The Bead Spot

Ten years ago, I took an introductory drawing class with the idea of being able to use the skills later at my job, which called for me to occasionally create a graphic or illustration. I really enjoyed the class, and I learned a lot about creating depth and perspective with shadows. I did some drawing in the months that followed, but eventually, my drawing journal wound up in a drawer amid my craft supplies, and there it's sat for the past eight or nine years. Until this past weekend, that is. An itch to draw again has been following me around over the past few months. I'll see a lamp post or desk or flowers in a vase, and think, "How would I draw that? What would I need to do to show the light? How could I show the reflection on the side?" etc. So on Saturday, I took out my journal, grabbed a charcoal pencil, and attempted to draw my daughter from a photo. I learned two things as I sketched: (1) At the time I drew the stuff that was already in my journal, I...

"What We Want, What We Need." Artist Jeffrey Gibson (born 1972) at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas For the first time since our daughter was born, my husband and I went to an art museum earlier this month, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas. It was a trip I've wanted to make ever since the museum opened its doors back in 2011. Though the collection was smaller than I thought it would be, the trip still did not disappoint. One of my favorite works was a beaded punching bag sculpture titled "What We Want, What We Need" by Choctaw artist Jeffrey Gibson. According to the Crystal Bridges website , "in this work, seemingly contradictory positions are blended equally and harmoniously, demonstrating Gibson’s philosophy that varied cultural influences generate new ideas and creations." The museum also has on show an exhibit of blown glass by Dale Chihuly, an artist I first learned about while taking...