Work in Progress: Zebra

Zebra by Lyric Kinard

Becoming an Artist in Italy

 Becoming an Artist in Italy

with Lyric Kinard

Arrive June 26th 

Depart July 2nd 2013

Registration deadline is 17th April 2013

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The beauty of the Italian countryside is a glorious setting for awakening your creative abilities and nurturing your desire to become an artist. Inspired by the alluring village of Sulmona and the astounding beauty of the Asinomania grounds, you will learn the alphabet of the visual language, the basic elements and principles artist use to create their interpretations of the world around them. With the firm support and gentle encouragement of Lyric Kinard,  the 2011 International Association of Professional Quilters Teacher of the Year, you will take your first steps on a new artistic path, seeing the world in wonder through the eyes of an artist.

Goals/Expectations

This class delves deeply into the basics of design and involves time spent observing, absorbing, and recording your visual environment. You will interpret what you see by creating easily understandable exercises in fabric and on paper in order to give you hands-on experience with each design element. Basic drawing skills will be taught - no previous experience is necessary. You will spend time working on an original composition inspired by Italy, and learn to evaluate your work and the work of others. You will gain the skills you need to make confident design decisions about your own work.

Days 1 and 2: The Elements of Art

    Introductions and explanations of expectations

    What are the basic elements of design, the alphabet letters of the visual language

    Texture, shape, line, color, value

    Explore each element with timed cloth exercises in our sketchbooks

    Basic sketching and drawing instruction and exercises

    Explore and find inspiration focusing on each element in the environment using cameras and sketchbooks

Day 3: The Visual Language

    Introduce the principles of design, the way the letters (the elements of design)

    are put together to create meaning in the visual language

    Focal Point, Balance, Symmetry, Motion, Repetition, Unity, Scale, Proportion

    Explore each principle with timed cloth exercises in our sketchbooks

    Basic sketching and drawing exercises

    Explore and find inspiration focusing on each principle in the environment and in the art world using cameras and sketchbooks

Day 4 and 5: The Artists Eye

    Continued sketching and observation exercises

    Students will begin construction of their own original designs

    Introduce the basic structure of evaluation, how to analyze and critique artwork

    Students will lead group critiques of artwork (I could bring posters if there is no local gallery)

    Group design exercises if time allows

    Final evaluation of student work - students will be let through the evaluation process, gaining the skills they need to make confident design decisions about their own work.

    Wrap up and review

Supply lists and costs can be found here:

http://www.abruzzoschoolofcreativeart2013.com/lyric-kinard.php

It's going to be the trip of a lifetime. Join me for a week of creativity, joy, and beauty!

Work In Progress: Rockstar Boro Skirt

More progress on the boro inspired skirt.

 

I've sewn down dyed vintage laces to cover the raw seams but haven't embroidered them yet.

At my current pace this project is going to be ongoing for years..... and years.

skirt front view - Lyric Kinard

 If you missed it - Melanie Testa inspired this project with a more true to form Boro project of her own.

If you haven't seen her new website yet - go check it out. It's GORGEOUS!

skirt back view - Lyric Kinard

 This will eventually be partially covered by more embroidery. I'm thinking this whole skirt will be a continual embroidered travel journal... which means the Disney Castle should show up next.

Here is a link to the previous progress posts for this project.

(I love alliteration - don't you?)

Work In Progress: Conjunctions

Part two of my collaborative process with the talented poet, Maura High.

Conjunctions by Lyric Kinard

[Conjunctions]

Maybe it was just the back and forth of the wipers,
or that they were the only people I saw
on that stretch of the road, and the rain

was pouring over the windshield,
rivulets and deltas of rain flooding
a space swept clean and then filled again, the sky

drear and seething, the dripping, somnolent trees;
or that I knew nothing about them except
what I could see in passing and then

in the rearview mirror: that they were a couple,
middle-aged, in parkas, with their hoods up,
walking out of the woods, holding hands,

and that they found daylight there,
at the seam between this and other:
a gate and a path leading beyond it, an opening.

© 2012 Maura High

The imprinted silk from this piece and "Verbesina Ocidentalis" was eco-dyed by Arlee Barr. You should check out her shop - it's got some stunning cloth in it right now that I'm having a hard time resisting.

The Kindness Chronicles

Ideas to help us make the world a better place!

Little things:

Hold the door open - especially if they are pushing a stroller or have their hands full.

Leave a post-it note on the bathroom stall saying "smile - you ARE beautiful, smart, and creative!"

(www.operationbeautiful.com)

Give a compliment - a looking in the eyes, specific, compliment.

Put a grocery cart away for a mother with little ones in the car. (did this!)

(I always really hated to leave mine alone even for a second in the car.)

Bigger things:

Babysit for the mother of young children... even if it's just so she can go take a nap.

Bring your favorite book and read stories to kids at your local elementary school.

Wash someone's car windows.

Keep a zip-loc bag in your purse with a toothbrush, toothpaste, a few dollars, and a granola bar for the next time you pass a homeless person. (going to do this!)

Stop by the fire department with a plate of cookies and say thank you.

It's not that hard to make the world a better place!

This month check out

Jane LaFazio

Deborah Stanley
Hannah Koch

and Linda Teddlie Minton

to see what they've done to make the world a better place.

If you'd care to join us please do. Grab the button above for your blog.

Send me your info and I'll link to your blog next month.

Creative Wisdom: How Believing Makes It So

I sing with my church choir. I love music. I love Patti, our choir director. None of us get paid and neither does she. There are a few adequate voices that can read music and hold a pitch - nobody spectacular. There are a lot of us that can only sing it if someone else is singing the right pitch in our ear.

Patti welcomes anyone who wants to sing in the choir, and I do mean anyone. We have some young children who come sing with us. Sometimes we have eight bases and no altos. I sing tenor most of the time (I'm really an alto) because we get desperate for tenors on a regular basis. There are probably only one or two people who would ever feel remotely comfortable singing a solo.

And yet, every time we sing in church - it's beautiful. I'm not just saying that. I mean it. I have a good ear, I have musical training (not in voice) and I know when something sounds less than good.

I think that we sound beautiful because Patti believes it's going to sound beautiful and we live up to her expectations. We work pretty hard on the songs but not anywhere close to how hard we'd work back in college where we'd get all stressed out. Patti never frowns and never has anything but encouraging words for us.

It's not because she's choosing easy music either. She often will pull out things that are WAAAY beyond our ability level and somehow we pull it off. Because she believes we will. She'll tell us how much the song means to her, we'll work on parts a bit or a lot, and she just smiles and says "I know the angels will fill in the part we aren't getting" and somehow, it always happens.

We all can learn so much from the "Patti Effect."

She believes it will be so - completely, unabashedly.

And it is.

I want to teach like Patti conducts... knowing that each of my students is capable and that they ARE creative, they CAN do it, they WILL find that spark that they are looking for. Believing so much in each one of them, without any hint of doubting, that they can't help but succeed.

Faces on Friday redux

I don't think I'll ever be quite done learning to draw faces.

I can see that I've come a long way from a year ago.

I don't draw a face every day on an index card any more but I do keep them in my sketchbook. Once a week or so I'll be sitting in a crowd and pull them out and draw several all at once. Every once in a while now I can look at the sketch and recognize the person I was trying to draw. That's progress.

 I also keep working in my sketchbook.

 Some are very quick and rough.

 It's still difficult for me to get the proportions on the upper and lower face to work together.

One step at a time.

So the adventure continues. 

Here is one of the original "Faces on Friday" posts.

Every once in a while it's fun to pull out the stack of cards and compare.