Paper and Threads

Museum of Modern Art New York-  Matisse: Beyond the Cutouts Studio

Left to Right:  Teri, Pat, Benedicte, and Me all busy creating collages. 

Late last year Associate Educators, Sarah Kennedy and Alison Burstein, at the Museum of Modern Art asked several of us if they could interview us about our participation in their programs.  Pat, Benedicte, Teri, Judy, and I are regular participants in their art-related events - Print Studio, Matisse - Beyond the Cutouts Studio, and even the Toulouse-Lautrec twice monthly Café Society Drawing Sessions.  Participation is free with Museum admission.  Work done in those sessions frequently appeared in this blog over the months and years.

The 4 minute video just appeared on their blog and I finally decided that I would share it here.  They would like their programs to be widely advertised and I hope that readers of my blog will share the information for MoMA. 

Here is the link to the MoMA blog for the video:

http://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/blog/the-moma-studio-experience 

Pat and Benedicte are two of my friends who were interviewed.  Pat is the first person you see, with her sketchbook.  Benedicte has the lovely French accent.  And I'm the one in the red sweater.  There is also a photo of us with Judy (left) and Teri (right) on a day when all 5 of us were in the Print Studio in 2012.

Having friends with whom I can share my interests, makes this piece of my retirement come alive.    

It is hard to find information on the MoMA website that lists the events that are related to the exhibits - and there is a Warhol event that will be held after the Soup Can exhibit opens this month.  My advice is to go to the exhibit listing, and follow the "events" links that are embedded after the description of the exhibit. 

Posted by Shirley at 8:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

As a child and younger adult, I could draw from 2D images and always told my husband I was just a good copier.  When preparing for my retirement from a 40 year career in medicine, I started drawing more and from 2005 (when I joined Everyday Matters), I started drawing from life - and slowly developed some skills with LOTS of practice. 

But I always knew that I could not draw completely from imagination, and the second homework assignment from Adolfsson and Defline in Sketchbook Skool Storytelling still aren't done!  So I decided to do my own "100 day project" to try to extend my doodling and develop some small ability to use my imagination. 

I dedicated a 100 page 4 X 6" book that I made with copy paper for daily sketches from my imagination.  And to avoid any excuses, I made a pen/pencil holder to wrap around the book so I can take it anywhere and always be ready. 

I didn't intend to show any of my drawings, but Jonathan Twingley's Week on Sketchbook Skool - Stretching is all about imagination.  So I decided to post a few drawings since I started on April 6th, and to periodically add some observations about my own brain.   

An Early page - my barn:

I finally read Perfume by Patrick Suskind and decided to draw perfume bottles:

Working at my Sewing Machine in my Studio:

Sailors from the Musical Revival of "On The Town":  I specifically looked at the costumes Wed. PM and drew these Thursday. 

Thursday Urban Sketchers-NYC met at Lincoln Center and I drew and painted the Metropolitan Opera House for the first time: 

This morning I decided to see whether I had stored this building in my brain, and now could recall it well enough to draw it in my imagination book.  This is my 5 minute drawing in pen.

I definitely internalized the Opera House and can remember the structure I analyzed. 

I have over 100 sketchbooks since 2005, and all were drawings from direct observation.  How long will it take for me to be able to draw more from my imagination, and what are the exercises that will help me on this pathway?  I'll report back periodically.

Posted by Shirley at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

One Way Ticket, Jacob Lawrence's Migration series, opened at MoMA this weekend.  At age 23 he painted these 60 panels to tell the story of the migration of blacks from the rural south to the urban north between WWI and WWII.  He did extensive research at the Schomberg Center in Harlem and painted a series that tells an amazing story through paintings and captions.  MoMA owns 30 "even-numbered" panels and the Phillips Collection in DC owns 30 "odd-numbered" ones.  Periodically they reunite them and I first saw them many years ago in DC.  I wasn't drawing or painting at that time, and only now do I realize how masterful he was at composition. 

Lawrence painted in tempera, and after drawing all 60 panels, he painted one color across all 60, and then added the second color, etc. 

Here is a 2 minute video from BBC World News: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32141921 

The MoMA website has all 60 panels and a wonderful description of the exhibit.  

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1549#related_events 

I had trouble choosing just one panel to copy, but kept returning to panels with 3 images - and finally chose this one.

The exhibit also includes art, music, and photography from his contemporaries, including Marion Anderson's Lincoln Memorial performance.  I loved one of Dorothea Lange's photographs of an ex-slave and sketched her as well.

Posted by Shirley at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

This week the "weekday" Urban Sketchers NYC group met at the Renee and Chaim Gross Foundation.  This is a little known gem in the Village only several blocks from Washington Square.  Chaim Gross was a sculptor and painter in NYC from his arrival from Europe after WWI until his death in 1991.  After raising two children on the Upper Westside of NYC, he and his wife moved into a new home at 526 LaGuardia Place which served both as their home and studio.  It is open Thursdays and Fridays from 1-5 and artists are welcome. 

http://www.rcgrossfoundation.org/ 

This is the first floor, just inside the entrance:

Overlooking the studio - with an incredible number of pieces and everything left as it was when he died:

The second floor contains his private art collection which is amazing, and special exhibits.  The 3rd floor has paintings from his contemporaries, and a huge African Art Collection.

My sketches:

Two heads - one black and white marble and the other beige - and 4 of his wood sculptures on the first floor and studio.

Yoruba beaded wooden sculpture and several other African art pieces on the 3rd floor. 

Posted by Shirley at 7:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We are still drawing and shading with graphite in my FIT Drawing Class.  This week our in-class assignment was to draw and sketch this plant - dark green with light pink veins on the leaves.  The class sits in a BIG square, at drawing desks, at least 6-8 feet back from the central table.  A bright standing lamp is directed at the object to create shadows.  As before, I finished drawing the plant and vase, and then thought only about my watercolor paints!  And as before I remind myself that this is my first drawing class and I need to concentrate on the requirements of this course and use graphite to shade instead of paints to add color!

I finished early and was bored again, so I added 3 classmates to what will probably become a crowd! 

I bought beautiful tulips for our apartment last week in anticipation of the first day of spring.  My husband worried that they would be wilted by Saturday/Sunday.  Here they are in a quick painting. 

And here is the view from my Window at 6AM on the first day of Spring. 

We had 4.5 inches of snow in Central Park by the time the snow ended!  And we are all still wearing heavy down coats with hoods up! 

Posted by Shirley at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)