Weaving & Wiggles.

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way–things I had no words for.”
— Georgia O’Keeffe

Sometimes I find my painting experiments take me to unexpected places. And the results aren’t always what I’d like them to be.

It’s no secret I mostly create this stuff in a haphazard, directionless fashion. I like throwing color around. I don’t much like planning my art. There’s plenty enough opportunity outside the studio to be responsible and ‘adult’. When I’m making art it is – for the most part – spontaneous messy fun.

Generally I keep going until I have a result that I like, and stop there. Of course there are small regretful moments of taking something too far, but it’s only paint on paper and the remorse soon fizzles away.

sometimes moving paint and color about makes for something like this, and I’m happy to leave it be. But not always.

When a piece gets stuck or stale or I just don’t know what direction to take it in next, I set it aside to rest.

And then there are other times, when more layers of color just don’t feel like the right next step and impatience won’t let me leave it to rest. I’m compelled to make it into something else.

At times like this I’ll often take the scissors to it. Cutting it up and rearranging the pieces takes the adventure in a whole new direction.

There are all kinds of cutting up – with scissors or a craft knife, tearing up, die-cutting and punching out possibilities to make collage bits for remixing and reassembling, but today I’ve got something else for you:

Paper Weaving

This works best with lightweight cardstock, watercolor paper or heavy cartridge paper. Lighter weight floppier paper might be possible, but I suspect could become infuriatingly fiddly.

Use straight lines or wiggly ones, vary the spacing, overlap the pieces.

In my usual manner, I made this up as I went – adding more strips to already woven bits and then filling in some spaces in between later. I don’t know how instructional this video will be – but you might like to use it to spark some ideas.

When all else fails cut it up and make something new with the bits.

Every month this year I am making a series of pieces in just one color, so at the end of the year I can combine them into one big multicolored work.

I’ll be sharing my process throughout this adventure here in this blog.

I’d love for you to join me. TWELVTY is open to everyone, and better yet, it’s free! Sign up for my newsletter to find out more and get your free TWELVTY guide ebook.

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