There was a time when I was greatly involved with online collaborations with friends and artists, most of them being between 2008-11. Some of you, whom I've known for years, may remember Noticing Project, Noticing Project {2009}, Echoes | A Collaborative Journal, What Remains Inside, Inspired, the Cup & Saucer Collective, and Tend. Then other than writing Water Paper Paint in 2009-10, there was no real reason that I can recall that this stopped, other than you know, life.
So when Tiel contacted me recently about a new project she was cooking up, I thought, "fun!", and was interested in being part of something with artists whom I have not yet worked. The project is called Optical Echoes and is comprised of six women artists, who take turns making a two dimensional work in any media, in response to the previous piece. Tiel kicked it off and my piece below is the fifth response. The ones before (and after) this can be seen on Tiel's blog, though soon I think the project will be housed on it's own site. Also, the works can be seen on Instagram under the #opticalechoes.
I'm looking forward to seeing the project develop and how the works will pick up strands from those before, like a running sentence. Each of the artists are greatly respected and immensely creative across disciplines. The participants are: Tiel Seivl-Keevers a painter and illustrator from Brisbane, Queensland-Australia; Cathy McMurray a painter and weaver from Portland, Oregon; Katherine Wheeler a ceramic artist from Bendigo, Victoria; Leslie Keating a textile artist in Melbourne, Australia; Lari Washburn a painter and textile designer from Wicasset, Maine; and myself from Lawrence, Kansas.
Here's to new collaborations with creatives near and far!