Sketches- The WhyART.com Newsletter

SKETCHES - The WhyART Newsletter "Transforming Education Through Art" July 2004
Welcome to SKETCHES, Michael Gerrish's WhyART.com newsletter. I offer thoughts to stretch your mind and spur your actions to produce positives for you and those you touch. Author Daniel Pinkwater said, "I believe it is impossible to make sense of life in this world except through art." Artist Francis Bacon said, "The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery." This "talking head" sees truth in both statements; let's start making sense by exploring and expanding the mysteries which surround us!
	WhyART at SWIDA! I'm pleased to announce that I've been selected to present workshops for educators and students at the SWIDA Conference held February 11-12, 2005 at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, NM. SWIDA is the International Dyslexia Association-Southwest Branch. Their 2005 conference theme is The Creative Brain: Gifted, Talented and Dyslexic. One of my workshops will help teachers who are not artists bring art into their classroom activities. My second workshop will offer students the opportunity develop their written language and visual art skills by creating Artist Books. If you are looking for art infused classroom projects to use now, you will find some free art project ideas on the WhyART.com archive page. Albuquerque and Santa Fe are creative, renewing places; I hope to see you there!
Full Calendars, Empty Tanks Each of us has organized our life around a school calendar; many still do. School calendars are tricky: they acknowledge and make accommodations for seasons and holidays, yet they impart their own spin and urgency to our daily lives by introducing artificial seasons. Instead of spring, summer, autumn and winter we have gathering, learning, testing and commencement...and it starts when the year is 2/3 done! Talk about planting late and harvesting early! Confusing? Yes...but easier to handle if we remember that it is an artificial construct, one of many we face daily, and one we can prioritize. How, you say? By making sure that what we value, whether it is making our own art, exploring nature, supporting family/friends, or whatever secret pleasures we hang on to, gets orchestra box, center row attention. It's not selfish, it's necessary...because we do our best when our spirits are fresh, our reserves full, and we are not emptied out by exhaustion! If it's a journey worth taking, make sure you leave with a full tank! Tank Tip #2 Try this: when stressed or tired, give yourself permission to get up and walk around a bit. Whether you tell yourself that you need a stretch, or will benefit from another vantage point, it will energize you! And, just maybe the answer which had been eluding your sluggish mind will pop into clarity and give you a second boost. Finally, if you find you need more ways to find balance and reward in your life, consider getting a personal coach. Learn more about my favorite coach at Transformingwork.com. Artist Surf I know I will never learn enough Art History! Perhaps I can make up for it by sharing information about someone you may not know about. This month's star is Robert Colescott. When I encountered his work in the late 1980's, I was amazed by the vividness of his palette and his ability to paint with authority. Don't be put off by what he paints; his images may be confrontational, but they are wondrous. Learn more about him at Colescott's Artcyclopedia link, or you can Google him. "It's the satire that kills the serpent" - Robert Colescott
Sketches is a free newsletter of WhyART.com and is available by subscription. Your contact info will not be shared, and you may unsubscribe at any time. I appreciate your thoughtful comments. Michael Gerrish • 158 Riverwalk Way • Cohoes, NY 12047 • (518)233-0573 • mrg@whyart.com ©WhyART.com 2004