Day 9: Treasure Chest

So I was in the Chicago area for 6 days, and that is why I am currently playing catch up with the blog posts.  I promise that I DID draw every day, but I just was not able to post.  This was done on Saturday, April 28, 2012.

I was staying with my sister, Kim, who is a PhD.  She asked me to come into her class at The Chicago School ( a Professional School of Psychology), and be a guest lecturer.  She was teaching a class on Conflict Resolution, and she wanted me to have her class learn/do some art interventions.  It was the last class of the semester, and I decided to have each of them share some treasure that they gained from the class and from each other.  It was a really nice way to create closure.

I am going to be coming on to The Chicago School as an adjunct professor in their "Blended Program".  That means that most of the classes are online, and we will only meet face to face twice.  I love teaching, and I am excited about a new endeavor in my life.  Plus, more trips to Chicago - not bad.

New Assignment!! The SoulCollage

I will be starting on a new art assignment.  This will be a weekly art activity, as opposed to a daily one.
I will be doing a technique called "The SoulCollage, created by Ms. Seena Frost.  The SoulCollage process is an intuitive way to tend the soul and explore the psyche at the same time.  Some images that I will choose may show parts of my multi-layered personality, while others will express archetypes, personal animals guides or my community.  I will create an entire Soul Collage deck to address many aspects of myself.  Just like in a traditional deck of cards, there are four suits to the SoulCollage:
1. The Committee Suit: The Psychological Dimension
2. The Community Suit: The Communal Dimension
3. The Companion Suit: The Energetic Dimension
4. The Council Suit: The Archetypal Dimension

I have begun with the Committee Suite (I love the word committee because of all the double letters).   Here I am taking a deep look at all the different aspects of my personality - you know, the voices in my head.  This week's choice I am calling "The Confused Parent".

I have moved from the young child parenting stage into the teenager/young adult parenting stage.  This new stage is so vastly different that I am reassessing who I am and where do I fit into this relationship - the boundaries just are not as clear.

Okay, so here's what I came up with...The background is a map because I need some direction and/or because I am lost.  Than we have the person rubbing their eyes in this universal "I give up/I can't cope" gesture.  The eyes are closed and the glasses are removed so I can not see or see clearly.  Maybe I have the tools (the glasses) but I am just not using them properly at the moment.

The top of the head has been replaced by a clock - time ticking away.  This is a very different type of internal biological clock that I felt when I was ready to have babies.  This clock is my life and opportunities slipping away.  The feeling of "I will never do ______ again".  Fill in the blank with "push a child on a swing", "get into shananagans with my friends", "fall in love".

Notice that at the bottom, there is organic baby food that is morphing into alcohol.  How did I get from being in control of everything to almost nothing?  I used to know what/when/where they ate/played/pooped/slept.  Now I am lucky if I get eat one meal a day with them or even meet their friends.  It hasn't happened yet, but I am waiting the day when one of the daughters comes home drunk and puking from a party (oh yes, it will happen eventually).

There is a stack of hundred dollar bills behind the right side of the head and hands.  Money is a big issue right now. I hate that it is.  I feel that at this stage of my life there should be less financial struggle. But the struggle is there everyday, and it becomes more obvious as designer clothes are requested, driver's license are archived and collage approaches. As I get older, their stuff gets more expensive.

Finally, in the upper right corner (the future) is a dinosaur skull. Every day I feel like I am more and more obsolete and archaic.  Sometimes I can not even understand the conversations taking place right in front of me - it's like they are speaking a foreign language.  I feel old. I am struggling to hang on to youth, but having teenagers is a constant reminder that youth belongs to them.

So there it is... "The Confused Parent"  The first in the Committee Suit.

Day 2: Blue Green

I wanted to use the crayon in a different way, so I decided to melt it. I was getting frustrated because the candle wax was mixing with the crayon wax and I had some difficulty getting the paper wrapper off. Once I decided to embrace the elements that I was trying to avoid (the wrapper and the candle wax), the whole picture started to come together. Once I had melted about 3/4 of the crayon, I blew out the candle and reverted to using the crayon in it's traditional way.

I do not like this drawing. I feels forced and contrived. I feels confused and disjunct.

Usually "Blue Green" would be a calming color for me, but not today. It is early morning, and I feel as if I am in a rush. Also, my 15 year old daughter is ill today and is staying home from school. She has been sick for the past two weeks, and she was getting better, but there seems to have been a relapse. I am frustrated and confused as to how to care for her. That is why this drawing reflects those feelings.

If I learn from this drawing, it may be to allow the outside elements to contribute to the whole picture. Maybe my vision is too myopic right now. I have to include things that I thought were trash and needed to be discarded.

Your thoughts are welcome and encouraged!

Day 1: Red Violet

This drawing seemed to evolve out of the color. It feels very organic, but almost in the opposite color than I would expect it to be. I've always thought of "Red Violet" as a Victorian and uptight color. This does not feel like that.

I am open to your interpretations. And I am curious to see if others want to draw their own picture with a "Red Violet" crayon.

Crayon has never been my favorite medium. I am going to have to explore unconventional ways to use this art material. Any suggestions?

New Box Of Crayons

Today I bought a brand new box of 64 Crayola Crayons, and there are so many new colors that did not exist when I was a child, and other colors that have been retired or have had their names changed. I am fascinated!

I have decided to choose one color each day, and allow that color to create a drawing. (See next blog for this first drawing.)

History:

In 1903 Crayola introduced 8 different colors: Black, Brown, Orange, Violet, Blue, Green, Red and Yellow.

By 1957 there were 48 colors: including "Purrsian Blue" which was changed to :Midnight Blue" in 1958, and "Flesh", which was changed to "Peach" in 1962 - partially as a result of the Civil Rights Movement.

In 1971 there were now 64 colors: including "Indian Red" which was changed to "Chestnut" in 1999 because many people thought it was offensive to the Native American people.

By 1989 Crayola was up to 72 colors with the inclusion of fluorescents.

80 colors by 1980 and in 1992 several colors were retired: including "Orange Red", "Orange Yellow", "Raw Umber", "Grey Blue" and "Maize". These colors were replaced with such colors as "Vivid Tangerine", "Cerulean", and "Fuchsia".

In 1993 Crayola introduced 16 new colors that were named by the public: including "Asparagus" and "Macaroni and Cheese".

Today there are 120 colors with new colors like: "Inch Worm" and "Wild Blue Yonder".

Info from: http://www.crayola.com/colorcensus/history/chronology.cfm