mapping for what follows

On my bedside table I have a stack of books that I am in the middle of reading or intend to read. If I just stuck to one book, I could be such a prolific reader! But I am probably in the middle of reading about four different books right now. One of them is Women Who Run with Wolves. I’ve been meaning to read this book for years, since I bought it at the Seattle Public Library Sale…..yep, it’s been that long that I’ve had it on my bedside table. But I’m determined to read it.

In the introduction Clarissa Pinkola Estes writes about the importance of the “craft of making”. She writes:

Art is important for it commemorates the seasons of the soul, or a special or tragic event in the soul’s journey. Art is not just for oneself, not just a marker of one’s own understanding. It is also a map for those who follow after us.

I’ve been thinking about those words a lot as I am in my studio. See why I am determined to read this book?! Good stuff.

So last post I mentioned how I had made several 5×7 inch panels to make some journals. I ended up making two, one of which is still available in my etsy shop. The other two panels ended up becoming part of a larger painting.

I had laid out my panels on my table as I was making them and noticed how these two kind of looked interesting together.

And then I pushed them together and the “What if” got louder in my head.

I tried to ignore it because I knew that the two panels would make really lovely journal covers. But I couldn’t ignore the What If I question and attached them, along with a third panel to a 12×12 inch cradled panel and started to build up around the panels.

It took some time to build up around the panels and then to make it a cohesive painting. Below is my final resolution.

untitled
encaustic mixed media
12×12 inches

And I feel good with this….and yet another “What if I” is buzzing in my ears again and I want this to be bigger. I am not content with the 12×12 inch size. I want to go up to 24×24 inches. So, I started painting 3 more panels that measure 12×12 inches and depending on how it goes, the plan is to attach them together. But who knows, my plans always seem to get diverted by the what ifs.

For now, this painting will remain untitled until the other three are completed. Then I’ll see if the voice remains quiet.

“The craft of questions, the craft of stories, the craft of the hands-all these are the making of something, and that something is soul. Anytime we feed soul, it guarantees increase.” -Clarissa Pinkola Estes