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by Sama Wareh, ENC Community Outreach Coordinator
At some point in our life, someone told us that it was not right. The circle should be better drawn, the subject matter is not important, the animal doesn’t look like the real animal. Go back and find that exact moment, that exact moment that changed the course of how you thought about yourself as an artist. Society tends to place art as an extra curricular thing, as something that we can get to “if there is time”. Art is just as important as anything else in our lives. It helps us reground, make good observations, make connections, find thoughts original only to ourselves, and retain information. We are more likely to remember a picture than a paragraph. When writing my book, “How to Draw 60 Native California Plants and Animals: A Field Guide“, I wanted to find a way to get that message across. That art is not just for the “artist” in the family but for anyone, and that drawing forces us to look a little closer. If you draw a plant, you automatically end up studying the leaf structure of that plant. I have taught many art classes and often start the class by taking a poll. “Raise your hand if you think you are not an artist,” I ask. Half the class raises their hand. We continue with the class only to discover that everyone can draw, paint, and create. The road blocks in our minds tell us otherwise.
1. ITS NOT JUST FOR RIGHT BRAINED PEOPLE- “The greatest scientists are artists as well” said Einstein. Some of the most left-brained geniuses were tapped into their right side of the brain when they discovered amazing theories. What made Einstein who he was the fact that his observation skills were killer. It takes a LOT of observation to notice that you need to notice something else and it takes a lot of passion to follow-through on an idea.
2. FOLLOW-THROUGH– Art teaches us follow-through. It teaches us to have a vision, and keep going with it till we produce the result we had in our minds. This skill is the heart of every other discipline. A good business man becomes good because they have a vision and have the will to keep going with that vision. A great leader sees potential and can go through the steps to get everyone to reach that potential. A trained artist can pick apart the steps required to accomplish a vision. Goal setting is a fancy word for artistic process.
3. OBSERVATION- Detectives, Scientists and Artists have a quality they all share: Observation. Life becomes richer and more meaningful if observation and awareness is present. To be a good artist, you have to be able to describe something the way it actually appears. Instead of saying for example that a prickly pear cactus is a bunch of cactus pads with spikes, you will need to mentally tell yourself that a prickly pear cactus is a bunch of upside down tear-drop shapes that branch out from 2 main tear drop shapes. Each cactus pad has small oval red fruits adorn the tops of these pads and there are about 3 on each one. You would continue to describe each little detail until you can draw the cactus without even looking at it anymore. By practicing observation, we are better able to engrain long-term information in our mind.
By going into art with the right attitude, having integrity and following-through, and truly using our eyes to observe, we are bound to have a great experience, and that experience will shine through in the outcome of our art. There is only one of each of us so what we make is something only we can do. The uniqueness of each of our capabilities is what makes art so fun to look at and perspective so fascinating. So go out there, do some art, and don’t forget to have a blast while you are at it.
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Come draw with Sama! She is teaching a class called, “How to Draw Native Plants and Animals” on March 18 at the Environmental Nature Center! Participants will create their own field-drawing journal and learn how to draw local plants and animals using handouts from Sama’s book! Enjoy white sage tea while learning easy drawing techniques, then show off your new art piece at our post-workshop mini art show. $10/person ($9 members). Fun for the whole family. Register HERE.