Tuesday, September 30, 2008

rhubarb pie deep thought

When I make a rhubarb pie, I follow a recipe. If it doesn't turn out either it's a bad recipe or I didn't follow the instructions.

With my art making there is no recipe. When my art doesn't turn out - then I have to either find a way to fix it or abandon it. It's no one else's fault. It's no one else's idea. Somehow, it's not even my own idea - it's more like my insides turned out.

Maybe this is the answer to that age-old riddle about art and craft.
With craft, you have a good idea how the finished product will look and do whatever it takes to achieve that. With art, you have no idea how it will look when you're done. It's a discovery.
Through art one touches the inner self. If we're lucky, we glimpse our inner soul.

"You find the shape you already are" Margaret Atwood

1 comment:

Janet Rice-Bredin said...

Judy, I just read about Rebecca Belmore's latest exhibit in Vancouver with 2 wrapped images:
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2008/07/08/f-rebecca-belmore.html
Your's and Rebecca's wrapped work transforms the body into something much more powerful and mysterious.
I find it difficult to look at, and difficult to look away.