Prompt of the week: Journey

Can't remember if I wrote on this blog about Tankas(?)
It's a short poem, Japanese.

A tanka is a 5 line poem of 31 syllables.
A Haiku is the first 3 lines of a Tanka.
A Haiku is 5,7,5 syllables.
A Tanka is 5,7,5,7,7

Here's a Tanka about journey:
When getting ready
For going on a journey
I gather my stuff
And if it's weighing me down
I'll choose to let it all go

When I Googled journey, I got a lot of images of the rock group. The word journey is interesting. Every move we make is technically a journey; we go from one place to another. We usually think of journey as a big or long trip. It reminds me of explorers and ancient cultures; of Charleton Heston and Harrison Ford.

I associate journey with self help books. With meditation and Deepak. With journaling, self-observation, changing perspective.

Time feels different when remembering that life's a journey. It slows down. Senses are heightened and much more is noticeable. A while back when I was having chemotherapy, I felt that I could feel and see movement everywhere, inside and outside of me. I painted that movement and still continue to paint objects moving off the page. My journey, the part I'm aware of, includes universal truths as well as my own unique stories.

Always taking time and steps, our journey through life is a process.
It feels good to remember that. If life's a journey, we don't really ever have to worry or feel stuck. Everything is always moving and changing. Nothing stays the same for long.

Three?

The way I started this blog goes back to December of 2013. Four friends and I decided to keep a daily blog of one simple drawing a day. We took turns at devising a prompt of the week for all of us to respond to on our own blog page. Well, it went on for some time, the group blogging ending about a year ago. Except for me. I kept going, blogging frequently for months, but lately slowly slacking off a bit.

The topic of returning to our practice has come up before, but this time there seems to be some interest. One of my blogmates has actually suggested a prompt for this week. The prompt is "Three". And then, "Three, differently". What does it mean? I don't know, and it's not really important. The idea is to simply follow your impulse and respond in some way. 

I chose apples as I was eating one as I read the email about the prompt. I drew some apples with pencil, then colored pencil, then watercolor. I wanted to jazz it up a bit to make it more interesting for myself so I cut out the apples and painted another background to set them against. Was it transformational? No, but it pleased me so I took photos and posted them.

Bad Feng Shui

With the car still running, we peered through the restaurant windows as we couldn't tell if it was open. We saw recessed overhead lighting and a wood stove burning. We entered happily as delicious scents wafted our way.

It felt very chilly at our seats;  there was a cold wind blowing directly on us. As we were perusing the menu, the waitress came over and M told her that we were cold, and asked if she could do something about it.

The waitress explained that the cold was coming in from the doors. "I apologize, she said. She had the doors cracked open because of the smoke from the wood stove, but she would try to adjust the temperature.

M went out to the car to get her jacket and I asked for a root beer. The waitress brought over a mug and I took a swig. Tasty, but no fizz. Completely flat. I waved her back over and told her of the problem. "I apologize", she said. "During the summer, we thought the heat got to it, but now it's almost winter and it's doing the same thing. Would you like some water?"

M and I commiserated about this sad state of affairs. We knew this restaurant when it was just a take-out place downtown. We followed when they moved onto the main drag. They'd been at this new location for a number of months. It sure didn't feel the same.

Just then, thick smoke and ash began pouring out of the wood stove. It was filling the room quickly. We called out to the waitress who ran to push open the front and  back doors. M was in an upset. She has asthma. We looked at each other and nodded agreement. M approached the counter where the waitress was taking a take-out order from a customer and said simply, "We're leaving." The waitress said, "I understand, and then, I apologize."

Beach Nut

#1

I feel fortunate to have just celebrated another birthday!  I was also well enough to take a road trip down to the Connecticut shore. The goodness continued with having spectacular weather. It was so warm and beautiful that we could sit on the beach.

I took very few photos, but I did manage to get a couple of shots of the ocean. How wonderful and expansive. I wanted to do a painting inspired by the experience, and thought that I would use a photo as a reference. The picture was simple and bold and I thought it would be easy enough. Ha! It’s those simple shapes that can get you.

#2

 

 

 

#3

#4

#5

Who asked you?

I don't believe some people truly want to be helpful when they give you advice.

I was at painting class. One of the women, who had not come to the first class because she won a watercolor contest in Boston and had to go pick up her prize, greeted me warmly. She proceeded to brag about her win and grandchildren and, and, and. OK I made all the right noises and then got back to painting. I figured she had bragging rights. No worries.

Well, later on, she came to look at what I was painting.  She said, "You don't have enough contrast. You have to have more light and dark. Come look at mine." I walked over to her picture. "Lovely", I said, meaning it. "You see?", she asked. I nodded and walked away.

So, here's the thing: it was not my best piece. I was experimenting with textures and had heaped gesso on watercolor paper and blah, blah, blah.  I could see that the product was more important to her than the process and thought she might be dismissive if I explained my intention. Anyway, not everyone is into process painting like I am. Here's the point:  She criticized me. She's not the teacher. She didn't talk to me in a way that I could hear her. I felt reactive and hurt.

Having been on both ends of the critique thing, I have some thoughts on the subject. I didn't trust in the moment to explain about the process to this woman. I can always learn something. If only she had done it my way...

Here are my suggestions for giving constructive criticism:
1. Always ask first if the person would like feedback.
Who asked her? I wasn't looking to her for guidance.

2. Start with the positive.
It's easier to be receptive when someone is telling me what they like instead of what they think is wrong.

3. Make it about me.
It's not about you. All I got was that she thought hers was better than mine. Not constructive, just critical.

4. Encourage not discourage.
She really didn't give me anything to do. She just told me what was wrong, that hers was better, and no suggestion for how to improve. Should I just lay down my brush and give up? Is there any hope for me?

So that's what I recommend for giving criticism. You think I should sign her up to get my blog? Kidding. It's not my job to teach her anything. Even though I might have liked to teach her a thing or two....

Are we having fun yet?

The atmosphere was amiable. I enjoyed seeing the women at the painting class which was meeting again after the summer break.

I walked around to say hello and see what everyone is working on. One woman was painting a bird on a branch from a glittery Christmas card. According to her, the feathers looked fakey, the branch went in the wrong direction, she needed lessons, she was just wasting paint, etc. I admired her brilliant colors and told her. She dismissed it like it was a fly on butter.

It continued in that vein for a while. Me trying to give her a lift...She countering with something negative. I decided to move on. I’d forgotten her name.

I had done a search for landscape photos and downloaded a few to the I Pad in preparation for the class. I haven't done very much in the way of sweeping vistas so I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn something. The teacher communicates well and can be really helpful. It’s always good to tell myself it’s a practice piece, anyway. Then it’s all just an experiment.

I looked over at Ms. Fakey Feathers. I hadn't thought of asking her if she was enjoying herself.

I must not/must resist

I continue to produce my Above and Below pictures which has grown into quite a collection. I enjoy doing these abstract landscapey and watery pieces. I have put a number of them up on my walls in frames. I like having my pictures surrounding me.

With each of these, I used paper with a nice tooth, or texture. Then turning it on it's side, I lightly dragged a stick of oil pastel  over the paper. Because the paper is so rough, the color sits on the little peaks and leaves plenty of white. I started each piece the same way, using different color oil pastel. As I felt like I was experimenting, I admit I didn't take the time to plan out the picture. I was more interested in the kind of effects I'd get.

I've used oil pastels with watercolor before, so I knew not to use a good brush, or one that was too soft. A good brush gets kind of torn up and waxy. The soft one fills in too much of the white.

The oil pastel acts as a resist, causing the paint to skip. I mostly held the brush by the end of the handle, in an effort to apply the paint lightly. l always find it interesting to focus on the materials and/or technique instead of an object or photo in front of me. There's great freedom in not having to get it right.

Spot On

I rarely spill anything. Can't remember the last time, but the other night I was using purple watercolor and didn't realize it was dripping off the table until I shifted in my chair and it dripped on my foot. Shreeek! Besides the purple splashes, there was a purple puddle on the carpet the size of a slice of white bread. 

I grabbed a full sheet of paper towel and began to blot. I blotted and blotted and filled the wastebasket with purple soaked Bounty. 

Then I sprayed the stain remover we bought some years ago when we had the ungrateful dog houseguest.

I was dizzy from bending over and inhaling stain remover when dirty beige bits of carpet fibers started showing through the now fading purple. A few more rounds of spray and blot and it really was looking good. We were heading out to an appointment so I sprayed again and left it to marinate. Came back several hours later to find....a purple spot the size of a slice of white bread. But it really was much lighter. 

What was I doing with the purple paint before it ruined my carpet and maybe my relationship? I was just messing around. I got interested in dark lines on a painted background. Not sure where I was going, but tried a few variations. Here are some samples.

Like Night and Day

Day

Night

I always have the IPad handy when I'm painting. I use it to take photos of the work at various stages to see how I'm doing. I sometimes use a stock photo or my own, which I keep open on the screen as a reference.

As most of the work is viewed online, it's helpful to see how it looks on a computer. I will make changes based on what the camera captured.  As the pictures are back-lit on a screen, they look different than in person (often more vibrant). It's also convenient for uploading a pic to my blog or sending in an email.

The IPad is not always the best solution as you cannot get a high enough resolution for printing. If you want to get prints made larger than a postage stamp you need a camera.

Lighting when taking photos is, of course, vital. When I'm painting in the studio after dark and have lights on, the colors are very different than when I take a picture in daylight. Here's a dramatic example.

Take Away-an exercise in mindfulness

Non-dominant hand

As I first saw it

Taking lines away

This week, in our mindfulness art group, we explored drawing an object as it is, then drawing it again, taking something away. This prompt could as usual, be interpreted in whatever way we chose.

There were beautiful flowers on the table and I took a few to my seat. In the warm-up, we drew the object as we saw it, with non-dominant hand. After that came drawing it again and again, taking something away each time. What we took away was left up to us.

When asked to describe our experience, I realized that taking something away, even if it's a mark or color, not only can radically change the picture, but it can also change the way I feel. As I brought fatigue and sadness to class, (the reason to be discussed over drinks some time perhaps), doing this exercise tapped into a sense of loss. Each time I took something away was a very powerful experience. I was aware of feeling vulnerable already, and thought I was playing it safe by just changing line, layout or shape, etc. Interesting...

Taking away the stems, leaves

Changing view, background, layout

Sea Me Later

Well! It's been really tough. We've been in techno-hell for about 

2 weeks. The voicemail was down, the TV kept crashing; the computers just kept loading and loading. It goes on and on. Could not rely on any of our devices. It's been seriously stressful and disturbing.

It has been particularly limiting since I'm in the middle of several projects; all on the computer. I see that after I spend a few hours wrestling with Mail Chimp or Wordpress, there isn't much energy left to draw or paint or write.  

I have an agreement with myself to create something on paper every few days, and to post to the blog. I have not been able to produce much recently. I did finally, last night, finish this piece. 

So the message is to just keep going, even if it feels like you're under water, without oxygen. Chances are, you will surface very soon, and begin to swim with the current.