I am an artist who left Brooklyn in 1999 to live in the Virginia suburbs.
I am a wife and mother, hold a day job, and juggle many commitments here in the land of mini vans and cul-de-sacs. Over the years I have held a nagging belief that maybe this lifestyle is incompatible with art-making, that my situation is something to fight against in order to protect my studio time and my identity as an artist.
I have created a project for 2012 that seeks to dispel this belief. Being an artist is a habit and a state of mind, whoever you are and wherever you may be. I am tired of waiting for the day when all obstacles will fall and I can finally make the art I want to make. This project accepts everything the way it is NOW. Because ultimately, this is the life I have chosen, and it is a happy one. Both the joys and the frustrations make me who I am. And by simply adding a gentle layer of discipline and small doable steps, anything seems possible again.
Art happens for me in between life’s moments, as well as during those precious hours of studio time. I draw a lot throughout my days, in sketchbooks and on scraps of paper, at the breakfast table, at work, and in the car. Every week, for the 52 weeks of 2012, I will collect these little drawings. At the end of each week I will collage them together onto a 12″ x 12″ panel. I may use text as well as other found items. I may go back to re-work a previous panel, but cannot jump ahead to the future.
The panels will be arranged in a large grid, 4 panels high and 13 panels across. I will employ a restricted palette that may change with the seasons and the colors experienced in and around my home and neighborhood. The final piece will be complete at the end of 2012, a record of the many small creative moments of My Suburban Life.
-Laura Edwards Wooten, December 2011
You are AWESOME! I love the concept and the thinking behind this…best wishes to you as you take those spare moments to explore your talents.
Mary
This is amazing!!You are so spot on! No one can wait for everything to fall into place to fullfill their dreams. You are an inspiration!
Julie
What a wonderful idea. And I understand exactly what you mean by “Art happening inbetween life’s moments.”
Thanks so much for your supportive comments and thank you for visiting my blog!
So brilliant! What an incredible project. So important to create where you are, and not wait for that ever elusive perfect moment. Inspiring indeed!
Thank you for your supportive comment and stopping by my blog. I enjoyed reading your blog too. Glad to know you are out there, AWAKE and creating in suburbia!
Nice to see other artists have to fit their art making in between mini van trips, jobs, kids, etc! My “studio” is now a table in my living room, but I try hard to give myself time:) Cool blog.
I love the concept of your blog and am loving going back and looking at what you’ve done. Great blog!
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to look back thru the past posts. I really appreciate the encouragement!
Thanks for sharing this. Keep going on and creating!
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the encouragement!
You are welcome!
You do lovely work:-) Your recent Eat Local piece caught my eye especially. Also, I’m in the ‘burbs as well and enjoy escaping when I can. Want to nominate you for the Versatile Blogger Award. Find details at http://foodcommunicationservices.wordpress.com/. Yeehaw, congratulations, and keep up the awesomeness!
Wow, thank you so much! Many thanks for the nomination!
You’re welcome. Am impressed by your dedication to your project. Looking forward to the outcome. (You will post it, yes?)
Hi Liz,
I posted my acceptance! Thanks again. Also included a studio shot of my 28 collages so far. I really appreciate your encouragement!
Hey, thanks for the shout-out. Your collage shot is awesome. Love what you’re doing in suburbia:-)
Thanks so much!
Hi Laura,
I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award, I hope you will accept it!
See: http://inesepogagallery.com/2013/01/18/the-versatile-blogger-award/
Hi Inese, Thank you so much for the Versatile Blogger nomination! I really appreciate it and have enjoyed checking out your artwork and blog as well. Best wishes!
so amazing laura! i love, love, love this.
Thanks so much Tammie! I really appreciate you taking the time to check out my blog. Your creative journey is a big inspiration to me! I’ve been taking the ABSPD e-courses and am working towards launching a surface design and illustration biz. Thanks for blazing a trail and sharing your journey.