6- “Art Studio Deconstruction” - by artist Stephen Yarbrough - multi media on paper - 48”x36” - June 2014 - (available) It is so very freeing for me to let go of my perfectionist self, and to wade into the true mess of existence. THAT is an encounter with the divine, the universe, True Love (or whatever you like to call it). This early piece, in particular, blew my mind. This was the first time where I could just follow the process, use all the materials and media in my toolbox, and just “go at it.” Masking tape, ink, charcoal, gesso, conte crayons, layering, adding, erasing. It is one of my favorite early works, and I find myself, of course, coming back to this style of process these days. When I am thinking about this project that I call “Deconstructing Reality,” I suppose that what I consider to be “reality” is the “rules,” the separation that I hold for myself. I tend toward this careful compartmentalizing, saying what things ‘shouldn’t mix.’ I am so often inspired by my gender queer friends who see beyond separate categories better than I can. God Themselves is gender queer, in fact. So to get out all the tools, to open ourselves to new ways of thinking about drawing and painting and making work, it is to dive into the bigger reality, the divine reality. I am inspired by my own work to let go of the things that ‘should be’ and instead to follow the creative source at the center of all things.
