Introducing: The Plan

With a name like the Charles Wright Project, this blog could be about anything. I guess that's part of the fun of the name, sweet ambiguity. But really, it's simple. Charles Wright is the starting point. His sculpture class brought Mandy and I together in 1995. I wish I could report that we each had some prolific experience during that semester that made for this stellar artistic expression, but the best thing to come out of that class was our friendship and the years of crazy adventures that followed.

Fifteen years later, Mandy and I live at opposite ends of the country; her in Charleston, SC and me in Portland, OR. Mandy is married and has two beautiful children (that I still haven't met) and I am mother to a Aussie pup who I fear is smarter than me most days. In addition to our geographical divide, lifestyle, career, and regional difference, also separate us. We talk regularly thanks to the wonderful world of Facebook and the internets and it got me thinking...

How do all of those differences affect the art we produce now? How do they alter our individual perspectives on the same ideas or concepts? I am an artist that needs to be held accountable in order to produce work and I've been looking for an excuse to be in touch with Mandy more for years. Here's the plan that accomplishes both: Each month we will post an idea or concept on the blog, then we will each go off and see where inspiration takes us. At the end of the month we will individually post photos of our solution to the query, perhaps with a little explanation of the thought process that brought us to the finished work. I'm looking forward to the dialogue created during and after.

The beauty of this little experiment is we can change the rules as we go along. Try new ideas often, as long as the end result is a finished work. We'll add and remove parameters, work quickly and take our time. For me, this is also about overcoming a phobia of showing my work in a less than perfect state. I rarely finish work because I fear the outcome. I want to to embrace the process and take more creative risks. "Your art is not precious." A close friend has said this to me for years and he's right.

Ultimately, we'd like the blog to be interactive. A means to connect people. Inspire. Create. Not only do we welcome your commentary, we strongly encourage it. If you see a project idea that you want to tackle yourself, be sure to send us your solution so we can include your work in the post. The more people interpret the concept, the better.

So for CWP's first assignment I propose "Spring". We'll keep it open the first time out. Any medium. Any size (larger than 5" x 7"). Create your visual interpretation of Spring. Finished product due: June 1. I also propose a weekly check in. No photos. No description of the subject matter. Just actions or lack thereof.

Ok. Go!