I have failed the 20 minute challenge! Not once have I done any of the things on the list! It just hasn't worked into my days in the past week, it would work better when I'm not busy. I only have a certain amount of energy after all.
I have designed a shadow knitting pattern (not the one in my challenge list), and taken part in a day's painting class, however, creating two paintings and two drawings. Oh and created a birthday card for a friend's birthday.
I think though that my most important task should be to get my spare room studio sorted. Then I can spend time in there and do the other things on the list.
I had a (fairly obvious, really!) revelation today. I was at an art day with a local artist and one of my "classmates" was saying how she finds painting / drawing, etc, very relaxing, it's very much time out for her and a bit like a meditation. As a born-again Christian, I'm wary of what is a Buddhist(?) practice, so looked for a Christian alternative. And I realised that I could see it as prayer. This fits very neatly for me, as my guilt about not using my talent is based on the fact that it's a God given gift. If I can use that gift as prayer, all the better!
I will mull this over (prayerfully).
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Saturday, 5 June 2010
20 minutes challenge, drawings & ruminations
This brilliant blog by Michael Nobbs has really inspired me. I have taken up the challenge to do the following:
- sorting out my spare room/studio.
- developing a knitting pattern.
- drawing.
There's tons more I need to be doing but these are all supremely important and the basics that will get me moving.
I've had a tough time of it for the past 9 months or so, with a major relapse of ME/CFS and struggling with coming to terms with that. Michael Nobbs also has ME/CFS so he is an ideal inspiration for me.
On the positive side, I've taken part in a drawing class - line and tone - and have some photos of them. Only one, in my opinion, is any good, but the others aren't bad and, besides, it was a class, with a set drawing style each week, they're not supposed to be finished/professional works of art.
Each week I found that, after about half an hour, I always felt I'd had enough and wanted to stop and go and do something else altogether. This is my artist's block at work, methinks. I didn't, of course, go off and do something else but persevered and was always glad I did. Clearly I struggle with motivation and the purpose of it all.
This is just a selection from the class, there were many more than this.
Charcoal on grey paper. I enjoyed this, having not drawn with charcoal for years. I'm amazed how illustrative it ended up, and not a little twee, methinks.
Charcoal and chalk on coloured paper.
Stick and ink on coloured paper. This was great fun to do, using simply a stick dipped in drawing ink, an attempt to loosen up my style and get away from my customary tightness. I was disappointed that I got the perspective wrong on the thighs but I still loved doing it, rubbing a stick on paper!
This is my favourite and the best of the bunch.
Surprisingly it's drawn in ballpoint pen, inspired by Henry Moore's ballpoint pen drawings of sheep.
I absolutely loved doing this, it was a real pleasure to work with this new medium (for me) - I love how it slowly builds up and just how much depth you can get from it. Now it's photographed I can see that the nose is too light/shiny, but I was very pleased with the end result. My customary tightness at its best, methinks.
Will photograph other drawings sometime soon.
- sorting out my spare room/studio.
- developing a knitting pattern.
- drawing.
There's tons more I need to be doing but these are all supremely important and the basics that will get me moving.
I've had a tough time of it for the past 9 months or so, with a major relapse of ME/CFS and struggling with coming to terms with that. Michael Nobbs also has ME/CFS so he is an ideal inspiration for me.
On the positive side, I've taken part in a drawing class - line and tone - and have some photos of them. Only one, in my opinion, is any good, but the others aren't bad and, besides, it was a class, with a set drawing style each week, they're not supposed to be finished/professional works of art.
Each week I found that, after about half an hour, I always felt I'd had enough and wanted to stop and go and do something else altogether. This is my artist's block at work, methinks. I didn't, of course, go off and do something else but persevered and was always glad I did. Clearly I struggle with motivation and the purpose of it all.
This is just a selection from the class, there were many more than this.
Charcoal on grey paper. I enjoyed this, having not drawn with charcoal for years. I'm amazed how illustrative it ended up, and not a little twee, methinks.
Charcoal and chalk on coloured paper.
Stick and ink on coloured paper. This was great fun to do, using simply a stick dipped in drawing ink, an attempt to loosen up my style and get away from my customary tightness. I was disappointed that I got the perspective wrong on the thighs but I still loved doing it, rubbing a stick on paper!
This is my favourite and the best of the bunch.Surprisingly it's drawn in ballpoint pen, inspired by Henry Moore's ballpoint pen drawings of sheep.
I absolutely loved doing this, it was a real pleasure to work with this new medium (for me) - I love how it slowly builds up and just how much depth you can get from it. Now it's photographed I can see that the nose is too light/shiny, but I was very pleased with the end result. My customary tightness at its best, methinks.
Will photograph other drawings sometime soon.
Through doing this class I realised that, in the past, when my art creativity was at its height, I saw just about everything around me as a challenge, to try and draw it, get it down on paper. With the disillusionment that art college brought about in me, I no longer felt anything was worth drawing any more, on the whole. I've wondered if I no longer saw it as a challenge - but I also think I stopped believing in my ability to capture it, at least to a high enough standard. I think I ended up feeling I just wasn't much good anymore. I was used to being the best at school (always) and now I was no longer the best...
This reminds me of learning belly dance. Thinking aloud here... It goes like this - when you first conquer some of the difficult moves, you are so carried away with the fact that you can do it, your enthusiasm is high and you think you're the bee's knees. As time goes on and you learn more and more, you realise the depths of the art of belly dance and, when you're more or less at your peak, you lose all confidence because you know (or believe) you will never be as brilliant as the best, so there's little point in carrying on. The thing is, this isn't necessarily true... in belly dance, as in all art forms, we each have our own perspective and flavour to distill and present to the world.
So let's just say that art college knocked the stuffing and confidence out of me. I had such a fantastic reaction to my drawing at the class exhibition (with the teacher wanting one of them and another "student" who's a professional artist wanting to do an exhibition with me) I was left with this thought (thinking aloud again):
- drawing is a skill that I've been blessed with, I've always known that. I've felt tremendous guilt that I'm not using that gift and have been inching very slowly, at least in my head(!), towards becoming an artist (thus this blog). I'm back on benefits again and have never been so skint in all my life, not even when I was on benefits before (I now have 2 dogs to feed and medicate!). Instead of desperately pondering how to be a great artist, I could simply use this skill as a means of earning some money. It's ideally suited to my current (very limited) lifestyle and could be a means to an end for me. I've been wondering what it is I could do to earn money while I'm so ill, and perhaps (if I can get my act together and know how to market it properly) this could be it. So, many weeks later, I'm still mulling this over. Perhaps another exhibition is the answer, certainly I seem to need something to motivate me! Thus the 20 minutes a day challenge.
This reminds me of learning belly dance. Thinking aloud here... It goes like this - when you first conquer some of the difficult moves, you are so carried away with the fact that you can do it, your enthusiasm is high and you think you're the bee's knees. As time goes on and you learn more and more, you realise the depths of the art of belly dance and, when you're more or less at your peak, you lose all confidence because you know (or believe) you will never be as brilliant as the best, so there's little point in carrying on. The thing is, this isn't necessarily true... in belly dance, as in all art forms, we each have our own perspective and flavour to distill and present to the world.
So let's just say that art college knocked the stuffing and confidence out of me. I had such a fantastic reaction to my drawing at the class exhibition (with the teacher wanting one of them and another "student" who's a professional artist wanting to do an exhibition with me) I was left with this thought (thinking aloud again):
- drawing is a skill that I've been blessed with, I've always known that. I've felt tremendous guilt that I'm not using that gift and have been inching very slowly, at least in my head(!), towards becoming an artist (thus this blog). I'm back on benefits again and have never been so skint in all my life, not even when I was on benefits before (I now have 2 dogs to feed and medicate!). Instead of desperately pondering how to be a great artist, I could simply use this skill as a means of earning some money. It's ideally suited to my current (very limited) lifestyle and could be a means to an end for me. I've been wondering what it is I could do to earn money while I'm so ill, and perhaps (if I can get my act together and know how to market it properly) this could be it. So, many weeks later, I'm still mulling this over. Perhaps another exhibition is the answer, certainly I seem to need something to motivate me! Thus the 20 minutes a day challenge.
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Ali the Artist knows nobody reads this
...but is going to post anyway!
I just found this on Guinever Star's blog and thought it might be fun to do. If you find this, do join in and let's compare notes!
Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font
1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars (Ireland 1975)
3. played in a band
4. visited Hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more to charity than you could afford
7. been to disneyland/world (1993 - the one in Florida, whichever one that is!)
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo (in primary school)
11.bungee jumped
12. visited paris (not yet!)
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch (calligraphy, though I'm sure there are more...)
15. adopted a child (it's a thought...)
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (1993)
18. grown your own vegetables (do salad leaves count?)
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train (several times - Glasgow/Edinburgh to London, and in the US)
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked (mainly 1975, on the way to and in Ireland)
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill (oh probably, though I can't remember when, long time ago!)
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping (Lauriston Hall, several times, love it!)
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run (we used to play rounders in the local park when I was a kid)
32. been on a cruise
33. seen niagara falls in person (1993)
34.visited the birthplace of my ancestors (well, I lived in it - Glasgow - but also visited Dumfries when my dad researched our family tree)
35. seen an Amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied (that would be nice!)
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen Michael Angelo's David in real life
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited Africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance (while in labour!)
47. had your portrait painted (several at art school - I think!)
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the cistene chapel in person
50. been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkelling (in the Cayman Islands in 1993)
52. kissed in the rain (probably)
53. played in the mud (no doubt often as a kid)
54. gone to a drive-in theatre (yeah! Vancouver or possibly in Washington State, 1974, with my dad and his wife)
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited Russia
60. served at a soup kitchen - think about the equivalent every Christmas but spending the day with my grandson always wins out!
61. sold girl guide cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood (long time ago - not wise to do it when you have ME, I need my own blood too much, apparently!)
65. gone sky-diving
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a cheque (long time ago in my past life, honest!)
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. eaten caviar (only as a garnish)
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square (1993)
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in london (1971)
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the grand canyon in person (1993)
80. published a book
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in Jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper (an article about be having the audacity to plan a home birth in 1982! As a bellydance teacher in Inverness, and several times in my current job with Rag Tag n Textile, in the West Highland Free Press)
85. read the entire bible (took me the best part of 3 years but I did it!)
86.visited the White House
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox (when I was 3 or 4 years old)
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous (several, though famous is which circle?!)
92. joined a bookclub
93. lost a loved one (too many)
94. had a baby
95. seen the Alamo in person
96. swum in the great salt lake.
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee
So let me know if you take part and we can compare notes!
I just found this on Guinever Star's blog and thought it might be fun to do. If you find this, do join in and let's compare notes!
Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font
1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars (Ireland 1975)
3. played in a band
4. visited Hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more to charity than you could afford
7. been to disneyland/world (1993 - the one in Florida, whichever one that is!)
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo (in primary school)
11.bungee jumped
12. visited paris (not yet!)
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch (calligraphy, though I'm sure there are more...)
15. adopted a child (it's a thought...)
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (1993)
18. grown your own vegetables (do salad leaves count?)
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train (several times - Glasgow/Edinburgh to London, and in the US)
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked (mainly 1975, on the way to and in Ireland)
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill (oh probably, though I can't remember when, long time ago!)
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping (Lauriston Hall, several times, love it!)
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run (we used to play rounders in the local park when I was a kid)
32. been on a cruise
33. seen niagara falls in person (1993)
34.visited the birthplace of my ancestors (well, I lived in it - Glasgow - but also visited Dumfries when my dad researched our family tree)
35. seen an Amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied (that would be nice!)
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen Michael Angelo's David in real life
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited Africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance (while in labour!)
47. had your portrait painted (several at art school - I think!)
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the cistene chapel in person
50. been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkelling (in the Cayman Islands in 1993)
52. kissed in the rain (probably)
53. played in the mud (no doubt often as a kid)
54. gone to a drive-in theatre (yeah! Vancouver or possibly in Washington State, 1974, with my dad and his wife)
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited Russia
60. served at a soup kitchen - think about the equivalent every Christmas but spending the day with my grandson always wins out!
61. sold girl guide cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood (long time ago - not wise to do it when you have ME, I need my own blood too much, apparently!)
65. gone sky-diving
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a cheque (long time ago in my past life, honest!)
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. eaten caviar (only as a garnish)
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square (1993)
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in london (1971)
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the grand canyon in person (1993)
80. published a book
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in Jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper (an article about be having the audacity to plan a home birth in 1982! As a bellydance teacher in Inverness, and several times in my current job with Rag Tag n Textile, in the West Highland Free Press)
85. read the entire bible (took me the best part of 3 years but I did it!)
86.visited the White House
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox (when I was 3 or 4 years old)
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous (several, though famous is which circle?!)
92. joined a bookclub
93. lost a loved one (too many)
94. had a baby
95. seen the Alamo in person
96. swum in the great salt lake.
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee
So let me know if you take part and we can compare notes!
Sunday, 15 February 2009
Ali the Artist is skint...
and couldn't afford the life drawing class on Valentine's Day. :-( I'm desperately needing to earn some money right now!
Saturday, 17 January 2009
First Life Drawing Class in 30? years!
The title says it all. I went along to a life drawing class today and think it's the first one I've been to since I graduated from art college in 1979... Here are the results:
After 6 x 10 minute sketches to warm up (and, looking back, boy did I need it!) we moved onto 20 minutes. I've never used watercolours to draw a figure before (I don't think...) and was surprised this worked so well. Not brilliant but pleasantly not bad. Meg said it was "delicate".
This was a half hour drawing BUT I thought it was going to be an hour so I was really taking my time with it. Proportions are a bit off and it doesn't show up too well in the photo but one of the other artists there thought it was lovely! That was very encouraging! "Delicate" was used to describe this one too.
Another half hour pose. I hate the face, it's all wrong, but I'm fairly pleased with the perspective along the body (except for the chest area which is looking very odd now!). It's comforting to know I can still "see".
A 10 minute pose again, to finish off the day. As the first watercolour sketch worked so well, I thought I'd try another. Very unfinished, of course, but I like it better than I thought at the time.
After 6 x 10 minute sketches to warm up (and, looking back, boy did I need it!) we moved onto 20 minutes. I've never used watercolours to draw a figure before (I don't think...) and was surprised this worked so well. Not brilliant but pleasantly not bad. Meg said it was "delicate".This was a half hour drawing BUT I thought it was going to be an hour so I was really taking my time with it. Proportions are a bit off and it doesn't show up too well in the photo but one of the other artists there thought it was lovely! That was very encouraging! "Delicate" was used to describe this one too.In my final year at art college (1978/79), I used to be able to draw a figure starting at the eyes and just fill in the rest of the space with the drawing. Now I'm back to needing to sketch the whole form first and then move into the details.
Another half hour pose. I hate the face, it's all wrong, but I'm fairly pleased with the perspective along the body (except for the chest area which is looking very odd now!). It's comforting to know I can still "see".A 10 minute pose again, to finish off the day. As the first watercolour sketch worked so well, I thought I'd try another. Very unfinished, of course, but I like it better than I thought at the time.I confess I found myself wondering about the value of it all. I seem to need to have a purpose in what I do. Obviously drawing informs my knowledge of the human figure for other work, but I'm not sure what it's all about, apart from expressing ego... My photography lecturer at college, Joseph McKenzie, said that art is only [forgive me] masturbation. I have a tendency to agree with him...
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