Up The Street

Up The Street   watercolor   12 x 20

When I was a kid, we lived on a road with many many post-war Cape Cod style houses.  Many houses.  Many kids.  Telling your mom that you were going "up the street" was acceptable, and even encouraged.  Up the street has a different significance now...up the street is a ways away...and the houses are all different...

...which has nothing at all to do with my difficulties in achieving a good house painting....one where the strong two-point perspective lines take over the painting, subduing the creativity.  In this watercolor, I tried not to be so very precious, so very perfect, giving in to the funky wabi sabi feel of this old house.  Porch is crooked.  Windows on a tilt.  I found myself trying to quiet my notion of right-on draftspersonship.  For the most part, I am pleased....and it does carry the feel of an autumn day in the country....which was my goal.

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Holiday Greeting 2016 (PRESENTS::PRESENCE)

In each of my two painting classes we draw names...at least those artists who have the extra time and inclination at this busiest time of the year.  The idea is to send a handmade watercolor greeting to the person whose name you select.  I made two identical cards, worked simultaneously, side by side, on my support board to send to the two names I had drawn.  Gift boxes are a tough subject, as they readily demonstrate your knowledge and skill with two point perspective.  Each artist brought a pre-wrapped box.  We assembled them into a grand pile and used our view-finders to crop and create pleasing compositions.  Over the years I have received some incredibly beautiful cards and this year was no exception. 

While gift boxes are certainly a viable subject, they imply a bit of the shallow commercialism that seizes us this beautiful time of year.  And yet, they are so beautiful, so colorful, so magical, so playful.  While working on them, I considered the notion of presents::presence.  While each of us probably gave a few presents, and even received a few, the notion of PRESENCE is the quality that I aim for.  I have noticed that most of the people I know and love are supremely capable of PRESENCE in the doing of what moves them.  I guess we call it passion.  And to be present in the moment, whether visiting with friends and family, or while pursuing our passions, is the gift I wish for all.....and for myself.

...but not the hominy....

Stack of books and gourd...a sketch showing two-point perspective

The only vegetable I can remember totally refusing as a child was hominy.  It was a memorable experience as my mom chose to serve it on trick-or-treat night.  My mother finally relented and let me go out for the begging, only after she realized that I was so very serious about my hatred for this vegetable that I was willing to give up costume, treats and fun.  2-point perspective is much more palatable than that!  Our drawing class members stacked up books and boxes.  First we discussed the two vanishing points for each object which can only be seen when the objects are drawn from a big distance...i..e. on a drawing that is quite small on a fairly large sheet of paper.  When we understood what was happening, we drew our piles of objects that were placed in front of us on the table.  I chose a stack of three different kinds of books, each one with its own particular vanishing points along with its own particular degree of recession. (even though the horizon line at eye-level remains the same).   I placed a handmade gourd on top for patterning, and because I like organic line playing with all of the straights....the yin and the yang.

An astute artist pointed out the apparent faultiness of my bottom book.  This spiral-bound paperback, had a laminated cover that was not laying flat and had slipped down to the spiral area destroying the perfection of the receding form.  I liken it to clothing on a model.  The book's binding is still receding....it is just a bit disguised.  Another way to help with the perspective issue when drawing items that are close to us is to accurately judge and record angles of edges, and to pay close attention to the shapes of the negative or counter-spaces....i.e. the spaces between the objects.  We keep each other on our toes!

Reading...

Books...two-point perspective drawing

The air is cooling down and the time is ripe for reading. I read first thing in the morning while I enjoy my cup of java...it puts my brain in a receiving mode and lifts my spirits. I plow through all kinds of books, mostly non-fiction. Recently, I returned a biography of Thomas Jefferson after two renewals, yet remaining largely unread....I tried and tried, but just couldn't do it. The author reveled in minutia, writing chapter upon chapter detailing all of the books in Jefferson's library. Lots of lists. Very little interpersonal stuff. My brain craves distillation....that which is sifted and sieved into importance. I felt a sense of defeat. I started thinking about the books that are so very spiritual to me that I have them in my library and return to them time and time again.

Letters to a Young Poet by Ranier Maria Rilke is a series of 10 letters written over a period of 5 years to a young soldier named Franz Kappas with the intent of critiquing this man's poems. Rilke was 27 at the time. Rilke's intimate words reveal what it is to be an artist.....and what it is to be a person.

The Art Spirit by Robert Henri is a collection of Henri's words, taken from the notes of his students. Lucky for us....his students were paying attention. This work is based on his in-depth considerations of their paintings. "Art, when really understood, is the province of every human being".

The Alphabet versus the Goddess: Conflict Between Word and Image by Leonard Shlain considers the paradigm shift that occurred as a result of literacy and considers the differences between left-brain-knowing and right-brain-knowing. It is provocative, disturbing and and inspiring. (Shlain also wrote Art and Physics).

Words are a concoction of the L-brain but the powerful feelings that remain are processed in the R-brain, the intuitive brain. These three books are close to my heart. Also close to my heart is Laura, my wonderful daughter-in-law.

Unraveling Perspective

Stack of Books and a Gourd...a sketch

I love visual problem solving! I think that is why I enjoy facing the easel every day. And that is why I don't like to repeat processes. Setting up new problems is invigorating! I can only hope that the artists in my perspective class feel the same way. This week's problem involves a drawing of a stack of books. Alack and alas.....this problem is definitely more intricate than what it first appears. The three books share a common horizon line as the eye level of the artist remains constant. However, each book has its own two particular vanishing points along that line if each is skewed in a different direction. I advised the artists to do thumbnail sketches first in order to understand what is going on before they jump into the rendering which is infinitely more fun. Stay tuned for the finished drawings. Linda Davis demonstrated that she understands the presented perspective problem. Ahhhhh......satisfaction.