the great slog forward

rainbows of summer--99x99 inches--copyright Ann Brauer

A quote from the artist Chuck Close has been going through my mind recently:

        I always thought that inspiration is for amateurs — the rest of us just show up and get to  work.

How true that is, isn't it? Much of being an artist is just doing the work. And let me remind you that not all of this work is "fun". Now don't get me wrong. I love to work with fabric. I love to sew. I know how lucky I am that this is what I get to do for a living.

But some of the work just takes time and patience. For instance the quilt I am working on now--a variation of rainbows of summer--is as I have said before BIG. I mean really BIG. Seven feet by nine feet big. Each day I go into the studio with a set task. One more row to piece. Start sewing the rows together. I can't even think about how long it will take. Instead of worrying about the end, I am thankful that I know what I will be doing each day and so I just do it.

  

And you--do you find that sometimes art is just showing up? Just doing it? Do you ever get discouraged how long a piece takes? How do you get it finished?