Creative Plumbing
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Plumbing 2010
felted wool, mixed media
This is one of my favorite felt paintings. It is titled “Plumbing” and represents the flow of creativity from one idea to the next. As one idea module fills up, the creative waters flow on to an adjacent idea module. Some light up like bulbs and some are simply there as a pit-stop between two ideas. Each has its particular organically-laid circuitry. In this piece, I am inspired by the metaphor of creative flow and the relationship between water and electricity: one propelled by pressure and the other by the desire to seek its ground. Likewise, I think that creative ideas are compelled by both internal pressure and the desire to leap out and be dispelled into the world, finding their ground.
The kind of work that I do is of two types: creative and production. I often get lost in the meditation of production, especially after the holidays, where each day has more to do with the factory running smoothly. A small tweak here or an adjustment there to keep the wheels rolling in their well-tread tracks, all towards the goal of making a more perfect product. With a few personal photo projects and upcoming shows on the horizon, it is time to switch gears. It is now time to turn off the comforting hum of the smoothly-running factory and to power-up the clanky creative machinery again with its intimidating hisses and spurts. It is a jalopy that is not anchored to solid ground, but is a vehicle for driving though unchartered spaces: those scary spots beyond the comfortable and well-travelled paths. There is nowhere to begin but to jump off the edge of the canvas and to discover what lies there in undefined space, pushed by creative pressure and pulled by the desire to find new ground.
