No pictures today, just thoughts for you to create your own pictures.

At the beginning of my studies towards an undergraduate painting degree at the University of Georgia, my instructors kept repeating a phrase that stymied me--It works. Having already completed an undergraduate degree in English and Music and having taught for three years in high school, I was older than most of the students in the beginning classes, consequently my ego didn't want me to appear stupid. Nobody else appeared to be puzzled over what it meant for a drawing or a painting to "work" so I decided to clandestinely  investigate.

I went the the library and searched everything I could find, but eventually came away wanting.  No where in that tremendous art book collection could I find the phrase, "It works."  I decided if I'd just listen, pay attention to how it was being used, I could figure it out.  (This was in the 60's, folks.  No such thing as internet and certainly not Google.)

Shortly, my turn came. In Drawing 101, my instructor accessed a drawing I was working on, pointed to the lower right hand corner and said, "This doesn't work."  I questioned him.  "Why not?"  He looked at me as if I should have known why not and said, "It doesn't fit with the rest of the drawing," and walked away. Right!  THAT really explained it!  

It was that moment that put me on a trajectory through this day and beyond to explain to myself and to my students the WHY of whether it works.  I began to see beyond images we draw and paint into how we make them.  I began to notice the difference in a well placed image and one whose placement was random.  I became aware of ways nature provides us with a roadmap of how things work in relationship with one another.

Dianne