Revisiting the Unfinished
Sometimes inspiration comes not from starting something new, but from stumbling upon something you started long ago. Recently, while sorting through one of my piles of work in progress, I found a piece I’d nearly forgotten – a long canvas painted a few years back. Measuring 59½” x 13″, it was created on cotton duck canvas, painted wet with fluid acrylics and DynaFlow. Once dry, I adjusted the colours with more paint and colouring pencils. The rocks on the left hand side were painted with Inktense pencils.
I had originally set this work aside, unsure of what I wanted to do with it and because I thought I needed to add more rocks on the right hand side to balance it. But now, as I explore ideas in the Unbound course with FibreArts Take Two, this rediscovered piece feels like a treasure waiting to be reimagined. This piece was going to be – originally – a long and skinny wall-hanging. But now, I think I will turn it into a concertina or accordion book. But I want to do more than “just” make a book — I want to transform this piece into something unexpected and special.
For starters, I’m still thinking that I need to add more rocks to the right-hand side to bring balance. Once that is done, I will find a way to display it that truly does it justice. It’s a reminder that sometimes the best creative moments come not from chasing the new, but from revisiting the old – letting time and distance open new possibilities. This long piece, once forgotten, is now a spark for something fresh, something that bridges what was with what can be.
Have you ever found inspiration in something you’d put aside? I’d love to hear your stories of treasures rediscovered.
Finding this piece is a lovely reminder that creativity often comes from revisiting the old with fresh eyes. Art evolves over time, and sometimes what was once unfinished becomes the spark for something entirely new. 💛
Thanks for reading. Until I write again … I’m off to finish getting the downstairs studio ready for classes. Stay tuned…
Ana
