One Thing Leads To Another

Our lives are truly like a tapestry – sometimes our noses are buried so deep in the threads that we can’t see the big picture.  Years later, however, looking back, we see how each little event has contributed to the uniquely beautiful beings that we are.  There are no two humans on this planet with the exact combination of gifts and experiences that we have. Isn’t that great?!  I think so.

This week, I’ve been musing on what everything I’m learning here in Vienna might lead me to in my life and in my art.  That journey forward has also had me reflecting on all the layers of my life so far.  There’s so much to be grateful for – even things I had no idea how they would fit in the big picture.

More immediately, I love how my recent exploration into zentangles has helped me improve my understanding of the human anatomy – an essential step in learning to draw the human figure.  As you might recall, to do a zentangle drawing, you break up your paper or shape into sections before filling each with different doodles.  Yesterday, during our nude drawing session, I found myself making the sections/bubbles without the zentangles and then seeing how light and shadow played within each part. It really helped me to focus on the details and learn to see what was in front of me (this has been quite the learning curve because even if I paid a lot of attention to details as a photographer, as a painter, I created strictly from imagination without reference to reality). Our model was perfect for this exercise as it was easy to see both his muscular and skeletal structure.  I really like the horizontal one.

As for my paintings, the tree one is evolving nicely – there’s finally colour! Yay – my world is always better with colour.  Here you see the first local glazes, another layer of whites in three of the totem animals, and more local glazing on top of that.  There are many more layers until they’re done (and days of drying time in between) – so this is still nowhere near the finished stage.  Just like with life, I have a bit of an idea where this is heading, but truly, it’s a mystery as this Mischtechnik methodology is totally new for me.  I’m still not attached to results – a very helpful state. I recognize that this is a learning process and that the challenges this painting has experienced along the way have provided valuable lessons for me, fellow students, and even the teachers.  Glad to oblige.

Apart from that, the Thriving Artist Online Summit started yesterday and on its first of 11 days, I got access to 2.5 hours of talks on various aspects of a successful arts career by 3 different experts.  You too can join for free at http://thrivingartistsummit.com/signup/  Learning about the business of art is very important to me – so my days are full on this last week of classes for this trimester.

Learning is great – hope you’re learning a lot from the various threads in your gorgeous tapestry.