The start of my sketchbook pages (the color is off because this image was taken at night with overhead lighting)
I don’t like blank white pages. I find something daunting about a blank canvas, an empty sketchbook, or a clean sheet of a paper. I can’t explain what I dislike exactly–
I suppose something inside of me dreads the potential failure of each work. That first mark feels like such a commitment to the work. Each work begins with equal potential of ending as a successful composition or an awkward disaster. Each first mark always feels a little wrong and off. I always second-guess myself.
Background fronts IBackground fronts IIBackground backs IIPages wrapped in wax paper in preparation for pressing them flat.
I’ve learned what works best for me is to move well past that first mark, before I even have time to think about it. I let the excitement of starting a new project silence the the negative analytic voice in my head. I splash water and drip colored inks. The colors blend and bleed into the white pages. I glue various papers to add new patterns, colors, and textures.
Once I begin this process, I feel completely at ease—with the white pages messy, wet, and gluey, I feel happy and confident. My work becomes intuitive, and I know that the color and ink will bleed into themselves however they will. And however that is, it will be fine.
Carly Swenson is an intuitive painter originally from northern Montana. She spent more than a decade working primarily as a mixed media artist before shifting to acrylics. Swenson received a BFA in Visual Arts with an Art History Minor from Bemidji State University. During and after university, she traveled and lived abroad, this included studying in China, traveling throughout Europe and living both in England and the Azores.Swenson’s work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions throughout the US and internationally. Her freelance writing and mixed media journals have been published in nationally distributed art magazines. She has facilitated art workshops for various age groups. Swenson’s work is also included in the permanent art collections of Angra do Heroismo Museum and Bemidji State University (Bemidji, MN). Currently, she lives in St. Paul, MN with a smart little dog and a weird little cat. They’re nice.
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All images (artwork and photography) protected by copyright and belong to Carly Swenson, unless otherwise noted. Any images not owned by Carly Swenson have been used with the consent of the copyright holder. Please do not reuse/publish/edit/copy/etc. any images from this blog without consent of the copyright holder. Thank you for your understanding and respect of artistic integrity.
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2 Replies to “the sketchbook project 2013: background process”
2 Replies to “the sketchbook project 2013: background process”