Book page fromWinter Seeds Promise class © Marcia Hocevar

Tell us a little bit about your practice as a maker. Where do you thrive?
Where do you struggle?

What I Enjoyed

I enjoy Laurie’s workshops and I have attended almost yearly. I approach each workshop with anticipation and excitement and come away with something unexpected and delightful. The writing exercises resonate with me as does the intuitive graphic mark making and the visual results of these exercises. At Winter Seed’s Promise workshop, I especially enjoyed the blind contour drawing because it rekindled a past enthusiasm I had that sparked my creativity and energy. And I enjoy Laurie: who she is and what she brings to each workshop draws me back year after year.

Drawing from Winter Seeds class © Marcia Hocevar

What I found Difficult

My personal struggle is with the alphabet exercises. At each workshop I attend, I struggle with that workshop’s alphabet. These exercises require a quiet and steady hand, achieved by slowing down and working with patience and deliberateness. This way of working is outside my comfort zone. I tend to focus on the idea, not the execution or details so I work too quickly without the precision the task demands. I struggled with Moon Type at the workshop, but since I’ve been using Moon Type shapes and marks to suggest character and hidden meaning. My painting, “Ruffled Feathers” is an example.

Ruffled Feathers © Marcia Hocevar

Strangest Object in My Studio

There is a map in my painting studio that was drawn on deli wrap paper by my high school art teacher. This map is not strange and is not a notable example of a map but is significant because of the history it represents. My history. My history with my oldest friend who kept this map for almost 50 years before sending it to me last year; my history with the art teacher who became a mentor and a friend; the memory of the dreams and ambitions of youth; the skills that art teacher taught, nurtured and encouraged that led me to the beginning of my journey as a creative and a maker.

My Practice as a Maker: Spaces

I am fortunate I have two spaces in which to work. One is in my house where I draw and paint in my sketchbook. I also have a studio space in my garage where I work on larger cold wax painting and encaustics. I am committed to showing up every day in one of them. Sometimes it is not an extended amount of time but enough to connect with what is important today. Then I may sketch, write notes, paint, or reflect on what I am currently working on.