artcard #269
watercolor & ink
(c) 2010 Amanda Millay Hughes
I would hardly know who I am if I didn't spend a little time every day on this old habit.
Early in the morning, I spend that first quiet hour with my cup of coffee, paper and paints, before news, phone calls, email, and breakfast.
For the past few years, one of the outcomes of this has been Art Cards. Its a kind of movement among amateur and a few professional artists (I posted a little about this on iamnotrothko a long time ago, I think). But, these little 2.5 X 3.5 in paintings are more or less a visual journal and at last count (yesterday morning), I was at 324. Every card is numbered, though not dated.
As a little aside: it is quite unlike me really to omit the date; I tend toward obsessive compulsion when it comes to the date. Journal entries, for example, are meticulously marked with date, time, location - and sometimes the weather.
It has been a long time since I spread out all these little cards. I chose this one randomly, just pulled it out of the box. Individually they are like post it notes - seen together they are almost a portrait. A little like the dabs in a Chuck Close drawing. You have to step back a bit to really see the whole picture even though each spot on the grid may well be complete in and of itself.
The little cards are like postcards - sent from me to me. They tell me something about this little life - just like a postcard from St. Paul's cathedral or Emerald Isle or New York City. By the way, I love postcards. Have a mini collection of those too - and welcome more!
Next time I see you, I will bring them with me - we can spread them out, drink a little wine, nosh on a little something-something and talk. Who knows how many I will have by then - but they are small and travel very lightly - a little like me, I think, when we first met.
Love you,
Amanda
No comments:
Post a Comment