Hello, dear readers of Astrodata! Today I want to talk about something that art schools don’t teach, something absent from visual arts curricula, something I discovered myself through experience and intuition. Working with children and closely observing their artistic activities, I gradually began to notice certain things. Specifically, something I had been taught—certain methods or what I had read on my own—somehow felt off, unnatural, not quite how I wanted it to be. Many children are good at perceiving and copying objects from their environment, and with sufficient attention and patience, anyone can learn to draw! Over time, my sense that “something was off” grew stronger. So I began searching for alternative ways of presenting material. I think even then it was already being shaped that I would eventually come to painting on water, because the first thing I changed was how I explained forms. Previously, when drawing an animal, I would explain that everything is based on simple geometric shapes, as is traditionally taught. But then I noticed that in fact, the foundation of any animal’s body is another, decidedly non-geometric shape—the shape of a drop! Essentially, any animal can be constructed from drops of varying shapes and configurations. For young children, I made many stencils of different drop shapes. Rounded forms are closer to nature—children naturally begin drawing with circles. After all, leaves and flowers also have structures that are far from geometric. Later, I began working against the outline and the “coloring-in” effect, because even the great Leonardo said that in nature there are no outlines, and he painted his masterpieces using the sfumato technique, which creates a soft, hazy effect that blurs sharp lines and produces a gentle transition from one form to another. At one point, I came across a workbook titled “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci” by J. Helb. This workbook contains very useful exercises—things you might never have considered. It encourages setting yourself unconventional tasks and conducting experiments in daily life, which ultimately transforms the perception of many things. Leonardo enjoyed observing water—its flowing currents, spirals. For instance, he believed that painting water and painting human hair could follow similar principles. The spiral principle underlies many of his inventions. Thus, rounded forms, drops of various configurations, and spirals became the main elements in my art classes with children. Now I understand that nothing happens by chance, and much of my searching and new perspectives laid the foundation for my encounter with ebru—painting on water. Because this is the most natural way of drawing for me, staying in the flow, in harmony, aligning my reality with the rhythms of the Earth.
So it turns out that nothing happens suddenly—everything has its preconditions, and certain things can only be given when the necessary foundation has been laid. In reality, all events have a certain duration; we simply aren’t always able to perceive the causes preceding a given moment, which is why it seems that something suddenly occurs, happens, knocking us out of our usual routine. But “the usual routine” isn’t always what supports our development or resonates with the breath of the Universe. By the way, speaking of breath—how often is it truly rhythmic in daily life? Observing myself, I can say that my breathing is often either shallow or fragmented. It just so happens that little attention is paid to breathing, even though it is the foundation of life. It also reflects our ability to receive and give—to establish a harmonious exchange of energy with the surrounding world. When you turn your attention to your breath, you begin to experience life differently—air contains not only nourishment for our cells but also information. Intuition is largely based on breath. I invite you to observe the rhythms of your own breathing, to feel space through breath, and if you wish, to share your observations in the comments! Until we meet again 😉
Living water – http://astrodata.pro/arhiv/6006
Source ASTRODATA
