Curtis, I like this thread, thank you for that; I'm also pleased you and Emily liked the book.
One of my favorite Impressionists is Berthe Morisot; Professor Richard Brettell said of her: "Berthe Morisot (1841-1895) was the first woman artist in the history of French art to have a career comparable to the best of her male colleagues. She was also the first to be accepted completely as a colleague by a diverse group of male artists, including Manet, Degas and Renoir. Her acceptance was a radical notion, and it contributed to the idea that the Impressionists were modern. In many ways, she was more central to the idea of Impressionist painting than many of her male colleagues. Yet her social position in the haute bourgeoisie and her gender shaped her oeuvre powerfully." What first attracted me to Morisot's art was her depiction of children in her work, I believe she had few peers in that regard, she was a loving mother, and it showed in a number of her paintings; I believe she used children as subjects for a number of reasons, but one of them was to make a statement about color symbolically, because of her insight that their innocence reveals color emotionally to children in a way that becomes less available to us as we age, and she was reaching for that innocence. The best description I've read about her use of color was: "...her colors looked like crushed jewels or flower petals." My favorite painting of hers is "Child among Hollyhocks" which for me feels like the childhood so many would liked to have had. This link will take you to a technical report about the painting; it may be a bit too analytical for some, I found it stimulating (on both sides of my brain;-). http://tinyurl.com/a2dg5sy http://www.museenkoeln.de/ausstellungen/wrm_0802_impressionismus/abb/gross/27_e.pdf ________________________________ From: curtisdeltablues <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2013 8:25:56 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: When I stopped believing my own lie… This is very cool Bob, thanks for posting this. I spent some time this morning digging in, and it even discusses the lack of artistic education for young people! Some things never change. --- In [email protected], Bob Price wrote: > > This link will take you to the book: > > "The Grammar of Painting and Engraving" > > -Written in the 19th century by Charles Blanc, > > > whose theories (particularly on color) were studied closely by Van Gogh, > Gaugin and Seurat: > > http://archive.org/stream/grammarofpaintin00blaniala#page/n0/mode/2up > > > > ________________________________ > From: seventhray27 > To: [email protected] > Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 4:16:57 PM > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: When I stopped believing my own lie… > > > > Very nice. Paid off for you. > > --- In [email protected], Michael Jackson wrote: > > > > Excellent post, Curtis - I grew up an admirer of comics - ie, the art, and > > wanted to draw - couldn't even draw a stick figure hardly - discovered > > Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, bought it, worked with it - about 3 > > or 4 months later the enclosed attachment came forth - it was the last > > thing I drew back in 1996. > > > > For whatever its worth, when I would spend an hour or so drawing according > > to the techniques she set forth, I would always go into that silent mind > > place she talks about (I forget her name for it) when I would come out of > > the drawing session and went back to verbal left brain functioning I would > > experience GC and UC big time for a couple hours at least - the more often > > I drew the more intense and obvious the GC/UC experiences became - dunno > > why I quit. > > > > > > The light was not great when I snapped the pic of my drawing and yep I was > > a big Star Trek fan > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: curtisdeltablues > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 2:40 PM > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: When I stopped believing my own lie… > > > > > >  > > It makes me wonder how much of education is just giving kids with a natural > > inclination a track to run on rather than educating everyone up to a > > certain level of competence in everything. What is interesting to me is how > > persistent these self limiting ideas about ourselves are. > > > > Some of it may have to do with our cultural focus on people who are amazing > > at certain things. It makes it all seem far from our reach. We need more > > exposure to the "road from sucking" at things maybe. A focus on the process > > rather than the outcome. But letting a kid go through the whole educational > > system without ever giving him or her a chance with some decent instruction > > seems like a set up to me now. I had no idea what I didn't know but needed > > to in order to draw. > > > > I have another book I am going into after this one that is really inspiring > > artistically that made me think of your life in Europe. Lessons in > > Classical Drawing:Essential Techniques from Inside the Atelier by Juliette > > Aristides (Great artist name, huh?!) It goes more deeply into the kind of > > perceptions necessary to appreciate and create fine art, but she is still > > geared to beginners. She uses many classic examples and it is inspiring me > > in a more ethereal way. Check out this intro video for her system: > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tYbd9DnuyA > > > > --- In [email protected], turquoiseb wrote: > > > > > > Excellent rap. I, too, missed the essential parts of > > > education that can teach one how to draw, or that one > > > can. The fact that I can use words to create art (or > > > as close to it as I want to get) is directly due to > > > a few teachers who conveyed their sense of word-magic > > > to me, and taught me how to use them. I agree with you > > > that a large part (up to 80%, the remaining 20% being > > > what we call "talent") in almost any artform reflects > > > what people were taught, not what they are. > > > > > > --- In [email protected], "curtisdeltablues" wrote: > > > > > > > > I know, a little "Man Bites Dog" headline, huh? But since you are here > > > > anyway… > > > > > > > > I was lying to some little kids again. I mean not lying, lying but > > > > tossing some bullshit that all of a sudden I began to smell. I was in a > > > > Title One school (poorest kids in their county) teaching them to write > > > > a blues song to help them understand the difference between character > > > > traits and feelings, which for a first grader is at the top of their > > > > cognitive limits. (Feelings change in the story, but character traits > > > > persist to define how a character will behave in the story. Hopefully > > > > character traits can also change through education, or we are all kinda > > > > screwed, but you see the simple difference right?) > > > > > > > > I was drawing a picture web of ideas using characters from their story > > > > about a fox and a mouse and was drawing a really, really shitty fox. I > > > > mean worse than cave man on cave wall shitty. (No offense to our > > > > ancestors meant some of them drew better than I did.) I told the kids > > > > that as a musician I tend to pay more attention to my ears so I > > > > practice music but not drawing. All this is sort of true, but what was > > > > a stinking lie was the implication that somehow this preference defined > > > > my character trait as a musician guy who can't draw. It sent me into > > > > introspection on my long drive home. > > > > > > > > WTF? Why was I shitty at drawing and was it really based on my sensory > > > > preference? Or was it something that had just been overlooked in my > > > > education, cast aside as something adults don't need to know how to do? > > > > What other area of knowledge is it acceptable for adults to perform at > > > > a first grade level? (Oh sorry that is a two digit number and I don't > > > > do math that high!) > > > > > > > > As I reflected on my art classes I remember being taught how to use > > > > certain mediums, but never having anyone show me how to draw. It seemed > > > > to be accepted that some kids were "talented" (I am beginning to hate > > > > that word as a total cop-out in art.) and they could do this magical > > > > thing called drawing. And then there was me, a special Ed artist to > > > > this day. Was this just a limit I needed to accept, or had my > > > > educational system failed me? > > > > > > > > I needed to know, so I went to the library and took out a big stack of > > > > how-to-draw books including one on drawing animal cartoons. In a few > > > > moments I knew I had been selling myself and others a bill of goods > > > > about me being able to draw as a limit. With some simple instructions I > > > > could draw a very passible fox for my class the next day, as well as a > > > > very cute but simple mouse. I had just never been shown how to draw > > > > one, and some of it was counter-intuitive. So I still sucked at drawing > > > > in general but in the specific I could pull off a fox and a mouse. And > > > > it was still magical how they went from a real picture of these animals > > > > to the stylized few lines that defined them, so I had even more > > > > questions now. How did the guy (or doll, I'm still in my Film Noir > > > > phase) first discover how to SEE what lines mattered most? > > > > > > > > Relevant side discussion: If you come up to me after my blues show and > > > > tell me you like my music, I will thank you and then ask if you play an > > > > instrument. If you tell me you have no musical talent but would love to > > > > play guitar I will tell you that anyone can learn to play simple chords > > > > on a guitar and have a blast playing most of your favorite music. My > > > > practiced spiel includes the fact that I have taught many people to > > > > play guitar who never thought they could, and it is a simple matter of > > > > having someone show you where to put your fingers (Youtube) and then > > > > putting your fingers on strings for 15 minutes every day till you > > > > groove it in. Some go away inspired, some go away dubious, and some > > > > just go away. But some actually do what I suggest and write me glowing > > > > thank-you emails. So for music I believe that talent is overrated as > > > > far as personal satisfaction is concerned. We may never have the raw > > > > talent of Jimi Hendrix, but he was a legendary > > practicer too, so it is still up in the air concerning this > > Natureâ€"Nurture balance. > > > > > > > > But I had never applied my own theory to myself with drawing till now. > > > > > > > > Back to the main story: > > > > > > > > We have all probably owned this book, I know I did, but never worked > > > > through it: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. I > > > > got the latest edition from Amazon and let her guide me. Within two > > > > chapters I was drawing so far above what I thought I could ever do. I > > > > realized that this is a huge gap in education, and an amazing > > > > opportunity to understand altered states of brain functioning. (more on > > > > that later.) Now don't get me wrong, I am a beginner and am still on > > > > the "suck" continuum in my final products. But now I see where I need > > > > to go, I see the path before me. It will take time, but the time spent > > > > is so enjoyable I am sorry I didn't discover this before. > > > > > > > > In a nutshell, what my girl Betty (Now THAT is a noir-chick name!) > > > > turned me on to were some critical concepts about how people SEE in > > > > order to draw accurately. It turns out that most of us draw through the > > > > filter of our conceptions because we don't know how to tell our > > > > hyper-verbal brain functions to chill the F out while we try to > > > > actually SEE something that may not make conceptual sense, but happens > > > > to be the way things look from that angle. If we see a cube we KNOW > > > > that each side is equal, but if you draw it that way it will suck > > > > because it does not appear that way to our eyes. When drawing faces we > > > > really go into hyper-drive with our conceptions because we are so > > > > focused on getting information from people's faces. (We naturally suck > > > > at eye placement because it is actually in the exact middle of our > > > > faces and we all think it is about one third down from our hairline, > > > > and we all place ears too far forward on a profile as well as lopping > > > > off > > most of the top of people's heads in sketches. Our intuition betrays us.) > > > > > > > > So brilliant Betty had me draw from a picture that was upside down so I > > > > only saw shapes, or draw the spaces and shapes around and inside a > > > > chair instead of the thing itself, to let my perception have a chance > > > > to shift into less concept laden seeing. And the results have been a > > > > revelation. I actually drew a cool chair this way, as well as the > > > > corner of my room. (I even got the counter-intuitive perspective lines > > > > right-ish.) > > > > > > > > One of the coolest parts of the book was a quote from Van Gogh pissing > > > > and moaning about how hard it was to draw as he was teaching himself, > > > > and even some examples of what he drew when HE sucked! (Yes, Van Gogh > > > > sucked at first just like some of us do, even though he may have been > > > > able to take that ball and run with it much further than I can once he > > > > got going.) > > > > > > > > Which brings up my current perspective on art. We have been betrayed by > > > > our educational system if we can't bang out chords on guitar or piano > > > > to delight ourselves if we want to, or draw an accurate representative > > > > likeness of something we see. Those are the basics, and it is within > > > > everyone's ability to master that. What makes art become ART is what we > > > > do with that foundation. How can we use those chords to move someone's > > > > emotions, or represent not just the surface of how a person looks, but > > > > how they feel to us on a deeper level in a picture. (Think Picasso's > > > > brilliant insight drawing single eyed women because that is how their > > > > eyes fuse into one when we are leaning in for a kiss.) > > > > > > > > So now drawing through my art book lessons (I have a stack) is a part > > > > of every day, and I relish the state of non-verbal thinking that it > > > > shifts me into. It is truly a meditative, restorative state that I > > > > crave. It is different from the flow state I am in when I play music, > > > > but I can't articulate how yet. It has some similarities in the time > > > > distortion and expansion of awareness feelings, but It is definitely > > > > running different brain software. How it fits into the model of how we > > > > alter our minds through meditation is anyone's guess. > > > > So I hope Marek is lurking, but I will send him this if he isn't. I > > > > would love to hear his take on this since he is so developed both as a > > > > visual artist as well as a verbally expressive thinker. > > > > > > > > Anyone who is a visual artist or anyone who wants to share experiences > > > > about their relationship with art are most welcome. This has so many > > > > profound implications about how we approach education for me, > > > > especially concerning non-verbal intelligence,but I have bent your eyes > > > > (ears?) long enough. > > > > > > > > Thanks for being a place to send such a piece. I'll hang out for any > > > > responses. > > > > > > > > > > >              >
