"Within a composite of influences the mystic charm of art is born. It comes into being in the abstract interval between a thought and a reality and no one, not even the artist, can remeasure the influence that caused it." - Edgar A. Payne (1883 - 1947) in Composition of Outdoor Painting
"But in what teacher of art have you such faith? Certainly not in me; for, as I told you at first, I know well enough it is only because you think I can talk, not because you think I know my business, that you let me speak to you at all. If I were to tell you anything that seemed to you strange, you would not believe it, and yet it would only be in telling you strange things that I could be of use to you." - John Ruskin (1819 - 1900) in Sesame and Lilies
"Let us suppose, however, that the landscape before [the artist] is especially expressive of repose. As he sketches, he will give particular prominence to the lines and objects that suggest repose, and either subordinate, or sacrifice, or omit entirely all lines and objects whose presence tends to weaken or destroy the reposeful effect." - John Rummell and E. M. Berlin in Aims and Ideals of Representative American Painters
"In Italian, chiaroscuro means light (chiaro) dark (oscuro) - and notice how language here reflects technique, as the end of the first word melds into the beginning of the second, creating a seamless transition between "light" and "dark." " - Henry M. Sayre in Writing about Art
"If you are representing a white body let it be surrounded by ample space, because as white has no colour of its own it is tinged and altered in some degree by the colour of the objects surrounding it." - Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
"You must be absolutely honest and true in the depicting of a totem for meaning is attached to every line. You must be most particular about detail and proportion." - Emily Carr (1871 - 1945)
"[Weight and force] are of similar nature as regards pressure and the stronger overpowers the weaker. Weight does not change of its own accord, while force is always fugitive." Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
"As a student I thought there was a formula of some kind that I would get hold of somewhere, and thereby become an artist. There is a formula, but it has not been in books. It is really plain old courage, standing on one's own feet, and forever seeking enlightenment; courage to develop your way, but learning from other fellows; experimentation with your own ideas, observing yourself, a rigid discipline of doing over that which you can improve." - Andrew Loomis (1892 - 1959)
"I went there often, for Vollard liked to ask questions and learn what you thought about things, sometimes about pictures and often about other matters as well. He didn't mind my turning things upside down, since they were already in that state, and so we got on nicely." Leo Stein ( 1872 - 1974)
"There is an acute pleasure in falling, if one is confident of recovery, as swings and gravity railroads prove. " - Leo Stein (1872 - 1947)
"Even when reasons are as plentiful as blackberries, one should be careful about using them, since they are often either unripe or rotten." - Leo Stein (1872 - 1947)
"With the model before it, the background is transformed." - Robert Henri (1865 - 1929)
and a side view
Leaves; oak leaves, spray paint, fish line pivots, thread, glue, birch dowels and dust; about 30 x 30 x 30 inches
I decided not to put an acorn at the top of the mobile - but I still like it in the drawing.
