A Little Bit of Art Theory

"In painting, one should avoid worrying about accomplishing a work that is too diligent and too finished in the depiction of forms and notation of colors or one that makes too great a display of one's technique, thus depriving it of mystery and aura. That is why one should not fear the incomplete, but quite to the contrary, one should deplore that which is too complete. From the moment one knows that a thing is complete, what need is there to complete it? For the incomplete does not necessarily mean the unfulfilled."

Where has this quote been all my life???? Or at least the last several years when I've been staring at my stacks of nearly complete/ just started canvases with feelings of shame and regret? 

The wonderful quote above is by a Tang dynasty historian named Chang Yen-Yuan; you can read the original Art in America article, "To Rest Lightly on the Earth" by Raphael Rubinstein here. 

This is the lecture I mentioned in my earlier On the Spot! post during my painting class. My painting teacher reminded our class that Duchamp always felt that it was the viewer who in fact completed the painting experience. I think, in a lot of ways, paintings are like books: the experience of reading the story varies for each person, each time they read it. Every person brings something different to the table and interprets a painting, or a poem or whatever, in their own way. A fellow student added that at grad schools they never talk about paintings in terms of whether or not it's "complete" but whether or not it's "resolved." I need to start looking at my work in that way. 


Such fabulous stuff, really. I wish there was a class entirely devoted to exploring individual creative process and art "theory." 

Art 317: Figure Drawing: Skeleton

Day 1 of the skeleton who we lovingly refer to as Mr. Bones!! 

This always makes me think of the minstral number in White Christmas (about a minute in):

Art 311: Painting project 2 progress

Guys, odorless paint thinner/ mineral spirits and oil paint just saved my life. I feel like all my sins were washed away and I was given a new lease on life. They say this is one of the huge benefits of painting with oil versus acrylic. I hadn't really seen this yet for myself until today, but folks...it's amazing. Like painting (or unpainting) with one of those Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. 

This is the before: (with my dysfunctional right foot)

This is after (I swear it really is the after!)

So while it feels like I didn't make any progress in the last couple of hours, I did manage to salvage my project and my good mood. Definitely worth it. This almost superpower feeling of being able to undo mistakes in my work is pretty awesome I must admit! It also gives me the chance to redraw the right foot with a higher quality image I found. Yay! Here's a few pictures of last week's critique of this project: 

 me being silly. 

The unfinished collection 

Hopefully I'll finish it all up within the next few days and I'll have a better explanation of this project for you then. Hope you have a lovely week! 

Happy Valentines Day!

(image from Curious and Smile blog on Facebook)

Happy Valentines Day!!!!!!!! 

My painting class started around 2 and, other than an hour break for dinner, I was painting nearly nonstop til about 10 pm (and that was after my 3 hour figure drawing class). Here's the playlist that got me through it. Gosh, I love being an art student!

And I'll share with you something that I really want to shout from the rooftops: Today is also the one year anniversary of my first date with my boyfriend! <3

A year ago today he met me at Johhny Carinos in a suit and a tie and with a handmade card and these:

What a keeper, huh, folks?!

So tonight, after classes, we're going to recreate that first date at Johhny's, then watch a movie (a surprise!! Can't wait to find out what it is!). He's also giving me a few small mystery gifts (even more excitement!) and I've been asking him for hints for the past week or so: "Is it something I can eat? When you shake it what sound does it make?" and on and on. It's become a fun game with me trying to ask weird questions and him trying to not give away too much. It's a lovely feeling being spoiled and surprised and thought of. 

After working so hard on my Painting project last night, he made me promise not to get up super early and not to do any painting this morning. He reassured me that I am well on schedule and have plenty of time to work on them before they're due tomorrow afternoon. I am under strict orders to relax and enjoy myself all day (minus classes and shaving my legs, haha). I talked to myself alone in my car all the way home (don't judge. you know you do it too!), squealing and singing along to the radio and giddy from my painting going so very well and excited about tomorrow, and realizing that I was, at this point, REALLY going to have to struggle to get to sleep. During my drive it occurred to me: It's SO nice knowing someone  understands me and thinks about what is best for me. He believes in me and  knows my potential and challenges me to push myself. But he also reminds me of my limits, knows just what I need to hear. Even though he was sore and tired from classes all day, he stayed with me at school working on his skeleton drawing until I was ready to go. And even though he was sore and tired, he took the time to hold me and COMMAND me to relax today, planning out the next two days and saying that it's okay if I didn't get it all done. He's always telling me that, actually: that I don't have to be perfect and get everything done and that it'll all work out in the end as long as I work hard and do my best. What a sweetie! So today I am most thankful for that. 

(image from Curious and Smile)

Wishing you all a lovely Valentines Day! 

On the Spot!

Thought I'd try out an on the spot post, so...what're you doing RIGHT NOW?! I'm painting away happily in my Intermediate Painting class, about to listen to a semi-short lecture on provisional painting (more on that later).

I'm working on this:

and this:

and listening to this:

Here Comes the Sun, Colbie Caillat

Thinking about how, so often, I compare myself to others. But in this moment, being an ART STUDENT, I am happy, in love, myself. I hope you are having an equally wonderful day filled with equally wonderful moments of just being yourself, where you are - cause, my friends, that is more than enough. 

My Morning Routine

Good Morning!!

I have a bit of time before my classes today, so I thought I would be productive and do some blogging.

I have begun to set up a morning routine... In the first few days of my school semester I found that I felt more calm and outgoing, even toward the end of the day when I was most tired. I can only imagine how much my mind and body will have benefited after a few months of consistently sticking to this routine. Ah, consistency...there's the rub. For me, sticking to schedules and doing the same thing, day after day, is always the hardest part. Mostly it's the little easy things, too, like remembering to floss at night, drink more water, wake up EVERY DAY at 6am (which means tricking myself into forgetting that I don't really have an 8am class...on Saturdays...not an easy thing to do).

My Morning Routine: (checklist?)

*drink coffee and watch the sun rise

*do yoga and think positively 

*drink water and take vitamins

*brush teeth and put on makeup 

*eat and set 3 Most Important Goals for the day

*put on lotion and dress (feel pretty and healthy!)

*act on 3 Most Important Goals

While I'm going along, I have a checklist: Did I..put my makeup on? take a ZILLION nasty vitamins (okay, there's only about a dozen and they're not really THAT terrible)? do some yoga? brush my teeth?

I've been trying to incorporate some of the items included in my earlier Self Improvement post. I am planning to eventually set up an evening routine, as well. I've noticed that if I'm in bed at an earlier, ungodly hour I am more likely to feel fresh and able to get up and tackle my day. Weird, I know. 

An obvious thing I've discovered, not every routine is meant for everyone; you have to create the routine that works best for you by figuring out your personal preferences and working with what you've already been doing. Here are a few favorite articles I've found in helping to establish my routine: 

*http://www.wethechange.com/7-step-guide-to-an-effective-morning-routine/

*http://zenhabits.net/habit-4-my-morning-routine/ 

*http://zenhabits.net/simple-morning/ 

Honestly though, I feel like I'm doing more running around trying to keep on top of things and so often I'll let many days go by without unrolling my yoga mat and remembering to properly breathe. What do you do to help remain calm and centered even during those long wild weeks where things just don't go as planned?? Be sure to check out more from the photographer at the top of the post on deviantart.com! Take care and remember: smile, breathe, and go slowly! (from zenhabits - don't you just love that?!)

Art 317: Figure Drawing

This is from DAY 1 of my first ever Figure Drawing class! So super exciting! I have been wanting to take a figure drawing class since as long as I can remember (even more so, after seeing Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in which the shy but beautiful artist Lena secretly takes a Figure Drawing class during the summer, haha). It turned out so much better than I could have ever hoped, especially since I didn't get to practice any over the incredibly short break between semesters.

We started out doing a few gestures, which I actually did in pencil rather than charcoal. I was feeling a little uncertain and timid, but I quickly changed to compressed charcoal for the longer poses. I'm quite happy that I did and all that timidity has completely melted away into this feeling of pure enjoyment and relaxation. I am thoroughly enjoying this class and I'll be posting pictures of my work as the semester progresses.

To be honest, this picture not only serves as evidence of my first ever figure drawing experience, but also as evidence of a STELLAR day, overall. It was a rare exciting, strong, wonderful day. The beauty of it was that I was the driving force that made it so positive. This was such a victory for me. I went to sleep with a smile on my face. Now I know that I am capable of mastering my mood and my day, capable of telling all those negative thoughts and insecurities to go to hell, and capable of willing strong, beautiful positive thoughts to come forward and consume my being. I feel so supremely proud and in power. I did this. I did THIS. This is  my beauty, my SELF. You know? Have you ever had one of those days? Oh, I hope you have! That kind of day when you feel like an incredible, confident, capable woman (or man)? I hear not everyone struggles with this on such a constant basis, and that's great if you're one of those people; more power to you. But for me this day, this one day, was like an unfolding of my wings - just a little bit wider, a stripping away of just a little more of that barrier of self doubt and regret; that same barrier that keeps me from just being and just breathing on a nearly daily basis.

I've considered myself to be a "dark and twisty" girl for some time now.

 (Grey's Anatomy reference, loves) image from web

 but on this day I OWNED all the good things about myself. I WAS my mantras:

*I am a strong, courageous woman. Always. I posses a warrior's heart. I was born to take on the world and so I will run to it with open arms. 

*I am a strong, confident, beautiful woman and everything is going to be okay. I have the power to make it so.

*I am going to face today and everyday with a calm, passionate, strong heart. That is my true core, my authentic self.

* "Here in this body are the sacred rivers; here are the sun and the moon as well as all of the pilgrimage places...I have not encountered another temple as blissful as my own body." (Tibetan poet Saraha)

*I am passionate about myself and about the work I am doing and about the things I am learning and the people I meet. I am passionate about myself and my life.

*I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn't change the truth that 

I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.

*I cannot improve the past and that is okay. I will move forward and make the whole: my life and myself, completely beautiful.