drawing as meditation

[NewOrleans]

When things become very hard for me, as they are these days, I return to drawing simple things - like this - as a kind of meditation on observation and mindfulness. The daughter of a film producer sat for me one afternoon and I want to share it with you all here on Cassiopaea Forum.

 

[Kaigen]

:) oh, it's really beautiful, I use to paint and this is like meditation for me too.

 

[skycsil]

That's very beautiful!
Drawing can be very relaxing, actually.

 

[celtic]

That is beautiful I particularly like the expression you gave her in the face, it shows emotion.

That's very beautiful!
Drawing can be very relaxing, actually.

I read on sott an article about the therapy art can have on kids with emotional and social disabilities. I will put it on here.

Art therapist Shalene Hatton, who leads the art therapy groups and put the show together, said her artists learn more than just technique. They learn to plan, problem-solve, cope with anxiety and express themselves confidently.

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/160441-The-art-of-therapy-kids-with-emotional-social-disabilities-express-themselves

 

[Alana]

That's very beautiful!
Drawing can be very relaxing, actually.

I agree on both points. In fact, trying to draw realistically, helps increase our observation skills and attention to detail, as well as our awareness towards reality.

Well done, NewOrleans.

I read on sott an article about the therapy art can have on kids with emotional and social disabilities. I will put it on here.

Art therapist Shalene Hatton, who leads the art therapy groups and put the show together, said her artists learn more than just technique. They learn to plan, problem-solve, cope with anxiety and express themselves confidently.

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/160441-The-art-of-therapy-kids-with-emotional-social-disabilities-express-themselves

Yes, and it is the process of art making that is the most therapeutic part of this type of therapy.

 

[skycsil]

I agree on both points. In fact, trying to draw realistically, helps increase our observation skills and attention to detail, as well as our awareness towards reality.

Indeed! You need to be quite objective and analytic, still sensible enough to catch the spirit of what you're trying to represent.
Somebody once told me I was more an observer than a protagonist (in terms of Piaget's division of humanity) as it if was a bad thing. I think it's far better to observe than trying to be the center of attention. And a lot more useful :P

 

[NewOrleans]

Thanks very much, everyone. Right now I needed to hear some positive response. (Maybe I need a visit to The Swamp to kick that around. I need to snap out of this self-pity RIGHT THIS SECOND.)

Artmaking is a natural gift most people lose by age eleven. Kids are innocent and so they see everything until they're socialized to forget. Really seeing is how I understand Gurdjieff's teachings as I translate that into art. A drawing is a trick pointing to something real..... We work on ourselves only, and so everything becomes a self-portrait.

Realistic drawing takes real focus, an understanding of light, patience and what I can only call tenderness for Creation. Maybe it's too obvious to say out loud sometimes, but whether it's a tree or a night sky or a girl's profile, we are surrounded by a miracle and hardly notice. It's not daydreaming. To be able to catch that moment-in-Time by doing a simple thing right is a very small accomplishment in the rush of the modern world so lacking in beauty. Unless you take a second to notice.


(correction made)

 

[ScarletBegonias]

This is stunning, NewOrleans! Hey, this is a little OT, but may I have your permission to print out your G posters from the other thread to post up in my classroom? I would only make one print of each.

 

[NewOrleans]

Sure, Scarlet. Feel free to use all three of them. Higher rez would be better. I could get higher rez files to you through a moderator if one will help you to transfer. No outside-the-forum contact is necessary.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Sure, Scarlet. Feel free to use all three of them. Higher rez would be better. I could get higher rez files to you through a moderator if one will help you to transfer. No outside-the-forum contact is necessary.

I would really appreciate that, NewOrleans, thanks!! :D

 

[Etevarran]

That's a beautiful drawing, NewOrleans! I wish I could draw with that level of realism and finesse. And you say that's a "simple" drawing!

 

[webglider]

Thank you for sharing New Orleans. Your portrait of the girl is exquisite, you've given her so much light on her hair and on her face. She seems a little anxious to me, but very present.

 

[NewOrleans]

Thanks for your impression, Webglider. I appreciate it.

Art, though, is different: what is apparent is right there in front of our eyes. Everything drawn is really a self-portrait. Did I say that already on this thread? I forget. This girl was the daughter of an assistant film director while I was on a film set as an extra, and all the right circumstances happened to just sit and draw. It sometimes happens that, like a state of grace, you really SEE someone and then record it with simplicity. It's amazing to me how facial nuance - subtle distinction - can be interpreted - as if the face was transparent to inner thoughts. Actually she was quite calm, happy and clear eyed. Drawing children is rewarding because they are more guileless than adults. Children must have fewer false fronts, I would think, because their expressions register clearly and easily on the surface. A fraction of an inch difference in eyes or mouth or muscle means all the difference in expression.
I used to draw "from life" more often because it's a 19th century technique and the immediacy yields delicate features. I always welcome the opportunity to draw this way. In the Modern World hardly anyone has the patience to sit for one. Photography is quicker. But it misses some of the beauty.

Well, thanks again for your comment.


(edited for clarity)

 

[granite_duckling]

Your sketch of the young girl shows a graceful, beautiful talent with which most visual artists struggle. It was refreshing to view and I look forward to seeing more of your creativity.
Kind regards,
a fellow visual artist

 

[bngenoh]

Excellent piece, "I" always found the nose to be the most excruciatingly difficult part of drawing a person, "I" mean the whole face is difficult, you know getting the symmetry and proportions right, but the nose, OH Lord.

But, definitely a good piece, and "I" love drawing too, maybe "I" should get back to it.