Art for art's sake

Political art. Art with a message. Art on the edge.

Thinking I must push the boundaries of art to have merit in the art community, I have been paralyzed by self-imposed pressure to create the unique and perfect picture, with a profound message. I wrestled with this thought, as the pictures in my mind's eye seemed common and, in turn, of little value.

Yet as I began to draw those everyday things closest to me, I found a pure desire to create -- art for art's sake. This creative force is unique to each of us; perfect in it's expression. This is art's message.

I had a strong desire to create a drawing working from a dark graphite background, using an eraser primarily to form the image. My black and white cat seemed the perfect subject. The image emerged from the paper much like a sculpture might emerge from stone. The unexpected result was a soft texture in the mid-tones, conveying the feeling of fur.

Surely this is not the first image of a cat drawn from a graphite base, but it is my individual expression of this one cat. And so it seems, as I press my own boundaries, I remain on edge. And by keeping the "art for art's sake" discussion alive, the political dialogue continues. So perhaps, this is it. Art.

Whiskers and Fur I - Graphite

Out and about

Leonardo da Vinci wrote, "When you are out for a walk, see to it that you watch and consider other men's postures and actions as they talk, argue, laugh or scuffle; their own action and those of their supporters and on lookers; and make a note of these with a few strokes in your little notebook which you must always carry with you."

As I'm out and about this week my focus is on people and the creation of gesture drawings, filling the sketchbook page with images. I work quickly -- a matter of seconds, no more than a minute or two, for each image -- to capture fluid movement and expression. I'll photograph a sketchbook page to post. For now, I am compelled to share another photograph, an in-the-moment inspiration from my garden. The elegant lines of the Dogwood blossom, and complementary colors of sap green and rose madder, are sure to be the subject of a future water color painting!

Beginning drawing

This week I will complete a beginning drawing class... again, for the first time in more than 30 years. It was valuable to repeat basic studies in contour, negative space, perspective and shadow. I am reminded of the need to practice technique regularly in order to have the skill necessary to create the imagine in my mind's eye.

Many class activities were taken from A Course in Enhancing Creativity and Artistic Confidence: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. The final exercise was a portrait drawing, using a grid to map a photo image to paper. The technique aids in the creation of a successful drawing. Here, my work in progress, Mascara (16" x 20", pencil on paper).

Most of all, returning to the basics reawakened confidence and inspiration. I am filled with more images than there are days in a lifetime. I best get busy creating!

Mascara - Graphite