DC No. 91: Discovery

I was happy to host this week's drawing challenge with a theme of Discovery. Please enjoy the personal and beautiful discoveries by these creative researchers, explorers and makers: Ariane, Tania, Norma, Susan, Kristen, Renilde, Sabine, Stefanie, Helen, Roberto, and me (below). 

DISCOVERY

Holding up this theme up as a creative viewfinder, I became mindful of various moments when I was learning something new. 

"Taffy" mixed media painting, 10 x 8 inches, 2013 

This week I brought a box of salt water taffy to school to share with my painting students. We made short order of the box and I was left with a colorful pile of empty wrappers. Inspiration! I got out the gel medium, prepared a stretched canvas and began. I glopped gel medium, layered, cut, composed, adjusted the composition and re-/discovered these things in the process:

• act promptly when a visual idea hugs you;
• colors can deceive: yellow might be lemon or banana;
• art materials are everywhere, including the waste bin;
• wax wrappers saturated with gel medium are stained glass windows; 
• repositioning often keeps a composition plastic;
• reorienting  a canvas for display tests the composition's strength;
• edges matter;
• students are inspired by a teacher immersed in the creative process;
• students are entertained by glue covered hands;
• taffy is yummy. 

 Thank you to all for participating in this creative research.