Playing is a key part of my process. The first time I was told I could just play and not think about the outcome, I had a life changing experience and found myself liberated from all I had been taught about art, process and making. Allowing myself to be in the moment and not think about where the work, materials or ideas were going. It was a defining moment in my practice. It was 1999 and I was on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River at Oura Beach just outside of Wagga Wagga, NSW. It was my first (of many many more to come) workshop with artist and mentor, Ruth Hadlow.
I am grateful that I can share this knowledge and experience with others in my teaching. I love seeing students' faces when they also have that moment of realisation that they can play as part of their process.
The best part about playing is that there are no rules, there is no outcome and certainly no right or wrong way to do things.
We had a series of starting points;
Patterns from traditional embroidery and henna/mehndi
Collage as a way of constructing - piecing together
Found materials as our medium
Why are patterns important? (group discussion)
they look nice; they add interest and beauty to a work; they can be different colours; they can express feelings and emotions
patterns tell stories - traditional stories - stories of different geographical areas
patterns are used in culture and religion to 'impress'. they are an expression of creativity and artistic ability
patterns are historical
repeat patterns can fill a whole space
patterns add meaning, they can express something, a message
And so we spent time playing, drawing from our examples of patterns and our memories...
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