Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Musical Indiscretions (4)


Once I read in one of R. E. Hale's books something to the effect that the problem of representing motion has never been fully solved. One usually deals with repetitive motion, for instance, by placing the actor either at the beggining or at the end of that motion ( right at the instants, therefore, when he is in fact standing still). One never draws a man banging on a nail while the hammer is actually halfway down, but rather when the hammer is at the top of its path or has just hit the head of the nail. Our knowledge of the action completes the picture.

Another way is just not to choose, and actually draw the hand, the arm, the body, at various positions throughout the motion, superposing all such drawings on the same sheet. This is usually frowned upon as a comic strip technique, but I find that objection to be mere pedantry. There are a lot of artistically valid solutions stumbled upon by comic book artists over the years. They, unlike some oh-so-modern breed of artists, are at least keeping up with one of Michelangelo's main commandements: Shut up and draw a lot!

(Btw, yes, this is (was supposed to be) you, M. Thanks for the invitation :))

Musical Indiscretions (3)

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Today


I was blinded, just blinded. Turned mute, also. And dumb. Oh, so dumb.
Sometimes the world is just too beautiful...

The music stops for a second for this unexpected, silent, intermezzo...

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Musical indiscretions (1)


In a physical sense, listening to a concert is quite a static experience (mentally, of course, listening can and should be quite active). Often I find that state of physical inertia (and also the excessive rest of my visual brain) somewhat disturbing. The best way for me to listen to classical music is to sketch at the same time. Then the whole experience becomes quite vibrant. I find that the hand moves at the sound of the music - literally dances along with it - very naturally, and the nature of the line changes with it. Like the grooves in a vinyl record, the drawing keeps a physical imprint of the transient sounds - sometimes I wonder if I could read the music back on a microscope! Although sometimes the act of drawing will distract me from the act of listening, at its best it will merge with and actually enhance my awareness of the music, creating something altogether more resonant.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

You can't win them all


Well, I guess you can't expect much from your first try...this painting thing is rather oily business...but rather instructive...once more, rather like drawing,

painting has very little to do with the crap that stays on the canvas after the act...

I used to see in shades of gray, but since I began to paint, I see colour everywhere, no matter where I look. And they are the most amazing, unexpected colours. There's nothing like the feeling of the beginner's mind to remind you that the world is always a brand new toy...

Indiscrições de Santo Antonio (3)

Indiscrições de Santo António (2)

Indiscrições de Santo António (1)

One year (and 234 posts) later...



...drawing is STILL only accidentally related to the act of sullying paper.

Friday, June 02, 2006

Curiously curly cherub posing


This is my favorite subway indiscretion in a long time. This guy looked somewhat like a curly cherub with a candy fetish. The lines were just beautiful, I was very happy with the result.

Subway indiscretion 020606