23 Minute Meditation

Whenever I go downtown, I make time to drop in for a visit at the AGO, even if it's for less than an hour.

Yesterday, I decided to find an art work I liked in a quiet room and look at it for 25 minutes. Look only at that. I found a piece from Abstract Impressionism.

Interesting experiment. It is amazing what I start to see and notice. I discover more as I look at it.

I see which strokes went over the white paint, which strokes were made over the black paint. What

strokes were made under.

Some of the black seems wet.

I see that not all the white is the same white. Not all the black is the same black. I see a darker black and a lighter black.

I see the width of the brushes.

I thought about the movements, the ballet, the artist's body made while he painted.

The artist's signature is absent. I found out when I researched it later that the work is indeed signed but on the back.

photos of Franz Kline's Cupola, 1958 - 1960, first floor at the AGO, west wing.

dimension: 198.1 x 269.9cm (78 x 106 1/4 inches)

Expressive Drawing

I took an intense week of art classes at the AGO this summer - a drawing and mark making class with Claire Greenshaw. I made about 350 drawings. Some took 10 seconds. Some took 45 minutes.

The first day, Claire talked about being free and drawing like children draw.

It reminded me of my own kids. There were always some art supplies ready to use - papers, markers, paints, pencils. They drew with water on the fence and had the sun dry it. They drew on giant pieces of paper. The got their tiny fingers covered in colour and made tiny painted marks on the page.

They were free when they drew. Not much thought about what it was suppose to look like. Just drawing to explore a colour or a movement or a line. It was wonderful to watch.

 Be free.

(Art work hanging outside the Helene Comay Nursery School at the Wychwood Barns, Toronto. Sorry about the glare. The paintings were behind glass.)