"Art(ist")

                                                                     

                                                                                   

                                                                              Art(ist)

    When I began thinking about the letter "A" for the first day of our blogging challenge - I could not help, but think of myself and my relationship with art. I wanted to start off by writing, "I am an artist..." Then I thought to myself, but Am I? I could say that I am a non-professional artist, because that is what I usually say. I love art and I have always loved to draw. I have never earned money from any form of art I have created.  So, I went to Safari and looked up the definition for the word artist. It was time to refer to myself in the proper manner, so I can claim it from here on out. 

artist:  * a person who produces paintings or drawings as a profession or hobby.

            * a person who practices any of the various creative arts, such as a sculptor, novelist, poet or 

              filmmaker.

             * a person who creates art: a person who is skilled at drawing, painting, etc...

    Okay, I'm convinced and give myself permission to refer to call myself an artist. Since I was old enough to hold a color crayon and a number 2 pencil, I have loved to draw. I'm going to date myself, but when I was nine or ten, I had a 'magic slate' (for those of you who know what that is). It is a slat tablet with a red plastic pencil. It was magic because you draw on the top sheet and lift up the sheet beneath it, along with the top, and it would erase the drawing. One summer afternoon, I asked my best friend to sit down so I could draw her profile view. We sat on the gold carpet in my family room. My mother would always doodle profiles of girl's faces. She just did; henceforth, I drew my friend's profile. I captured the characteristics of her face. The measurements of her facial features were pretty much spot on too. I realized that day that I could draw faces. Today, we call it life drawing. But, I drew anything and had stacks of  binder paper and color books. 

     What does my art practice look like today? I never really got a chance to develop it, but I did take some life drawing and composition classes in junior college. I raised a large family in my early twenties, while my art remained on the back burner (always lit). So where am I going with this - well, last November I had foot surgery. I had a bunionectomy and osteotomy on both feet at the same time. With a long recovery ahead of me on my bed with my feet up, I packed a bag of drawing supplies and put it at the side of my bed. This consisted of drawing pens, markers, gel pens, color pencils, calligraphy workbooks and blank sketch books. This was going to be my recovery pass time and a golden opportunity to study and draw. I was confined at last and could not deny my yearnings to engage in art any longer! 

                                                                                    

                                                   (Koi water colors), pocket field sketch box)                                

    Where this has led me today is on a sketching journal journey and getting my feet wet in water colors. I follow a wonderful young artist named Becky Cao. Her YouTube videos are informative as well as meditative. She connects her journal drawing and painting to slowing down and being in the moment. She draws the same sunset outside her window quite frequently and claims it never looks the same. 

                                                                                    

      Journal drawing is like keeping a diary, but in sketching form. It's about capturing a memory or two from your day and drawing them, with a little notation next to it about the experience or simply naming what you've drawn. Then, bring it to life with watercolor. This was very intimidating for me as I had never used this medium. Becky coached and eased me into it. She emphasized the idea that the intention for creating your page is not to make it perfect, but to put your personal impression on the journal of what you are seeing AND feeling at that moment. My goal is to fill all the pages of this journal and many more. My kids might like having them someday.

    Here are a few pages from my sketch journal, a little rough - but one cannot improve without trying and practice. I plan on revisiting portrait drawing too. 

                                                                    

                                     (initial sketch with water resistant ink pen, before watercolor)                                                                                                                                                                               

    What I appreciate most about making art a part of my life again, is that it has put me in touch with that inner part of myself, I'll call my soul - which I believe, is all that I am.