Art Camp II - Mary K
Two weeks till I transition back into life as Mr. Bates.
Just spent the most wonderful week in a Basic Drawing class with Mary Kierkseik. Going in I was a hack at best. Coming out I'm a hack with skills. There were a few of us giving our hands a real go for the first time this week, so it was a perfect test for her teaching methods and the sequences of techniques she ran us through. In the end our creations were quite remarkable. Mary will be sending out a CD of photos from the class and when she does I'll post pics.

My Masterpiece Value Project is a study of Theo in his fedora and a bow tie. The reference photo was way washed out, which created problems, but despite that I'm thrilled with what it became. Did I nail it? No, but in it's own right, it's respectable. Had I chosen a reference with more detail, I'm certain I could have done better, but hey, in the end I got skills and it shows. Without the class, I can't even imagine where I would have ended up trying to teach my Foundations of Art classes.

Casey Jones, the digital art teacher from Sky View, wandered around the class not wanting to leave after he had finished his project (a fly rod, reel, and boots still life), because he couldn't believe that he had actually created the image he held in his hands. Everyone that progressed through the class turned out a technically complex, remarkably crafted works of art. The line-up of drawings on the last day was brilliant.

As for Mary Kierkseik, if ever there is a chance to spend a moment of life with her, take it. Bright, delightful, talented, funny and full of life. She exudes enthusiasm for everything she does. Not to mention the girl can teach art.

As for my impending debut as an art teacher, this was the perfect week. Thanks to Lee Burningham for putting his arm around me the day we met and making sure I got into these classes. And thanks to Zan Burningham for inviting me into her wacky world and infusing me with her passion for teaching real skills not fluff. I'm feeling so good about my place in art department. So good.

One final chant for Mary, "Art is great! Art is great! Art is great! Art is great!...!!!"

Shading, Not Shading, Familiarity and More Shading

hey lover, slipped out for a little time to stop looking down at my paper and thought it's been too much time away with too many people in between us for the last few days. miss you and send you love. i really just feel like a chick cracking out of his shell here. or maybe a little beyond that. maybe more of a still wet colt stumbling up to his feet. sort of frozen on the virge of falling, but then finding my feet again. i'm a little tired of new things for a while. i need the relaxation of running on a trail i've run before where i know the curves and dips so that my mind can just relax and enjoy the wind. this cycle of everything new every day is exhausting. maybe that's why I've stepped out of the art room to play with words for a few moments. just to let them tumble off the ends of my fingers. it's a peaceful place for me. thanks for being so beautifully familiar. in that flash of a thought i understand something new about us, and it's wonderful. now back to my shading. i send you love. david