Boots in art

Blundstone boot
Red ink
copyright Jeanette Jobson

I'm doing a little sketching while I regroup and think what my next project will be. These are my most comfortable boots - a pair of chunky soled Blundstone's that wear forever and keep getting more and more comfortable. They're not the most elegant or feminine, but I'm at the stage in life where I don't need to care what others think - and probably rarely did! They're not great for summer as they're too warm and heavy but perfect for trekking through winter snow and ice.

In 2007 Blundstone held Boot It Up where individuals painted Blundstone boots and they were auctioned off at a silent auction in Toronto in September, with the proceeds going to Sketch.

Sketch says:

"Sketch creates art making opportunities for young people who live street-involved and homeless or who are considered to be at risk.

Sketch programs provide access to youth who are at different places in their lives.
It offers a progressive learning framework that can lead to long-term sustainable change. Or you can just stop in for a day. Youth choose their entry, their tools and determine the process. True to Community Arts practice, the process is as important as (sometimes more important than) the product. It is a framework that can be transported to any place."

There have been a couple of weeks where I've lost a bit of direction, likely because I've been busy doing all the peripheral things around art. The marketing, planning, writing, demos, teaching - everything but creating art itself - or at least not in any major way.

Now its time to get down to it and produce some work or there'll be nothing to market, plan for, write about, demonstrate or teach! I sometimes get sidetracked into doing everything around art, but little that produces art and it becomes difficult to get out of that rut sometimes.

I will revisit a couple of planned projects and see if they can inspire me and I also have a few ideas kicking around in my head that I may experiment with this weekend. Tomorrow's looks like its going to be a snow day, with around 15cm of snow expected (6 inches). A good day to hibernate and produce.