Artist's Statement
LEARNING TO DRAW INVOLVES perceptions that apply to daily life:
relationships between things, edges and boundaries, positive and negative,
light and dark, perspective, finding a fresh point of view. The most
essential aspect of drawing is learning to see, whether to render an image
of something or to find creative solutions to life situations. Music to my
ears is every time a student comes to class saying, "Wow! It seems like
everywhere I look I see something I never noticed before!" That tells me
new worlds are revealing themselves, and will continue to with these new
eyes and skills. It is doubly exciting to see creative expression gradually
push past a lifetime of self-doubt and onto the paper.
I believe that everyone can draw-some of us just need a safe place to
remember how much fun it is, along with a little exposure to art materials
so we can learn the tools of expression. As a teacher, I find my job is to
create a positive, friendly environment, provide a jump-start for the artistic
process, and then step back to watch the contagious nature of creativity do
its marvelous, mysterious magic. It is an honor to be part of the process.
Gesture drawing at its best is both elegant and economical, saying a lot
with a little, and reflecting the chemistry between model and artist. In
those concentrated moments as I attempt to capture the vitality of the
human form on paper, my own energy also infuses the drawing. Time and
troubles drop away, and an image is distilled onto the page that will never
be seen in that precise way again.
The creative process is one of amazement. Often I feel I'm along for the
ride, not knowing the destination but completely absorbed in the
interactions of ink, water, and paper. Ink and ink wash are the most
challenging and rewarding for me, because they demand commitment to
the process-there is no erasing, no "undo" command. As in life, all you
can do as an artist is to respond to what's there and keep moving forward.
-Marti Fast
LEARNING TO DRAW INVOLVES perceptions that apply to daily life:
relationships between things, edges and boundaries, positive and negative,
light and dark, perspective, finding a fresh point of view. The most
essential aspect of drawing is learning to see, whether to render an image
of something or to find creative solutions to life situations. Music to my
ears is every time a student comes to class saying, "Wow! It seems like
everywhere I look I see something I never noticed before!" That tells me
new worlds are revealing themselves, and will continue to with these new
eyes and skills. It is doubly exciting to see creative expression gradually
push past a lifetime of self-doubt and onto the paper.
I believe that everyone can draw-some of us just need a safe place to
remember how much fun it is, along with a little exposure to art materials
so we can learn the tools of expression. As a teacher, I find my job is to
create a positive, friendly environment, provide a jump-start for the artistic
process, and then step back to watch the contagious nature of creativity do
its marvelous, mysterious magic. It is an honor to be part of the process.
Gesture drawing at its best is both elegant and economical, saying a lot
with a little, and reflecting the chemistry between model and artist. In
those concentrated moments as I attempt to capture the vitality of the
human form on paper, my own energy also infuses the drawing. Time and
troubles drop away, and an image is distilled onto the page that will never
be seen in that precise way again.
The creative process is one of amazement. Often I feel I'm along for the
ride, not knowing the destination but completely absorbed in the
interactions of ink, water, and paper. Ink and ink wash are the most
challenging and rewarding for me, because they demand commitment to
the process-there is no erasing, no "undo" command. As in life, all you
can do as an artist is to respond to what's there and keep moving forward.
-Marti Fast
