Children of the World

Girl with Hat...a sketch

Children are wiggly and wonderful! Children represent our future. And, for me, children display a purity and innocence only possible before culture indoctrinates 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.

Paying attention

Veiled   mixed on paper   19.5 x 14

I pay attention to things that thrill me. I love strong line. I love simple. I love spontaneity. I love imperfection. I love the searching. I love fabric designs and patterns, although I still love simple. I love finely detailed work, but only in certain passages. I love primitive art, although I know that is not who I am. And I love the paint quality that results only from printing, that which can never be achieved by direct painting. Up until now, I have tried to achieve the qualities that thrill me by painting only. Watercolors remained watercolors, oils/oils, and drawings/drawings. I seemed to enjoy the mixing of mediums, but felt that results were so often murky, and seemed to have lost intent. That is just my opinion, of course. Recently, I have been combining charcoal drawing and simple linoleum printmaking to create patterns, colors and textures. I love the results! I haven't experienced a thrill like this in quite a while.