Cave Drawing?.....
......On my Facebook page (HERE) I posted an article about some recently found beautiful charcoal images that are 35,000 years old. Sensitively drawn, they were found deep in caves in southern France. They are of the things that were important to the artists of that time. In pristine condition, they have been sitting untouched for all that time.
When I am out placing my own marks I know that the urges I have to create form where nothing existed before is probably very similar to the cave artists in France long ago. I can use modern forms of charcoal and ochre to communicate what is important to me at the moment. Not having to haul torches to the far reaches of a cavern to find an appropriate canvas means I've got it pretty easy. Just a portable sketchbook, a pen and a few markers.
Can you imagine trying to get the others back in the cave to come the the First Friday Art Walk, er, crawl? (yes, bad joke.)
Here are the stages the above drawing plus another drawing I did today at lunch with some good friends. We all drew, also sharing symbols of what we found important.
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| The beginning. |
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| The Completed Drawing |
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| The First Pass With 30% Marker |
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| Almost Complete with 60% and 80% added. |
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| Outside Mora's |
This is of a mother and daughter enjoying frozen yogurt sitting in the Spring sun. Simple shapes create interest and emotion in a viewer. Twenty minutes before it was only a blank sheet of paper, waiting for an artist. I find this whole process fascinating. Not just the creation, because I often don't make the connection that I'm the person actually doing it, but what other people recognize in the mysterious mish-mash of marks.
I wonder if those cave artists had the same feelings? Likely.
There is a one day workshop in Drawing With Valued Markers coming up in May. Contact the Winslow Art Center (HERE) for more info.
Thanks for looking. I'll be back soon and show you Chief Steve Little Salmon from the Flathead Valley.
