Reflection - a vice?

We say stop, listen, reflect, measure up, act, for if we don’t how can we move forward in a focused and clear way and become better at our craft and living...



But have you found that sometimes our reflections are negative? They stop us in our track, they slow us down; they take our minds away from simple solutions; they distract and can distort our views. We start comparing our craft or ourselves to others and start seeing only our flaws...These moments of doubt or fear on our very being take great courage to overcome. They should provoke us to action, but how many of us get bogged down in our own vanity; our fears rise to the surface, masking our expressive selves. Isn’t it a paradox that at times I feel we value ourselves too highly that it stops us from living our passions, our desires our dreams but in actual fact the vanity manifests itself into a low self-worth breathing giant...I certainly am one of those individuals who needs to stop thinking and jump in to the activities that bring me great enjoyment and satisfaction...i shall keep moving...

Day 4: Drawing metal

Lyn seemed to be pleased with the progress I was making with the beads...she said there wasn't quite enough depth in the shadows, so I used a 7B to add more depth,also when I printed out the picture in black and white I noticed that some forms became more clear with the absence of colour so I was able to go back in and add further detail to some of the shapes. btw i worked with my naked eye...without the interference of a lens or my glasses and felt so much better at being able to see sharply and work at very close proximity to my work...Lyn laughed she said Ania, you have to loosen up, be more confident with your strokes...(a fleeting thought about blind people and how they do it crossed my mind...perhaps my hands could become my eyes as well...) Today she showed me how I could achieve a lustre in graphite work by having sharp edges and blending the pencil markings.

So I drew a second metal bead...there seems to be more contrast in this one.

One of Lyn's art works caught my eye in this Alladin's cave...

It is just gorgeous...It is a conte self-portrait of Lyn holding a Kaiteg rug from Daghestan. The story behind this piece was even more beautiful...These rugs found in two villages are used as swaddling cloths for newborns, to wrap jewellery dowries in and also used at death to cover the face of a person who's died. She asks the question 'Who will cover my face when I die?'

Day 3: Observing Tonal Values

Day 3 and more books to read. I was given The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, a book also recommended by a friend and Art and fear: Observations on the perils (and rewards) of artmaking to which I straight away identified with! It has taken a lot of courage for me to get this far...

Some journals that are highly recommended include:

American Artist
International Artist

OK so today I was shown how to use Frisket Film. The crisp edges of detailed drawings or ink sketches can be obtained through using this film. After peeling the backing paper and sticking it in my sketchbook, I drew a cut-out design with pencil on it then used a Stanley knife to cut out the shape. When I peeled the cut-out away I was able to use graphite powder and pencil to shade in the area and when I peeled the film off the page I obtained a very neat sharp and crisp outline...the idea would be to go back into it and work at it to achieve the tonal effects required! Another lovely technique!

I started shading today...first Lyn spoke of Wow - white on white...she's asked me to practise drawing a white lace tablecloth on a white surface to show that there are so many values inherent in white and to help me to look for light and shade intensely...

HW to shade in the order she suggests:
1) Wow
2) Black and white photos
3) colour photos
4) Objects

But because I am doing an intense course we have moved straight to a colour object. I fully understand what she is saying and I'm so pleased that she explains the whole process of learning to me so that I am able to fill the gaps in my own time...(I'm going to miss her so much when she leaves!)



And here is the outcome...the middle row I did with Lyn and the other rows I tried myself. I mostly used an HB pencil because I didn't have the full tonal range!(I need to get some!!)

Day 2: A graphite drawing

The aim of today's lesson was to learn about composition rules and tonal shading.
We looked at the rule of thirds and the golden mean (fibonacci numbers) which all made sense to me through my understanding of Chopin, Debussy, Mozart, Bartok and modern songwriters! Now I understand why well-proportioned paintings and photographs emit pleasing soundscapes!

So today I was asked to take a picture using the golden mean and the rule of thirds principles for the piece of beautiful Tibetan jewellery I was to draw...For some reason the mathematics just doesn't want to stick in my head and I when I tried to apply the rules the photo just didn't seem right! After 2 shots, I decided I'd take the pic in the manner I usually take them...I filled one corner of the picture by framing part of the focal point with the camera lens whilst keeping white space in the foreground. I don't know if this works or not or why it works if it does work but for me I like the balance...Lyn also agreed that this shot was better than the previous two where the whole of the focal point appeared in the top third.



First I blocked out the drawing and had difficulty getting the proportions and the angles right. But since Lyn gave me this exercise to teach me how to see tonal values and learn how to recreate it on paper, I was somewhat loose in my interpretation of the sizes of stones and the inherent angles.

For homework I had to practise creating a full tonal range. I found it challenging to get the smoothness between the gradations...It's an interesting experience being in the learner's seat but under Lyn's patient guidance I persevered.

Lyn's so generous with her time and her knowledge. She shared a lot of her books with me. One of these amazing books is Vitamin D for Drawing by Phaildon Press...the book's just gorgeous...it's a huge album but each leaf is torn and not cut and it contains many inspirational contemporary works. She also recommended Vitamin P for Painting...

She also gave me a plastic see-through clipboard and said try sketching your hands or your feet by using a fine felt tip pen on the plastic. This way the depth would be removed from the object and I'd be more easily able to transfer the angles to a 2D plane! So simple and so clever...She sed practise doing this with different hand positions and foreshorten the hand so you get used to the lines that are produced in 2D. She sed once I'd practised these a few times my eye will naturally start to draw what it sees and not what it knows!

She keeps saying these are just tools, just techniques. She can't stress enough that it is the message that is being conveyed which is so important.

I'm loving the lessons because I am able to identify with her philosophy for teaching and learning; she's so generous with her knowledge and time...and I really do feel I will be able to move ahead...

Lyn's an artist, but also a teacher, she's a curator and brings quality art for people to see...I love her works as well...I love her lines and the purity of expression. I love her ink work and the fluidity within the piece but also the precise and delicate approach to each subject represented.

Some artists I must research...Godwin Bradbeer and Innocence

bone flesh bone flesh bone flesh...

Noella Roos

Egon Scheile (whose oils I know and like)

Some must read books...

Drawing by Paul Thomas and Anita Taylor
Drawing Space, Form, and Expression by Wayne Enstice and Melody Peters

A pic of Lyn's fab studio...

I am not a fine artist yet...

So now comes the time to reflect on personal targets...targets I say? Surely one has to know what they are and assuming I know shouldn't I know whether they're smart or not? How can I review if I haven't stated them...Didn't i say at the start of this blog that I wanted to create a blog to keep an account of all my creative pursuits...perhaps I need separate blogs or perhaps I just need to go with the flow and record whatever happens naturally and intuitively.

OK this posting is an admission that I am not an artist, that I've always loved and supported the arts and the development of culture in our lives but that I've never done anything serious in the fine arts field. I am a beginning artist and shall try to post my endeavours as they happen...time will tell if I as a late bloomer can progress and achieve enjoyment and satisfaction in developing the skills required.

Today, I ventured into Lyn Raymer's studio. What a wonderful space created...In two hours I learnt so much that I felt compelled to immediately write it down...

1) work from the elbow not the wrist; make long confident strokes especially needed in gestural work
2) use reductive methods...start with the darks then paint with light
3) the importance of taking photos and keeping a sketchbook
4) the importance of drawing things that speak to you...making the art yours
5) blind contours don't only make the artist 'see' the object but allow for the development of purity in a line
6) using plastic cutouts to obtain clean edges when doing ink work
7) u need to know the rules so u can break them
8) disappearing lines where contrast with the background is slight
9) knowing what to leave out in a final composition
10) to measure angles imagine your pencil is a windscreen wiper working on a flat pane of glass (translating 3D to 2D)



Lyn as teacher

She's a fantastic teacher because she states what the aims and learning outcomes for the lesson are...I know exactly what she is looking for.

She's an encyclopaedia of knowledge and draws on so many experiences; from renaissance treatment of light to the blind contour works of her Year 10 IGCSE students and the purity of line that's achieved as a result.

Her studio's alive with breathing, inspirational pieces of art; pieces she's purchased herself, her own work and that of her students.

Books; instructional, philosophical and albums complement the fine paintings and props which she regularly draws upon.

She oozes a contemporary, experimental, refreshing and down to earth style (quintessential Australian - but then I'm biased :p)

She's so caring...she wants her students to feel good about their work...to experience joy and satisfaction (even if they are late-bloomers!)

She is simply amazing!!!

I'm so looking forward to tomorrow's lesson...a graphite drawing of some detailed jewellery...

And this is my outcome, a drawing of a ceramic pot in charcoal with the lights and darks carefully drawn in...

I am really happy with this outcome because there is beauty in the contours of this form which I have tried to recreate...the crevices and the slight bulges give this drawing the roundness of form and a 3D feel.

Reflecting and moving forward...

Yes it’s the end of another academic year and I’ve completed reviewing all my personal, professional and departmental targets...the evidence for progression has been accumulated, documented and filed away. Do these documents make me a better teacher or is it the doing in the classroom and out that make me a more proactive teacher and reflective learner? The documentation, we are told, shouldn’t add more burden to our daily loads, since it is just a formal way of expressing that what we are already doing...and why does it have to be the painful process it is perceived to be...another of the to-do things on our lists that might not necessarily enhance our teaching and learning? but perhaps educators haven't considered the interactive and visual ways we communicate...perhaps this is how we ought to be evidencing our work? Can blogging make the processes less painful...



There’s certainly a record of progress to look back at...we can see trends, we become forgetful of the good things we do, we see activity, we invite discussion and we see the vision and direction all headed towards improvement. Surely this is a good thing...Look at Leonardo Da Vinci and his inventions and notes on the human body as they developed. Did they not move him forward? Look at the diary of Ann Frank...did she not work through her emotions and feel reconciliation through her ability to express her fears? And what of the artwork of Kelly Rae Roberts, Teesha Moore or Maitha Demithan...do they not grow as individuals through reflecting on the personal experiences which are manifested in their visual expressions of the self and of the progress being made? Are these individuals just geniuses or have they grown and developed from their very own recordings of events and experiences? Some of us are very fortunate in being able to share our experiences in complete confidence with our soul mates. But these are largely intimate and often manifest themselves as shared private verbal exchanges and through them we surely grow...But the communication of experiences, emotions, joys and difficulties to a public who choose to listen are often expressions of the self and of progress made that make these people more than just visionary thinkers, but also doers.

What better way to communicate and treasure one’s experiences and share our gifts, processes and outcomes other than through a reflective journal, diary or blog...

Your smile

When asked to speak about Melissa one day a tremor I sensed from a distance away
I heard and I felt spine raising tingles, the slam of a door and Star Wars key jingles
It won’t be hard to find words I say, I’ve spoken to the kids – it’ll be ok
We tried to film, we tried to take shots, with Rob ending up tied in all knots
What will we do? She’s hard to pin down, diversions have created a permanent frown
So we test and we wait in silence we see, let’s watch her react for a moment of glee.

Don't ask any questions, don't tell a lie, I'll sing and I'll dance until you try
Excel about dollar signs for absolute truth, Unplug the cables - DON’T its uncouth!
Buttons on printers are made to be GREEN, so when anyone comes, why CAN'T it be SEEN?
Listen to me now! I won’t repeat! God! What now? The clock’s lost its feet?
Or is it the hands? They’ve frozen in time… the IT Crowd - You’re truly subliiiiiiime…
C hocolate cake treats, no coursework for now ,break duty calls on Mondays but how?
I’m fixing a problem, I hum and I ha… I never did realise but I sing la-la-la

So into the rabbit hole let’s jump in our skins before Leed’s Rhinos sit on our shins
Oakley was waiting his eyes puppy wide clear, Oakley, dear Oakley, you’re ever so dear
Eyes oh eyes, the mirrors tell all, s o let us in before we grow tall
The inner child, the inner retreat, an honest heart rests on a seat
And the key is work and hard work it is true, even at times when one feels so blue
The marking is thorough and good feedback a plus, students are teachers and learners are us
Listen o listen, to the eyes and the feet, reveal that smile, it’s ever so sweet!

We love you, we'll miss you, but what can we do? Love us and miss us for our hearts are all true.