo!  I received my order from Dick Blick today.  Full of possibilities for tomorrow, me thinks.  I’ll keep you posted on how they unfold.

May both of our Wednesdays be warm and productive!

Music to my Ears

I am a water person. More specifically I am a salt water person.

I know I am not alone in this preference and there are songs out there to prove it.

The albatross and the whales they are my brothers...White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean...Sailing.

A few songs among many.  They are all music to my ears.

I imagine my preference for salt water is because I have lived by the ocean most of my life.

Which might explain why salt has been showing up in my work as of late. First with Wishful Thinking, and now with Driftless. There are more salt works in the works, but for now, these two are set up in my studio for me to ponder.

Driftless©, Kim Radatz

Wishful Thinking's salty footprint, Kim Radatz

I’ll keep you posted as the old pieces make way for the new.

Until then, may your day been a warm and creative one.

Selling Off Some Old Friends

You know, I too have been pondering the questions I posed the other day. Specifically, “What’s your workspace like?” and “Are you messy or neat?”

I am pondering these as I prepare for a garage sale we are having tomorrow.

In addition to the regular household items one typically finds, I am selling quite a bit of my mixed media supplies. It’s scary. It’s a bit like selling off old friends. Some of this stuff I have had forever and some items are recent acquisitions. But all are loved by me. I don’t just bring any ol’ thing home; it has to speak to me first. But now I am moving some of them out. And I’ve got to say, it feels rather nice. Scary, but nice.

I have long believed that cleaning out older work gives you permission to make more. But this time, it is more than making space, I am downsizing in a big way.

Maybe it’s because I had a very productive summer in my tiny studio in Minnesota. That probably is a major motivating factor. If I can produce lots of stuff in a small space, just a corner carved out of my bedroom, what can I do in my larger studio if I have wide open space? Make lots and lots more?

Time will tell on that front, and I will keep you posted. But for now I shall enjoy the empty spaces.

Oh, and to answer the questions- full of bright natural light; orderly; messy in the process and tidy between pieces. Some might say anal. I’m okay with that. Here are 2 quick views.

The pix don't look as bright as in real life, but you can get an idea.

East end of studio



one wall of storage

I hope you have a creative day in your studio!

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