The posting and the comments have been helpful to me. I’ve never thought to verbalize my thoughts, to make them real outside myself – until after the series is well underway! Your observations on the requirement of passion/powerful emotion is valid for me – as well as some of your other points. However, I have never considered how far a series might go – usually it goes until I’m done with it. And a series tends to build in me whatever is next in me to be birthed in my work, even if there seems to be no relationship between them whatever.

I now have a series reverberating inside of me that has yet to make it’s way out. Oh, I’ve done a few smallish samples – one is one of the two collage pieces I donated to your ACS sale. It has to do with aging, rusting, layers, etc… but my own life has been in turmoil for over a year now with very little artwork being formulated and developed outside my head and heart. I look forward to setting up my new studio next month and beginning to work again. It will be a vast relief to bring out what has been stirring for so long!

Stephanie – I couldn’t imagine even trying to re-evoke the spark that caused an artwork to be created. But that is the joy (no pun intended) of a series, following a thread forward while still thinking about what has come before. Onward is my motto!

Lynn – Too much pressure is bad, but ditto too little. I do make artwork that is not part of a series, but, for me, dedicating a chunk of time and effort to digging deep, emotionally and intellectually, is usually worth it. You are saying the same thing: a series requires an emotional and artistic investment that “onsies” often do not. How we think at the start (Is this a series?) isn’t as important as starting!