ATCs, art and life in general

I started this blog primarily to keep a record of some of my art endeavors. After I started a blog for my Found Art I decided that I really wanted one for my other art, especially my ATCs. On this blog I hope to explore some of the different techniques I try as well as some of the things I learn about myself as I create .

I'm the mother of two kids who rightfully tend to take up the majority of my time. And since we are an unschooling family there will be no sending them off to school while I work! I must work with my kids in mind at all times. ATCs have been my saving grace. They have allowed me to regain some of my former life (and my former self) without sacrificing my time with my kids.

I haven't had a studio in quite some time. When I made the decision to give up my studio I expected to only be without it for a year or two. I was pregnant with my oldest child, who is now 9 (!), so I didn't figure I would be getting much art done during those couple of years anyway. But circumstances changed and I didn't end up being in a position to get another studio when I had hoped. When I realized that I had gone for almost a decade without doing anything I could seriously call art I freaked! It had been in the back of my mind for quite some time, but I kept pushing it away thinking that soon we would be settled and I could have a studio again. But all the while it still got to me. I had been going a little crazy from lack of creative outlets for quite some time. I was mildly depressed and getting snippy. I needed to do something creative but painting was still out due to lack of space, so I took up crocheting and knitting. Great fun, but not the same as pushing paint around on a canvas. ATCs to the rescue!

ATCs IMO are (to quote Mary Poppins) "practically perfect in every way". I can create them in a small amount of space. (Unfortunately that space is usually my dining room table!), and unlike large scale paintings which I tend to lose myself in for days at a time, ATCs have easily defined starting and stopping points. I don't get as "sucked in" to ATCs as I do large scale paintings - a definite plus with kids around 24/7. ATCs can be (notice I said CAN be) inexpensive and can make the most of found objects. They use only tiny bits of paint, papers, etc. Great when you're on a tight budget like we are. They are also just the right size to explore techniques without a large investment of time and money. And perhaps best of all, my son and I can do them together! So far, I can't find a single thing I don't like about them. That may change in the future when I get the urge to paint large again, but for the time being they are perfect. And when I do get to paint large again I will have explored lots of techniques and mediums that I may not have tried if I were painting solely on a large scale...or if I were sitting around doing no art and waiting for that studio that doesn't seem to be making an appearance any time soon.