Following the Moon: Child's Play

'Gardean', Drozda, 16x20", Mixed, work in progress

I want to thank my dear artist/friend Che'usa for sending along a recent Huffington Post link that includes this thoughtful story:

Shuren Sakurai was born to a family of farmers, in rural Aichi prefecture. Life for many was very different then. "In those days, families were large and poor, and children were often adopted out. When I was nine, I entered this temple as a boy monk, and the abbot here became my master, my teacher, my parent. Though it was hard for me to be away from my real parents, in those days, we accepted the reality of what life gave us and we just did what we had to do."

"My adopted father often said to me, 'Become true gold, not gold plating. Whatever you do in your life, put your entire self into it. Make it gold." People now-a-days only want to do things that are easy and comfortable. There is nothing that can be accomplished well through short cuts. Things that matter take time and our complete attention."

Welcome to 'Following the Moon'. Today, Tuesday, April 26, we're seven days away from the close of the 'Clarity' Moon cycle.
In April there is an opportunity to consider what it is you'll focus on for your Art/Life walk around the Natural Wheel. The Natural Wheel begins each year at the time of the Spring Equinox (look back to March 22, 2011).

This segment of the year holds the energy for the entire year ahead. There's a feeling of new in the air. There's a natural sense of beginning. Each spring we can literally feel reborn, as many religious traditions celebrate and remind us.

Spring is a most excellent time to refresh and remember the goals that hold your passion and purpose. This is a time to invest in what you know is true for you, and often times you carry this from childhood.

This past week I was the, 'short n sweet', featured speaker at our Earth Day Eve Event at the Contemporary Art Center. It was wonderfully festive, the entire evening conceived by a lovely high school student, Margaret Salazar, for her senior year project.

Artists with tables filled with wondrous arts created of recycled pieces and parts, musicians, Art 21 playing in the theatre, and families & friends gathering indoors and out.

In the crowd I met 7 year old, Jackson, whose 9 year old sister told me, as he inspected my Animal Artz sculptures, that he wants to be an artist when he grows up. I leaned forward and whispered to him, "You're already an artist, just don't ever forget." His Grandfather heard what I said and after the family had moved outdoors to make Origami birds for a Wishing Tree/donation zone for Japan Relief efforts, Grandad returned to tell me a bit of Jackson's story.

Indeed we often are living our Art/Life by the time we're seven. I can mark this same time for my clearest awareness, how about you?
Read More...
I hope you'll comment there or here...it's always so good to hear from you.


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Tie One Hand Behind Your Back

'Students during Residency', Drozda

About five years ago as part of my studio outreach into the community I developed the Wren House StudioVisiting Artist Program and Teaching Studios for young artists at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia.

I simply love to visit Virginia Beach schools no matter the grade. The Virginia Beach City Public Schools Arts Programs are richly diverse and content driven. The art rooms on every grade level are inspired. I come in, as a working professional (not as an art teacher), for a week of demonstration and with each grade create a different project. My main concept is that whether you grow up to be a sports jock, a marine biologist, a veterinarian, or an office worker... you can choose, at any time, to live a natural 'Art/Life'...you can choose to live simply and creatively. 

This past week, and next, the challenge is to engage students while I'm wearing a full arm cast. As a result of that we really have been able to delve a bit more deeply than usual into the live simply part.

I believe in setting a tone so I always provide a nature table. In the center sits the famous image of earth from space with the caption, 'Good planets are hard to find'. Surrounding this iconic image are found treasures from my walks and travels. There is everything from a slider turtle's shell to a whale's vertebrae to stones (with large embedded snail shell fossils) from a trek in Nepal plus many other tactile curiosities:

'Nature Table', Drozda

found objects

I also install large pieces of my work in the school lobby and my 18' long 'River Runner' is laid down so that students 'walk down the stream' as they enter the art room:

'River Runner', Drozda

18'x4'

Acrylic/Marine Urethane/canvas

Being able to walk on a painting may be one of the delights of the day for each student and their teachers.

With a pencil, a piece of paper and a broken arm I invited each class in turn to time me for three minutes as I drew, with my non dominant hand, using a black and white lithograph of a bird or animal as my 'model'.

'Peregrine Falcon', Drozda

12x9"

3 minute pencil/nondominant hand

photo by Angeles Gonzales

At the end of my three minutes they would ooo and ahhh at how well I did. Then their big surprise followed when I offered to be their time keeper as they challenged themselves in the same way. Every student was excited to give it a go.

 Student work

9x12"

3 minute pencil nondominant hand

photo by Angeles Gonzales

  

After the non dominant hand they put the drawing away and did another drawing, using the same 'model' and their regular drawing hand.

student

3 minute non & regular hand

pencil

photo by Angeles Gonzales

And lastly, they put everything away except for a clean sheet of paper and now the challenge was to create a memory drawing.

student

non&dom&memory drawing

photo by Angela Gonzales

I have had such a great time experiencing the sheer unadulterated delight of discovery through each grade, and each child, that it may have given me a whole new approach to the visiting artist model.

See you Monday as we 'Follow the Moon'

~May you sing your day

8 Steps to Living with a Natural Flow

        "Only engage, and then the mind grows heated, begin it, and then the work will be completed."

Goethe

'The Four Directions #2'

drawing: white ink on black bristol Drozda 2001 

For today's Blog Triage assignment we are asked to choose a topic that we are ready to blog about and then write it in three different voices. We are then asked to post the voice that most closely expresses our natural voice. We've been provided with a list of choices and I have selected mother, student and fellow artist. I decided to post all three since I thoroughly enjoyed the process.

My topic: Living  with a Natural Flow

Dottie, I think about you often as you've been 'resting in peace' since 2003. As my mom I don't know if you realize how you helped me (as well as your four other children) learn to live with a steady and continual focus (I notice that in the photos here you had provided me with binoculars for observing closely). It may have been those many trips to the Cleveland Zoo, wandering and watching, or the bi-weekly trips to the Cleveland Public library. I adored being able to go through the files of animal photographs filling the large brown paper envelope (the one with the figure eight closure around the paper buttons) with my favorite pictures for my next group of drawings. You encouraged me every step of the way to believe in my talent and to help me to create skills. Remember how you would remind me to draw, whenever I didn't feel well, or when I was frightened by something. You never failed to bring me paper or my sketchbook and you didn't coddle me...I don't think you saved any of those drawings, knowing there would always be more to come.  As I've looked back and reflected I appreciate that lesson. I took from that to value what's taking place now and to let the rest... rest.

Sabastian, you are eight years old. When you entered the studio you couldn't know that we'd be working together here at the contemporary art center studios until you're twelve. However I do hope that when you look back you will recall this: whenever you mentioned,with such joy and determination, "I want to be an architect when I grow up." I asked you to wait just a minute! Then, with a big smile, I would remind you that you ARE an artist/architect right now!! I would suggest that your only concern will be to not ever ever forget. I trust that you will have, at your fingertips, the memory of conceptualizing, drawing, planning, and constructing your many projects...from foundation to shutters to handmade trees and lawns surrounding your magical structures. Whenever you were in the studio you radiated a quietness and a focus that touched my heart and helped the other young artists by watching your example.  Each time your mother came to pick you up her tender pride filled the room.  

A house that Sabastian built

To my fellow artists I send out  a salute and an awareness that most of you already have a sense of flow and connection to the natural unfolding of time. For those of us who periodically lapse let me offer up a simple 8 step approach to 'going with the flow'. This eight fold path is based upon the natural and eternal phases of the moon. I've been a master teacher of working with the phases since the early 90's. It's a gentle and merry way to row your art boat down the stream.

All you need to begin is a classic kitchen calendar. Find the next new moon (which is April 14) and you can step into a gentle flow of time...month-by-month, year-by-year:

With each New moon…have a vision. Close your eyes and open your heart. Set a goal. Ask for clarity, which will lead to wisdom and illumination during the coming 29 days of the unfolding moon cycle. Create a treasure map using color, images and words to illustrate your heart’s desire. Three days later at the Crescent moon phase do your research and allow your vision/goal space to struggle like a seed planted in the ground. Imagine that it reaches up to find the light as it simultaneously stretches down to set a root. Breathe in the beauty and the wonder that surrounds you.

When the three days of the First quarter moon come it’s the time to take an action (write the letter, make the phone call, dance, or paint or sculpt your vision) all to inspire growth, trust and love for your goal.

The Gibbous moon phase is three days before the full moon; this is the time to remain positive…remain completely focused and create, create, create in connection to your goal.

The Full moon reflects. This is the three days in which you can see the shadow or hidden side of your vision or goal. This is when you can experience your goal's challenges from deep within. Now you can see, sense and feel what works and what may not. Introspection at this time leads to inner strength.


Three days after the full moon comes the Disseminating moon phase. This is the time to share what you have learned thus far regarding your goal. Speak to a trusted friend or mentor or write in your journal, or blog, recording your discoveries.

The Third quarter moon each month offers a time to say “thank you”. Now we begin to cleanse, renew and purify our thoughts and feelings being very grown up and recognizing that we’ve done what we can to accomplish the goal for this cycle.

The Balsamic moon phase each month falls three days before the next new moon. Now we release what has come and prepare to begin again…this is the time to dream the dream of the seed idea or vision that will be planted with the next new moon…

There you have it, a simple gentle recipe for circles, cycles, and following your moon….or as I like to say…enjoying your Luna-see…each new moon gives a chance to create a new vision.

winged moon

drawing: white ink on black bristol Drozda 2009

The two black and white drawings are taken from my archives of years of contributions to the pages of the beautiful Luna Press calendar...a wonderfully creative tool for walking in rhythm with the wheel of life. I also send out a monthly newsletter that keeps you abreast ot the current key energies of the cycles. You can subscribe at my home page here.


~sing the day

Retablo and Ex Voto with a Contemporary Spin

Our six week studio (at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia) exploring Retablo and Ex Voto (from a contemporary perspective) has come to its conclusion. First we learned the history and tradition of this Mexican folk art... how the retablo, which literally translates to 'behind the altar' originated with "Santero boxes" carried into Mexico by the Spanish Conquistadors of the 16th century. The history of the boxes is complex and by the 17th to the 19th centuries they were gradually transformed, passed from one generation to the next, until the art form morphed into charming pictorial images of saints helping to lift one through the difficulties and challenges of life.

In our studio the artists constructed a timeline that mapped out highs and lows of their own life experience. From there they chose a direction for creating a piece of work that celebrated a miracle or honored an issue that holds personal meaning. I wish that you could also hear the reading of each artist's statement, a required part of the studio, as of course they provide a way to deepen the engagement with the work...I trust that you'll get the feeling that a good and meaningful time was had by all.

Carol has a love affair with all things related to the Chesapeake Bay environment. From her living room window she has a lovely view of the Euclidean Plane where sky meets water and she spends time on the beach daily walking with Saffron, her Golden, collecting whatever catches her eye. Over the years Carol's taught herself how to incorporate seaweed into her art, dying fabrics and making handmade paper that is impregnated with the




weed's undulating patterns. Here she has incorporated found wood, double sided photos, fishing line and a Whelk's egg case to create a retablo about Being Home.

In the two pieces presented here she has incorporated the house shape; as icon that serves as a recurring source of inspiration for her work.

Over the years Patricia has had a dream time visitation. The dream contains imagery of marriage, lost children, an ominous well and a canine (alternating between wolf and dog). Here she has delved into the meaning and the symbolism of the well and brought it to a place where, when entered, one finds reflective gold representing what lies within.

Her medium is paper mache, paint mixed with sand that is layered and carved, leather, mirror, gold leaf and plastic still life bananas :-) embedded inside the feet of the well.

Terri tends to work large. Clay is her primary medium. For Contemporary Retablo she scaled down, choosing a cigar box as her 'Santero'. Her elements of personal significance include Christ, woman, child, temptation and the redemptive journey.
Terri employed bisque, metallic paints, embossed tin, photographic image transfer, cardboard collage and grommets to create her piece.

I wanted to share these pieces with you because it inspires me greatly to see what comes from working as a group, watching the play of common ground... in this case employing the tradition of Retablo/Ex Voto.

I designed the Retablo/ExVoto studio more than a decade ago. It is always such a treat to see what comes rising up to meet each individual in a personally relevant, completely 'in the moment' fashion.

May you find art in your heart.

Wabi Sabi e-studio

I've been imaging ways to 'move a house', that is to open up to new forms of creative exchange.

As a way to ignite this process I'll start a series of on-line e-studios this spring.






The first will be an exploration of the imperfect beauty of Wabi Sabi, an ancient Japanese aesthetic. Last year I began offering studios to explore this concept at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia. The range of work that has emerged is dynamic and inspired.

To prepare the way to offer an e-class I'm learning how to translate a studio to an e-format... and I'm taking photographs of Wabi Sabi imagery to post on the class site. Here in the west there's no real frame of reference for the juxtapostion between nature and human that defines the Wabi Sabi world. That frees us to provide our own sense of discovery. We begin by traveling with camera in hand noticing what we notice before entering the studio to create a contemporary work.

Celebrate what inspires you today.

drozda photos: twig reflection, knife marks on cookie sheet, tree and fence rail

A Mantra a Day

Do you have some 'words of wisdom' that carry you through the tough patches?

Last week I found myself humming John Lennon's Let It Be and that prompted a little project titled 'Wisdom Words'.

I'm making a list of "words of wisdom" and creating a new series of Mantra collages that take images from my files and reconfigure them as 8x10 inch pieces for the upcoming Contemporary Art Center Holiday event ...pictured here is one of four that have been created this week.

Creative Contrast

It has been cranking in the 'Saturday in the Studio' as ten artists age 9-11 worked to accomplish their individiual projects. It's such a treat to witness the process of concept to completion. It's all up to them...no assignment...no one telling them how to solve their problems...it's the creative nature plowing through the ground of the mystery for each of them. There is so much happening in the studio all at once that trying to get photos is rather pointless but I did snap these two wonderfully contrasted pieces as they came closer to being done. The mallard is the work of a nine year old girl who practically shocked herself as she went from the initial drawing (which must be done to scale and must show all views) to the 'sculpting' using recycled materials. The finishing touch and the only purchased part was the addition of google eyes...kids love em'.

The dragon is a grand and mighty fellow. He was finished with a base to stand on, feathery wings, a beautiful cobalt blue stipe down his back and yes...google eyes. The work done by an incredibly gifted 11 year old boy who makes magic happen with Model Magic and who here expanded upon one of his small pieces...this dragon stands about 28 inches at horn tip.

The only formula for Saturday in the Studio is the pattern of: first 3 weeks =research and development of the idea followed by week 4-7 as the studio holds a whirlwind of creative problem solving and production...for some reason almost all the artists in this age range want to work in 3-D and I love seeing their proud smiles and amazed parents when they carry out the first thing they've ever built from start to finish on their own.

The Wabi Sabi Wrap

Today was our last Wabi Sabi studio at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia and a delightful gathering it was. Each of the six artists presented their completed, or near to completed, piece(s) with an attendant statement regarding their personal experience exploring this ancient Japanese aesthetic. The images posted here are well representative of the handmade, imperfect, transient, natural, soft, aging, patina quality that is often used to describe Wabi Sabi. The artist has a love affair with seaweed and enlisted it as the basis for the hand made paper bowls. She intends to allow them to return to the sea by casting the driftwood (holding the bowls) back into the Chesapeake Bay from whence the seaweed came.

click on image to enlarge

Tiny Little Dancers

On Saturday morning I invited my 6-8 year old artists at The Contemporary Art Center of Virginia to observe and draw ballet dancers who were posing for a group of artists who work from the live model. These aren't the best documents of a charming sight but if you look closely you can see the wee ones nestled in under the tables drawing away.

Above is a sheet of the results by Megan. She beamed from ear to ear at the delight of it all.

Bird's Eye

As 'Memoir in Two Chapters' unfolded from June 8-September 11 this little trio of new paintings took their place at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia for the Faculty Exhibit.

They're from the current series 'Birdwatching'. I've been a bird watcher all my life. Recently I've been enjoying the elegant and focused beauty of watching Egrets move about in the cove. I can see them from my kitchen window or my garden. They are highly independent and most often solitary and yet from time to time they will consent to sharing the shoreline, particularly when the Cormorants are herding fish beneath the surface waters...a great ballet, a wonderful sight.

A college student recently reviewed one of the Egret paintings in this series titled 'Still Point' .

And for those interested in a lovely artist newsletter visit Heron Dance. A recent quote:

The most demanding part of living a lifetime as an artist is the strict discipline of forcing oneself to work along the nerve of one's own most intimate sensitivity. -Anne Truitt sculptor.

It's a Wrap

It's trippy to have been in the studios at CACV for many years with some of my young artists. I've been working with, guiding and observing them since they were wee ones fascinated by nature and the animal world and now I get to see them turning the corner into their prepubescent phases.

In the 7 weeks of Saturday in the Studio the artists are free to design their own project and to problem solve along the way. Here are a few results. To the degree possible they are directed to use cast off and reusable materials.

Art as Play

I recently heard that we, our brain and the direction it will take us, is fully formed at age six.

May this sprite retain her clarity and joy.

I think I'll take my inner six year old into the studio for some real playtime today.

Joy of Discovery

I so appreciate that there surfaces a simple purity and magic when we discover that something is inside just waiting to show itself to us.

The 7 year old here thought he was going to draw his first mountain goat. He had selected a photo to work from. Twenty minutes later the delight came when he announced "My mountain goat turned into a mythical animal." He proudly asked me to 'stop the studio' so that he could announce his discovery to the other 10 artists.
Uncontaminated delight shared with all.

Saturday in the Studio Week Four

Last week it was warm enough for many of the artists to work outdoors...most likely that won't be the case this week...no matter... the eleven 9-11 year old participants in Saturday in the Studio at The Contemporary Art Center of Virginia are deeply involved in their individual projects and eager to jump into their work the moment they walk through the door.

Week after week I see pure unadulterated problem solving and creative sparks flying as they push further toward realizing their goal...no one telling them what to do or how to do it...each having the wherewithal to research and adjust to make their vision appear.

Dedicated

A bitter day but the eleven young artists in this semester's Saturday in the Studio spread out around the grounds of the Contemporary Art Center and made additions to their working sketch books as they gather ideas for their own projects. The first three weeks they devote to research followed by four weeks of creating.

They must submit a schematic drawing if they choose to work dimensionally indicating that they have thought the project through and can visualize looking at the form from all directions.


The focus is upon using simple, easily found, often thrown away items from which a piece of 'art from their heart' is made.

I have five boys and six girls in this group it will be grand to see what unfolds.

Saturday in the Studio 2009

Being able to step back and simply observe art coming through the mind of a young one is beyond delightful to me. It's a pure language of universal import and 'no instruction manual' is necessary.
They come into the studio with a bit of reserve, first time...what's expected? First a tour of the vast array of available materials, then a tour of the museum and the current cast glass and steel installations of Gene Koss. His monumental work is displayed inside our beautiful refurbished galleries and and out in the new sculpture gardens. The young artist's (eleven 6-8 year old in the first studio eleven 9-11's in the next) are offered the opportunity to choose a piece of work to share with us and to offer ideas of what they think the piece means. It's fabulous to hear what they have to say! Then back to the studio where the directions are: I'm an artist, you're an artist, let's make art...and they are off. I step aside. If they need any direction or support they simply ask.

A Kind of Summer

"Always maintain a kind of summer even in the middle of winter" Henry David Thoreau

The Winter session of Saturday in the Studio begins tomorrow at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia. These shots are from last summer and they capture where the kids and I invest our time whenever possible. They will have coats on but even tomorrow we may be able to do a bit of exploring...as the sun will be shining and the temp may hit 60 again as it did today.

It's a Wrap

Saturday in the Studio: the 'gang' (sans one little guy who had already split) as they prepare to head home after 7 weeks of creating what they want as they want. What a riot. There was not a moment of them being bored or wondering what to do. Their last day was a zippy joyful blast of learning. They were hot on the trail wondering what additonal interesting and exciting materials they could work with in the studio to then pack into their portfolios, held here.

Virgin of Guadalupe

In Media Blend there are moments when the participating artists feel that the playing field is too wide open. In our first three weeks we explore many ideas, concepts, materials and techniques. The next three studio sessions are reserved for creating a finished quality piece. Each week we dialogue and continually consider the ways in which the artist learns to focus and make increasingly intuitive choices.

Here the topic comes first: Early childhood memories of little Catholic girlfriends having all the fun with ritual and ceremony (including the marrying of Jesus in First Communion) draws our artist's imagination in and helps her to decide to explore some of the traditional Catholic iconography eventually settling in on the Virgin Mother.

There are embroidered and beaded details stitched through the piece (which is fabric assemblage). She has employed techniques and materials that are new to her. This has led to a pioneering experience ultimately allowing her to have an AHA moment which will, from the sound of her artist statement read aloud at our last studio, lead to more 'Virgin' discovery in the near future.

Lead and Gold

In Media Blend I ask the artists to set aside their usual way of working and to experiment with, what are for them, new materials combined in new ways.

I badger them to stretch out of their personal comfort zone and over the course of the six weeks to 'go some place new' and see what happens.

This piece was inspired by a poem. The piece addressed concepts of lead and gold.

The artist used a rich variety of materials in new ways. She communicated a depth of understanding of how the poet's imagery and words moved through her. She mentioned an interest in working further into the idea by creating a series. This being a beautiful first piece in that process.
The canvas which is in two parts joined by enameled bulldog clips is unstretched, ungessoed and laundered. each of the two parts measures approximately 12 by 18 inches.