It’s my favourite element. So much can be expressed travelling from A to B. Staccato. Elongated. Meandering. Diagonal for tension. It’s wonderful what that thing can do.
Last year and now into this (bizarre, world-going-to-hell-in-a-handbasket, it-feels-shallow-to-speak-of-nothing-beyond-world-events-now) new year, I’ve been practicing my lines.
Come here often?
Well yes.
You’re sitting in my spot.
Actually, when I rock up to a coffee establishment with a glorious big window and a bench for viewing outdoors, it makes me giddy. When I see people occupying all the good seats, it makes me cross. Those window seats give me great opportunities to observe the traffic, people, buildings, life moving moving gone. My wiggly lines are hopefully capturing some of that energy.
But the thing about line is…is…well, you start to notice that yours aren’t too different from someone else’s. And that can be annoying.
Edinburgh is easy on the eye. She’s a beauty to draw; the different shades of her personality change from Morningside to New Town to Newington to Leith. There are many artists in this town that enjoy capturing the details, streets, vistas, building, etc, etc. I’ve met a few and enjoy their line making and admire their work.
However.
My work is starting to feel too similar and I guess this is the push I needed to attempt to differentiate from the other makers of beautiful line.
Today I worked hours, finding my fabrics, using new screens, scribbling down ideas. I’m hoping my line practice will move my print and textile pieces forward and to the side, sitting in their own space. It was fun to feel the excitement of ideas zinging about me, problem solving my way through the usual dilemmas.
So. Hey. Let’s see what happens.