This Degas pastel, “The Star: Dancer on the Stage,” was on the cover of an album of classical music that Mom had when I was a kid. I don’t remember what the music was, but I never forgot the painting. We are up in the rafters above the stage, looking down on the dancer just … read more Emerging star
Tag: painting
Playing with 13 Rectangles
In making a fused glass version of Kandinsky’s 13 Rectangles, I intended to explore his philosophy of color while translating the painting from oil to another medium. I certainly learned about his use of values, which I didn’t expect; and a bit about blending, which isn’t possible in glass the way it is with paint. After playing with 13 … read more Playing with 13 Rectangles
Accent in Pink, 1926
When I browsed my Kandinsky book this morning, his painting Accent in Pink jumped off the page to embrace me. The diamond-shaped rectangle stretches its “arms” wide and reveals the energy emanating from the center. The energy take on many colors, black, dark green, three shades of blue, gray, pink, red, emanating from a mottled gray square … read more Accent in Pink, 1926
Regaining pain
For about a month Tom’s been having pain in his right hand. Lately it’s gotten worse and affected his ability to do physical therapy with his hand. It limits his range of motion. Even wakes him up at night. It’s a crampy pain, “like there’s too much blood in my hand,” he says. And his … read more Regaining pain
Immersion
The best way to learn a new language is to immerse in it – go to the country where it’s spoken and do not speak your native tongue. Art is like that too. I’m just wrapping up three solid days of immersion in art. The vocabulary is starting to come into my fingers. In the … read more Immersion
Making room for art
About a year ago, I took a few drawing classes that made me very unhappy. The teachers offered little in the way of actual instruction. There were no learning objectives set out, no clear progression of skills outlined for us. We drew the model and the instructor made random comments and remarks that were intended … read more Making room for art
Kandinsky on materialism
Feeling deprived of spirit and art, I started the morning by re-reading Wassily Kandinsky’s “Concerning the Spiritual in Art.” That got my day going right. One of the quotes I highlighted: Our minds, which are even now only just awakening after years of materialism, are infected with the despair of unbelief, of lack of purpose and … read more Kandinsky on materialism
A bag of cherries
I was sitting at one of those interminable stoplights, when you get off the interstate and have to wait for three light changes of two minutes each just to make a left turn. It was blazing hot and I had a swig of water. Then I saw her. A woman with a ragged short haircut, … read more A bag of cherries
Sticking to it
There seems to be a conspiracy afoot to keep me from my goals of losing weight, painting my sketched concepts, and writing a book. Just in the last four months, my brain blew up. My shoulder froze. Big projects at the cabin need supervision. I signed up with an unhelpful self-publishing program. And now the … read more Sticking to it
The urge to create
“Teach your kids to code,” suggests Eutopia, offering resources for parents to help their kids learn coding. I’m not sure that learning to code would have made my childhood better. Especially if it took time away from my true calling: making miniature villages. The girl in the photo above, in Laos, probably didn’t think she was “working” or “learning.” She just … read more The urge to create