start of the semester quote

"It seems to me that before a man tries to express anything to the world he must recognize in himself an individual, a new one, very distinct from others...Most people, either by training or inheritance, count themselves at the start as "no good," or "second rate" or "just like anyone else," whereas in everyone there is the great mystery; every single person in the world has evidence to give of his own individuality, providing he has acquired the full power to make clear this evidence.

...For instance, contrast the work of (John Henry) Twachtman and Winslow Homer. The same scene presented by these two men would be not an identical geographical spot but an absolutely different expression of personality. Twachtman saw the seas bathed in mists, the rocks softened with vapor. Winslow Homer looked straight through the vapor at the hard rock; he found in the leaden heaviness a most tremendously forceful idea. It was not the sea or the rock to either of these men, but their own individual attitude toward the beauty or the force of nature. Each man must take the material that he finds at hand, see that in it there are the big truths of life, the fundamentally big forces, and then express in his art whatever is the cause of his pleasure."  

 - Robert Henri (American artist and teacher), The Art Spirit, 1923

                                                                                                            

John Henry Twachtman

Winslow Homer

nature's influence

A few semesters back, I brought in rocks - more specifically slag - found along a creek bed in upstate New York. Eye catching, smooth and jagged, slag is the runoff during the smelting or refining of ore. Meant to inspire the students' sketches, a written paragraph was assigned to better amplify their senses. 

  Cold, hard, sleek and smooth in parts, but textured and rough in others; examples of a perfect juxtaposition, what we strive to achieve in the best designs.  The most gorgeous variations of blues, turquoise blending into soft cerulean with striations of light aqua and maps of indigo; irregular, yet perfect color patterns offset by islands of neutral matte grays.  Light enough to be easily carried, but substantial enough to notice the weight, its size perfectly fits in the palm of my hand when I wrap my fingers around to secure it.  It has no distinct taste, but is cold and slightly metallic with undertones of the cucumber basil soap that I washed it with. 

  It reminds me of the view of earth from the sky, the blue portions representations of water and the gray a sort of earth.  I chose it because the colors and textures spoke to me.  I think it would be a gorgeous textile or wallpaper.  I love that you can see sparkles when the light hits it in specific parts of the matte gray stone.  I see furniture and buildings in its shape and outlines of space planning for site plans.  I find the words describing this are setting forth a passion for what I will use it to create.  - Kristen B.

On a similar note, the architect and sculptor, Maya Lin, wrote in her book, Boundaries, "I begin by imagining an artwork verbally". 

For her design of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC, soft pastel sketches were accompanied by a winning description - so aptly engaging the senses:

Walking through this park-like area, the memorial appears as a rift in the earth - a long, polished black stone wall, emerging from and receding into the earth. Approaching the memorial, the ground slopes gently downward, and the low walls emerging on either side, growing out of the earth, extend and converge at a point below and ahead. Walking into the grassy site contained by the walls of this memorial, we can barely make out the carved names upon the memorial's walls. These names, seemingly infinite in number, convey the sense of overwhelming numbers, while unifying these individuals into a whole...