The Alive Line

I tried the daily practice described in Barbara's  post  below - this was my result: Purple hammock trying to escape over the fence Sage still standing, greeting Spring as if Winter was nothing In the fire pit, what looks like a giant lego - what are you and who put you there? -Katie

By Eloise  

 By Kiran

I am turning towards my month of teaching now.  Have written out a daily practice for my students, working with the three principles in a simple way.  Wanted to share it with all of you - b A Daily Practice Sit or stand by a window with pen and paper near by. Look out in a relaxed way. Note something that is seen in the sky, flying through or drifting in the space. Write down what it is with a one line description. Then note something that is on the ground or growing from the earth. Describe this simply. Wait until something small - a detail - draws your attention. Describe this. Lacework of branches against white clouds Soft expanse of green grass not growing yet Empty bird feeder waiting to be filled again. Note at the end - and write about if you want - any feelings or insights that come from doing this.

 here is the demo I did in class on that grey day . . .   and another one while we were all working together -  and then from today - when I was beginning to feel lost - lose my way . . .  different weather - still those brown branches showing up - I did this a few times until it felt like it landed - the calligraphic act is one shot - and then another - and another. And if you do it too many times you can feel you're about to kill the life there ! Knowing when to stop and let it be . . .  

four linked weeks each time creative each time enlivening for me veils and layers translucent quietude contemplating reflection finding my own language tapestry of images weaving gratefully community forming my heart fills up and dances on the paper the Alive Line meet-up a sacred rendezvous with the heart with the hand hearts coming together touching the page with honesty sharing and smiling great water lines bold brush stirs pot words dance on heart Thursday afternoon and I prepare materials for a practice of regularity longing for years trembly, my new favorite word we can all be straightforward with squiggly lines surrender to come home to your core

 by Eloise

Cherry blossoms reach skyward Reishi stands firm Holds to the earth Woody Blue eggs of Leaping Americaner hen Cracked open (Breakfast is in my tummy) By Anne

  After a week of thinking about it, I finally took the pastels given to me by my co-teacher 20 years ago and began drawing.  Some of it I did without looking, and then I did a little amending.  I have been up in Woodstock all week, and will return to Brooklyn tomorrow, just in time for class.  Doing this was a delight.  I wonder why I procrastinate as much as I do...

I started the day looking out a different window in my studio to see what the three things called me -  always interested in how I describe the third - because it's about me !  Then taught a college class (Chicano Feminism !) this 1 - 2 - 3 practice. Found delight in the students and on my page - even perfection . . .  

  Many discoveries in this page !  I appreciated using blue watercolor as a witness of heaven and choosing mixing a red and a yellow to color the clementine, as opposed to using an orange.  That was a deliberate choice to have the three primary color ( I don’t think I would have had that connection before this class).  I enjoyed also adding the color, not as something to be done well technically but as part of the 1, 2, 3 poem.   - Pascale

  I revisited drawing the hand.  This time, I chose to draw with my non-dominant hand, with three different drawing instrument:  graphite, pencil and a Lamy pen.   - Pascale

  Three posts by Leslie

 I know I was talking up and encouraging blind contour to all of you - but there was something so pure about this large brush recently arrived in my space that I went more precise here - working the range - sometimes loose - sometimes careful - seeing how each feels . . . Did end up with "ground - less - ness" at the end ! 

 3 drawings by Robin

by Robin (from March 13)

 Used a graphite stick that makes a bold line and is water soluble . A brush brought in some tone easily.

 blind contour- three word views - three objects - three descriptions two things out the window - one inside - 

My class journaling journey -Katie

by Eloise

Three images by Eloise  

  Here are a few of today’s practice where I explored holding the brush sometimes with my right hand and at other times with my left hand.  I ended up using both hands in the last two papers, which was a moving surprise. — Pascale

 Once I said to myself "I don’t know what I am doing" the strokes became authoritative.. -Robin

Decided to start the week moving through them all - clearly this class is meeting my need for dropping in to these practices more ! Started with some straight lines - note that the first line vanished by the end - hadn't moistened the brush enough - a soft beginning . . . When I make a brush line my shoulders drop at the start - I drop in and the brush lands and my body turns and the brush follows and then rises back up to the point and lifts off - begin again - When I make a brush line I stand at my high table and feel the dance of the act - when I write about the brush line I need to sit down - the complexity of this scale - the nuance of the touch - requires seatedness - when I write about the brush line the sadness appears which was not there with the brush and is here now with the pen expressing something about that line - the tightrope quality of it all. When I was on the tightrope all was alive and alert - now reporting on it the shakiness can also be named and included.  I ...

Squirrel nest Falling nuts Noticing Warm rain Slippery mud Going in Water tower Climbing and sweating Crunching feet Puffy cotton clouds Moving shadows Changing Puffy cotton clouds Moving shadows Shifting feel on skin Puffy cotton clouds Moving shadows Goosebumps Swaying branches Grey snow Dancing galoshes Boundless outer space Deep valley opening wide National Parks

 Yesterday's strokes - by Anne F.

  Inspired to hang. -Kiran

 I waited until the end of the afternoon - the day closing down - to turn to this. I let myself picture a direction to land on the page - and then let the rest unfold in the moment. The first two felt right - and then I did the third one three times and picked one. Noticing now that the heaven & earth strokes all have curved soft endings and the red human marks seem to be in nice relation to each other - counterbalancing.  Interesting to work in a series and do a little discernment choosing.

 My practice today - by Anne.

I mixed up some transparent colors and chose the sequence intuitively working on a piece of drawing paper just to give myself a bit more accepting surface.  The beginning of each line was so smooth - the middle was steady.  (I was standing at my drafting table and letting the gesture move through my body . . . ) and then the end - the gathering up of the hairs - left something completely different behind and as it dried a beautiful imperfect surprising touch was there.