Reflections on the Autobiography Series

Dear Reader,

Here it is, the middle of January and I am still in hot pursuit of my "Autobiography" series. Having just finished my fifth one, excitement is running as high as the first day I decided to pull my Zentangles out of their album and integrate them into new work (Judy's Journals 2010-July, August, October).

It seems like a good time for reflection, which is what this blog is about, isn't it? There are four things I can say about this experience:

First, I travel near and far to look at art for pleasure and instruction. I read about art. I make art. I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like this "Autobiography" series before. The surprising combination of Zentangle patterns and image (a transfer of one of my own paintings) is new to me. Have any of you seen anything like this before?

That being said, the other day, I was looking through a clothing catalog and saw a dress described as having "ikat" patterns. They kind of looked like Zentangles, only in color. I searched the term "ikat" and learned about the Indonesian designs.

Second, like my "Pulse" series (2006 August), "Autobiography" pieces may not be as marketable as my "Sun Effect" series. My pleasure was equally intense when I made both of these series, but something about the latter series seemed to appeal to more people than the "Pulse" series. Perhaps it was simply a feature of having shown "Sun Effect" paintings more often. Making the "Autobiography" series feels as intense. But saleable? Who knows? As Scarlett O'Hara said, "I can't think about that today. I'll think about that tomorrow." This is what I know: I have purchased twelve clayboards that may end up as "Autobiographies" and what will happen to them is anyone's guess.

Third, the learning never seems to stop, which is why I stay excited. Each piece in the series will be unlike the previous one because new ideas occur to me as new designs emerge. The other day, I put all five of them together in my studio to see what happened when they are physically next to each other. I examine their likenesses and differences. They share dramatic black/white patterns and a color image of one of my paintings. They differ as the amount of new drawing has grown in the later ones. I seem to want to draw more, so I am transferring fewer Zentangles and riffing off of them. The placement of the color image varies from piece to piece. In the second one, I cut my painting image into strips and worked with those. A little painting has been added to serve as an organizing principle in all but the first one.

Four, there are moments when I am making an "Autobiography" that I miss painting. I am in love with color, the more intense, the better. Granted, I am adding a little paint toward the end of the process, after transfers, after more ink drawing, after pencil. But this process is not the oozy, mushy, slappable texture and movement of painting. Perhaps, I need to interrupt my focus and make a painting every once in a while. But what does that mean? Is this series too thought-out, too full of planning, too full of design problems? And what if the answer is yes?

To date, I have purchased twelve clayboards that may all end up as "Autobiographies." Or not. It will be a journey well worth taking.