To Capture the Eye: The view from here -- New Year's Eve 2018

December 31, 2018, about noon today. Now it's 8:30 p.m. and I'm counting down. Inevitably, a time for introspection and retrospection.

This time last year, I was eagerly awaiting the first week of a weekly on-line art class that would focus on the portrait. By February, my enthusiasm was fading but I resolved to press on. I'd decided to do my own thing with whatever Artist-of-the-Week was scheduled, and I had moved into passive LURK mode on the class's Facebook page. I could not stand the superficiality of Like-Like-Like critiques and what, despite different instructors and media, seemed a repetitive roll-out of long-haired young female models.

But some good things came of the experience -- and here's a quick recap via some of my output. First, I became more committed to delving into art history through renewed acquaintance with artists such as Piero della Francesca:

and Giovanni Bellini:

Second, even though I'm immersed in painting, I remembered how much I love drawings when I chose to work with pencil in the weeks featuring Caravaggio and Anna Dorothea Therbusch.

Therbusch and several artists made for a third benefit of the course. They were people I'd never heard of, or was only vaguely aware of, and in some cases they were *great* discoveries. There was Henry Ossawa Tanner:--

Ferdinand Hodler:--

Maurice Denis:--

A fourth benefit of the course was spending more concentrated time with some familiars -- Gustav Klimt, for one:--

And of course, Van Gogh:--

As I look through the almost fifty portraits I've accumulated in this way, I note that three are particularly striking to me. Further acquaintance with the artists they represent is likely, in one way or other, to have an impact on my development. They are Gwen John:--

Alice Neel:--

...and, most significantly, Irma Stern -- who was formerly unknown to me. These little punk kids, as I call them, are the genies of my studio now. I'll feel very good if I again do something that pleases me as much as they do:--

So....that was then. This is now. What's next? Welllllll.....this is as good a time as any to announce that: I've signed up for another on-line course!! Do I hear a collective groan? Do you think my brain has turned to mush from some of the last quarter's artists who were collectively kind of strange, like Afarin Sajedi?

Time will tell. But the very structure of the course addresses the shortfalls of the just-ended On-Line 2018.

It was developed by a professional artist who aims to present the content of a year of art school, with a focus on painting.
It operates within a highly sophisticated website with a wealth of teaching material -- reading, videos, and examples. A brief weekly newsletter is an added friendly touch.
There are no hard and fast requirements for participation, but if/when you choose to participate, there are very definite guidelines about what you're expected to achieve and where and how you are expected to post your completed assignments.

In contrast to the Facebook stuff that I couldn't stand, the communications among students takes place within a secure "on-line classroom". There are firm do's and don'ts about critiqueing others' work:

It's an expectation. Before you post your own assignment, you're expected to comment on at least one other student's post.
It is explicitly stated that it's unacceptable to say, "I really like this, Fred." Instead -- and there are numerous examples as guidelines -- you're expected to hone in on something specific and to recommend a remedy.

I've been enrolled for two weeks now, and I'm really impressed with the curriculum and with the calibre of the "on-line community" -- serious people (many retirees like me) who know that they have a lot to learn and are eager to work seriously to get where they want to go.

For now, I'll hopefully sign off with a favourite quote from the poet Rilke: