This weekend was the first time I felt ready to paint. I'm eager to carve out a little time and see what happens. I'll keep you posted.
They say that using your non-dominant hand engages both hemispheres of your brain. Increasing creativity and building healthier brain. I can't say I feel anymore creative. In fact, I often feel tired. But I am getting a lot more comfortable with using my right hand. My handwriting has progressed from that of a 5 year old to that of a 6 year old. I'm doing better with drawing though shading and control are still challenging. I have to really focus in a way I haven't had to do in a long time. That's probably a good thing though. Forcing me to pay more attention to what I see and how I recreate it. The lack of control has created a bit of new style (see the elephants below) too.
This weekend was the first time I felt ready to paint. I'm eager to carve out a little time and see what happens. I'll keep you posted. As I was preparing for my photo show, my sister recommended that I take look at the work of Saul Leiter. Wow! I loved it instantly and can't help noticing how much we are attracted to similar images. I'm eager to learn more about him and his work. Here are a few I've found so far. To see more work from Saul Leiter, you can go to his portfolio on In-Public.
I have a new showing this March and April at Ancora Coffee on University Avenue. Some photography this time. I'm still one-handed so a group of friends pitched in and helped me set up.
Ancora has the best coffee in town,so stop by and grab a cup and check out my photos if you're in town. Most of my time this week was taken up with hand surgery and recuperation. I did get time to practice drawing and writing with my right hand though. The drawing has its moments, but the writing still has a long way to go.
Being restricted to using my non-dominant hand really pushes me to be creative. What can be cooked and eaten using only one hand? How to open a brand new jar? Answer - secure it in the vice grip on the workbench in the basement. Showering and dishes with my cast encased in a plastic bag. My cat and I have been glad of some quiet time at home. Tomorrow it's back to work and a whole new set of challenges. Things were going along great. Good daily drawings, Monday paintings, and then the unexpected happened. In an instant everything was different. Walking home from work, just two doors down from my house I slipped and fell on the ice and after a long night in the ER I left with a bulky splint on my left hand. Boxer's fracture they call it. This one is a bad break and surgery is upcoming.
So until I've healed and regained mobility, I'll be doing a lot more with my right hand. Like typing this blog one handed and drawing. You'll notice a distinct change in my skills, but I'm actually proud of these. Not bad for my opposite hand. It should be an interesting journey. Time sure does fly! I'm still getting used to it being 2016 and January is already ending. I always thought I was unaffected by Daylight Savings time and never found New Years much of a holiday, but I'm starting to reconsider. Looking over my work this month and then looking back at last January I've noticed January is a bit of a mess. Back to lots of sketches and drawings that jump from subject to subject. So, here is what I've come up with this new year.
Some people enjoy Monday night football. I've decided to start Monday Paint Night. It seemed like I was rarely able to work time to paint into my routine. I manage to draw daily, but painting somehow was always hard to get to. So I decided I would devote Monday evenings to painting. I've set up rules for myself - I have to come straight home from work, no stopping, dinner has to be no fuss, no doing dishes or getting on the internet. Straight to the painting, no excuses. The idea is to improve my painting through consistent practice. So far it's been working well...and I'm having a lot of fun. This one is still in the works. Back to it tomorrow.
Winter was a long time coming this year. It was mild and pleasant through most of 2015. But now it's here and it's come with the name, Polar Vortex. They say a Polar Vortex is a large pocket of frigid air that typically stays put over the North Pole in winter. When it drifts south and settles over Canada and the northern Plains, as it has the last few winters and will this week, it can make things feel, well, Arctic, for extended stretches of time. Well, late present from Santa Claus or not, it's finally frozen the lakes. I've been waiting for a chance to go out and look at the newly formed ice. It was 0 degrees with a good wind blowing. I didn't really mind the cold too much until I had to take my gloves off. That's when I felt how cold it really was. I hope the pictures convey some of that feeling. I'm not sure you can tell just how clear the ice was when standing on it. It felt like it shouldn't be solid, but it was. A very interesting experience.
The year is winding down and it's time to look back and see what kind of year it was. All in all 2015 has been a good year. I've got a good job with some great people. I've cleared away some debts. I'm seeing progress in my drawing, painting, and photography. Last December I wrote that I wanted to "pay attention to personal routines and rituals...to reconnect" with the seasons. I think I've been able to do that this year. It took some time to find the rhythm, but I'm getting there. The biggest change is my walking. Morning or evening, depending on the weather, I walk for about an hour, going to or coming home from work. the slow pace gives me a chance to acclimate to the shift in my schedule. Either waking up and shifting into work mode or letting go of the rush and stress and slowing down. It's quiet time when my mind can wander, when I can really look at my surroundings. Look at shells on the shore, bird feathers in the grass, colors in the sunrise or fog lifting off the water. As winter closed in I decided to try to embrace it and bought some cross-country skis so I could could get myself out to look at the world in snow. But the snow has had other plans. So far it's been too warm for anything but rain. That won't last though. Not here. In fact, as I'm writing this snow and sleet have started to fall and the wind is wiping around the edges of the house. 2015 seems to have set me on a good path, now to discover where it will lead me in 2016.
I'm still drawing magnolia branches. I want to do another painting over the holiday and am trying to observe and learn what I can. I find them beautiful. There's something so interesting in the way they branch and zigzag, the bark spotted with green and blue, the soft but sturdy flowers, the red of the new growth.
I hope you enjoy them. I'm sure there'll be more to come. |
Beauty and InspirationThis blog is about my inspirations and my love of art. I welcome your reactions to my work. Archives
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