To write or to paint

I am constantly pulled between writing and painting like polar opposites. When expressing myself with paint becomes frustrating, I write. When I have writer’s block, I make something. I am drawn to paintings that incorporate text and mark-making.

Working on two pieces at a time, I have learned, is the best way to deal with a block. Rather than sitting, staring, at the half painted collage I started with drywall, black gesso, an image, pattern tissue, etc., and wondering what to do next so I don’t overwork or ruin it, I can hack away at a new page in my altered book. While one is drying, work on the other.