Splatters of Clay

So I love writing a blog. Its fun to just have a forum for talking about things and sending it out into the ambiguous nether of the internet. However, it would seem that I am being pulled in many directions. I endeavored to pursue a PhD these past few years and have now accepted the idea that perhaps I am not ready to do a dissertation. But rather than just flat out lose all my course work, projects, etc. I am switching my degree from PhD to EdS. I think I posted about this before. In any case, I still have one last project to complete. Today I realized that I cannot to my final project and maintain this blog with regularity. So for now, I will only post once a week. So the blog will be maintained, but only just barely. But barely will have to be good enough for the next couple of months.

One of the most common uses of line is to define shape. We can draw circles, squares, triangles, etc. it gets really interesting when we begin drawing contour lines. I have always thought of contour lines as the outline of something. Out of curiosity I looked up the definition and found it interesting. One definition said, "a line connecting points of equal elevation." This is of course referring to contour lines on a map, but if we take the idea and apply it to drawing it makes one think. Contour lines when grouped together are meant to show elevation changes or depth, but a single contour line is actually flat. When we look at contour line in drawing as the outline of something, it is flat. It's a silhouette. There is no space, no depth. Despite this lack of depth, a well drawn contour line will still define the shape and communicate ideas, and even emotion. And of course you play with perception in fun ways. This optical illusion is a classic for teaching perspective...

When I teach art I always want to start with line, but very quickly we can move into one of the other elements of art. It is always a challenge for me to decide what to teach second. It shows the immediate complexity of art and that the elements of art are not art. Rather they are a representation of what is going on when we create art work. We identify these elements of art so we can break it down and simplify it in order to explain and teach it. So today I will write about space. As an art element space is emptiness. It might be referred to as white space, distance, depth, negative space, etc. It is the part of the art work things are not. This may sound funny to some, but the artist is as conscious of space as they are of the places where things are. To save ourselves from falling too far down the rabbit hole, for now we will think of space as three dimensional or depth. In 2-D art this is largely an illusion, and it is super fun. Here is depth in three lines. Draw one l...

Of the seven basic elements of art, line is perhaps the most fundamental. Even when line is intentionally avoided, such as in some of the works of Leonardo Di Vinci, line is still heralded by the sort of brutal and exuberance avoidance of it. Its importance is even acknowledge in common speak. If you encourage artistic effort in someone who does not see themselves with any art skill, they might say, “I can’t even draw a straight line.” I actually kind of laugh at that statement. Who cares about strait lines, the crooked squiggly ones are usually more interesting anyway. The point is that even a non-artistic person accepts the importance of line as a basic element of art. Last Friday, we went to the Portland Museum of Art. They have many really nice pieces of art. We did not even make it to their American art section before my kids pooped out. But we did walk through their current animal display. I made my kids look at The Bull by Pablo Picasso. Eleven lines! What was even bett...

When I started this blog, I really wanted it to be mostly about art. Obviously I have deviated from this intent talking of such things as religion, politics, nature, and family. But all these things relate to art if in an indirect way. Art is expression. It is expression of life and humanity, of dreams and thoughts and emotion. These are the subjects of art. However I do want to address some of the technical aspects of art. So we start with the basics. All art uses at least one of seven basic elements: Line Shape Value Color Texture Space Form It does not really matter whether the art is 2D or 3D it will still employ one or more of these elements, though admittedly some of them may be more prone to certain media. For example, color might be difficult to portray if one is only using charcoal or graphite. In subsequent blogs, I will talk in greater detail about each of these elements and some of the techniques for using them.

In 2 Nephi 26:33 it says, "... and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile." In the 2017 October General Conference of the LDS Church Elder Quinton L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, " Anyone who claims superiority under the Father’s plan because of characteristics like race, sex, nationality, language, or economic circumstances is morally wrong and does not understand the Lord’s true purpose for all of our Father’s children." I contrast this with recent statements regarding Haiti from that boss baby who so recently purchased the US presidency. Oh where is our captain? Where is the leader who gives confidence and faith? Where is a one worthy to be called a man, worthy to guide our nation? I see him not. We are left in the hands of another. A child, an ignorant one who joys in hate, revels in destruction, who seeks to tear...

In their song, Dangling Conversations, Simon and Garfunkel have this line: And you read your Emily Dickinson And I my Robert Frost And we note our place with book markers That measure what we've lost There is value in the unread book. There is inherent hope in what might be discovered or learned. While not yet read a book still holds the possibility of being great, of changing you for the better, of lifting your imagination to new heights. The moment you crack the cover and begin to read, that hope starts to diminish. Each turned paged marks a small loss. More often than not, the book will not be great, maybe good or entertaining, or a complete disappointment, but not great. And the hope dies or goes to sleep. Even if the book is great and feels like the discovery of a treasure, once read it becomes a known thing and hope disappears. With every book read something is lost. Should we just give up on reading then? Avoiding the continued bashing and splatter of hope? No. We...

I read once that Rodin, the sculpture who made the Thinker, would carry clay around with him and do little impromptu sculptures of people. Then give these sculptures to these people. I did this once for Robert Michael Pyle, after I heard him speak at USU. I always remember him as that guy who loves butterflies and slugs, and made underwear obscene in whole new ways. He is fantastic! I first discovered plasticine clay when I was about five years old. My older step bother had made a candle with clay wrapped around it. I would steel little pieces of clay from his art project. The bit of clay I played with was no larger than a pencil erasure. Since I have no skill whatsoever for theft, I as of course caught. Why my brother has many faults, I must give him tremendous credit here. On my sixth birthday, he gave me a pack of clay. Joy beyond measure! And the beginning of a new life for me. A life that included many days of carrying clay around in my pocket. Making a hand, or face, or quic...

The other day, I wrote a little bit about Victor Frankl. I found this terrific video of him. He talks about how we must aim for a much higher standard then the one we want in order to achieve the one we want. It reminds me of a quote attributed to Michelangelo, the famous sculptor (and one of my heroes). "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." https://www.ted.com/talks/viktor_frankl_youth_in_search_of_meaning

I remember me at six years old completely overwhelmed by sadness and feeling totally alone. I sat on the playground unmoved for all of recess despite my friend’s effort to rouse me into playing. This shadow, this dark overpowering sadness, this depression ebb and flows through my life. It’s always present, sometimes very far away and small, sometimes huge, big, and right on top of me, but always there. A couple of years ago, while furiously working in my garden, feeling dark and sad, I got mad. I said something like, “fine, I will just be depressed for the rest of my life.” Suddenly, I felt better. I actually laughed out loud.  I finally accepted that this depression was just part of my life and would likely always be with me. Since then the depression has stayed mostly quiet and even on bad days it did not shut me down. This past weekend it crushed me. I could not eat or enjoy anything, and weariness overwhelmed me. The weariness of depression is not like physical tiredne...

I found these cool little jars to house some of my agates. They are so fun to hold up to the light. The variations in density, color, and form, make them glow in different ways even when exposed to the same light source. I found it challenging to really capture this beauty in picture. I studied photography as part of my fine arts degree. I learned just enough to realize that I am not good at taking pictures. But last night, I played around with different backgrounds and light sources, and found a way to capture the beauty I could see.   This is probably the best photo I have taken in my life. Victor Frankl (1985) suggests that you cannot achieve success by trying to achieve success. To achieve success, you must focus on another person or on something greater than yourself. Last night I forgot about trying to take a good picture and just tried to capture how that light brought out the glow in these rocks. I look at this picture today and it takes my breath away. I find myself...

I really want this to be a blog that is more about art. Why art? Art is probably the oldest and most consistent part of my life. More than family, religion or anything except for maybe pooping, eating, and sleeping. Though, I still remember college days when art would consume me. I would reach that transcendent state. Mazlow calls it self-actualization. Those in positive psychology would call it flow. Time seems to become nonexistent. All other needs just fall away and get ignored; sleeping, eating, even pooping just are not important. That place, that state is almost indescribable. Its feelings of joy, freedom, possibility, and a feeling of power. Like you can solve any problem, conquer any mountain, and create anything. Quite simply it is one of the greatest feelings in the world. It’s a feeling I miss often. I think I recall it so vividly from my days as a young artist in college because the feeling was so intense and present so often. Writing about it now, I am tempted to...

Last weekend, we went to the coast. We arrived at one of our favorite beaches, Fogarty Creak just a little after high tide. As the waves slowly pulled back more and more, they revealed these little hidden treasures. Agates! In the hundreds. My wife and oldest son were off hunting far up the beach. I barely saw either of them. My other three kids played on this rock ledge, setting up their camp chairs as if they ruled the beach, finding different ways of climbing up the rock. I stayed close, trying to always keep them in site. Consequently, my own agate hunting ground remained confined to a relatively small area. In fact a few times, I simply sat on the ground and picked up only those agates within reach.  I still found some real beauties and a lot of them. At one point a woman and her husband asked me, “what is everyone looking for?” There were probably twenty or thirty people agate hunting all along the beach. I told the woman to hold out her hand. I took a small handful o...

President Thomas S. Monson died last night. It is always sad to see a great person leave this world, especially one who has served so long and given so much. My first thought at hearing of his passing was, “I bet he was so happy to see his wife again. What a wonderful reunion that must have been.” It makes me grateful for prophets and the words they give to us. The modern words we hear over the pulpit and the ancient words found in scripture. One of my favorite passages says, “…the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.” – Alma 40: 11. We all go back to God when we die. How we lived our life will determine the work and learning we must do on the other side. President Monson did great things over here and I am sure he will do great things over there. He will be missed. Our Savior, Jesus Christ lives and directs this church, not mortal men. The ...

Since moving here to Oregon, I noticed a strange, yet intriguing phenomena. Painted rocks. I am an artist. I started sculpting in clay at five and drawing at six. Right from the start I intuitively knew things about space, form, color, value, etc. I did not know why certain things just seemed right, I just did them. At 14 I started a serious study of the human body and learned to sculpt muscles, bones, tendons, etc. I even went so far as to earn a BFA from Utah State. I have studied, made, sold, and taught art for more than 35 years. But, it never occurred to me to paint on a rock. Apparently it is quite popular in Oregon. On our most recent trip to the coast, I gathered a few would be canvases. Last night, I started messing about and reacquainting myself with paint.  We shall see what sort of happy accidents occur. In my experience art work, is mostly work. It requires the courage to experiment and fail, and the perseverance to keep trying until you get something you can live...

A while ago a friend told me, “I think you have important things to say.” Since then, these words haunt my thoughts. They just won’t go away. Victory fighting them back comes mostly from my mid-life crisis, working on a PhD. That’s right, while other men buy a sports car or motorcycle to prove they are not yet dead, I went back to school. The motorcycle would have cost a lot less and been a lot more fun, though it probably would have resulted in some horrible road rash. I have been working towards my doctorate since fall of 2014. In that time I often used my PhD to avoid doing all kinds of interesting things. I still worked full time, spent time with family, and volunteered at my church, but I procrastinated a lot of project ideas. One was blogging again (Its only been about 10 years). The procrastination ends now. In December, my dissertation chair informed me that my academic writing basically sucks.  I could still do the PhD, but it would a lot more really hard work, y...