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![]() …you’re making some progress, then this comes along, and this leads to that…and all of a sudden it is almost a week since you did your ‘art’. So by you, of course I mean ‘me’, ‘I’… had not picked up my pen to work on anything since about a week ago. I am hoping to pick back up with the tree series tomorrow, but for today I pinned up 10 of my 9x12 pieces of Bristol to the wall at the Armory (much like the big ol’ white walls from art school, takes me back…big nostalgic sigh and slight smile) and I started to…just sketch with a big, unforgiving piece of charcoal…off the top of my head, taking suggestions from the kids…’should she look up or down? What is the story?’ It was a fun, spontaneous way to just…CREATE. I won’t beat myself up about it; sometimes life gets in the way of making art. But being aware of it and making an effort to just make time to be creative is all I can do. Such is life. I took a day off to deal with, well, life. Nothing too crazy, just some organizing and then tonight I made the time to sit and work on one of my trees, number twenty-six to be exact. For this tree my time frame was a little over an hour. I love having my little computer right by my side to listen to music and to post updates, but it sure can be distracting. I kind of started, then stopped, and after about twenty minutes finally got in the zone again.
For this tree I referenced tree number nine for the overall shape of the tree and treatment of the background. In tree nine, I got a little playful, using a heart motif throughout the work, from the interior of the tree to the shape of the ‘sun’ shape just behind the tree. I kept these motifs in tree twenty-six while adding my own face (yep, me again) from two angles, then used the hair as a unifying element. I am still hiding words in my work, it’s almost like I am meditating on a particular word or feeling while I am working and it shows up in my line work. All positive thoughts, sending love as my subliminal message if anything. About fifteen minutes ago I put my pen down. Tree twenty-five, done. I feel like this one went a little faster, I started it around noon, worked for about twenty minutes before going to lunch and such. I guess I ended up putting almost an additional two hours into the drawing. It is not that I am keeping time, just making the observation to myself that since I hit drawing twenty the work is taking a little longer, getting more involved. I referenced tree six for this drawing, sticking basically to the exterior shape of the earlier tree and the horizontal line work in the background. For the most part I kept the same patterns and the same pattern placement, again trying to ‘marry’ the pattern and figurative elements. Another change for this drawing, instead of looking at my magazine ‘picture file’ I actually used some pictures I had taken of my own face a while back from a variety of angles. So if the gal looks familiar (and hopefully she does at least a little) then that means I did okay rendering my own face. Side note, I do like the sharp black edges from the pen work, but I am itching to do some ‘detail drawing’, really explore value and realism…another direction for me to explore. Now I have five more drawings to go if I stick to the ‘new’ goal of thirty. However, I feel like I am just getting warmed up –just a little closer to resolving the drawings now that I am twenty drawings into it. Also, thirty was really an arbitrary number, I chose thirty because there are thirty pages in my 18x24 pad of paper, not because thirty is a special number to me, or because it represents the number that will yield to some greater understanding…that’s just how much paper I had. With this in mind, per the title of this blog, ‘Tree Twenty-five...the end (and beginning) are in sight...’ To me this means that, yes, I could be almost to my goal, but it also means that after getting this close to that goal I think I have more questions than answers, each drawing has spawned other ideas, and I really do think that after I complete that ‘last’ drawing it will be just the beginning. I did go and buy some canvases, so I will be taking a little break from the drawing table in favor of standing at the easel and painting. And I do have intentions of bringing my embellished fiber collage technique to this body of work, so all of these things will really be a continuation of what I started out with; just a gal in awe of Klimt and Mucha trying to push past creating just piece of work as a ‘solution’. I am going to start tree twenty-five, really I am…but I did get a little side-tracked this morning. I finished up and submitted my final reflections for my experience as an SDA Scholar at the Confluence in June. Keep in mind that it was my participation in Anna Carlson’s workshop that really did inspire me to start blogging, to really make an effort to write about my process and my art. I don’t know if anyone reads this blog besides me, but I really do enjoy sitting down and reflecting on what and why I am creating. Now, don’t let the occasional grammatical flub fool you- I feel like I am better able to articulate about my art just from sitting and writing about it via this blog. (Mrs. Aldridge, if you ever read my blog please forgive my lapse in syntax and love for commas.)
Attending the Surface Design Confluence in Minneapolis really made me awaken artistically and I know that this growth will also show in my teaching. I am going to post my reflective essay below along with the six pictures that I submitted. I think that the reflection, or parts of it anyway, and some of the pictures may be published on the SDA web site or via their on-line journal. I do want to acknowledge again what an impact attending this particular conference has had on me. So, here is what I wrote…if you know me you can skip the first paragraph… My name is Jennifer Love Gironda. I currently teach art to grades 5-8 at Indiantown Middle School, which is a small school of four hundred students. I just completed my eight year of teaching; I have taught art to all levels, K-12 in those eight years. I earned my MAEd and BFA from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina where I was inspired to study textiles by my Surface Design Professor, Christine Zoller. I am a National Board Certified Teacher in the area of Early and Middle Childhood Education and I am also an avid grant writer. I recently joined the Surface Design Association, and was thrilled when I found out that I would attend my first conference as an SDA Scholar. What an honor. The workshop that I signed up for was Anna Carlson’s Beyond One of a Kind: Creating Collections, Series and Signature Style. I had two main reasons for choosing this particular workshop; artistic and professional growth. On a personal and artistic level, I signed up for this workshop to do a little soul searching and to get these hands creating meaningful work again. I graduated from my masters program in May of 2009. In my last semester I felt like I had really started to find my aesthetic. I was working with hand-dyed and fused fabrics at the time, which I heavily embellished and then combined with my drawing and painting works on paper. I felt like I was finding my voice. However, then I graduated and the work seemed to just…stop. I have done some work here and there since graduate school, but I felt like I was just making work that did not have a connection; work that I was not connected to. Sitting in Anna Carlson’s workshop the first day and watching her introductory PowerPoint, I knew that I had picked the right workshop for me. The whole purpose of the workshop was to identify personal style and aesthetic and then to learn how to push past just making that one piece to really exploring a complete, cohesive, body of work. I was able to discuss my work and inspirations with an amazing group of women, and to get feedback and direction. The in-depth exploration of my aesthetic, and looking for recurring themes in my own work helped me to see that I have little pieces of me in all of my work, I just never allowed myself to push past that one piece. On a professional level, this workshop has many applications. First and foremost, maintaining my own direction and learning directly impacts my students, they always benefit from my professional growth. In addition, anyone that has ever worked with students can tell you of the dreaded, “I’m finished.” I saw this workshop as an opportunity to learn how I could push my students beyond the initial point of completing a work and really delving into a study of a subject or a theme. I had become so used to just ‘doing’ that I forgot the how and why. I will take from this workshop a focus on reflection and looking for connections not only in my students’ art but in my curriculum planning. I have the potential to help my students really connect to their work and make art that is meaningful to them. I am currently enjoying the last of my summer break. Since conference I have taught two art camps to students ages 5-7 and worked on lesson plans for my own students in the fall. One thing that I have noticed since I returned from the SDA Confluence is my desire to have a textile reference or technique in all that I do, and I am excited about infusing my curriculum with surface design. In addition to planning for the next school year, I have started an art blog, which I write in almost daily. I realized that I am heavily influenced by Gustav Klimt and Alphonse Mucha, so I committed to creating ten 18x24 tree pieces combing what I love about these two artists. After the first ten drawings were done I decided to just keep pushing myself (thank you, Anna) and now I am on to drawing number twenty-four and still going. I have plans to work with a variety of painting and collage techniques and to return to the fused fabrics and beading that I fell in love with in graduate school. I feel more aware of myself as an artist and a creative spirit as a result of the SDA Confluence and I am excited to see my passion extend into my teaching this coming fall. So, that is what I submitted. I am not great a proof reading so I am sure that there are some mistakes, but I wrote it down- I got it out there. If by chance any of my fellow art teachers are reading and want to know more about the Surface Design Association and the SDA Scholar program, here is the link to their site: http://www.surfacedesign.org. And now.. what else? Starting tree #25, which will be interrupted by a trip to Michaels and lunch, but nonetheless, I am starting it and that has to count for something. …just finished tree number twenty four. While working on this one I tried to take pictures periodically to document the tree as it ‘spread’ across the paper…kind of like watching it grow from a thought to my drawing on paper. I kept hearing the Avett Bros. song, ‘And it Spread’ in my mind as I was drawing. (…and I admit, I did play it on my Ipod once I finished the drawing)
I digress, per usual…So for this drawing I looked back at tree number five as a reference point. I used the same basic shape for the tree, give or take a few curves. In tree five, I guess I started to become interested in the background. I remember thinking about rays of the sun and what the wind would look like if I could trace it- and trying to mimic this in my line. I brought this to tree twenty-four, kept working with my figurative elements, and tried to make more of an effort to allow the patterns and motifs to transition into the ‘macaroni’ hair, usually by using thin curvilinear lines to move from one area of the tree to another, and to provide boundaries as needed. I am still hiding words in the image, which I don’t think I have mentioned yet. (So…ummm, yeah, I have been hiding text in the trees…) I guess this tree took about three hours. I am getting lost in these trees, lost in just making marks on paper and I love that feeling. Anyway, I will take a photo of it tomorrow when I have daylight. For now I am just going to post the in progress pics, get some sleep and then see what I can create tomorrow. I am posting tree twenty-one not only because I just finished it, but just in case that is it for the drawing tonight. Not sure. Do I have nine more drawings in me? Yes. Can I finish them by tomorrow? Possibly. One thing that I have noticed is that these last few have taken more time, so it has been a little slower going than the first fifteen or so. Then again, I am doing more pre-drawing and the figurative elements take more time. Also slowing me down a bit- I am going back to the first five drawings and referencing the shape of the tree, patterns/motifs used, etc. in attempt to relate the last ten works in the series to the first drawings. Again, posting this one just in case I don’t get anything else done tonight but you never know…
Above (Left) Scooter has found a new napping spot. (Right) Tree Twenty-one, pleased to meet ya! ![]() So after a pretty productive day/night of drawing, I am taking some time today to look for more images/organize and to write a little about my process. On ORGANIZATION….I have created a visual filing process, which helps me when I am trying to draw my figurative elements and also gives me inspiration. When I am reading magazines and I am always looking for faces and bodies. I never really have anything in mind, just whatever catches my attention. Sometimes it is a particular pose, sometimes the angle of the head of the gaze of the eyes. I rip the images sorting them according to face vs. full body. Then I sub categorize the images into full-on view, three-quarter view, profile, looking up vs. looking down, seated figures, etc. I even have another category for patterns, which I sometimes find in textiles, jewelry design and other fashion-based sources. I have another category for hair, when I pictures that showcase hair, usually really wavy or wind-swept. (LEFT: just some pics of the mess I created this morning as I was pulling and sorting images. Notice I do have a studio assistant, he isn't very helpful though) Funny thing is, no tree pictures on file. Just thought of that. I guess I am not as concerned with the tree; it is more of a vessel for the figure and patterns. Side note… I have had formal training in drawing from life. Did the whole standing for three hours, looking at the nude figure and trying to recreate it in conte crayon or charcoal. Loved it. I have done self portraits, set up mirrors in different settings to learn my own face and how to articulate it in paint and other media. I love drawing from life. But sometimes you want to start and stop a drawing, or you can’t get the model to stand still so my go-to source for ‘models’ for my work is the images I see in magazines. So for the tree series I am working mostly from photos, however that could be a whole other series…something to keep in mind. That would definitely be more gestural drawing, perhaps with charcoal or India ink and a long handled brush… Now on to PROCESS….When it’s time to draw, at least for this series, I have started one of three ways. The first way of working on this series is to start with the tree outline first, then fill the shape with pattern and figurative work if it ‘fits’ with the image. Sometimes I will draw the face(s) first and then add the tree later; there really is no set formula I just decide when I sit down. I sometimes start by tracing a large circle on the page in pencil; I like the idea of the circle as a metaphor for showing something that is sacred…mandalas, halos, Byzantine iconography… the circle is just something that is aesthetically appealing to me. In the first half of the series I sat down and just started to draw with a Sharpie. No pre-drawing. Somewhere around tree fifteen…I started doing more pre-drawing in pencil and not just sitting down and going straight for the pen, which allows me to make changes as I draw. For the most part each drawing have been completed in one sitting (the 18x24 drawings); time spent on each drawing ranges from twenty minutes to two hours. And I am not sure how other artists feel on this, but I just about always listen to music when I work. So that is how I organize and my explanation of my process for this specific series. After finishing the twentieth drawing last night, working on the slide show and then organizing some of my images this morning I just felt like taking a minute to record and to reflect. That is really the whole reason I started this blog, to write what I am doing, how, why… and to really keep myself motivated to keep working. Now, back to work! Gotta try to finish these trees so I can treat myself to some canvases tomorrow! Please note: I edited the slideshow on 7-9-11 to show all of the drawings that I have been working on, not just the last three. …drawing number twenty- DONE. *Here’s a slide show showing some of my day (and night) of drawing…and by the way, no more Sharpie, the ink looks blue-black. ![]() ![]() ...one change I forgot to make note of…I am still using the Faber Castell pen. The first seventeen drawings were Sharpie fine point, and I guess I switched to the new pen without even thinking about it. (compare one of the first drawings to the last one, on the right) Looking back through the other drawings, I do like the thick Sharpie line; there is something very strong about those heavy black lines, like they don’t mess around. Those lines mean business. The new pen…the line has more feeling, more intuition. This line might cry if you yelled at it. When I look at those lines I can see little wobbles, where I was deciding which way to go, took a breath, little pauses. Another change in the last few drawings…I have started doing some light sketching with pencil before jumping in with the pen. Mostly on the figurative parts, but the last drawing I also gave myself some pre-drawing for the tree. It seems like in the first drawings I was really exploring pattern and motif I love in Klimt’s work, and gradually worked towards adding figurative elements; exploring ‘Le Style Mucha’… his ‘macaroni’ hair and use of the female form . I know that part of this is because I have been drawing so many of these trees, but also probably because I have created them on different days, with different influences inspiring me on any given day. So, back to drawing utensils… I like both, but I think that there might be too big of a difference, so I may consider using both pens. My worry is that the ink won’t match…guess I will just see what happens. Oh, by the way- tree number nineteen is complete (below). Now on to tree twenty! |
AuthorArtist and Art Teacher
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