Mussel mosaics + staying inconsistent

As I’ve been looking into art grants and residencies, I see the term “cohesive body of work” often. It seems like the expectation is that an artist sticks to a certain type of practice for a significant amount of time to develop a style, and people evaluating applications value this kind of consistency. I’ve often thought about why this is; perhaps it’s easier for galleries and patrons to know what kind of work to expect out of an artist when they’ve been consistent. It definitely allows an artist to attract an audience that enjoys a particular genre or aesthetic; work that is recognizable is more marketable. It also makes sense that after a while, an artist finds that thing that they love creating the most and they feel represents their voice.

In compiling application materials to represent my own work, though, it’s been really clear to me that I don’t find comfort in the idea of consistency. Quite oppositely, I feel the most at home with my creations when I’m constantly exploring new ideas. Perhaps it’s because my approach has always started with: What have I been given to work with, here? And my work becomes a response to my circumstances, which are always changing, as life does. There’s always the Yin—what already exists, what is not within my control—and the Yang—what I create, what actions I take. Is it even possible to have a ”cohesive body of work” that comes out of adaptability and constant change?

So I end up with work that is connected to specific moments, and then the moments pass, as they all do. For instance, a couple of weeks ago I had mussels from Lidl (frozen section, already cooked and seasoned with butter, garlic and parsley. Yum!) and I loved the shells’ color gradients. So I cleaned them thoroughly, left them in the sun to dry, and crushed them to create mosaics. I was repurposing old materials—mod podge from old clay projects, ornamental beads from making press-on nail sets, and old craft canvases found in the house. Would I go out of the way to buy more mussels to create more mosaics? Absolutely not. Perhaps another material will come along that will produce something mildly related, but this week I’ve already moved on to creating earrings using beads from the craft store clearance section. Plus I have an old painting I’ve been wanting to paint over instead of buying a new canvas… As you can see, consistency doesn’t mean that much to me at this stage. (And even this may change…)

Thanks for reading! Summer is here, stay safe in the heat ☀️

Comments are welcome - a discussion may inspire my next work or post.