How to Edit a Landscape with Help from Twyla Tharp

How do you decide what elements to include in a landscape? I am regularly challenged by this. I typically want to paint it all... every damn leaf.  I watch other plein air painters include three people, not twenty, move a tree, change a tree shape, omit a building, or add clouds to a clear sky, without a hesitation. Exclusion for me is an inaccuracy, maybe a lie. I think plein air paintings are creating a moment of history. Cave walls tell us about the animals present, and sometimes the dress of the day… Not that I expect my paintings to last millennia.  Yet, I do see merit in editing for the composition especially.

Over the last couple weeks I began savoring a Christmas gift, reading, not too fast, Twyla Tharp’s 2003, The Creative Habit. Her stories of musicians, writers, and artists of all kinds are entertaining in themselves, but the exercises she suggests have inspired me. They are different from many other creativity books I've read. The one I want to wax on about, is led into with a story about Neil Simon, which you'll have to read for yourself.

Back to the challenge of editing a painting. Twyla talks about the power of seeing, you know, like Yogi Berra said, “You can observe a lot by watching.” She recommends watching a couple and making a list of their actions and gestures until you have twenty. He puts his arm around her, she picks a piece of lint from his coat, she crosses her legs, he man splays, she pulls a Kleenex from her pocket, she blows her nose. It’s not hard, to list twenty items in a brief time, Twyla
comments. The second phase of the exercise is to watch another couple and list the actions that please you aesthetically or emotionally. A sign of tenderness in a touch on the arm, the slide of sunglasses onto the head, to see something more clearly, an elbow jab with a laugh, a slight step back at some news. Now judgement is added to powers of observation, and being selective becomes essential. 

Twyla’s point is that what catches your fancy is not as important as the difference between the two lists. What one includes or edits speaks to how you see the world. My thought is that what catches my fancy in a scene are the items I’m going to paint with more intention, might even be my focal point. And, if not my focal point, I will create a relationship to it… place it where it best tells the story I am painting. 

Once again, Twyla danced me into a new way of thinking.

As I wrap up this post, it reminds me of another one, I wrote a while back on making word lists to create a more accurate and interesting piece of writing. That process, coupled with asking yourself, what pleases you emotionally or aesthetically, offers another way to consider what to edit. This link will get you to it Lexicons and Writing. And, "That reminds me of..." is as always another powerful creativity prompt.

Photo: From Twyla Tharp Pinterest Page
Painting: Waiting for the Magic, Mary Longe, 2019, 16x20" Oil on Canvas

2017 - Progress on Becoming an Artist

On Facebook, the art supply company, Grumbacher tossed out a question about the year’s accomplishments in art.

I decided not to respond and closed my laptop… except the question nagged me. I showered and went about my day, with this nudge inside, asking myself, what have I accomplished not just in art, but in becoming an artist. 

The process began in earnest in July of 2014. By then, I had a vision of what I wanted, simply to stand at an easel and to paint outside. I’d learned that act was called, “plein air” and that plein air was a real thing with a long history. I bought an easel, paints, brushes, paper and a vat of sunscreen. I took a weekend workshop at Lill Street and a week-long workshop at Madeline Island and learned I needed to learn how to draw, let alone distribute paint so that it was recognizable. Classes, sketching, and painting, as much painting as possible, ensued.

 A fifteen-inch pile of water color paintings, a couple filled drawing pads, several sketch books and bins, shelves and wires hung with canvas boards filled with oil paintings are evidence of a continued pursuit of art since then. Yet, I still need to draw better and I still need to distribute the paint better. My inspiration to find some success is my former neighbor (by a mile or so,) Michael Jordan, "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." 

Fast forward to 2017. My drawing has improved, but I don’t trust myself with the game winning line. My painting has improved but I’m still missing shots, but at this point, a lyric from Hamilton comes to mind, “I’m not throwing away my shot.” I continue to learn, ask for criticism and paint some more. In 2017, I completed (life changing) Painting Fundamentals 101 and 102 with Popovich and Krajecki through the Palette and Chisel, a 7-week perspective class with Krajecki thete too, a class taught br phenomenal artist, Steve Puttrich at the Chicago Botanic Garden, and a figure painting class with Ken Menami at the Evanston Art Center, and managed to have critiques by five other respected artists through the Plein Air Painters of Chicago. (Fred Polito, Don Yang, Errol Jacobdon, William Schneider, Nancy King Mertz.)

My easel accompanied me to paint plein air nearly every week April thru Oct and, I never went a week not "arting." I painted in two countries, three States, many states of mind and in two mediums. I painted over earlier paintings because they stopped being precious and I needed the canvas. I spent more money on paint and supplies than clothes, and found paint smears in more places than dust.

Firsts included: a plein air competition, a large format painting, a sale to stranger and one (almost two) off my easel, and, a paid commission (won't do that again.)

I bought a studio easel, took over a bedroom as a studio and stopped saying studio, as if it had quotes around it.

I participated in four shows; one juried. Two paintings were selected as year-long public works, two others are hanging in another town’s historical museum. An art critic reviewing one of the shows mentioned one of my paintings in a kind way. This year my Christmas list pretty much listed colors of paint. Gratefully, I received some. I continue to miss the majority of shots, but, I've hit a couple, for a change.  And, this year, the thought of painting as a hobby, never entered my mind. It's become my way of life. 

Where's Bruno? The Children Return, a book beginning reviewed

I couldn't wait for my first ever pre-ordered book, The Children Return, the new Bruno Chef of Police book by Martin Walker.

I looked forward to the little vacation in France l get with Bruno's horse rides in the hills, his serendipitous picnics on a hill top, caving or mushroom hunts. He takes time to smell the herbs, feed the dog and pull a hunk of meat that he hunted from the freezer. Bruno feeds me and my whole soul with his wide-world view, small town purview and personal connections and earned respect. His home was built by his neighbors. His food and drink are frequently from rugby team mates, neighbors with larger gardens, vendors in the local farmers market or a thank you from a towns-person. I picture him a man who has to be about sixty for all his life events and wisdom but is decades younger and still wants kids. He ages more like Ground Hog Day.

Having read several of Martin Walker's previous books, I plan my read when it's time to drink wine. I know that in every few scenes there will be a description of a meal, prep of a dish, or a scene in a cafe that will slow even my reading so I can savor my time in France. Like days when I can't remember if someone told me something or I heard it on NPR, I think of his friends as mine... though I'm waiting to come across a Fabiola in my life.

His super-cop powers come from being a street smart, sensible, caring normal man. He solves international crimes pretty much locally. He respects women who have their own agendas, enjoys sex and continues to search for the one who wants to have his children.

I couldn't wait for the next opportunity to talk about St. Denis and dream of the next trip to France. I ordered the book and waited till the appointed day. I poured a white bordeaux rather than my usual New Zealand sauvignon blanc, made a little charcuterie plate, sans the cheese (the cave people near St. Denis didn't have cheese) and opened the Kindle.

I can't get into this book.

I'll admit right now that I don't have much tolerance for wasting time if I don't like a story. It's been years since I made myself read a book all the way through when I didn't like it. By years, I mean never. Assigned by a teacher, suggested by a mentor, recommended by Oprah, at best, I've skimmed. It's not worth minutes of my life to waste on words-in-a-row that don't connect for me. I can count on the fact that there are another 300,000 plus titles to choose from published in the last year, let alone all the stuff on the internet I could possibly peruse. I have gone back to the book several times, I read a few more paragraphs and get discouraged. I just don't care, kinda like I feel about my ex-husband.

No more mister bucolic policeman in Martin Walker's new book. Well, Bruno still might be that, but he seems more like a vapid international thriller character this time out.  I imagine that Walker's publisher, probably a guy who loves Patterson told him to be more like James and start with the torture. That's the ticket, burn some guys feet and stick a cattle prod up his ass.

In my opinion, Martin Walker needs a writing group. I bet he had one once. Seeing that he is backed up on coming titles, I can only imagine he's abbreviated or stopped his original writing practice that got him to be a best selling author, closed the door to his den and sits by himself to pump out his novels. I am imagining all this. For all I know Martin Walker is a woman. I've never taken the time to research him, I've just enjoyed his writing... till now.

A writing group would tell him to get to what Bruno cares about sooner, so we can want what he wants. They'd be brutally honest and remind him to show, don't tell, to stay away from Wikipedia and stop trying to educate. If he was in my writing group someone would count the number of times the same term is used, remind him that some repetition of words or ideas is good, it builds a perception of style but too much is boring. I suspect, Walker's departure from previous books might be his own balancing act of keeping what works and creating something new. I don't envy him this task. I'm struggling with how difficult it is for him. If he had cookie-cuttered his last book, I'd be making snide remarks about that too. At least he has multi-title book deals to get it right.

Martin Walker doesn't need to replace Maeve Binchy and tell nice, cover your smile with your hand, sweet Christian lady stories, but geez, one graphic description of a cattle prod up the anus is enough.  I now need the wine to make reading palatable rather than participate in the story.

Maybe it's the publisher who needs a focus group. I would encourage the Walker team to gather a group of people like me, so we'd get what we want.

I am going to keep reading in hopes that Bruno and I finally engage, but Amazon, don't bank on me pre-ordering a fiction book again.

Ten Tips for Heightening Suspense

10. Pose a question

9. Stretch time

8. Parcel out information

7. Raise a concern

6. Create a new obstacle

5. Give a deadline

4. Note a distance

3. Countdown

2. Uncover something the protagonist doesn’t know,  and…

Inspired by Libby Fischer Hellman

www.libbyhellman.com

www.evanstonwritersworkshop.com

Lexicons 2 – Writing about Health

Writing a blog post is inherently narcissistic.  It’s from my point of view, about something that matters to me, from my experience, my feelings, my senses. Writing about my health increases the self-centeredness exponentially. So, I am risking that you are still with me as I describe an a-ha moment that resulted from creating a lexicon for a condition I am experiencing – Vertigo.

Generating a list of words came from a growing frustration to understand and name the dizziness I experience, and from a note Mark left after the first blog post about Lexicons. The Vertigo Lexicon started with opening a Word Doc and typing the word, vertigo. Under it, I  listed everything that came to mind from that narcissistic place. I listed symptoms and words that describe the symptoms – whirling, reeling, tilt, off center. I read about it in Wikipedia and WebMD. I looked up the spiritual meaning of the symptoms and found more ways to think of it – "flighty, scattered thinking" (no shit!) and the affirmation: "I am deeply centered and at peace with life. It is safe for me to be alive and joyous."(amen!) You’ll find the whole list below.

Juxtaposed (or connecting the dots) to this… The first time I encountered anyone suffering from vertigo was six weeks ago. A friend and his puppy visited, on one of his few times out of the house, since he was disabled (officially) by vertigo eighteen months earlier. He was my health coach! How could that happen to him? When three weeks later, I awoke with it, I admit, the prospect of this as a chronic concern caused concern... and still does.

Here’s the a-ha! moment. Having worked with medical students, designed health education programs for hospitals, HMOs, public health, and 4-H (the fourth one is health) and designed hundreds (yes) consumer health libraries and thought countless hours about how people interact around health, I learned (again) Words Matter. Precise words, precisely describing the experience make a difference in how I tell my story and how I feel about it. 

After creating the lexicon, I wrote a note to my friend to tell him I was a friend with empathy. The lexicon completely infiltrated my writing. I found my fear rescinded, as I better understood my vertigo in my own words. If I was still in the business of health education rather than health care operations, I could see spending time on this – making lists as a practice in a waiting room, before seeing a practitioner. Some offices do something like this, except; the ones I’ve used have forced me to choose from their words. My words. My precise words matter. Having figured this out… made me feel better. 

#####

Vertigo Lexicon

Cary Grant Jimmy Stewart

Hitchcock

Dizzy

Reeling

Whirling

Twirling

Tumbling

Revolving

Off center

Vestibular

Listing

Preoccupied

Tilt

Slant

Lean

Incline

Light headed

Unsteady

Unstable

Nausea

Big drunk

Hangover

Jittery

Waiting for things to right themselves

Aligning the ceiling tiles

Spinning

Kaleidoscope

Sitting too much

Exercising too little

Too many pairs of reading glasses

Wax build up in my ear

Q-tips

The ferocious train horn from10 feet away as I came down the stairs from Madison Street

Too much espresso

Ergonomics

Hunching over my monitor

Couch slouch

Arthritis in my vertebrae

Tight neck muscles

#####

Hello,

You are not going to believe this, but... I've been dealing with vertigo for the past three weeks. Three Sundays ago, I lay in bed, reading Twitter and heard this noise in my head. Swoosh. I thought my brain moved. I sat up, but could only hope to propel myself in the direction of my pillows; I didn’t know up from down and I couldn’t make the room stop spinning. Moving slowly a couple minutes later, I pushed myself up, swung my legs over the side and held my breath. It took a few seconds, but the room aligned.  The dizzy felt like the worst hangover with no drink, and luckily with no vomit.

I had a chiropractor appt the next day and talked with him, went to my PCP the following day. (Turns out, he works on her and they did a consult, with my ok, on me during her office visit to him.) They determined no stroke, no heart condition, no Meniere’s… probably inner ear. They recommended taking a decongestant, forcing water, cleaning my ears, and became a rotisserie laying on my back, my side, and my stomach. I hung my head right, left, down, over the bed.

I'd never known about vertigo until I talked with you, other than through Cary Grant. I've not missed work. I can drive and don’t seem to have issues when I swing my head to change lanes. I can look forward at my computer and do my work. Then again there are times, like leaning over the side of the kitchen counter to check the status of the cat food bowl, when a wave of dizziness hits. Sometimes, it feels like I list to the right when I walk. I feel off balance, un-centered. It’s disconcerting with the icy sidewalks, I’m preoccupied with falling, yet don’t want to look down because it may reengage the whirling.

Most mornings I sit up slowly from my sleep position, wait for the room to align, stand up, wait once again for the kaleidoscope to stop, and put the picture back together.  I'm fine after that, until I bend over too far to shave my legs, pull on undies, or pick up ice spit from the fridge. Today, I woke up in a sweat that’s lasted longer than any hot flash I've experienced. It poured from my hairline. I finally went outside in my pajamas to cool off. It felt good, but the sweat continued for forty-five minutes. I pushed more water.  The sweat stopped. The spinning stopped, so I am moving around and feeling better.  

#####

Blah blah blah... I warned you writing about health is narcissistic, I did finish with something about him. My point is, you can see that the lexicon helped me describe the experience to him. Reading the accuracy, maybe not medical accuracy, helped me own it. Writing it down, helps me remember it and tell it accurately, if necessary later. Words Matter.