Wanderlust: there are no words

Series: Wanderlust 2021 #27

A new theme: boundaries. This time Kasia was asking us to think about the boundaries in our art — the ones we have overcome, the ones we want to overcome, and the ones we choose to set for ourselves.

The biggest boundary I have overcome in the last few years is the one that used to stop me from trying anything new. The fear of messing up, of failing, of finding out that I’ve bought supplies that I am simply incapable of using. Copic markers were a good example — I didn’t sit down and try colouring with them for weeks (if not months) after I bought my first markers — but the same applies to a lot of art supplies. Now I embrace experimentation, play, and practice.

The second thing I’ve overcome is the feeling that I ought to focus on one medium or that I should develop a “style”. I love trying out different things and I no longer see a need to limit what I do.

Now if only I could get over the feeling that there is always “something else” I should be doing instead.

But the boundary I have chosen to contemplate in this art journal page is one I am choosing to set for myself.

No words.

No pithy or deep and meaningful words, no words for the sake of words, no laying personal thoughts out for all to see, no words just because that’s what the class does.

If I really feel the need to write down thoughts and feelings they can go on a base layer and be covered up, with maybe a hint showing through. I am more than happy to use words as texture — book pages, handwriting (someone else’s, not mine), old receipts or tickets or other ephemera — but they will be chosen for their visual impact rather than their literal meaning.

I was originally planning on keeping this piece black and white apart from the neutrals of the flower and the moth, but then it started feeling a little muddy so I brought in the yellow tissue to perk it up. The balance isn’t right, but I don’t feel the need to continue working on it. Knowing when to stop, both because a piece is finished and because it will never be, is another useful lesson to learn.

Class:

• Wanderlust 2021
• Theme: boundaries
• Teacher: Kasia Avery (website, Instagram)