Sunday, November 21, 2010

Seeing Grass


While drawing grasses I learn nothing "about" grass, but wake up to the wonder that there is grass at all.
~Frederick Franck

Frederick Franck was a former dental surgeon, before he became a painter, sculptor, and author of more thab 30 books on Buddism and spirituality.  His book, Zen Seeing, Zen Drawing:  Meditation in Action, was one of the first art books I fell in love with. His quick, delicate sketchs made me fall in love with the wonder of a green onion,  an old woman sitting on a bench, a pussywillow.  It was here that I began to cultivate my understanding of the arts as sacred action.. a method not just of celebrating the beauty of the world around me but a way of communing with it in a very deep but simple way.

I've slowly stepped away from my roots in drawing.. but hope to get back to it.  It's a way of keeping that connection real and honest.  Paint flows so easily from the brush.  It's easy to be intoxicated by its playful qualities.  Pen to paper.. there is no more direct way to meet the life around us.

Thank you to Sunday Sketches for encouraging artists to take up the pen again!

17 comments:

  1. Cori,
    I love your painting; the colours evoke so much feeling and emotions. Welcome to SS! :)

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  2. Beautiful post and drawing. Nice to find you here at Sunday Sketches.

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  3. the colours are fantastic on your painting!!!! wonderful work!!!

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  4. nice. you did a great job...the grass looks real to touch...an the colors of the sky play well...really like the quote as well...

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  5. this post is lovely, i love the colours in the painting and the detail is beautiful! incredibly talented, and such brilliant wisdom. lots of love rosy xx

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  6. Seeing grasses helps also see what is behind them that beautiful sky! Wow.

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  7. Beautiful work! And we learned a lot too! Love that!

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  8. dental surgeon to artist, wow, now that's a change I never would have seen coming. Your drawing is beautiful. I live in a prairie province in Canada so this has such a warm and familiar feeling to it for me.

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  9. Gorgeous grass against a spectacular sunset!!

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  10. Beautiful painting beautiful post. Thanks for this reminder ;)

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  11. Nice to meet you on Sunday Sketches. What a lovely post and quote here. I love the colorful sky you have created and the dark grass. beautiful work! xxoo

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  12. So super great and beautiful, love it!

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  13. This has such a wonderful peaceful feeling to it. I really like it!

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  14. I love what you have shared here with us about falling in love with life through the zen of drawing awareness. This piece of art is lovely.

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  15. love the shadowy willows...makes me want to pull out the india ink!

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  16. Wonderful colors... I love how the black ink looks set against them!

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