The artist as problem-solver

The next time you're tempted to ask an artist "how long did that take to make?"... try asking yourself another question. What problems did the artist have to solve to create this artwork?

I spent most of this week figuring out problems like How do I set a railroad spike into a collage panel?

Most of the time I enjoy this part of the job. But it's less fun to hit a dead end...

... and realize the only solution is to start over.

Good thing creative troubleshooting is a transferable skill -- I'm going to need it next month. I'm curating a group exhibit at the Columbia City Gallery, where these collages will make their debut. So once this work is done, I'm sure I'll have to wrangle other problems that can't be glued or staple-gunned into place.