ArtClub week 2

Jorge Mayet
De Mis Vivos y Mis Muertos   2008

Electrical wire, paper, acrylics, fabric
143 x 84 x 84 cm

Thanks for another challenging studio.

Our exercise this week was arduous for some of us.  Don't Panic! Drawing 'what you see' can seem like a difficult challenge before you start...too much thinking about potential judgements of truth and reality - in relation to skill, and maybe also, at your age, starting to realize your own vision is connected to how others see reality too? This can seem daunting... but we're really just trying to connect our eyes to our hands through an exercise...an activation of 'being in the moment' so to speak. If that helps.  We're not expecting anything but effort from each other. That's why we call these exercises--or warm ups, if you prefer. Since we are a very non-judgmental group of collaborators in ArtClub anyway, it's only natural to expect that we each boldly risk trying new practices in our safe and friendly society. And truly, with only always awesome and inspiring results.

That's my speech. I learned a lot about each of you this week, and myself. Going forward we will go around the 'starts' of things a little bit to help us get right into the 'doing'.  I'm very excited and curious to see exactly how we're going to do that together!

You did some lovely work last week. I have less time than I thought to post pictures but these are very important because I want you to see how well you each drew, in so many different ways, to notice what you do well, and to learn through the experience of doing and reflecting. I think that's what we really call practicing. 

You each have unique approaches to your artmaking. As you learn to work through new and challenging experiences your ability to realize the skills you need, to build your vision, will grow.

We are continuing with our cycles this next studio. We will build these out through some papier-mâché constructions(as requested!). If you come prepared to construct something, then we can start to construct something, literally.

Also, think about ways your cycles end at their beginnings, but in a transformed state...and how you can show this. Draw or write some differences between the beginning and the end of your cycles - what are the different characteristics?How are they different? How do these differences indicate a transition? Asking yourself these questions might help you to visualize, or imagine, the different stages in your cycle and to inform and enrich details to add to your work next week, and going forward. 

I have some new paints to share, and some canvasses that we can also work on in a cyclical fashion for the rest of this session. 

Thanks for your excellent efforts this past week...and some very challenging insights during our explorations of roots and shoots...

Sylvie

And thank you Heather for our uprooted Tulip!