A Body of Work

I remember when I first started out to become a professional artist. I kept hearing this term body of work. What did this mean? After all, I had what I thought was a body of work. I had made lots of successful pieces, some that had even been exhibited. I was an artist after all!

Salt Water Bowl, Marigold Cribb

Thankfully, I asked this question of Marigold Cribb, a weaver, with whom I was working with at the Saskatchewan Craft Council. She was kind enough to take the time to explain what this meant. I guess she was my very first mentor. She explained that it was all well and good enough to make individual pieces but a body of work was a group of pieces that related to each other in some way, or another. For instance, they could be related in form, colour, firing methods, etc... It shows a certain maturity as an artist. Now, twenty plus years after her educating me, I laugh at my naivety. It all seems so simple now but back then it was a huge hurdle.

So to those of you just starting out on your artistic journey, find one idea that that has captured your interest, follow it until you become truly bored or another vein of thought captures your interest and you will have a body of work.

Today I am grateful for the wisdom of experience shared.