We interrupt this program..................

Boring? Not. My "Expressive Drawing" workshop takes place next week at Cuyahoga Valley Art Center....Wed through Sat..........the 15th through the 18th. Lots of fun. Lots of hard work. Moving. Thinking. Drawing. My goals for this experience are: removing the constraints of "reality " drawing to accommodate more expressiveness; appreciating the beauty of all kinds of mark-making; moving from small-motor drawing from the wrist to large-motor drawing from the shoulder; exploring the nature of calligraphic strokes and natural curves; discovering the hidden beauty of public art and graffiti; moving from the non-representational mark-making twoards the incorporation of realistic forms, including still life and the figure; rediscovering the "beginner's zen" of childlike drawing and the deadening effects of perfectionism; exploring movement through visual mark-making; learning to discover hidden rhythms; learning to destroy in order to reach a level of higher creativity; problem-solving in the midst of chaos; AND how to introduce chaos into your work to create excitement. Pretty lofty goals. One step at a time. Artists and their open minds amaze me. I am always excited by limitless possibilities....I have never been disappointed by the results. Check it out.

What is an elipse?

The difficulty in understanding an elipse is apparent in so many drawings. OK. An elipse is a circle that is subject to the rules of perspective as it diminishes. Whew! First of all, we attempted to understand an elipse by first realizing that the circle is surrounded by a square....the circle actually touches all four sides of the square at its widest points. By understanding what happens to the square as it diminishes, we are able to grasp the essence of the circle. We, as artists, are not looking to be draftsmanship-perfect here.....just to be able to present a viable and believeable elipse. It really is difficult! A coffee cup and saucer for example, is comprised of several circles and several elipses, all on different planes from the horizon line, or eye level. The circle of the saucer will diminish in a different degree from the circle that comprises the opening of the cup. Mo Mosyjowski's cup and plate are bold and correct. It is very satisfying when we can all grasp an understanding of the difficult notion of the elipse.

One-Point Perspective Redux

Giving homework to adults is silly. Finally, at this point in our lives, we adults have the right to say "no" and to determine how best we spend our time. But, gee, imprinting the week's lesson is a good thing. These highly-motivated adult artists are eager to improve their their skills and, as a result, every artist in the class brought some kind of project done at home that was designed to fine-tune his/her understanding of the concept of one-point perspective. Good for us! Carl Yoke's village drawing is so charming, right down to the horse-drawn wagon. This drawing fully demonstrates his understanding of one-point perspective. Tom Auld used reference photos from his vast archives taken during trips here and there to aid his drawing of a European alleyway and village. (When viewing this drawing, please tip your head slightly to the left to compensate for the tipsiness of the photographer.....that would be me.) Good for us! We are ready to move on.

when you least expect it...............

Joy and exhileration come when you least expect them.......I joined Jan and Harry Noden yesterday to hang 12 of my works in the sanctuary at The Unitarian Universalist Church in Kent. I was thrilled because the beliefs of this church seem to parallel the 12 works being shown....they are an eclectic mix of all kinds of people. As a teenager, I was drawn to the American Field Service and the exchange students that visited our school. I love the mixing of cultures and adore the diversity that such an exchange provides. When I arrived, a young musician was practicing on the baby grand in this small century-old church. The combination of the surrounds, the music and the paintings was thrilling! Two high school chums Joyce and Mike Wenger stopped by along with Joyce's mom. They were both interested in my process and my goals and the evolution of the work. Added thrill. The door to the church remained open and a breeze filtered in. I love breezes and open doors. When I returned home checked my email, I found a wonderful little you-tube video sent by friend Linda Sasanecki.....all of my senses had been wonderfully aroused and satisfied. Joy and exhileration.....................yes. My work will be shown at The Unitarian Universalist Church in Kent through the end of August. The church is located at 228 Gougler. I was told that a church secretary is there from 9 or 10 until about 1:30 pm daily in order to open the sanctuary. Come on along.

Sweet Brief Moments

Holiday weekend. Welcoming home son. Sweet. Shared hamburgers. Quiet kayak trips along the Cuyahoga. Big owl. Scrabble. Oh Hell. Movie-going. Grilled barbequed ribs. Sweet cherries. Bicycle rides. Finding a man on the bike path unconscious from a tumble. Head injury. EMS. Restored consciousness. Relief. Coconut cookies. Phone calls. Love exchanged. Parting. Sadness. Waking up to singing coyotes in the woods. Feelings high and low. Exhaustion. Feelings that seed the passion to create more paintings.

4th of July

At this point in my life, the 4th of July becomes a melded memory of all of the past 4ths...........wonderful times. Rain or not. Sun or not. The waking up and knowing that the day is different than the others.....holiday. Time to break away. Permission to just enjoy. Barbeques. Hotdogs or burgers. Potato Salad or not. Kayaking. Late breakfasts. Enjoying the love of your family. All under the banner of patriotism. Fine by me.

Children of the World

Children are wiggly and wonderful! Children represent our future. And, for me, children display a purity and innocence only possible before culture indoctinates them with "shoulds" and all forms of us-versus-them. If only we could emulate their openness! These days our influence is world-wide. The world is indeed growing smaller as our exposure to other worlds and other cultures has opened up by means of media. What a wonderful thing! In my earlier art days, I would park myself unobtrusively in corners of waiting rooms at hospitals and malls and attempt to draw these squirmy creatures...what a task. "Girl with hat" was drawn quickly at a Native American festival held outdoors at Kent State University.....funny how the experience of doing the drawing becomes fused with the drawing itself! My daughter-in-law gets to travel the globe in her job as a designer with The Tea Collection, which infuses other-culture influences into children's apparel. Their new Japan collection is being unveiled with a video....check it out! Squirmy. Wormy. Lively. Jumpy. Active. Lovely.