abstract

Wearable Art

| Anna Cull

What do you do with a painting that just isn’t working? Well, I don’t know about you, but I have cut one into little pieces and turned them into brooches : )

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I had been working on this particular painting on and off for months and had completely lost interest in it. Admittedly, cutting the first piece out of the canvas was a bit emotional… but after that, it was surprisingly therapeutic. There were lots of ‘bits’ of the painting that I did like — so I cut those out first and then looked for other sections that could be reworked as brooch-sized paintings later. The first of my Wearable Art Brooches are now available from my Etsy shop.

I put my scarf collection to good use in styling the photos.

And let me tell you, those embroidered ‘AC’ signatures on the felt backs are really fiddly ~ why, oh why, did I decide that was a good idea?!

Bilocation

| Anna Cull
Bilocation — acrylic on canvas, 150 x 150 mm, 2018

Have you ever wished you could be in two places at the same time? This quirky little abstract was inspired by one of my six-word stories: “Bilocation would be a useful skill.”

The Gathering Storm

| Anna Cull
The Gathering Storm — acrylic on canvas, 150 x 150 mm, 2018. Available.

A few days ago I mentioned that I’d written more than 90 six-word stories in the last two months (no small effort). ‘The Gathering Storm is the first painting to be inspired by one of those stories: “The gathering storm strengthened their resolve.”

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Here Comes the Sun

| Anna Cull
Here Comes the Sun — acrylic on canvas, 305 x 305 mm, 2018

So… I’m starting to get experimental with paint again : ) This quirky abstract was inspired by one of the digital collages I created on Polyvore.

Most days I veer wildly between two extremes, from being certain that I am on the right path creating art and building up my portfolio… to being certain that I am, in fact, not. Some days I don’t get out much and that doesn’t help either.

I have spent quite a lot of time over the last 18 months making digital collages in a social, encouraging environment online (the now defunct Polyvore website). I stepped away from the “business” side of art and immersed myself again purely in the process.  I learned to create in different ways, and it really sparked my imagination. I started getting bolder, discovered new motivations and perspectives, and it was brilliant fun.

Many people were shocked when Polyvore was shut down without warning. We lost the ability to make art in a particularly supportive yet challenging environment, we lost the ability to contact the friends we’d made, and it left a huge hole in our lives. But it hasn’t been all bad. When Polyvore’s new owners pulled the plug on the website, yes, it was horrible, but it was also my chance to get away from the computer and start painting in the “real” world again.

Another factor that comes into play here is that I recently started a year-long project writing six-word stories. I’ve already written more than 90 stories/poems in two months and I’m now thinking that quite a few of them would make really good painting titles.

Yes, here comes the sun! 🌧⛅☀