I’m pretty sure the most important studio visit of the year happened this past week. Sixth graders from MS 131 stopped by as part of their community day, bringing some questions that stopped me in my tracks.
– “Did you lose your hair while working on that painting?” (Not exactly? But that painting did take years.)
– “Dry pigments are kind of like spices.” (So sharp! We could talk all day about the ways painting and cooking are related. The flavors the pigments provide are only for the eyes, though.)
– “Do you count how many circles you make?” This one made me pause. I usually say no, but this time I realized there IS counting happening – but not the kind with totals. It’s counting like we learned in music class: tapping your toe, counting to four, feeling the rhythm.
Numbers as rhythm, not quantity. This is the pulse I see in nature and attempt to paint. The total is beyond any of us in the end.
They also voted NOT to include “Vigil” in the upcoming exhibition at Angelo. Democracy in action. Fair enough- I don’t think I’ll find a group of critics more honest than this one.
