Day Twenty-Four – Taking It To The Streets

"All means are sacred which are called for by the inner need." 
—Wassily Kandinsky

I took my zen art to the sidewalks today, literally, with chalk. I created seven drawings, one on each segment with up to three colors each. I really enjoyed the spontaneity, while listening to music and letting the rhythms and inner spirit take over. I'm not sure if I'll continue to fill up the sidewalk or not. They are only temporary, giving them over to nature and foot traffic, and that's okay. Nothing lasts forever.

Speaking of music, I found it was difficult not to feel energy listening to Paul Simon's Graceland which is why I included it in yesterday's post title. The text was already getting long so I'm mentioning it today instead. There is just something joyful about South African rhythms. 

Day Twenty-Three – Going To Graceland

"That is beautiful which is produced by the inner need, which springs from the soul." —Wassily Kandinsky

After finishing reading "Concerning the Spiritual in Art" that I started yesterday, I felt ready to create some art again. No, make that I felt the need to make art. Kandinsky's theories on the importance and spiritual nature of art helped me identify certain barriers. It was time to intentionally give it a go to connect with my inner spirit with no preconception. So I started a black and white "zen drawing." My drawing pens are fine and extra fine black Sharpies, and Sakura archival gel pen on watercolor paper as I may want to color it later.

While it may bear a striking resemblance to another current popular B&W style, this is actually a type of drawing I've been doing for many years since I was a teen before there was a clever name, how-to courses and branded art media. I have my original sketchbooks to prove it. At the time, I was inspired to learn how to draw the ornate paisley fabric patterns many of my dresses were made of. I also was attracted to lacy crochet patterns. Later, the activity was relegated to helping me stay awake during staff meetings and phone calls. The kinetic activity also helped map my memory to the meeting information. I never took it seriously but it was always very therapeutic. Without a fancy name, it was little more than an excercise in line and repetition, otherwise called "doodling." My art teachers didn't encourage it however many of my art classmates like me just intuitively drew them but with their own personal style. It was more a spontaneous art style of the psychedelia hippie era.

I suppose like the genre of steampunk existed before it had a label, it was only a matter of time before this drawing style would be blessed with a name too. I just wish I had thought of it! But I also never thought that there would be mass interest in it or that it could be "taught" at all. It always felt like it was my personal style and mine alone. So Kudos to those with the vision to do so!