Thursday, July 19, 2012

Review: Daniella Woolf

Unbelievable! The cover of a magazine jumped out at me today. My encaustic teacher Daniella Woolf from a workshop I took about a month ago at R and F Paints is featured as the cover artist in Cloth Paper Scissors magazine, a publication for collage, mixed media, and artistic discovery.

Way to go Daniella! So excited for you. I want to work with you again, soon!
Suzanne Gibbs, 2012. Pick Up Stix. Encaustic.
I started the above art work when I was in class with Daniella. Since then I submitted it to Studio Visit Magazine and it was juried in by Jonathan Greene for publication this winter.

I cannot thank Daniella enough for her  teaching and encouragment. With her help I have brought my work to a new level.

In the artist profile article in Cloth Paper Scissors, Barbara Delaney writes that Daniella Woolf uses her own unique combination of artists techniques to keep herself focused and grounded to making not only more work but coherant work. I'd like to share with you the three tips that jumped out at me from the article:

  1. Morning Pages
  2. Containers 
  3. Ideas flow from a bigger force.

Morning pages was an idea coined by Julia Cameron. For the past 18 years or so, beginning with a workshop I took in Eugene, OR, I too have found myself working back and forth between using the morning pages technique and abandoning it. Often, it is most helpful when I am feeling stuck.

The containers idea, while not new, is becoming increasingly important to me as I develop my practice while earning my MFA at CGU. I have been making art for the past 30+ years, more if I count my childhood. I am off and on again with my production. I am beginning to realize that I have often dropped away from my creative work when I loose sight of containing the ideas that flow through me. I LOVE the containers idea!

Basically, containers means setting parameters BEFORE beginning a series of work. I would like to attend a workshop on this idea alone. Instead, I will try to channel Daniella and remember that I can produce a more cohearant body of work by roping in some part of my practice. The container could be the materials, the size of the work, the colors I use, or any other parameter that feels appropriate. If you, dear reader, have any ideas on this topic, please share.

Finally–the work comes from forces larger than ourselves. The larger force is different for everyone, but many would agree that it is out there. Thanks for reading and most of all Daniella, congratulations and thank you for your awesome work!

2 comments:

  1. I cannot thank Daniella enough for her teaching and encouragment. With her help I have brought my work to a new level.
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  2. Loved reading this tthank you

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