Pulling It Together

There have been several pieces that I have been working on lately that I just could not seem to pull together.  I would pick them up, play with them, arrange objects on them--shuffle, twist and turn.  NO matter what I did to the pieces, they just did not seem to make that connection.  In short, I had no inspiration, no vision for the pieces.  I would pick them up in the in-between time, while waiting for other pieces to dry and still--no luck.  Finally this weekend, they came together.  They finally began to mesh.  I knew just what I wanted to do with them.  I worked feverishly on them--afraid that if I put them down, afraid that  I would lose that long sought after vision of cohesion.  I drilled, and glued, and painted, and tacked and then finally (drum roll please)they were done--or at least, one of them were, and the other one is laying on my table, waiting for the layers of texture and glue to dry.  Am I the only one who looks at a piece that is in progress and think to myself that there are just no ideas left--the well has gone dry.  My creativity has withered and died.............I guess (or at least hope) that I am not the only one who looks at certain pieces and just cannot seem to move past them- for months they lay there, they get shuffled, manipulated and collect dust.  Just waiting for the moment that the light comes on and says "hey--this is what that piece needs".   I guess that we all have artist block sometimes.  I have a sketch pad that I keep with me, or try to keep with me, all the time.  I have found that if I jot down ideas and sketch the piece out--I can complete the piece much easier.  I also know that if I have my goodies in sight-my stash of found items, i.e. rusty hinges, bolts, washers, thing-a-ma-jigs- that the assemblage process moves along much more freely.  I am going to be in the process of enlarging my studio in the near future.  One of the items on my wish list is a large bin that I can put all of my found objects in.  Kind of like the one in the hardware store that holds an assortment of small tools and supplies.  Well, this one would hold an assortment of excavated treasure.  Items that have been unearthed and saved from the salvage yard to be used (I hope) in a piece of art.