Reflection #14

If I tell you watching kids is an art it sounds very creepy. But the watching isn’t the art, the kids are. Watching my nephews play is such a great experience. With young kids you’ve watched go from a squalling newborn to a child of six it is amazing. Going to the nursery to see the babies is such an experience. When you hold the defenseless newborn in your arms for the first time you count fingers and toes and look at its perfect little nose, the lush eyebrows, the blue veins underneath the skin, and the tiny fingernails all come together to make one baby!! Watching a baby crawl for the first time or roll over is such a beautiful moment! The unbalance of a baby is so weird. Such awkward proportions! The head seems so fat! The torso is the longest part of the baby but some babies (like my nephews) have such a lanky body structure that it looks just like a miniature person! Watching the wonder that comes over a child’s face is breathtaking. It is such an indescribable feeling to watch children play quietly and help each other learn and grow, it seems like there could never be any dissension in the world and that there should be peace all around. Children have such over exaggerated expressions they’re priceless. When an 18 month old is examining a toy for the first time the surprise they show when it lights up when they press a certain button or it makes a screeching noise when it is shaken up and down without your help is the best feeling in the world. Especially when said child looks up at you like you made it all happen. There’s so much detail that goes into each expression and most people don’t realize it. Every child discovers his/her hand at some point in time and can spend hours just staring at it. It’s fascinating to do and to watch a child do. So watching kids isn’t creepy!

Reflection #13

I don’t do much observational drawing anymore, no. I used to quite a bit, but then I realized that it annoyed me incredibly when things would move and not stay in their original position. I suppose this is why it’s so difficult and when you do it well why it’s so worth it to put it into a portfolio for review or for acceptance into college. I think that some of them are a little awkward in explaining how to do the portfolios. I agree completely 100% that an artist should master the basic mechanics of drawing before they try to fully incorporate their own style into it. It’s hard enough to tell sometimes what a person is trying to draw when they simply look at it and try to recreate what is in their line of vision. When their ‘vision’ gets into it sometimes becomes abstract. Which, can be a good thing but it takes years for most people’s abstract work to become “okay” to have, in my experience. Some people (like down at the riverfront shows) should not have their work shown because they haven’t quite mastered the basics yet, which is demonstrated a lot through observational drawings. I think it’s pitiful that people who have a lot of talent but no, how could I say, ‘training’ epically fail at being a good artist. You don’t have to have training, just a good grasp of what looks decent together. Quick sketches and thick lines a good drawing does not make. I can definitely see the benefits of observational drawing!

Reflection #12

Something that I see as an art form is the art of an argument. Not the stupid, screaming match of i-hate-you, but the impassioned and intellectual stimulation you can get from having an intelligent argument that gets quite a bit heated. I think all emotions are art, which other people have made art about; obviously--love, anger, etc. But I think what "non-artist" people choose to do with their emotions is inspiring. They argue, they fight, they hug, and make up. Have you ever seen an argument between two 'stodgy old' college professors get into an argument? It's intense. At first when the argument is just considered a discussion, then they start to fight more and eventually their hats or wigs start to fall off and their body quivers in indignation and their fingers are wagging so hard it's crazy. It's so great to watch, even if it's not true it's just a portrayal it still is magical. It's not something that is easily described, the look on the people's faces as they feel their emotions. Of course there are little things that are indicative of their mood such as widening or narrowing of the eyes, a flaring of the nose, compressed lips, etc. But more than that there's an energy about the that just suggests they love what they're doing and can't wait until the next time they do it, even if they are proved wrong by the person they're arguing with. I believe it's art because it's something you can actually capture, literally as an artist you can capture what someone else does with their energy and then as an artist you can take what you have and spin it in a completely different direction, so just because you say take a picture of the argument, I think the argument itself and the people involved are the art, not necessarily the picture.