Muses Dancing
There comes a moment when you know that inspiration is about to hit. A drawing is finished as part of the daily practice and it is often forgotten a few minutes later. Other times a drawing becomes inspiration for something else, for something bigger. I draw everyday as part of a discipline not thinking too much about it specially now that I don’t have studio space. I am trying to remain calm and don’t try to start a new piece either painting or sculpture, but this sketch I just finished is inspiring me to put it up on a large canvas that is still sealed waiting for me. I can feel the muses dancing around. I was so close to unwrap the canvas and begin drawing. I had to stop myself. I’ve been worked too many hours in front of the computer and my eyes are getting tired. However, tomorrow is another day. I wonder how graphite pencil looks on canvas. Maybe I could add some splashes of color here and there. I’ll think about it tonight. Better yet, I’ll dream about it.
Tomorrow I’ll know if inspiration was strong enough. Maybe I can wait a little longer before I commit to it. There is no rush and it is possible that this hint of inspiration is just preparation for something else. Perhaps I should wait until the time is right to start a new ‘serious’ art piece. I have limited space and too many pieces to get rid of before I create anything else. I can keep enjoying the muses dancing for a little longer. Let’s see what the day brings tomorrow, or the next day. I’ll keep drawing in my little sketchbook.
It is almost unbelievable that April is already here. It seems like yesterday we celebrated New Years and we already went through 93 days out of 365 of the year. That left us with 272 days left for 2015 to be over. March was a very busy month ending with a fantastic private painting party with the ladies of the Orange Chamber of Commerce. April began with a great sculpting party at Cafe Atlantique in Milford, CT. We had a great time. The April events continue and I will encourage you to join the fun. We are going from Milford, CT to Monroe and New Haven.
I am glad I get the chance to do this and share this time with you. It is not just about sculpting and painting as it is as investing time in yourself. When was the last time you didn’t check your phone for 2 hours? When was the last time you disconnected from everything? The results are satisfactory not only in the results of the artwork, but also in how you feel about yourself. It is a great experience for all of us. I really enjoy each one of these events. You can also request a private party for your organization or group.
One of the most challenging elements of the sculpting parties is to help people see the human body as a continuous flow of organic shapes. Most people see the human body as 4 planes: side, side, front, and back. You can see the edges joining those 4 sides making them almost independent from each other. I have to repeatedly prompt people to make it organic by eliminating the sharp edges because it needs to flow. Every part of the body has independent significance and we can dedicate a lot of time on each one, but the most important aspect is to make all the separate parts a cohesive unit. It is one body. All the parts make one.
Every night I get to teach is a great night. It doesn’t matter if it is a sculpting or painting party, a computer class, an art lesson for one person or many, a lecture or presentation, I love to teach. It feels good to empower people, to help them try new things and have fun with it. I like to challenge people to break with the fear of trying and to accept their efforts as accomplishments. Interestingly, it was not always that way. Yes, I liked the spotlight since very little and performing was a lot of fun, but teaching was something I didn’t like. It is not the same as just being in front of people, perform, and leave. Teaching requires commitment and responsibility.
Drawing is a great visual-spatial exercise that allows the artist to save an idea on a surface on which it can develop to become a piece of art. Some people consider that first draft or what we call gesture drawing as an acceptable technique to be in itself a work of art. Either way, the process of drawing is helping the development of visual coordination, space management, composition, proportions, angles, volume, shapes, light, and shadows, and other elements. The outline separates the main figure from the background and from other objects to understand the position of each in relationship with the others. These skills can be transferred to other domains as interior design, architecture, fashion, web design, and graphic design.
Drawing also provides relaxation, and meditation benefits. It is a good exercise to just draw for a few minutes as part of a daily discipline. In those moments those drawings might not seem or considered a finished product, but the fact that one is getting involved in the creating process, one is building bridges neurologically and cognitively that could lead to complete works of art in the future. The original idea might change, evolve, develop, or remain the same. It could be just a foundation, or a detail element. One might not use that idea for a long time if you use it at all. The most important aspect is that moment. Is about drawing for the sake of it.