Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Meltdown before Life


Humid day. So needed rain, not sure I received enough, but puddles for the birds to bathe in tomorrow. Nice lunch walk caught breezes that swirled and lifted spirits. Somehow the heat shared frustration with poor skills at computer. Why can't they come with verbal understanding instead of a bunch of symbols which have not carried meaning for me? I suppose the heat didn't help, my fan was blowing hot air at me, and I simply had a nauseous head. Home before life drawing...caught online note that group was on, collecting, gathering supplies and where oh where is my pencil box? Not in sight. Maybe under car seat? Not there either. Rushed around assuming I had left it at last life drawing group. Quick bite of dinner, even coffee to go as the heat made my eyes heavy driving. Grabbing an assortment of pencils, a trail case, another sharpener? Ha! I found one sufficient. Found my Borders coupon. Off on the road. Such anxiety hit. I couldn't recall seeing Capt Destructo or the Dixie chihuahua either. Turned back home. Chihuahua safe inside...I had left Captain in the yard! Grateful for the bout of anxiety that brought him back in, checked around, counted noses and back on the road again. Picked up Sound of Paper by Julia Cameron, next reading with artist way blog group. Had ordered it in at Borders. Finally at life, had waited two weeks for this night. Peeked around corners, hoping to find my misplaced pencils. None. Great exercises for the evening! David had suggested a series of poses in succession, like slow motion action. It was challenging. We broke up the series with a couple 20 minute poses that were a welcome relief, but the series poses were truly invigorating. Model had used parasol as prop and hands were facinating! Packing my papers up for the evening, at the bottom of my portfolio lay the current slew of pencils I'd been comfortable with! All evening I was experimenting with pencils from bygone eras and a few never yet used. Not the reliable tones and depths of line I'd been favoring, but by night's end they were also friends I was capable of manipulating to achieve desired effects. So many varieties, hardness's and pigment variations in pencils, there always seems to be an old reliable you use till it's an inch stub in a pencil holder, and you buy that variety and hue again, while many others never even get sharpened! Meltdown survived, evening sucessful, artist date with experiments and fresh ideas. Moon glimmer before me throughout drive home, life beckons, but rest must be tended to first.

2 comments:

Laura said...

I hear life stirring under the concrete pavement. She's ready my dear to pop her head out. And I do mean your creative spirit. Easy does it and it's about doing it and your there. I love to read of your adventures to life drawing class. One thing don't be afraid of it. Good orderly directions will always be there for you. Faith, hope and trust....Very strong now in you. Surrender to it...let it happen and flow..tear of joy for you ;)

butterfly woman said...

I love reading your blog. It is always so heartfelt and longing to embrace that creative soul of you. I would love to see that pose of the woman holding parasol. I remember doing still lifes of a guy holding a staff. Brings back memories. I also love hands and feet. I love taking photos of statues focusing on hands and feet. The statues are old, cracks in their structure, still fascinating. I also love you describing your pencils so attentively as friends. Nice story metaphors!
Bev