They Come in a Sketch

Sketch- She Sings

Paintings don't usually spring up fully formed. They usually show up as sketches first. I sit down to relax and find a pencil in my hand. It is more like play than anything else--no purpose, no plan, just watching the pencil move across the paper for the sheer pleasure of the movement.

Sketch-Face of Dreams 4" x 6"

Sometimes I focus on individual features to see what arrives, such as the sketches below:

Picasso once said (I am paraphrasing): "You need to know the rules so you can break them."  It is helpful to know what things look like in the material world before expressing their essence as you see it. At least that is what I find. The late John Paul Jones taught me how to draw with graphite, charcoal and conte crayon in the style of the masters. Today I am grateful for the foundation like a rock that serves as my trampoline. Thank you, John Paul. I absorbed every word you said.

© Claudia Rose, Ph.D.