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![]() My super busy-bulletin board. Backtracking a bit...here is some info on the origin on the piece I started yesterday... Sometime over this summer when I was cleaning up my studio area (aka, 'where I took over a corner in the kitchen with all my art madness') I found a sketch that I had made...I don't know when, 2008-2009? I am pretty sure that I made this sketch when I was in graduate school, it looks like I was making notes on art nouveau ...so this is my best guestimate as to when I created this sketch. But regardless...it was tucked away in a sketchbook...and we were reunited. I put that sketch on my bulletin board, with the various other items that I pin up to keep me motivated...and it got a little faded, but it was still there...waiting. On Friday morning, when I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep I went and sat at my art table, eyeing my new watercolor pencils...I glanced up and saw this faded sketch and knew that I had to work from this. So I did. I basically kept the same image, did make a few changes and additions. I went with the exaggerated eyes that I love so much, and then stretched out the neck and body in a very mannerist treatment, using elongated proportions. The face is serene and also sad, my feeling on that particular morning. I kept the swirling hair that I love so much, very much in the style of art nouveau...then added butterflies and also the calla lily, from which the figure emerges. For me, butterflies have become very symbolic of Amy. Her death brought about a change in the lives of all that knew her...when I have searched for the meaning of butterflies I have found information tying butterflies to the soul and change in many cultures. It just made sense to add the butterflies, the one in the top right leaving mandala motif, as if leaving this realm. As for the calla lily...this is the flower that I always associate with Amy and her passing. I know that traditionally, calla lilies are associated with funerals...and oddly enough, weddings. Go figure. There were...so...many...so many flowers at Amy's funeral. When I think of those days right after, the wake, the funeral...it is all a blur. But I remember the smell of all the flowers...and the image of the calla lilies that would accompany my friend into the next part of her journey.
I guess that was my attempt at analyzing this particular piece. It is a tribute to my friend. I made it out of love, and it will be sent out to John and Jennifer next week to go along with all of the other art pieces that I have made to try and show how much I love and miss Amy in the language I know best- my art. In other art-related happenings...I finished my CED for today, #322. After completing my piece for Amy, I couldn't help but have some of the elements carry over into this piece. I started with the graphitone pencils for the rendering of the face, again going with the exaggerated proportions in the facial features and the neck...and kept my new watercolor pencils. I love these new pencils, they go on smooth, tons of pigment...when I add the water, my paint brush literally glides across the paper. Love...and I just may commit to drawing Oscar de la Renta in my daily pieces for the rest of the month. I love the vintage styling for the fall runway...yep, just might have to stick with this and see where it takes me. Ummmm...yeah, so anyway. That was my day in art. Completing the piece for Amy was such a serious endeavor, draining and cathartic all at the same time. In many ways I needed to create my daily piece just to get myself back together. Lot's of ideas swirling around in my head...swirling like Mucha's 'macaroni' hair...swirling like butterflies... ,,,random cheerleading signs...CED #321...and some more work on the piece I started this morning...and that's all for now....goodnight!
![]() And now...something else that is on my mind. Tomorrow is November 16th, and if you know me then you know that it is a very significant day. It marks the day that my best friend, Amy German, was killed in a car accident. I have been thinking all day about how November 15th is also important, as it marks the last day that she was alive and that I saw her. You never know when it is someone's last day, I guess that is what I am thinking. You never know when it is the last time you will have to look at them in the face, to hear their voice, their laugh, to be beside them. You just don't know, until it is the next day when they are gone. But you had that last day- what did you do on that last day? This is what I have been thinking about today. Tomorrow marks 17 years since Amy passed, and the day after marks one day that she has been gone longer than she lived...John and I were talking about this and it really resonated with me. So tonight, I tried to focus on the days before she passed. Not one day in particular maybe...just...that time before she was gone. ![]() I looked through a special box that I keep and found her cheerleading bow, her name on it with puff paint. Seeing her bow me think of cheerleading practice, games, competitions...she loved cheering. ...and there were tons of letters, Amy always wrote letters and gave me cards...and she would write on the envelopes and draw little pictures...and I saved them. I am so glad I saved them. ...but one thing I like to look at...some pages that I wrote after she died. I sat down and just- wrote. I wrote everything I could think of, every memory so I would not forget them. There are names, quotes, song titles, anecdotes..it is us on that paper. Our friendship, scribbled in my handwriting on the front and back of those pieces of notebook paper. I am not alone thinking about Amy German, not on this day, not tomorrow- there are so many of us that keep her memory alive and keeping whatever memories that we shared with her sacred. So to all of those people...you know who you are...just think about November 15th...everyday is a November 15th for someone, somewhere...if anything, I think we all know that and will not let a day go by to tell the people that we love that they are important to us. First things first...I am finally, FINALLY starting to feel a little better. Fever is gone (for good, I hope!), not coughing as much, not feeling so stuffed up, and that sinus headache is finally getting a little less intense. I stayed home from school today and..SLEPT. It was so beautiful outside, but I just slept all day. I think it might have paid off. One thing that I did do in between bouts of sleep was look through some work...mainly my monochromatic series from May...seeing the more detailed faces made me look at what I was working on now, and start thinking about how my treatment of the face in my current body of work. I think that in September I started to focus more on quick, gestural drawings when I was working on my daily, 'timed' pieces. This is also the month that I really made the connection with fashion illustration, again, focusing more on capturing the essence of the figure, the clothes, rather than the face. Eyes are my favorite thing to draw but I moved farther and farther away from facial features, especially as I got more and more excited about the fashion. And it just kind of continued...in October I started to reel myself back in, get back into more detailed work, especially in the face...then my brother got in the accident and I moved towards more stylized daily pieces again, for the most part. The fashion illustration continued to include less and less face. And now I am working specifically on fashion illustration for the month, my current work is based on photos from Oscar de la Renta's fall 2012 runway. Yesterday I started to get more detail back into the face, and today a little more, finishing up #320 while re-watching last week's Project Runway All Stars.
So... caught up and feeling a little better. ...trying a little something different here...might start posting some of these here artist's quotes that I make...just a thought for the day...I have already been making these here and there and posting to my various social media pages...but will post here, too, for now will post in my art blog...might post in my teaching blog later...not sure yet....gotta dust the cobwebs off that one!
When I think of Marc Chagall, I always think of my high school art teacher, who once told me he was one of her favorite artists...and anytime I think of her, I smile. Sending love to Mrs. Calcutt on this Wednesday morning. Feel free to 'pin' if it speaks to you : ) ![]() CEDs 317-318...and new WC pencils! ...headcold...so might not make sense...but here goes...I started my piece (CED#317) last night somewhere along the way...passed out from this nasty cold I have managed to get...woke up at 12:30 at the foot of my bed and just called it a night. Moving forward...today. Feeling a little better but not 100% by any means. Two positives...my new watercolor pencils arrived today for one. I had all intentions of unwrapping them and playing...but then I thought it would be better to wait til I am not blowing my nose every two seconds...no need to contaminate the new fancy art pencils. Another positive, got a nice message from someone via my art FB page, and even sold a piece of art! Yay! Oh yeah, and I finished CED #318, too. And now...just some ramblings...boy, I sure do love these fashion illustrations. I have been working on my speed and working in a gestural manner, which I love and I feel will help me if I ever live-sketch at a fashion show (sigh, eyes twinkling...maybe one day...) But at the same time...my hands kind of itch to do some more detailed drawing. So I might do, uh...another side project...and just do a couple of detailed pieces for fun? Maybe? But how will I label these? OMG...girl stop. (talking to myself here, of course) Deep breath. Will worry about that later, but I think that is something that I would like to add in this month. Now, the smart thing would be to gradually get more detailed with my daily pieces as the month progresses and leave my fashion illustrations in the more loose format... Another thing that I am thinking of is revisiting my butterflies...lot's to think about! But for now.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..... ![]() Whenever I don’t have time to blog, I feel a little guilty…but not as guilty as I would feel if I didn’t do my daily art. Over the past few days…I did make time for my art, not posting pics or blogging, but making art…yep, did that. Admittedly, it was busy. This weekend I made the pilgrimage to my professional conference, the Florida Art Education conference, in St. Petersburg for the second and final year in this location (next year is Daytona!) Now, I know I spend a lot of time in my blog rambling about my love of fashion illustration, sparkly thangs, mixed in with some cheer references and other msc. things that I encounter in my daily journey as an artist and creative soul… Today- today I will write about teaching and making art… being a teacher and artist. I struggle with this sometimes, balancing my love for teaching with my love for art. The whole reason that I got into teaching art was, well, because I love art- always have. I have been hooked on art for as long as I can remember, from carrying around an empty Shed’s Spread container filled with broken crayons…to being inspired by Mrs. Calcutt in high school…from my time in undergrad and graduate school...even to tonight when I was working on my fashion illustration for the day… I feel that I have been making the time for my art, and for the most part being productive…of course I will be the hardest on myself in this area…but not only do I want to continue to grow as an artist, but while I am teaching…and I do say one that because I hope that one of these days I can really just wake up and just make art all day…but for now…I do teach art, and I want to be as good at it as possible, at teaching I mean. One thing that I do to improve and grow as an art teacher is to attend my professional conference. I have tried to attend my conferences every year that I have been teaching, in NC and now in Florida. Leaving from my conference today I was convinced more than ever that what I do matters, and that art, my art, is important. One of the themes that resounded with me leaving from conference, again, was the theme of maintaining myself self as an artist. I whole heartedly believe that if I don’t do this, to continue to grow as an artist I am no good to my students, my friends , family, myself…no good to anyone. Last year I attended a presentation by Professor David Chang from Florida International University…here is the link to last year’s blog post which specifically mentioned him and my conference experience; http://www.jenniferlovegironda.com/1/post/2011/11/thank-you-st-petethat-was-much-needed.html So here I am, a year later. Before conference I did take a minute to send Professor Chang an email and to let him know what an impact he has had on my artistically. And he read the email. When I saw him and conference and he said, ‘you’re the one that emailed me’. Yeah, it was me. He remembered me and acknowledged my productivity. My face hurt from smiling. But interestingly enough, I attended his session this year…and he made it known that I had created all this work…and at some point asked the group, raise you hand if you consider yourself and artist…my hand didn’t shoot up. Folks did turn and look, surely I would raise my hand, but I didn’t. Here is why, I guess. I do consider myself an artist, and I think I make art…but then I get confused sometimes, should I say I am a teacher first? I may only be connecting with a small audience…but regardless of the work I have created…this is still something I struggle with. When people ask, what do you do?…You know, I struggle with this. Do I tell them I am a teacher, since that is what pays my bills? Or do I say that I am in an artist, something I also commit time to every day…and sometimes make money doing? What am I exactly? And that may just be something that I struggle with and others don’t, I don’t know. But that is the reason I didn’t raise my hand. But I am doing it now, raising my hand. I am an artist, and I have made art every day this year, without fail. I have made work for my Creative Every Day series, working within distinct themes, made work for shows, made work just because, made jewelry, and just recently, made fashion illustrations. I have MADE. And again…this post will ramble on, in and out of making any kind of sense or following any real sequence…it is for me, really. As I search for some resolution in this matter, affirmation, I don’t know…I just recall what Professor Chang said at conference this year…here are some bits and pieces, I scribbled these words down in my terrible, scribbly handwriting and then tried to go back and decipher like some set of mysterious hieroglyphs…bear with me, might not make sense, very stream of consciousness… “…when we begin to teach…sometimes we begin to retire, artistically…when you check that box on your conference form, are you a practicing artist, what will you check?...your students WANT you to be a practicing artist…they want someone who PRACTICES what they TEACH…don’t retire from being an artist when you start teaching…It needs room in your life….start with something manageable…do your artwork, begin with once a week…look, there is always something to do...you have to make art part of your routine, like brushing your teeth, you wouldn’t skip brushing your teeth, would you? Every week, find half an hour, to start thinking, about what you might want to do artistically…start from thinking, not doing…ART TAKES THINKING, takes conceptualizing…The most successful artists have been organized, right and left brain; combining the ‘want’ and the ‘ought’ to…what can we do in half an hour? Put away all distractions isolate yourself for half an hour to think about your art…then write it down…Go…in your life, your non-art life, next time, doing something else, set up your space…within a few weeks you will create a small piece…The art spirit is always hungry; we need to feed it to stay alive’…It is important to recognize your achievement, important to pay yourself on the back…now what to do with all the art….what if I get rejected?....Feeling bad is good. Feeling bad makes you feel like you have to do something.” It might read like gibberish, but to me there are hidden screams and yells within those words telling me to keep working- keep making. I feel bad when I do not create. Literally, I can’t stop thinking about making art, and I feel sick to my stomach if I do not sit down every day and…make…something. Anything. And I know I am rambling. But what I guess I am trying to say that yes, I am an art teacher. And I love it. My students inspire me- we inspire each other. But I do understand that I must also continue to be an artist first. Everything in my life points this out to me. So maybe next time…maybe next time I will have the courage to raise my hand when the question is asked, are you an artist, are you producing work? Yes. I am. And I practice what I teach. |
AuthorArtist and Art Teacher
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