What's next?

Chasing Windmills, 2010
collage, 7x11"

After a flurry of art-making and angst, my most recent show is now finished.  There is always a funny mix of feelings to sort through, afterwards.  First, I am happy to be working again after a bit of a hiatus - the intense and creative 'working phase' that immediately preceeds a deadline so often results in exciting new things, and forces decisions that have been floating about for quite a while.  It is great, and I am a person who thrives on the pressure of a looming due date.  The flip-side of this is that in the midst of this intensity there is no time or energy to do anything else, so now I have to catch up with the rest of my life.  Also, in this flurry of stress, there is little time for reflection and analysis - time to think about what I am doing and why.

That is where I am now.  It is time to look carefully at the results of an exhibition, decide what worked well, what could be improved and most importantly, what to do next.  This part hurts a little.  The inner critic is ready to burst forth with the unsure questioner in tow.  Am I really happy with the results?  Were other people happy?  In the end, I think I'll decide 'yes', but it may take a bit to get there.   Artists are tricky that way.  My real task now is to accomplish some kind of work/ artist/ life balance.  I wonder if such a thing really exisits...

I am waiting for the professional photos of the new work to come back (a special thanks to my new photographer Kyle McKeown!) and will have more images to share soon.  Then it will be time to review and refresh, and figure out what to do now.

In the meantime, I'll be cleaning up.