Hell's Kitchen.....

"Corradina Ruggeri Tandurella"
My Saturday morning did not start out well yesterday. I woke up on the wrong side of my fabulous, plush, Queen-size bed as seems to be my pattern lately, and then as usual the weekend train schedule was a mess. I was already running later than I had planned and the walk through the Theater District to my studio felt more tortuous than usual. Why are there so many tourists in New York and why do they walk so damn slow? URRGGHH.

A very cranky me finally made to the studio around 2:00pm. I ran a quick drop off of some costumes for Elena and by the time I was heading back to the studio it was already close to 3:00 in the afternoon. I figured it was more than late enough in the day to start drinking so I picked up a bottle of Pino Grigio and some Potato Leek soup for lunch and started to work. The combination of the soup, wine, and having the studio all to myself was the perfect antidote to the grueling morning and I actually got in a good 5 hours of productive work.

"Freaky Doll"
I got an evening visit from my friend Bradley which topped off the day nicely and it was the first time in weeks that I felt satisfied with my day. Being in a funk is no fun and lately I've been stuck in a low-grade malaise which I am finding it hard to get out of. The best thing to do when I'm feeling like that is to get to the studio and immerse myself in something productive. Not only does it keep my mind from pulling my emotions into a black hole, it's always a wake-up call that reminds me how lucky I am to have the life, friends, and resources that I have.

Detail

(It) Works on Paper.......

I still haven't figured out the whole inner dynamic that occurs when I work in a classroom setting that allows me to be less attached to the outcome and thereby results in a more open, free-flowing and daring work. There is a mental block of sorts, a certain trepidation that creeps into my studio work and causes me to work almost too carefully....too "neatly" shall we say. Being in class where there are no boundaries and no expectations, I just dive in a get dirty. It's been a long time since I worked that way. Probably not since my days in clay when I'd leave the studio covered head to toe in creative crud and feeling totally spent (yet elated) after an 8 hour studio shift.


Well, that is (almost) starting to happen again with these new collages on paper. Making a slight shift in materials always helps to boost my energy and sends a surge of new imagery through me and onto the paper/canvas/board. I find it's all about honoring your own individual process in the studio and not burdening oneself with expectations of what should or shouldn't happen. Expectation is the single worst enemy I can bring to the studio. It's just got to say goodbye at the door and let me play like a finger-painting 5 year old. And it's only then, when you lose track of time and space and you suddenly realize that hours have gone by without your even noticing it, that you have arrived back in kindergarten and you've created something so wonderful you just know that mom is going to hang it on the refrigerator door.......