On being creative

After several years I have returned to the world of manual creativity; of creating things with my hands (other than cooking and knitting, which I have previously commented on) – as opposed to creating things intellectually, a category under which I could include writing this blog. There are so many ways in which all of us can be creative every day!! It’s just a matter of wanting to do it.

I have started creating sculptures with clay again. It was amazing to once again feel the cool texture of clay in my hands, to feel how malleable it is, to know that it will follow my whims in creating the shapes that I wish to imagine. During those years when I used to paint, I would first prepare very rudimentary clay sculptures in order to visualize the shapes as solid objects and to be able to determine where I would see the lights and shadows. My painting tended towards an abstract surrealism and I needed these figures to be precise as far as volumes went and to be able to place them correctly within their space.

I have no idea when I’ll be able to paint again, but meanwhile, I’m very lucky to be able to create the characters that will someday be part of my paintings and tell the stories that I want to tell. It will just take a bit more time.