Friday, April 12, 2013

Sneak Peek at my new book

I am currently writing a book about drawing. It's a work in progress, so I thought that you might like to see some selections and get to know me as I write. These sections are first draft with minor edits.

This is from the forward, I hope you enjoy this and want to return as I post further updates.


Forward


"Art and creativity have been a part of my life from the very beginning. I still remember the day that art entered my life. I was five years old. It was an early evening during an Illinois winter season working its way well into March. A whistly' calm breeze drifted through the three story apartment buildings while a bitter smell of sour combustion was flowing in behind us from the Interstate 90 Toll road. Mom and I had just returned from Woodfield Mall with fresh velvet coloring posters. Up two creaky flights, through the cold heavy metal doors and ethnic smelling hallways, and back to her boyfriend Don who greets us at the door.
"Hey there little man,"  Don said with his raspy bearded voice. I remember being glad that we had posters, because Don was hogging the new TV. Mom and I went back to their room and laid out the posters and markers on her bed. My fingers moved around the texture of the scratchy velvet stuck on the smooth poster paper. I remember thinking how cool the monsters on my mom's poster were, and I asked if I could help her get started. I recall that during the last few weeks, my drawings had been showing the early stages of competence. In sizing up this big moment, it was clear that my budding skills were preparing me for a crucial pay off... and then it came! 
Mom looked at me. She gave me a smile and said, "I forgot, you're a good little artist."
She handed me the yellow and told me to start by coloring the big star shapes in the upper left hand corner. I'm not sure what my brain got from that moment, but it put the rest of my life into motion. It was March 1975 on the third floor of the great Rolling Meadows Apartments, and it was the day I began to forevermore draw with purpose.

Whatever else my mother didn't give me in life, she did give me a career. That night made all the difference as to how I was going to survive the rest of my life. For my moms' life, it marked roughly five years since she lived the life of a  hippie revolutionary. Even though she was a young single mom, she was still a drifting soul. By my Junior year, I had attended over 17 schools in four different states. You can easily guess how much of a valuable escape my drawing skills were. As I relocated through the years, it was a rare occasion that any other kids would ever come close to my abilities or determination, and it was always an effective game changer. Drawing skills were somehow perceived as super-powers, and I was spared the full brunt of forever being 'the new kid.' Regardless of my awkwardness or low social standing, you give me a paper and pencil, and I was a Titan among twerps.

This book is my effort to give you the same opportunity that I had. In simple terms, my mom took away a huge roadblock to an otherwise mysterious skill. My brain never had to process a negative view on drawing or creativity. But you, dear reader, have spent the better part of your life under many misconceptions. I have crafted this book knowing that your head is full of doubts and pre-wired defenses, so trust me, and trust the process.

Finally, like anything else you begin, it is important to build a solid foundation. This book will NOT be a 'how-to-draw-along-with-me' program. What I am offering to you is a wind tunnel to blow away the mental chaff and get a clear picture on how easy drawing really is."

No comments:

Post a Comment