16 car pile-up, more mumbling and grumbling

My Leighton exhibit work is turning into a 16 car pile-up on my worktable. There may even be blood under the wreckage, because there sure are tears and sweat….. It’s not that this piece is the be-all and end-all for my work, it is however a part of the process i haven’t gone through before.

Yesterday morning the above was my own arrogant assumption that everything belonged together, albeit with some judicious spacing.

BAh. Poop. Damn. Poop.

The small piece on top is planned and is going to be just a small piece, slated for the Centre’s gallery shop. The other three Things have started fighting and yelling at each other, resulting in distracted driving and the afore-mentioned 16 car pile-up. I’m trying too hard to marry these elements: as much as they reflect each other, i think they are now going to have to stand on their own.

Because, who said it has to be ONE piece? There’s no set requirement for this exhibit that says i have to show only one work–so do a diptych, a triptych, hell, an 11tybilliontych if that’s what it takes. We do logistically have a bit of space restriction, but three pieces is not going to take much more space than the one i had started envisioning. I said to myself yesterday that this one was evolving–so let each one evolve on its own!

Practical considerations: i have enough of the indigo dyed silk to work the figure, but do i have enough of the rhubarb root dyed silk and cotton threads to finish all the accent stitching on 3 pieces? (Did inventory–probably have JUST enough.) What fabric do i have to set the figure on for background since she will now be standing alone? (Damn, nuttin’.) Do i need to revive the indigo vat? (Obviously.) How can i present the narrow river and roots strip? (Scroll?) (Answer the question, damn it.) Have i added more time to the project by splitting it like this? (Not at this point, as i still have slightly over 4 months before set up.)

Wandering off now, bruised and bleeding, but not completely battered.