Eric Maisel & Ten Zen Seconds on the Thousand Sketches blog

Dr Eric Maisel is an amazing man.

He has initiated (perhaps invented?) the world blog tour. He will be here on this blog Tuesday, 8 May (San Francisco time)

I found him while exploring sketches on the net (blogged that here). I found Danny Gregory, and liked his sketches a lot! That led me to a A Writer’s Paris, which I bought for the sketches as much as anything, then loved the essays. I delight in that book even now, a few month’s later. One theme of that book is that it is good to have a time & a place to write, to warm up to it, and to commit to it. To do it. And Paris is a place that will get the creative juices flowing.

I quickly saw Paris as a metaphor. Christchurch is Paris. It is a great little city the with cafes, galleries, a rivers, squares, churches, gardens, beaches and hills. A writer’s paradise in the South Pacific. And for me, right now, writing is sketching.

Then I learnt from his website that he is a creativity coach. Fascinating. I can see how people need that, I do. I sometimes want help with my sketching, but mostly it is simply connecting around the process of creativity I need. In fact too much input on sketching distracts me from what emerges.

Then I got hold of he other book: A Writer’s San Francisco I suppose San Francisco is a metaphor too, but not for me, I will be sketching there for 2 weeks in July and then for two weeks in New York.

As promised mid April, Eric will stop over here on Tuesday this week to chat & promote his latest book.

Ten Zen Seconds

The book

Right now I am catching up on his other blog stops, see the list here.
http://www.tenzenseconds.com/video_assets/blog_test_two_qt.mov

I am particularly interested in seeing that he was in Christchurch last week! He visited Catherine’s blog, Still Standing on Her Head, and I suggest you have a read – it is a very comprehensive interview and explains the process we will be talking about.

Debate?

Contemporary art is mostly crap, cynical, driven by the market, bullshit.

Mathew Collings & Robert Hughes might agree. They differ in that Collings might add that some of the crap is better than other crap.

Some quotes & images follow.

Continue reading “Debate?”

Worcester Gallery & Alison Ryde

Right opposite the Arts Centre Café is the Worcester Gallery. In the early 80s we looked at buying this house, but bought Chester Street instead, as this one had too much work to do on it. All that work has now been done. I had an hour or two free & decided to pop in before doing some work in the café. I knocked on the door & was delighted with of the works in this gallery in a boutique little hotel.

I particularly liked the works of Alison Ryde, a Christchurch artist now working in Italy.

One of hers I like follows:

Continue reading “Worcester Gallery & Alison Ryde”

Papergraphica

I visited Papergraphica the gallery & Printmaking place that is just around the corner from where I live. They had beautiful stuff on the walls. They collaborate with artists!

Situated in Christchurch, New Zealand, PaperGraphica is a printmaking studio that specialises in fine lithographs, woodcuts and etchings.

Artists travel to the studio, generally staying for a week, and work with master printer Marian Maguire and her team on single images or suites of work.

Each printmaking medium has its own characteristics and it is the response the artist makes to their chosen medium that enlivens the work. All the images produced at PaperGraphica are limited edition original multiples. They are not copies of previously existing artworks, and both artist and printer work intimately with the process.

Some images follow.

Continue reading “Papergraphica”

“A Writer’s San Francisco” – Eric Maisel – author – Paul Madonna – illustrator.

I wrote a post while back about a book I read by Eric Maisel. Yesterday I received two more books written by Eric. A Writer’s San Francisco and Ten Zen Seconds

Let me talk about the first one. What a beautiful hard cover book. The production values really sine through. Click the Amazon link above & see great reviews, I agree with all those five ***** star ones.

Not that I have read all the essays yet but I love the link he makes with his Paris book. What makes Paris akin to San Francisco? Nothing except that there is attraction to the bohemian life. As it sais on the web blurb:

Every writer needs a simpatico environment to be productive, and what better place than that mecca of creativity, San Francisco?

It is a “Guided Journey for the Creative Soul” His focus is writing but I read sketching.

And like the Paris book there is the encouragement to bring forth.

If he is a writer he will write, whether atop Nob Hill or South of market.

This works for me, whether on my trip to San Francisco or right here now!

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I like the sketches by Paul Madonna. Article about him with links to video.

Nice little image off his website:

image

I am really looking forward to reading the book, all part of an up coming visit by Eric to my blog. Yes! It is part of his world blog tour to promote Ten Zen Seconds.

Here are some images from his “all over coffee’ strip & book. I could not find any of the more colourful ones in this book.

Continue reading ““A Writer’s San Francisco” – Eric Maisel – author – Paul Madonna – illustrator.”

Lantana – sketchblogging, inner stirrings, paint & inspiration

#416 Lantana
Larger Image.

I think that is what is is called, it is among these that the body is found in the movie Lantana (Great Movie)

This is the last one from the Sydney trip in this batch, we now move on to horses a week later in New Zealand – that is the trouble with mt journalling here – I can’t just post up as I go, just too busy. So the journal is all out of chronological order.

Never mind. Even if the chronology is messy there is are journeys running through this year of the sketch:

  • Lots in New Zealand & Christchurch
  • Some trips to Wellington
  • Christmas I did a real sketch trip to Aoraki – Mt. Cook, this was a good warmup to more travel sketching
  • Then Napier, but just did not manage to sketch much at all – too much NZAP Conference work.
  • Australia for a week, late March 2007, beaches, bush, cityscapes, flowers & wildlife – more to catch up on.

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The sketchblogging is important to me, I like it & will keep going with it post TS.

The recent line & wash suits that – a sort of sketchbook style.

It will stand me in good stead as I go to San Francisco and New York in July, August.

~

I feel something new coming up though. More focus on something within combined with more explorations of paint, digital paint.

What follows are a few samples of the sort of painting by others I am enjoying . Inspiration – other people’s work follows:

Continue reading “Lantana – sketchblogging, inner stirrings, paint & inspiration”

Trumpetvine Travel Sketchblog – have a look!

Trumpetville Travels.

A lovely sketchblog I have just added to my links. I have added it because I like the sketches and also because I like the travel sketchblog notion. My Thousand Sketches include some of that & also will lead to my sketchblog later in the year.

I like the line & wash in Martha’s blog, all in real media! I can learn a lot from that, as I “emulate” the medium.

& thanks for your comment Martha on my last post.

Edward Hopper

#382 Edward Hopper
Larger Image.

I am looking at a lot of paintings & painters so they are appearing here. Not in their style but mine. This one is copied from his self portrait. The main thing on my mind as I did this and also the next ones I am posting tonight is not art but technique, learning to use Corel X.

I have liked Hopper for a long time. Ever since I was given a calendar about 20 years ago of his work. My psychotherapy rooms are in a very Hopper like building.

See his paintings

Wikipedia

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Archibald prize

Finalists here

I always like seeing who gets this prize. Have been interested since the controversies in my childhood around the expressionist shift. One reason I am looking is that I will be in Sydney very soon & I will go and see these exhibitions.

The winner uses oil paint & wax.


John Beard’s winning painting follows.
Continue reading “Archibald prize”