My grandson came home from school with an elegant black Japanese letter for "Friend" painted on rice paper. Okay, that was a go ahead to break out the Sumi-e brushes, ink stick, watercolors, grinding stone and we experimented with Sumi-e.
I wanted to learn because I want to "free" up my artwork. I'm struggling because I want to put on thick blobs of wild color - and stroke and stroke - the art of Sumi-e is in THE (one) stroke....not to capture a "picture" but the essence of what you see. I found it a bit frustrating in that it is discipline. Hmmm, freedom in discipline? Maybe. Anyway, the frog is my work, the volcano is my grandson's work.
I've been having fun - "The Idiot" has sucked me in big time. I've been having trouble reading anything, but this huge novel with long Russian names has pulled me in! I love it - the forward warned that "The Idiot" was really the perfect man...but perhaps not, we will see as we go. He is a man, however, who says what he sees and thinks, he will not lie. He is also compassionate and too fair for an adult's way of acting. I've always wanted to read Dostoevsky. A year before I left for Wyoming I started buying a classic a month to read and didn't read any of them, left them here. Maybe I will have catch-up time now.
A contentment is drifting into my soul - how many of us are so uptight and tense because we don't do what makes us happy? We wait and wait for "Someday Isle" and then we never sail there and why are we here on earth - to enjoy, at last part of this tenure, I'm sure.
9 comments:
Contentment is vastly underrated! Too many people waste their lives searching for the adrenaline rush of life's big thrills.
Your grandson is lucky to have you there to nurture his artistic talent!
ur piccys r awesome
Oh you have absolutely got the frogginess of that frog! Wonderful!
How funny - we just went to an art expo of sorts for kids yesterday and there was a sumi demonstration. It looked cool. My son opted for sculpture though. Your frog is neat and points to grandson on his volcano.
Keep doing the ink work! Groove with the discipline of the activity - do hundreds of them. Make them yours.
Dostoevsky is a fantastic writer. Read also Notes from the Underground, Crime & Punishment and The Brothers Karomazov (spelling??). The latter has a section called the Grand Inquisitor on the Nature of Man that is sometimes published separately...it's about Christ coming back and the Inquisitionor explaining to him why he must once again be put to death. Another Russian author I love is Isaac Babel. Check out his collected stories. They are fantastic.
I'm so glad you're doing something you love. And getting to spend time with grandson as you do it. Those pictures are beautiful. I'd say it would be a great way to design your next tattoo! can you imagine how great something like that would look tattoo'd on ... oh, say.... your back? Nice light strokes and beautiful muted colours. Fab-u-lous.
And I'm so glad that you're enjoying The Idiot. I read Crime and Punishment last year and loved it (except the crappy happy ending). Dostoyevsky is a fantastic writer (oh to read him in the original Russian!) and he sucked me in as well.
Contentment. What a wonderful place to be.
like pup said. Stay contented babe. Finest kind.
Thanks - folks - misteranchovy - thanks for the great reading & painting tips - appreciate you all
Oh look at you the ink work is gorgeous...yes keep at it just keep at it!
I am so happy to hear you are escapigng into reading well if ne can actually escape with Dostoevsky huh? I love him, he is oddly funny too no> I am so pleased to hear a sense of calm and content for you. Look forward to more inks...yes make them yours!
Post a Comment