Paint Brushes...not guns...creation::destruction

Paintbrush(Labor Series)   watercolor   8.5 x 14

Last evening we watched a program dealing with gun control that featured a cream-cheesy family from Utah doing target practice with their young children....all the while claiming that gun-owners are misunderstood.  The final shot of their family was at the dinner table eating venison that had been procured by the hunter-father.  Quite frankly, I have to question parents who choose target-practice as a shared activity.  I have to wonder just how much violence could be stopped if these same parents immersed their children in acts of creation, rather than destruction....music, theatre, visual arts, reading.  Creativity saves lives.

You can't talk peace and have a gun......Francis Magalona

West meets East...calligraphy...

Last evening at our local art club we were treated to a wonderful presentation on Chinese painting presented by Mina Huang and Manna Huang.  Mina provided a power point presentation on the evolution of the characters showing different styles and varieties common during particular dynasties.  The characters we see today have been around for 1700 years!  Then Manna, who is classically trained, demonstrated the actual painting process.  For me, two amazing things stood out:  first of all, the economy of stroke-making (every stroke counts...and none will be covered over) and secondly, the ease and care taken to mix the ink/water solution properly and load the brush.  It was simply superb!  And each of these artists has carried over their talents to accommodate our Western way of painting.

Many years ago, I practiced using the brush this way to form our western alphabet.  I can remember putting my young boys into the tub to play, while I sat nearby practicing the push and pull of the brush to and from the paper surface.

Let's hear it for stroke-making!

Quiet...a watercolor of pinecones

Quiet Conversation   Watercolor   9 x 13

is a wonderful way to spend time...with my dear ones and by myself.  Quiet allows the creative brain to work its wonders.  Quiet provides focus and a sense of calm.  The dormancy during the dark months morphs into the energy of what-is-to-be.  While I do welcome a festivus or two, and certainly relish the bright lights, I absolutely relish the quiet season and its opportunity for self-definition.