I was in a group show in Oakland in May entitled "We Are the Bridge". The show focused on how artists envision themselves and their work as a bridge between cultures. I had two pieces in the show, which are arguably the most personal work I've done. They came about as I reflected on my upbringing in a conservative, fundamentalist environment, and how that was impacted when I came out. They were my bridge back to spirituality and faith.
Part of the submission process required me to write a personal statement, and a statement about each work. That was challenging, but also really clarifying for me. It helped me frame some of the feelings that I had around the work. When I was in the studio a couple weeks ago, I worked on a small "practice" plate. (A practice plate for me is just something I make in order to practice a technique, or see what comes out. I try not to let myself get too attached to any outcome.) In this case it was a map grid of West Lafayette, Indiana, where I first went to college.
After I pulled the first print, I stood and looked at the image. And I realized that there's more depth there than I expected: the area of the map I chose to represent has many meanings and memories. It occurred to me that writing about those would probably help develop more work, more depth.
I've been thinking for a while that I'd like a way to share my work in progress with a wider audience. I think people are interested in process, and I think it'd be good practice for me to share more often. And my portfolio site is almost always out of date.
So once again I write something here about how maybe TS is the right tool for something I sort of want to do. We'll see if I give it a shot.