I am fascinated by the tools people use to create what they create. Be it a laptop or a leather shaping wheel it is our tools that allow us the freedom to invent and create. Once we understand the principle behind the tool we can then find new ways to use it, reinvent it, or improve it to suit our unique needs.
I have been playing with different art tools to learn and further my knowledge of how they work. It might seem silly that after thirty years of creating I am going back to some of the basics. I have dedicated a blank book to this endeavor and have begun filling it with letter forms and ink experiments so I can remind, refresh and learn new ways of using some of my favorite tools. This quiet time has invirogate my desire to create things with letters. I wasn’t expecting that to happen, but it did.
What tools do you utilize everyday that have become second nature to your world? How might you learn to use them better, more efficiently, or find new insights into what they are capable of doing? Like these leather shaping wheels anything can be old or new depending upon in whose hands they are being put to work. Maybe it is time for your hands to find new ways to use your favorite tools. A tip or trick to use your laptop more wisely or a fresh, new perspective on your favorite hand tool. Anything old can be new and exciting when we dig deep and are curious about new ways to tap into it’s potential.
Ann Art Gallery Blog 