Noah's Ark

by  Lisa Newton

My sister Lori first taught me how to paint ceramics when I was in high school. I was never very good in art class and could hardly dray a stick figure, but she was insistent on sharing her passion with me. She taught me the techniques of staining with paint, which is nothing more than adding water to paint to make it runny so it can seep in the nooks and crevices of the ceramic. She taught me how to dry brush, which is basically getting as much paint off the brush as you can, and then lightly paining over an object. I learned that you can always paint back over a mistake and start over again. I found that I enjoyed learning from her and she really enjoyed teaching me.

My mom made it to my graduation, but barely. She had just had her breasts removed from cancer. As soon as they called my name she left. I never quite understood the sacrifice she made that day till years later as I matured. She survived and got a clean bill of health. We celebrated the five-year mark! Then the news came that it was in her bones. She became very sick this time, much worse than the last. 

I decided to paint her a ceramic Noah’s Ark night light so as she lay there in bed she could be reminded of God’s Promise. We were not a religious family, but I am pretty sure most kids know the

Noah’s ark story to some extent. When I gave it to her I said to her it was a reminder that God was always with her. I felt like in the dark hours of the night she could use that extra reminder.

She loved the night light. She made holes in some of the paper because not enough light was getting through. It is a nice reminder to me that she did use it. She did lose the battle to cancer before long. I took possession of the light after she was gone. I wasn’t sure I was going to share this as my second extra credit assignment until I got the news today that my Aunt passed. She battled cancer. Same as my mom, but over twenty years later. It would go to the bone, but she would survive. Within days of her status of remission she would have a stoke that would have her in agony and fighting for her life till today. In remembrance of my mom and my aunt I submit my Noah’s Ark Ceramic Painting.

 

Zentangling

by Susan Singbush

 A type of art that has taken hold recently is Zentangling. One reason it has grown in popularity is that almost anyone can create a drawing in this style. Even if (like me), you have little or no native artistic skill, it is very easy to learn.

Zentangling is based on simple geometric patterns, and can be embellished further with smaller patterns within the larger elements of the drawing, or just colored in. Alternatively, one can create a “landscape” from the larger pattern (as I have done with the drawing I have included). Many of the larger patterns possess a three-dimensional quality and contain optical illusions of some kind. Effects like these can be made more obvious with shading (which creates depth), color progression (which creates a “merged” effect), and modified perspectives/angles (which can make a shape look like something else).

Although it has grown in popularity recently, it is a technique as old as the history of art, and can be found in many ancient cultures (i.e. Mayan, Maori, and Celtic). The art is based on the principle that refrains from planning and encourages the organic flow of lines and images to emerge. Due to its repetitive nature, theories suggest it is self-soothing, like a child when doodling. Due to its organic nature, it allows artists to embrace imperfections in their work- in essence, since there is no plan, nothing can be wrong. For a “stick-figure artist” like me, the lack of pressure to create something perfect makes me feel successful with even a simple creation, like the one I have included below.

My personal preference in art always has leaned toward the abstract, such as the work of Jackson Pollock. I tend to be goal-oriented, so oddly enough, after creating the background/landscape of the picture, I found myself adding “portals” and creatures working towards arriving at a particular “cell." After stepping back and looking at the picture I created, that was my impression. For me, the creatures in the lower-right “cell” are at the beginning of their journey, and the journey’s end was in the upper-left “cell”- the one brightly colored like a sunset. My suggestion is, if you find yourself doodling one day, you might encourage yourself to be open to the extension of doodling called Zentangle.