Finding Identity

  Today my artist friend and I walked for hours in the chilly fog, down the hill, past the sculpture park, along the waterfront, to her studio and then back up the hill. Our whole trip was woven with conversation about art...process, product, reactions, thrill, joy, satisfaction, going beyond, meaning, dimension. The most important part of the conversation to me was how art is a seminal part of my identity. Or, finding identity.

About the images:
Japanese lanterns from two different seasons are the subject of "Finding Identity," shown above. The abstract below is a small encaustic recently completed using a technique involving many layers of the beeswax paint.

Often I am conflicted about how to spend my time in the studio... creating the highly visual and often more accessible digital images such as the one above, or reveling in the more sensual process of painting with hot wax? Both are processes of discovery, yet result in something completely different. Sometimes art advisors tell me to focus on one medium and create a "consistent" body of work so that my audience can understand and remember it. And someone told me yes, but what all of my work has in common is that I made it.

In any case, it is all apropos of the piece "Head and Heart" shown in a previous post "Who Are You Being Today?" How about you? Do you find a similar conflict in your life, either wrestling with your identity or controlling your output?