First Day of Kindergarten

This is a unposted draft from October of 2017. Originally it was just 2 pictures waiting for text to give it some context. It’ been 9 months since they were uploaded and life have given them some of the context that I was needing. Too much context for just two pictures. There’s been a directional change that’s moved through our studio and I’m grabbing and oar and seeing where it can go. 

It’s already just 3 months shy of a year since the first night of figure drawing, and looking back, it had the feeling of heading off for kindergarten all over again, I had noidea what was happening, how this was supposed to work, who anyone was, and so much to learn. Like a toddler, I knew that my curiosity could change how I experienced the world around me.

It was an experience that I’ve secretly wanted to participate in for decades and didn’t know how to ask or who to ask. It's a bit tricky when there’s no one to ask though. We had no local drawing sessions open to the public. Everything that’s avalible is organized behind academic walls. So partnering up with Jess, we helped push to start our own group at the neighborhood Art League. A small group of us meet 3 times a month for 3 hour sessions at a time with a model. 

My original goals were to become competent and confident enough to sit down oncommand and be able to skillfully draw a convincing portrait. Admittedly, I’m not quite there yet... but like the first year of kindergarten, I can see a host of changes in my world that lay behind the drawings on the pages.  I can truthfully say that I am more confident. If someone asked me to sit down and draw them, I definitely would. Would it be good? Mmmmm, I don’t know, but I’d do it. I’ve made lots of new friends, and now I’m setting up new opportunities for group sessions as an advocate and organizer.

So the first two pictures are from the first session, the last is from one of the most recent sessions. All three are of the lovely Miss Brie. Without her collaboration, none of this would have ever gotten off the ground. So this post is pretty much a heads up. From here on out, there’s going to be a lot more talk about media other than just ceramics. There’s more to life that bread and butter, a whole lot more...

PS  I’d really like to thank my partner Jess for encouraging and helping facilitate this project. There are superhero’s all around us, she’s definitely one of them. Thanks Jess :)