Creatures at the Bottom of the Staircase

"My name is Leanne Dawson and I am 59 years old and am a Gerontology major and ARC. I am taking Art 300 as a prerequisite for pursuing my BA. I have always appreciated art, but have never taken any previous art classes, although I habitually doodle. This piece is a Conte-crayon, non-representational drawing which was a required assignment for class.

In preparation for completing this assignment, I listened to and watched many videos on both abstract and non-representational art. Admittedly, I was a little intimidated to begin. I began with several thumbnail sketches and settled on the idea of creating a grid and then running squiggly lines throughout the grid. I began with an intentional staircase and ran curving lines through and around it until I filled up the entire grid. I then looked for pictures within the lines and accentuated them with color and contrast. The most common statement made by most of the artists in the videos that I watched was to, “feel the art and sense what it wants to become”.

I continued to color and contrast my drawing until it did sort of taking on a life of its own. For instance, the creature in the tree I originally saw as a dragon, so I added scales to its body, but when I got to the face I decided that it should not have any particular features except for the dark eyes. Once I applied the eyes I saw that she needed hair. Looking at her she seemed to resemble a mermaid, but then when my son was looking at the drawing he didn’t see a face, but an owl. It’s fascinating how this drawing can alter itself depending on the perspective, almost as if it truly has taken on a life of its own.

Taking Art 300 by Professor Hooker has been the most fun that I have had so far since returning to college. She is clear in her instruction and gives a lot of positive feedback. She led me to believe that anyone can draw, all they have to do is apply the techniques and utilize the tools. She may have awakened my inner artist and I look forward to sharing the philosophy that anyone can draw in my future endeavors. Also, I have come to realize that there is a lot of dedication and discipline required to be an artist, and the time and energy invested in a piece is reflected in the final product. This class has enhanced my appreciation for artists and their work. "