Slow Sunday

Posted on | March 22, 2009 |

Sunday, slow Sunday. Saturday night is for friends so Sunday is slow and slower. Still we went for a spring walk and caught our first sight of brave crocuses in someone’s front garden. I’ve declared it spring here in Boston and have packed my heaviest winter sweaters away until next year. There comes a point when I just can’t wear them any more even though there’s still nip in the air.

So, Sunday is a good day to post and fiddle around a little on the things that get left undone all week when I’m focusing on work. I added a new page of drawings to the site. I love these drawings in the flesh though they appear a little larger on screen and without the dull, velvety surface of the gouache paint. Still, you can get the idea.

My new experiment on the work front is to focus on one project at a time and to steam through it.  This involves writing down what I want to get done then allowing no diversions.  My old way was to get a good start then, when new ideas presented themselves to make a stab at them, then go back to the first thing, then another idea would come and I’d fiddle with that. I’m never short of ideas, in fact, they seem to be arriving by the barrel these days.  Anyway it was a very slow way forward and it’s time to speed things up a bit.  So far, so good.  Stay tuned.

My present goal is to get the drawing book ready to present.  It’s nearly done save for the art but I began that this week. The red man here is one small drawing I was playing around with.   There are so many ways to draw and I got quite carried away exploring all sorts of things. I’ll show you more in a day or two.  I’ll work on some black and white drawings tomorrow.  I’m not trying to show how to draw in a realistic way, there are lots of other books for that.  I’m talking about how the act of drawing, which is just making marks on a surface, can take you out of your left brain analytical verbal mind and into the right brain feeling and intuitive mind where we find our creative selves.  I think drawing can be a great practice for everyone. Apart from the great sense of peace it engenders, and oneness with the present moment, it’s amazing the ideas that emerge as we work.  I believe anyone can use it as a way to expand creativity.

My studio neighbor, Deb Putnoi, went to see the South African artist, William Kentridge speak at the MFA this week. The tickets were gone by the time I found out  but I could have seen him over a video screen. I was working really hard this week so bagged it. Silly me. It was apparently a real inspiration. Note to self: Some opportunities come but once so grab them while you can. I ordered a book about him second hand. I’m very interested that he’s an artist who expresses himself in many dynamic and interactive ways.  He’s very motivated by the experiences of apartheid and colonialism.  Those terrible experiences have made for very rich and powerful art.  I have different motivations, of course, a different story, and am another kind of artist but inspired all the same.  I feel like stretching out a little.  Onwards!

I’ll post again in a couple of days when I have more drawings to show.  Meanwhile, I hope the sun is shining in your part of the world.

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