Evolution of Art

A few weeks ago, I was messing around with PTI's retro borders. My success in using these lines for musical notes had me giddy, so I thought why not use it to make a grid...didn't Nichole Heady do something like that? Delusions of grandure afflict me periodically with the misguided notion I know what I'm doing.

Anyway, I had a scrap of white cs (smaller than the one here), stamped a line, turned the scrap, stamped another line, then turned it again and saw...drum roll, please...a cross. The grid idea slipped away as I obsessed on how to make an inspirational card for my dear friend Liz, who recently had surgery.

I hit many evolutionary dead ends with this idea. The sentiment was too close to the cross, too far away, too big, too small, stamped imperfectly...you get the picture. With clean and simple cards, there are so few elements that each one must absolutely be perfect or the imperfection is all you see. There is NO PLACE TO HIDE!

About ten cardstock pieces ended up in the recycle bin before I had this beauty. My evening prayers were extra long asking for forgiveness for all the swearing I did while making it.

Lately, in my gallery at SCS, people have left comments about how "easy" I make clean-and-simple look. EASY?!!?? Nuh-uh. Like many other stampers, I love a challenge and am both bull-dog determined and stubbornly obsessive. For some reason that doesn't bear close examination, I HAVE FUN doing this, even when I'm swearing like a sailor in frustration.

Artistic evolution is not easy, but in the end, it's worth it.

Right?

Supplies
stamps: SU Refuge and Strength, PTI Retro Borders
cardstock: PTI white
ink: Palette noir
accessories: dimensionals