Mend

In some respects, this work is a juxtaposition of art and science. On the right is a short reading from an almost antiquated electrocardiography machine. The varied, and frankly beautiful, shapes of the lines are the result of different position readings of the electrical activity of the heart. And actually, that is my heart. I was able to do these readings in my Exercise Physiology laboratory. The paper seemed to be very old, and the experience of holding this physical evidence of my heart's existence was rather powerful. On the left of the page is short poetry I wrote pertaining to the heart, which reads:

The Heart bears all things

With love and loss, warmth and life

The tangible soul

I flutter and I sink

I drop and I strain and break

With time I always remain

The heart takes on more personification and symbolic meaning than any other part of the body. We seem to viscerally feel our hearts flutter when excited, skip when scared, or break when devastated. Of course the physiological purpose of the heart is to carry out the circulation of oxygen, nutrients, wastes, heat, immune system cells, clotting factors, etc. The heart bears quite a heavy burden, carrying out these real and metaphorical duties. The word "mend" led me to think of the heart for all the times that these burdens bear too much upon the heart. Despite heart breaks and heart attacks, the body has the capability of healing with time. 

September 27,2016

Gather

If Tony were to ask, I could respond that I enjoyed making this piece. I originally had no intention of sketching for this week's prompt, gather. As I lied around thinking of my previous idea, this image came to me of a humble mother preparing a meal at an island counter with the child looking on from a darkened doorway. The scene was influenced by my conception of what an old - perhaps medieval - Italian household would look like. In my mind, the mother was much older in appearance, the kitchen was more ornate, the image would be darker overall (except for the child), and the figures would be larger. My original image may have been influenced by the paintings of Vermeer and similar artists. 

I went right to my desk to give it a go. Many ideas were formed and rearranged as I continued in the work. I remembered how to draw perspective again, and found it pleasing to arrange the lines just so. If you look closely, I'll bet you can find the point I used right at the mother's eye. This trick reminded me of Renaissance works, such as The School of Athens by Raphael. I needed some reference as to how to furnish the kitchen, so I looked at what an old oven might look like and drew one that I felt filled the space of the room. I also felt that I had to put those wooden beams on the ceiling to give substance and for aesthetic purposes. The lighting and shading were the most challenging yet rewarding parts of this sketch. I mention above that I intended this to be much darker, so I paid attention to where the light was coming from. You may notice that the candle and the oven should be the only sources of light, but there seems to be light coming from the entire centerpiece of the mother and "altar."

I will admit that during this sketch I listened to my favorite traditional Italian mandolin playlist, and stopped at one point for a glass of wine and baguette with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I thought this would set the mood, but also, this mood was set in me. In this work, I express a longing for a culture I am only connected to through a genetic lineage. Perhaps I wish that it was my wife and child in the image, if even for a moment.

September 20, 2016 

Meander

Recently I have been captivated by the wonders of plants and the natural world. I have learned to  pay close attention to what may seem to be minor details, and with practice, these details magnify in the eyes of the observer. With this new perspective in mind, I approached the word "meander." To me, meander has a connotation of pleasure as the subject travels from place to place, taking a non-linear path and stopping to enjoy or observe the surroundings. Thus I drew what I think of as a botanist's meandering. 

The form of the work was created with a combination of sketch and chalk pastel. I don't know that this is a common means of working. I began with sketching some parts (the path, the man, the tree, and the large vines). I then decided that I wanted to add color for this work. I had this chalk pastel which I wanted to try using, so I let it contribute to see what would happen. It was not as exact as I would have liked, as the edges of the pastel pieces were flat squares. I decided to keep working with both pencil and pastel. I would agree that colored pencil would work well, but I like the dimension that the chalk pastel adds. I am certainly open to feedback. 

September 13, 2016

Touch

"Draw what you see" Ms. Florence would remind me each time I began a sketch in her Art class. Such a simple instruction helps to calm my nerves about trying to create the perfect work of art. I chose to draw this piece as a way to bring my hands and mind back into the realm of creative art after a few years of stifling from my rigorous science courses. I began with the outline of my hand, and I could tell I was still striving for that unattainable perfection. I continued to remind myself to simply draw what I saw. This finally became effective as I filled in the lines of my palm and creases of the joints. I began to relax and felt that this was a practice of honesty - I included all I could see and did not add anything I felt should have been there. You can see that I even included the scabs from cuts on my palm. With my finished work, I felt that one could read my fortune much like the oracles on the ancient Chinese turtle's shell. 

September 6, 2016