“A drawing contains the act of seeing by a unique human mind and heart. It contains interpretation, imagination and intuition about the subject of the drawing. A drawn portrait captures not just what the eye can see but also what the heart and mind can understand.” - Wendy Ann Greenhalgh Drawing and the Art of Mindfulness.
“I have no talent at all. The only thing I can draw is stick figures”. I hear this phrase over and over when I introduce myself as an art teacher.
Children under the age of 10 freely use drawing as a means to interpret and engage with the world around them.
At what age did you notice that your drawings were not “good enough”?
As a child did you experience criticism or recognition from adults on your drawing ability?
It is not a coincidence that age 10 is also when we begin to engage in symbolic thought; judging, labeling and categorizing everything around us. That is when we understand that the word “house” and the symbol for it mean the same thing.
The house image below does not look like anyone’s actual home. It is a symbol the same way the stick man does not look like my actual mother, or father but is a universal symbol for either of them.
Around age 10 our inner critic shows up and begins to silence our creative explorations in music, dance, writing and art. The inner critic says that a symbol is no longer “good enough” and the symbol itself starts to get in the way of noticing the individuality of the object before us.
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If you were fortunate enough to have drawing offered to you after age 10 you might have begun to engage in seeing beyond the symbol for the things you drew. When drawing, an artist looks at the subject deeply, notices the details, the flaws, the shapes and textures of the subject. Seeing clearly is at the heart of drawing and the chatter of the inner judge and critic makes this a difficult process for most of us.
When I teach drawing, this ability to perceive is the skill that matters more than how you wield a pencil.
Can you quiet your mind enough to engage in extended looking?
Can you remain curious enough about the individuality of the rose in front of you to see the unique whorls and color variations in the petals and the shape and arrangement of the serrated leaves?
There is so much to see in a single rose branch. The outer petals of each rose are different from the inner ones, there is a certain number of serrated leaves on each leaf bract, the thorns are located in a particular pattern and each type of rose has a different center, a different bud shape.
Can you look enough to take it all in?
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If you are very fortunate, something special happens when you draw. Drawing can take you into a reciprocal relationship with the things you draw. There is a point in the process of observation where you and the object of your observation meld.
The rose is a part of you and you experience what it feels like to be a rose. Losing your sense of self this way connects you to the natural world and calms the mind and spirit. This experience is what drawing is about as much as it is about making marks on a page. Connection with the nature of the things we draw is what we bring to our art that makes them “real” for ourselves and our viewers.
The process of drawing this way soothes that mind and soul in the same way meditation does for experienced meditators.
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Drawing is also a wonderful practice for learning to separate the voice of the inner critic from the voice of the inner artist. As you draw, both voices guide you. Stop and notice where you feel each voice inside your body.
What memories and associations appear?.
Can you stay with the uncomfortable feelings your critic brings to the conversation?
Can you pause to breathe through them without reacting or arguing?
Every artwork goes through an “ugly stepchild” phase where we want to give up on it.
Can you stay with it and persist until your drawing blossoms into beauty?
Can you follow the voice of your inner artist into making the marks that bring you joy and grace?
Envisioning is another gift from drawing. When you see your subject in your mind’s eye and put it onto the paper you are practicing the art of building and birthing your visions into the world. We birth the world anew each time we use our imagination to create a new possibility.
It takes practice to develop the imaginative space for these new possibilities to emerge and to play with the alternatives. If you are going to paint a rose, what colors will you use? What shapes, what materials, what emotions do you wish to invoke? Your unique interpretation of the rose affirms its reason for existing. When you can play with the image of your drawing inside your mind’s eye, you can play with the blueprint for your new future as well.
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Drawing is a wonderful teacher, talent is irrelevant and you are never too old to learn. If you are interested in learning more about drawing please reach out and let’s talk. I invite you to allow me to lovingly guide, support, and accompany you in your artistic development.
With light and delight,
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Quote:
Let the beauty we love
Be what we do. There are
Hundreds of ways to kneel
And kiss the ground
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Cr8v Soul October Art Book Club Selection :
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LIGHT THE DARK collects the best of The Atlantic‘s much-acclaimed “By Heart” series edited by Joe Fassler and adds brand new pieces, each one paired with a striking illustration. What inspires you? That’s the simple, but profound question posed to forty-six renowned authors. Each writer begins with a favorite passage from a novel, a song, a poem—something that gets them started and keeps them going with the creative work they love. From there, incredible lessons and stories of life-changing encounters with art emerge.
One reviewer commented: Reading this book felt like sitting down for coffee with some of the best writers of our time and picking their brain about the genesis of their relationship with writing, where they derive inspiration, their writing process, and what they love about writing. For anyone who's ever been curious about creative minds and dabbled in writing themselves, this is the book for you
Please join Lark Keeler and me along with friends known and new on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm for our next meeting.
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Art Adventure:
The Bonnet House
Friday, October 15th at 10:00 am for the guided house tour
The Bonnet House Museum & Gardens preserves the unique historic estate of artist Frederic and Evelyn Bartlett. Through enjoyable and enriching cultural experiences, the museum connects today’s community to the Bartletts’ architectural, artistic, and environmental legacy.
Frederic Clay Bartlett graduated from Munich’s prestigious Royal Academy in 1895 and returned to a prolific and prosperous career in the United States. He worked on mural projects in conjunction with American architects and his easel work can today be found in the best museums including the Carnegie Institute and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Examples of his easel art are displayed in the Bonnet House studio and Frederic’s murals and faux painting can be found throughout the Main House.
With little formal training but much encouragement from Frederic, Evelyn Fortune Lilly began painting in 1932. For six years, she painted prolifically, and her work was featured in well-received gallery exhibits in Boston, New York, and Indianapolis. Evelyn’s works are today displayed in Bonnet House’s Carl J. Weinhardt Gallery.
Entry to the museum and the cost of lunch are on your own:
Guided House Tour starts at 10:00am $25 pp - reserve here:
https://www.bonnethouse.org/event/guided-house-tour-2/
Mindful Drawing Practice in the garden from 11:30 to 1:00 followed by
Lunch at 1:30 at
2568 E Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
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Upcoming Presentations:
Plantation Art Guild
Monday, October 4, 2021 at 10:00 am
Jim Ward Center
301 NW 46th Ave,
Plantation, FL
I will be leading a discussion on Composition Planning and Design. Tips on clarifying your ideas and making your artwork more powerful.
National League of American Pen Women
Thursday, November 11 at 11:30 am
Jaffe Center for Book Arts
at FAU
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton
The title for this presentation is: "An Artist Statement is a Compelling Invitation to Look Closer".
Your artistic voice reflects your unique point of view, life experiences, identity, values, and what matters to you. Your voice is part of your DNA and there will never be anyone else on earth exactly like you. Your choice of style, skill, subject matter, and medium is yours alone.
Getting your unique message out into the world is more important than ever. So many places are calling on you to share your intentions, your history, and your work. You may have a website, be giving a talk, be active on social media, an exhibition, or show award winner. Come and consider how you can communicate your intentions in a powerful way.
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Private Lessons and Events |
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Master Classes for High School Students |
Private, highly personalized classes in mastery for artistically-minded US & international students virtually on Zoom or in person at my home.
If you have a student who is a visual thinker, willing to push the boundaries of their own work, and serious about improving their options for college, I want to hear from you! Schedule a time to discuss how I can collaborate with you to build a portfolio that will give your student the greatest chance for success.
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Art Workshops, Critiques & Presentations |
Invite me to present or lead a workshop for your school, club or guild.
I can customize a program for your event or present my skills programs on composition, color theory, drawing faces, coordinating light/shadow or understanding the cues for depth. I am available for judging, confidence-building critiques and recorded tutorials.
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Sketchbook Prompt:
Select a natural object; maybe a rose or a seashell. Spend 10 to 20 minutes really looking at it. Look as though you had never seen anything like it before. Allow yourself to connect deeply with the details and the perfection of your object. Now close your eyes and draw the object from memory in your sketchbook. Try this two or three times.
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Lotus Mantra
Now available for sale for $550
Media: Watercolor on Arches
Size: 12” x 16” in a siver and gold frame
Contact me if you'd like to have this piece hanging in your home
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September Art Adventure:
Even the full moon joined me for a perfect Vineyard night at the Old Sculpin Gallery on Dock Street in Edgartown. History is etched inside and out of this building. A great spot for a gallery and a wonderful opportunity for members like me to see their work hanging together. Having all my family with me to celebrate wrapped the summer up with a bow. I feel like I came a long way from where I was a year ago.
A great article about show from the Martha's Vineyard Times! Thank you to everyone who was able to come out and support me for my opening night.
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Show Opening
on
Sunday, September 19, 2021
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Thank you for being part of the Cr8V Soul Arts Tribe!
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