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Welcome to Ley Lines! |
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The
mechanical process of drawing requires a selective way of
looking at the world. Elements in the familiar view from the kitchen window are brought into sudden focus. Faces of family, friends
and others we interact with daily reveal previously unnoticed traits as
well as unexpected glimpses of character. |
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Drawing
has shown itself to be less an act of creating than a process of becoming. When I first started drawing some four years
ago, the allure was just to see if an image could be fashioned on paper that
would be recognizable (for what it really was) after completion. That experiment began with objects of
personal interest - lighthouses and covered bridges. When the efforts, while not entirely satisfactory,
were at least tolerable, the subject area was expanded to include some of the
beautiful state where I live – Alaska.
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The Lights of Home
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Included
in this second phase were landmarks from around the Interior as well as some
early efforts at depicting wildlife.
These met with some success and actually led to a few sales of prints
and note cards. By then it was
impossible to go anywhere without that nagging little prod in the back of the
mind…wouldn’t that make a neat picture?
Now I have a digital camera that is my constant companion.
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Then
came what turned out (for me, at least) to be a quantum leap; portraits
of
people. When my wife Wanda asked for a
portrait of another family member, my immediate response was, “I can’t
draw people!” “Why not?” was the reply. Why not, indeed. So various
family members became unwitting practice models as did
several celebrities. (Some of these are
available to view in the Portrait Gallery.) The development of basic portraiture skills
led to an even greater discovery; the components that really make Alaska great are not the mountains or the wildlife. It is
the people who live here and work here and love this place as I do that make it
what it is. Learning to see and to transpose
that seeing into a portrait has been a journey of discovery and delight. |
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So…what is next? The
opportunity to share this enriching pastime with others has presented itself in
the form of drawing workshops. See the Workshops tab for details. Aside from that, there are so many
possibilities, it is hard even to speculate.
Check back from time to time to see what is happening.
If you would like to comment or just share some thoughts about drawing
and the creative process, please feel free to send me an email.
Again...welcome! |
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