Love this! I live near the ocean and I remember that while others painted seascapes and sunsets, I painted closeups of old wooden boats or the beach grass with shadows cast by the sun. I was in my early 20's and my then landlord came in one day and saw me painting part of the old wooden pier, wood grain and all. He looked at the canvas, then at me, and said: "Wow, now THAT'S a closeup. You don't need glasses, that's for sure." 😆 I still love closeups.
Another thought that came to me after reading your post -- when i was about 9 my cousin gave me a little pink journal with a lock and key. My dad offered if i could keep it going all summer he would pay me $5. I tried to write something in the little lines each day and after a while it became single word entries and then quick sketches. and finally i quit. I thought the drawing a day was cheating. Now i wish someone had said to me "a drawing a day is really great! keep going."
I'm seeing this comment late, but thanks for sharing, Catherine. It certainly highlights what our culture teaches us to value if we think that drawing is cheating! :(
I really, really want a better photo of that sink painting because it looks glorious. I once set up a series of memento mori still life’s for my painting students. One of my students, and now close friend, asked if he could paint the tangle of extension cord wire under the still life stand. 😂 We threw in a stay mannequin leg and a skeleton hand and it became my favorite memento mori ever.
Loved this, it is brilliant! Evoked lots of memories - different stages of growing up and the artist within still figuring out its PoV(s) and accepting that I was an artist :).
The comments are such an awesome touch to your amazing piece! I have already bookmarked several things I want to read and check out.
Like many others, I am also curious if the pinching incident was real, and if yes, what followed :)
Thanks, Nimita! I agree that the comments are so fun and educational. I have just texted my mom to ask if she remembers further details about the pinching incident! 😂
Artistic orgin stories are so fun. I find those of us who never really viewed ourselves as artists in the more traditional sense actually had the earliest inklings if we dig back in the timeline.
Also? I really want to know what happened after you pinched the teacher!
Thanks, Charlene! I agree that those of us who didn't know to view ourselves as artists can probably find some surprising foreshadowing in our origin stories! I've just texted my mom to ask what happened after the pinching incident! Will keep you posted! 😂
I always love your posts. from a slightly different perspective i remember painting with my toddler daughter. every time her painting was on the verge of becoming complete mud i would offer her more paper.Helping her It occurred to me this was the kind of help i needed. and so in my studio work at the moment of going too far and making my pieces muddy and over worked i try to offer myself more materials.
Thanks, Catherine! I love that you swapped your daughter's paper out just in time, and that you realized you could do the same for yourself! Great idea! :)
Myq! That Lynda Barry quote has basically changed my life. And my students' lives because I share it with them when I ask them to draw. And I include it in a lot of my talks on my fancy powerpoint slide. And A Very Different Kind of Still Life IS a good title! And haha, It's Still LIfe! Thank you for sharing your responses which give me a different point of view on my post about my point of view! ❤️❤️❤️
I've started giving collage workshops in my home, and in Saturday's workshop I said something similar to the participants about choosing their materials (I have decades worth of collected images and books for them to look through): I told them to trust what they were attracted to, to not listen to any voices saying they "shouldn't" use this or that image. To trust how they wanted to compose it (though I did give some tips on composition, lol).
I laughed out loud when I read that you pinched your teacher. I also have an art-related kindergarten story, which I have on my About page on my website. I'm going to copy and paste it because I'm lazy:
"My first art-related memory is of a project in Kindergarten. We were in small groups and we traced the contour of one of the children lying down on a long sheet of banner paper. We were making angels. Whether we were helped with drawing the outline of the wings or did that ourselves I don’t remember, but I do remember the feeling of shock and outrage when one of my fellow students started to colour in one of the wings with brown. This was wrong, and I said so."
And I was a shy kid. But I've always felt very sure about how things should look, haha!
Hi B.A.! I so wish I could hang out and make collages in your house! And I love that you tell folks to trust what images they are drawn to. I try to do that with my students too. When I ask why they chose a certain image, they tend to say their choice is just "random." So I really try to emphasize that, yes, there's chance involved, but it's their artistic intuition that is guiding them, and they need to trust it!
Your kindergarten memory is hilarious. Brown wings?! WTF! 😂
(I was a shy kid too, and generally well behaved, so the pinching was a strong response from me!)
Love this! I live near the ocean and I remember that while others painted seascapes and sunsets, I painted closeups of old wooden boats or the beach grass with shadows cast by the sun. I was in my early 20's and my then landlord came in one day and saw me painting part of the old wooden pier, wood grain and all. He looked at the canvas, then at me, and said: "Wow, now THAT'S a closeup. You don't need glasses, that's for sure." 😆 I still love closeups.
Ha! This is a great story! Gotta trust our own instincts! Thanks, Pauline.
So funny! Sometimes teachers need pinched, you know? 😂 😜
Also, love the roots…reminds me of Frida’s veins/roots too in her work. 💜
I’m sure I’ve deserved a pinch or two in my career! 😂 And yes, I was riffing on Frida’s roots/veins. Naturaleza viva, baby! ❤️
Another thought that came to me after reading your post -- when i was about 9 my cousin gave me a little pink journal with a lock and key. My dad offered if i could keep it going all summer he would pay me $5. I tried to write something in the little lines each day and after a while it became single word entries and then quick sketches. and finally i quit. I thought the drawing a day was cheating. Now i wish someone had said to me "a drawing a day is really great! keep going."
I'm seeing this comment late, but thanks for sharing, Catherine. It certainly highlights what our culture teaches us to value if we think that drawing is cheating! :(
POV really is everything.
We writers know it! ❤️
I read “sappy” as “snappy!” Because this was the most snappy, fun post I’ve read, Kelcey. Thank you for your points of view!
Snappy--I'll take it! Thanks, Nancy! ❤️
I really, really want a better photo of that sink painting because it looks glorious. I once set up a series of memento mori still life’s for my painting students. One of my students, and now close friend, asked if he could paint the tangle of extension cord wire under the still life stand. 😂 We threw in a stay mannequin leg and a skeleton hand and it became my favorite memento mori ever.
Thanks, Chloe! I love that story about your student. And that you encouraged him! I appreciate your enthusiasm about my sink painting! 🥰
Loved this, it is brilliant! Evoked lots of memories - different stages of growing up and the artist within still figuring out its PoV(s) and accepting that I was an artist :).
The comments are such an awesome touch to your amazing piece! I have already bookmarked several things I want to read and check out.
Like many others, I am also curious if the pinching incident was real, and if yes, what followed :)
Thanks, Nimita! I agree that the comments are so fun and educational. I have just texted my mom to ask if she remembers further details about the pinching incident! 😂
You are so much fun!
Thank you, Pam! 🥰❤️
Hello to a fellow Chuckie Cheese hater 😂
Haha...unite! 😂
Artistic orgin stories are so fun. I find those of us who never really viewed ourselves as artists in the more traditional sense actually had the earliest inklings if we dig back in the timeline.
Also? I really want to know what happened after you pinched the teacher!
Lovely story, Kelcey. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Charlene! I agree that those of us who didn't know to view ourselves as artists can probably find some surprising foreshadowing in our origin stories! I've just texted my mom to ask what happened after the pinching incident! Will keep you posted! 😂
I'm still smiling over you pinching your teacher! I love everything about this, about all your drawings and words.
Thanks so much, Barb! ❤️
I always love your posts. from a slightly different perspective i remember painting with my toddler daughter. every time her painting was on the verge of becoming complete mud i would offer her more paper.Helping her It occurred to me this was the kind of help i needed. and so in my studio work at the moment of going too far and making my pieces muddy and over worked i try to offer myself more materials.
Thanks, Catherine! I love that you swapped your daughter's paper out just in time, and that you realized you could do the same for yourself! Great idea! :)
you pinched her!!!
this is great btw
Oh yes I did! 😂
Kelecy's just so GOOD AT THIS it makes me think you're jonesing for another Substack Prize! :)
Seriously, these are so good, thanks you!
Haha, thank you, comrade! Much appreciated! ❤️
Dear Kelcey,
Delightful and meaningful piece as always!
Re: "I've always had a point of view. We all do."
I say SPEAK FOR YOURSELF.
(As a joke, I say that.)
I love the story about your kindergarten self.
I'm reminded of this Lynda Barry quote: "How old do you have to be to make a bad drawing?"
I also love the story about the very different kind of still life.
Also, what a good name for a piece: A Very Different Kind of Still Life.
Or simpler... "It's STILL Life!"
I'm also reminded of this Ram Dass quote from Be Here Now:
“I can do nothing for you but work on myself...you can do nothing for me but work on yourself!”
Thank you for working on yourself for us!
Love
Myq
Myq! That Lynda Barry quote has basically changed my life. And my students' lives because I share it with them when I ask them to draw. And I include it in a lot of my talks on my fancy powerpoint slide. And A Very Different Kind of Still Life IS a good title! And haha, It's Still LIfe! Thank you for sharing your responses which give me a different point of view on my post about my point of view! ❤️❤️❤️
A Different Point of View based on A Very Different Kind of Still Life!
And of course, always happy to receive what you share!
That Lynda Barry quote is chock full of LIFE WISDOM!
You hit it out of the park every time, Kelcey.
I've started giving collage workshops in my home, and in Saturday's workshop I said something similar to the participants about choosing their materials (I have decades worth of collected images and books for them to look through): I told them to trust what they were attracted to, to not listen to any voices saying they "shouldn't" use this or that image. To trust how they wanted to compose it (though I did give some tips on composition, lol).
I laughed out loud when I read that you pinched your teacher. I also have an art-related kindergarten story, which I have on my About page on my website. I'm going to copy and paste it because I'm lazy:
"My first art-related memory is of a project in Kindergarten. We were in small groups and we traced the contour of one of the children lying down on a long sheet of banner paper. We were making angels. Whether we were helped with drawing the outline of the wings or did that ourselves I don’t remember, but I do remember the feeling of shock and outrage when one of my fellow students started to colour in one of the wings with brown. This was wrong, and I said so."
And I was a shy kid. But I've always felt very sure about how things should look, haha!
Hi B.A.! I so wish I could hang out and make collages in your house! And I love that you tell folks to trust what images they are drawn to. I try to do that with my students too. When I ask why they chose a certain image, they tend to say their choice is just "random." So I really try to emphasize that, yes, there's chance involved, but it's their artistic intuition that is guiding them, and they need to trust it!
Your kindergarten memory is hilarious. Brown wings?! WTF! 😂
(I was a shy kid too, and generally well behaved, so the pinching was a strong response from me!)
Haha, yes... BROWN WINGS. What a travesty! 😂