New Eyes: Pinecone Mug

The actual pinecone mug

"We need new eyes for seeing, new hands for holding on. . ."

 

 

I'm taking an art class. The class is named "Pencil I." My grandson Max said to me, "Grandma, does that mean you can take Pencil II when you get done with this class?" Smart kid. Probably much smarter than his sixty-four-year-old grandmother who is learning to see with new eyes. 

 

"I can teach anyone to draw," instructor Catherine Nash told us right at the beginning of the first class last Thursday. "Drawing is a language, and observing and drawing in real time can be very meditative," she added as she introduced the class to the basics of setting a plumb line and seeing the triangles that develop between the straight lines and an object. Catherine uses words from science and math like "apex" and "constellation" and "triangulation" as she teaches drawing. 

 

Observing in real time. Meditation. Drawing. These are all skills that can be learned. I wouldn't have come from Michigan to Arizona to take the basic class if I hadn't believed what she was saying to be true. I knew that I was in the right place and was ready to learn. Call me a motivated adult learner. That I am, indeed.

 

I'm going to try to write a few blog posts that I'm calling "New Eyes." These posts will attempt to capture some of the learnings (are they "new" learnings? Or is that redundant? Aren't all learnings new?) that are flowing to my brain. The phrase "new eyes" comes from the lyrics to "Help Us Accept Each Other," a hymn that is a favorite of mine. "We need new eyes for seeing, new hands for holding on," is what the poet wrote.

 

Pinecone mug on Tuesday, before first class

For the first example, let's look at my morning mug of coffee on Tuesday. I usually pick up my pen and draw my first cup of coffee. That drawing helps to anchor my day. I record the temperature, times of sunrise and sunset, and write the date on the same page of my art journal. The Tuesday mug is representational. All drawings are, but on Tuesday I did not see or know about plumb lines that can frame an object. Plumb lines help one see shape differently.

 

Pinecone mug on Sunday, after first class

 

Now here's this morning's mug with two plumb lines drawn. Already I'm seeing a difference in my sketching. The line of the handle feels more accurate. The flow of the lines that create the sides of the mug are starting to change, maybe for the better.

 

The new eyes are starting to kick in. Things look different to me and that is an exciting way to view the world each day, even if the view is of a simple coffee mug.

 

Copyright 2012

Wanda Hayes Eichler