Creativity by Jake

My heart has many chambers - many more than a doctor could find. And three of those chambers are reserved: for my nieces, Emma and Ashley, and for my nephew, Jake - Jacob Kent.

Today is Jacob's post.

Jacob, though he is only nine-years-old has tried his hand at watercolors. He drew an ornamental plate of his grandmother's that you can see to the right. He did, I believe, a wonderful job. But I am only the uncle - what do I know?

I sat next to him sketching and painting the same thing. It was my version of the plate - not a perfect representation of what I saw, because, as we know, art is not photography. And thank goodness for that.

So Jake drew, and his was not perfect either. He found that his leaves and vegetables crowded a bit towards the top. Sound familiar? This left him with a choice.

He could:
(a) Give up;
(b) Add more leaves and vegetables (which is what I would have done); or
(c) he could be more creative than that.

And as I looked on in amazement, Jake did what is so natural for kids his age - so nonchalantly natural - he chose "c", and was creative.

"I think I'll add a cat," he said, and he did. Not only did he add the cat, but he allowed the tail to fly beyond the outline of the plate, which in itself was enough for me to raise my mental grade for Jake to an A plus (not that I was grading him), and to lower mine to a C.

Then Jake thought for a moment.

"What color should I paint the cat?" he asked me.

Well, being the artist that I am - acutely observant, and fully aware of the sights of nature - I naturally thought of browns and blacks. But instead I asked him, "What color do you want to make it?"

Jake thought for a moment. "Blue," he said. "I'll paint it blue."

I have a lot to learn from Jake about creativity.

Before I came to his town this weekend, Jake did some works in watercolor pencil, a medium I know many of you use. He did a Thanksgiving Turkey:



And especially in preparation for this blog post, he sketched the world:



So this is Jake's Post. Please feel free to leave your comments for Jacob. I am sure he will appreciate it.

My First Blog Post - An Introduction

From my earliest days in school to my years in the working world, the margins of my papers and pads have always been filled with drawings. With pencil or pen in hand, a drawing would appear. The most natural thing. A dance of mind and hand, without provocation or thought.

So I've dabbled in art every now and then, but never seriously. There were obligations, first as a student (not in art), then as professional and as husband and father, and other interests and labors of love that would take my time. I think maybe I had a tendency to dismiss what came most easily as least important.

But recently I have made a conscious effort to cultivate this part of myself. At first it was like chipping away at ice. Now it is more like the drip, drip, drip of a leaky tap. Soon, I hope, the creativity will flow. There is also much learning to do.

I am an admirer of artists and writers - creative people of all types. The internet is often a window to their creativity. Generous professionals and amateurs alike share their work on websites and blogs. So I have browsed and admired and dreamed, and through Flickr I stumbled upon a blog a few years ago that I truly enjoyed, Janey's Journey. Here was a very creative self-trained artist using markers to express herself in a unique way. From there I discovered other blogs and sites.

Then one day, Janey mentioned in her blog that she would give a postcard with one of her drawings on it to anyone who would ask - for free! Greed reared its ugly little head, and I sent her an e-mail talking a little about how I've dabbled in art, and much about my admiration of her style. She sent me an e-mail back that was longer than her blog that day. What a wonderful thing! And in that e-mail she wrote matter-of-factly, "Do you have a blog? I'd love to see your drawings. And I'll take a look at the ones you mentioned."

Blog? I don't have a blog. Why would I have a blog?

Well, why not?

I expect that her comment was the seed from which "Dan's Canvas" is sprouting, although I still really don't know why. A few things I do know. I would love for you to follow along and to comment if you are ever so inclined. I also hope to make the virtual acquaintance of others of you with similar interests or blogs of your own. I would like to share blogs and sites that I find and like. Only a few are posted now. Others I'm sure will come with time.

The main goal for me, I guess, is to expand my art skills. The internet is a marvelous distraction, and I am going to have to remind myself that browsing, and even writing this blog, takes me away from my main objective. I have limited time. (Don't we all?) Maybe you can help me stay motivated, stay on track.

Nowadays, I am mostly drawing and sketching. I think of it as calisthenics. I have filled one large sketchbook, and have now taken to carrying around a small back-pocket Moleskine for furtive drawings of people. I am most fascinated with people, and my blog will probably reflect this, but a blank canvas, as you know, has many possibilities, and I am open to them.

As an introduction, I will be posting fairly recent drawings I have done before this first blog post, along with scattered drawings I do as they come.

To start this blog off, here are some drawings I made on a flight from Richmond, VA to Fort Lauderdale, FL. Drawing in planes is great if you have the right angle because your subjects cannot see you, for the most part they do not move much, and they are captive audiences. In other venues the challenge is that people move - what a bummer - so my drawings are less precise.

9" x 12 ", Pilot Precise V5 pen

Thank you for joining me.