Benefits of Participating in Creative Arts

I wanted to share some of the work my WCC students are doing this session.  It is exciting to see how each person explores art in their own way. These students come from diverse backgrounds.  Many people discover a talent they did not know that they possesed. Some of my students studied art many years ago, but left it behind to pursue a more lucrative career or raise a family. People who participate in creative arts benefit both emotionally and physically.  

You can be creative with visual arts, music, dancing, cooking, and the list goes on... I hope you all find a way to add creativity to the things you do.  Life is good!

Mandala

ⓒ Barbara Goodsitt

Peace & Happiness

One of the exercises I give my class is to design a personal mandala. I urge them to work spontaneously, letting their subconscious guide their design and color choices. 
Drawing and painting mandalas can help you to harmonize your harsh emotions, ease your pain, regain your trust in yourself and believe in your life again.  As one who absorbs thoughts and feelings from others, I find creating a mandala as a way of becoming empowered with my own values and common sense.


We also incorporate some color blending techniques into the piece. 
Here are some meanings of color choices:

Red – strength, enthusiasm, passion, willpower, authority, survival.

Yellow – intelligence, curiosity, vigilance, new goals, arrogance.


Orange – vitality, ambition, self-respect, optimism, joy.

Green – change, fertility, rejuvenation, healing, freedom, carefulness

Blue – harmony, contentment, calmness, trust, communication, loyalty

Pink – sensibility, vulnerability, protection, care, unconditional love, melancholy.


Brown – "roots”, stagnation, safety, self-doubt, solidity, suppressed energies.


White – relief, innocence, clarity, timeless. 

Purple – humane, idealistic, spirituality, meditation, passivity, estranged.


Black – loss, depression, fear, secrets, rebirth. 

Cloud on Mt. Haleakala

Cloud on Mt. Haleakala

ⓒ Barbara Goodsitt

The natural beauty of Hawaii is too exquisite for words.  This photograph was taken several years ago. I hope that many more generations will be able to enjoy this special place.

Foreground vs. Background

ⓒ Barbara Goodsitt

Here is a new project from my Colored Pencil Drawing class at Washtenaw Community College. The purpose of this project is to teach the student-artist how to differentiate the foreground from the background when painting or drawing.

The artist can blur the background and keep the foreground in focus. One can also use more intense colors in the foreground. This project demonstrates both approaches. I also utilized the impressed line technique with the veins in the leaves and in my signature. 

Coincidentally, there was  a recent article in the Huffington Post about a new 4D camera that will take interactive photos. It allows you to select and adjust the point of focus in your photo after it has been taken. The camera sharpens and intensifies your chosen point of focus, and blurs the other areas by using data it collects from 11 million rays of light!

Plein Air

ⓒ Barbara Goodsitt

I have had the pleasure of occasionally joining our Ann Arbor Women Artists Plein Air Group, whose outings are organized by Sandra Difazio.  Tapu and Sally Silvennoinen, one of our members, owns the historic Geddes Farm in Ann Arbor. We have been painting there each season over the past year.  This project will culminate in an upcoming art show at Moonwinks Cafe, located on the east side of Ann Arbor.

En Plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air", and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors. The first time I did it, many little animals including rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and bees came by to visit me. This added to the magic of the experience. It was as if I became "one" with the landscape while I painted it.  Every worry in the world just dropped away. I would love to do more plein air work in Michigan and perhaps other locations!

I hope you can stop by Moonwinks in November and see what some of our plein air painters have created.

Impressed Line Technique

It is fall, so drawing leaves seems appropriate.  

We will start working on using the impressed line technique in some classes.

New Class Exercise

Rainbow of Peppers
© Barbara Goodsitt

Here is a preview of our first project in Colored Pencil Drawing 1.  

We will be learning some color theory and how to transfer an image from a photo reference.

The Cardinal: Signs and Symbols

Cardinal, Mixed Media © Barbara Goodsitt

Cardinals are beautiful birds. They are plentiful near my home and so musical. 

I love their song, which you can enjoy at this link http://www.birdjam.com/birdsong.php?id=3.  In animal symbolism it is said that "Those who attract the cardinal as their totem are naturally energetic, love life, and happily help others where and when they can".  

This mixed media piece alludes to the way animals, (as well as songs, and passages in books) can appear to be signs if we stay alert. This cardinal breaks the boundaries of its borders. Perhaps it operates in different levels of consciousness. 

Artist, Carol Hanna, a friend from Ann Arbor Women Artists, creates huge, beautiful, and abstract paintings that interpret bird songs. She is inspired by the color of their feathers and the vibrations (wavelengths) of their songs to guide her compositions.