dear diary

 

I had been teaching art half days at the Studio Channel Islands campus, and kind of exhausted upon return to my cliff by the sea; today I did a whole day, and I’m kind of shot. Mostly, as we know, it’s because I’ve been slumming, smoking a pack a day since the Bellosguardo second writ, which I think is going on a couple yaers now, but also slumming on diet, Coors, and lack of exercise. The lack of exercise is because there is so much going on right now in regards to Article V, and I’m on podcasts (last one an election integrity group originating out of Florida), and sometimes I think no, now is not the time to turn a leaf. Just keep doing what you’re doing, and when love or a convention comes, you can go on a long fast and reset….

Teaching kids art can be exhausting, but it’s fun, and with this experience, which is different from teaching kids art down at the studio/gallery when someone who purchased work asked and told ‘em I’m a credentialed educator in the State of California, and did a good job everyone learning the oil pastel/gouache series, making parents super happy with what they’d made…. Now, having had several classes with pretty much the same kids (though met some new ones today), the fact it’s not subbing for Santa Barbara Unified, which was often a nightmare of kids bouncing off walls, all these kids have talent. Not one of them doesn’t. So, what’s happened over this period of time, all the stuff I’m putting in the novel about art, I’m perfecting with these kids, with clear signs it works. I’ve figured out what to say to a young artist, that they cover a vast amount of ground intellectually as an artist. The stuff about color and color combination being depiction of human emotional state, and how an artist can use that knowledge, and how one of the jobs of an artist is to find color combinations that are unusual but inviting (my fun staple to start a class is for everyone to pick three different colors of oil pastel, and run them together across the page in a vigorous motion, blending them), and the stuff about line being the base element of form, and that all art is composed of color and form, and most importantly, to draw what you see, not what you know. Coincidentally, the fair is on the campus this weekend, so we were set to draw the fares-wheel, and said if we just draw circle, it’s what we know, but see how from where we’re standing? What we see is not really round, it’s more of an oblong shape.   

My comment on all things social media dissent is: “All we need are more Americans saying Yes to the Article V Convention process.” Not with caps like that mind you, but that’s the latest. Seems that unless you’re part of a secret society, likely tied to—how should we say—black magic? Or you’re just in it for yourself, or just practical with the valid opinion that it’s too late. I guess that means every day I wake up means it’s not? I mean I’ve eaten my share of cheeseburgers, I could drop tomorrow. Which would make hundreds of people happy to hear. So I guess there is a silver lining, if I die, at least some people will be happy.