IT STARTED OFF WITH A BLOG…
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16th Mar 2010
everypersoninnewyork.blogspot.com
Still on the subject of drawing….I have just seen an article in The Times ( Saturday 6th March (page 53 in case you still have it hanging around as I do) about Jason Polan an artist in New York who has set himself the task of trying to sketch all 8,363,710 people in New York. As I write he is nearing 10,000. I bet he is getting really fluent. He enjoys sketching in the Taco Bell fast food restaurant in Union Square so much that he has started a Taco Bell Drawing Club. About 150 artists meet to draw in Taco Bells all over the country. He met a man who has set himself the task of eating a slice of pizza in every pizzeria in the city and it is good to know that the pizza eater still enjoys a good pizza when he tastes one. Jason Polan said how much more detail you notice about an eating place when you visit so many. I would say the same thing about drawing. If I want to understand the particularity of something I draw it. When I was in India (Tamil Nadu) recently, a fisherman came and sat directly in front of me on the beach early one morning. I understood he wanted me to paint him into my composition and I spent an hour looking at him with the intensity necessary to paint him. I began to register this man’s uniqueness- his fine chiselled features- for the first time. He was beautiful. I showed him the watercolour and he shook my hand and walked off to mend his nets. You’ll find him in my pages: MAMELLAPURAM FISHERMAN.
By the way, how about starting a Café Nero drawing club?
3 Responses
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This post sparked lots of thoughts for me – thank you.
I’m interested by the idea that the more we see of a subject the better we understand it… perhaps familiarity helps us to see the beauty in life – maybe especially so with people. Like with the fisherman you took the time to really look at and really ’see’ – reminded me how important it is just to pause…
For me in the past (sort of ironically) I’ve felt like I’ve seen the world most clearly when it’s a ‘fresh’ subject. Returning to England after 2 years living overseas in Botswana I saw the world I’d grown up in, as if for the first time and with utter clarity. I guess this slightly contradicts the idea of looking over and over at things to understand them deeply. Although – was the pizza guy saying that by researching the subject widely he got to understand the subject area intimately…. or became more knowledgeable/discerning – I guess I’d agree with that.
Perhaps this just illustrates that our perspective – whatever it may be – directly informs how we portray whatever subject we are observing – our work simply reflects something of us….?
It’s always good to hear your thoughts Frances – thank you for them.
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07th Apr 20102Just to say to Frances that as a 2nd year FdA art student trying to find my way, I leapt on your book Drawn to Antarctica as hidden treasure. It showed me many waysI’d like to approach landscape work – pity I( didn’t see it before I went to Galapagos lst
Nov! However, am going to Kenya in August so who knows….. Thanks for your lovely work and thoughts -
03rd May 20103Hi Lorna,
Thanks for your note. I’m thrilled that you find Drawn to Antarctica helpful in your exploration of landscape. The first chapter, ‘Anticipation’, was particularly rich for me. I ‘travelled’ far further in anticipation than I expected to do and now understand the importance of the time before we go anywhere. Have a wonderful trip to Kenya but be sure to give time to anticipating your visit and see where it leads you!
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23rd Mar 2010