involvement

Question:

How do I choose what to draw?

So much here. Rome is dense and dense. Beauty everywhere.

Answer:

It all has to do with the notion of ‘Involvement.’

I borrow this concept from the text of Ed Bacon in his book the 'Design of Cities.'

He references a Francesco Guardi sketch and speaks to the notions that create involvement; 

‘space that creates an all-encompassing experience.’

Rome is full of spaces that involve.

Here are the ingredients:

Meeting the sky

Meeting the ground

Points in Space

Recession of Planes

Design in Depth

Ascent and Descent

Convexity and concavity

Relationship to people

This city is one huge work of art. We are all players in this beautiful City.

Any view will do; one that ‘involves’ is key.

a Roma, that Willa.

viewpoint

my perspective.

Teaching perspective to my students is all about the understanding one’s place on this earth. 

Where are you? Where am I? 

Coming from Civita, then a slight transition north to a few larger hill towns, and finally arriving in Rome was quite startling for me. All went well, arriving and settling in, however, where does one begin? The assignment at hand in Civita was contained and specific. 

Then came Rome. It’s huge!

I am realizing it is truly all about ‘perspective’. Buying new shoes, using a new tool, seeing new friends, learning a new City, whatever, it takes a keen awareness and similar to understanding where you are in space at a point in time. 

I am here. Here is my station point. I am looking beyond; center of vision. Where I stand, ground plane.

A new vanishing point in this direction and that direction, my picture plane, my space;

 all essential tools in the teaching and understanding of perspective. 

I am here. Here I am!

la musica

How to catch the light?

Perception: looking deeper

The light here in Italy is beautiful and magical. 

I followed shadows in Civita and now in Rome, I hope to do the same. 

thesis:

The quality of light is beyond the depictive methodology of drawing and falls into the evocative realm. 

One of my goals while I am in Rome is to find that ‘pot of gold’.

I do not have answers here, yet. Here are some of my questions: 

Will it be through changing media? 

Looking deeper?  

Early morning or late afternoon best? 

Who shall I study and review? 

What is the path here? 

Landscape vs. Urban?

So, write me back and tell me your thoughts.

Watch for more posts as I discover 'light'.

Imagine.

Beyond oneself

Leonardo

Intention vs. intensity

In Venice, I was lucky enough to be visiting while a Da Vinci show was at the Accadammie very nearby my hotel. I was the first in line yesterday morning!

Among the many other art work there, those gorgeous, large painted canvases; there he was Leonardo! Really.

As I toured through sketch after sketch, yes, from his original sketchbooks…I said to myself, I wish I could draw like him. OK. So, what was I getting to with this idea?

Beyond the thinking, what was I really feeling?

I saw in his work amazing intention and most importantly, intensity; a beauty and genius in investigation; what a drawing should be.

Intensity: meaningful, life changing investigation, with sincerity, world changing images, genius problem solving…evocative works seeing 'beyond oneself', with intention and wondrous intensity.

souvenirs

My days are numbered here as I have only a few more before I leave for Northern hill towns. I must get out today and continue to catch more and more about this wondrous place, Civita.

Watching the many and I mean many tourists come through Civita each day, I marvel at the ease and amount of photographs being taken and constant. What strikes the tourist as an interesting, beautiful and memorable shot? Sometimes the photos contain the pose of the romantic couple by an enchanting stair, others are group shots at the Bar; enjoying time together sharing stories sipping wine and then there is the quick photo; better take that, not sure why. All good.

A photograph, a souvenir of sorts: ‘I was here and I can post on the Facebook, blog or a quick email home’. I have all those shots too. As I download these views in my

i-photo, I see they are endless. I scroll and I categorize and ask myself, ‘When did I take these?’

Now, my drawings, not endless. Memorable. 100 total;

meaningful and a grand record of my time here in Civita.

(I am preaching here.)

With each drawing, I can remember the exact moment in time and place for each of these views. I can remember what I was feeling. I can remember the weather. I remember the coffee taste and delicious wafts of scent from the nearby restaurants. I remember the wind blowing on my face. Those bells were ringing. I feel it all. I remember the challenge of drawing the view, replicating all the beauty and emotion contained in the view and simulated in a few pencil strokes. 

I remember the approach and the questions.

That moment lives in me.

I turn the numerous pages in the sketchbook and I say, ‘ I remember.’

A great souvenir, for sure.

I wonder if my photos will do the same?