Tuesday, August 07, 2007

whisper...

Behold, l do not give lectures
or a little clarity.
When l give, l give myself.

-walt whitman



artdrifters is drifting...
I've given a number of courses this summer, dolls on Denman island, bricolage near
Barkerville, and lately a five day course at Red Deer college.
My students have made me think, making me ponder. It all seems so simple
yet l can't find the words.
"The least strained and most natural movements of the soul are the most beautiful"
-(montaigne)

This quote seems to sum up what l am trying to teach. It's a way of life,
a way of being. A way of connecting to whatever your doing.
I tell them to stop thinking, anyone can learn to draw and paste papers
on a board in a pleasant manner, but show us that you care, show us
what is important to you. Show us your passion.
But...what l'm pondering is how do you teach this.
l have had wonderful students, who do beautiful things.
And l thank them.
cause l'm getting better, l'm getting closer, but l can never get right
there. It's impossible, it's a contradiction of what l'm trying to teach.
It's like a whisper...

5 comments:

Elaine Kerr said...

a period of re-evaluation ....thinking...about
not thinking.

thank you, Ken, for being such a caring 'art whisperer'

aRt cHiCk said...

How about a demo for your students that really shows "your" passion, so people can see how-to do it (passion)? Bare your own soul. Show how you get to "that place" to put your soul into your work. Some people may be so removed from connecting to that place within that they just have no clue...
Margie

Anonymous said...

I was in that Denman doll course. You do teach students to put what matters to us into our work, by your own shy daring as you speak with heart of the people in your images, by being yourself, by valuing and sharing bits of precious rubbish, and by the obvious delight you take in the images we make and our making of them. Through your art and your stories and who you are, you show us. Because you love what is broken, you let us love publicly our own frail tough beauties.
alison fox

a fox said...

I was in that Denman doll course. You do teach students to put what matters to us into our work, by your own shy daring as you speak with heart of the people in your images, by being yourself, by valuing and sharing bits of precious rubbish, and by the obvious delight you take in the images we make and our making of them. Through your art and your stories and who you are, you show us. Because you love what is broken, you let us love publicly our own frail tough beauties.

kenflett said...

Thanks elaine.
and thank you margie for the advice. :)
and thank you alison for your insightful and kind words.