Week
3
Hi,
everybody! “Hi, Doctor Nick!” (any ‘Simpsons’
fans?) Ok, well now that I've shown you all how much of a nerd I am, let's
proceed! I am entering into my 4th week here at LAAFA and I feel
more and more confident in the sleepless nights and countless hours of work I
have been investing in this. Six more weeks and I will be done with my first
quarter! Wow, how time flies *tear. I can only imagine how fast this whole year
will end up going by. But let's “focus on the now” as Dr. Phil would say (he's
a real doctor guys, I swear it!) and dive into this past wonderful week at the
Atelier that dwelleth in Van Nuys.
In
the last few blogs I have written, I think what runs as a repetitive theme are
a sort of re-occurring silver lining experiences that lift me to cloud nine and
give me the wings to make it through the week. Fluffy stories of inspiration
are not what I am trying to promote up in here! I think when there becomes a
reliance upon the “emotional high” of a person in order to march through a
metaphorical wilderness, you have placed a reliance upon metaphorical cheap gas
(if I charge a dollar for every metaphor I use, I would be metaphorically
rich!). I continue at LAAFA, because LAAFA is darn good for me. Even at times
when it is hard, and oh my do I sometimes want to press the snooze button on my
alarm, this program is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. In
the same way an athlete trains when it's raining, when he is sick, when the
monotonous becomes even more monotonous; he presses through because the greatness
of the end result far outweighs the current hardship.
But
I do feel it is worthy to note these notable rekindlings of passion that I do
experience, because in some way, things that are beautiful in themselves will
present refreshment in an experiential sense. And that is exactly what happened
when I, a downcast lad, stopped Noah Buchanan in the hallway last Thursday to
ask him for advice. The night before, I was YouTube-ing videos on 3-point
perspective for the sake of review, when I stumbled upon a video of an artist
of notoriety giving a
talk about how perspective is useless in art. He demonstrated a very easy
approach to implementing perspective into artwork but argued against an
extensive study of it. I was greatly discouraged by this, being an
impressionable lad I began thinking that maybe this artist was right. Maybe I
didn't need to be in a perspective class and I could potentially spend my time
in a more constructive manner.
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| Perspective Class with Jon Messer |
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I knew this was false, it had
to be false. If I am learning perspective at LAAFA, then there is a good
reason. But of course I have to toss and turn about it, cry a little bit (not
really...well maybe just a little tear) scream, rant, wonder, ponder, think
there yonder (okay I'll stop) before I actually go to the faculty and ask
someone why the importance for the tool of perspective to be in my artist belt.
So I catch Noah in the
hallway and I sheepishly proceed to ask him “h..hey Noah um..Noah, do we like,
um have to know *cough uhh perspective and ..stuff.” He graciously smiled and
pulled me over to the dry board to show me something that will later blow my
mind. He immediately answered my question by introducing me to the “Harmonic Armature.”
Basically, the Harmonic Armature is a relationship between numbers (specifically, proportions) and
sensory perceptions that are pleasing to our ears and our eyes. In a word, we
respond positively to intervals of one third, one quarter, one half, two thirds
and three quarters. Noah proceeded to show me how this diagram would be placed under
the under painting in order that a composition could then have structural
purpose in sensory impact of the viewer (a method used by some of the most
famous classical artists, used in some of the most famous classical paintings).
The Harmonic Armature gives the artist the license then to become more than an
artist and more as a composer. As a composer, the artist can now compose
subject matter on the numeric proportions of the grid in order that favorable
sensory experiences would then occur in the viewer.
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| Noah Buchanan's Drawing |
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As Noah explained this to me
I was in awe, but I was waiting for when the perspective element was to come
in. He went on to further explain that with the painting divided into one
thirds, one quarter, one half, two thirds, and three quarters using lines;
those lines can also act as the horizon lines that we use in perspective (bam,
mind blown) in order that we can implement perfect perspective into harmonic
armature. In other words, not only can a painting now have the intelligence of
proper distal proportions, but also those distal proportions can sing in
perfect harmony to the senses; satisfying intellect and feeling.
When Noah concluded, my love
for art went down about 10 elevator levels. To be able to fully understand that
the curriculum that I am now involved in would enable me to create paintings
that would equate to a beautifully composed sonnet or a timeless melody is just
so wonderfully pleasing. I'm so thankful for Noah for taking the time to show
me that art is so much more than paint splattered on a canvas. What I am doing
here is important, and I can say that in confidence, because I know I am being
trained for greatness. Every lesson, every hour spent, every class, all leads
to a prize that is at the end of the road. And boy after understanding the
Harmonic Armature and how vital of a tool perspective is in enhancing it, I sat
in perspective class that Thursday evening with not a doubt in my mind.
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And YouTube, if you are
reading this, stop confusing me with challenging videos of art theory and post
more hilarious videos of grandparents rapping. Thank you.
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