Ruskin and drawing...

I feel a bit sheepish about the lack of art (at least my own) in a supposed art blog. This is primarily because I've been working non-stop on commissioned projects for a number of months - none of which I can post until publication, and by then, I tend to forget about them, or am totally past talking about them. So the best I seem to be able to do is talk about the things in my life that influence my creative process (my garden, kids, pets, music, movies, books, other artists, fairy magic and other influences...)

In his Twice-Weekly newsletter - Robert Genn talked about Ruskin - whom I find fascinating, especially in terms of drawing (my drawing classes, take note):

"What distinguishes a great artist from a weak one is first their sensibility and tenderness; second, their imagination, and third, their industry." (John Ruskin)

There is a bit of Ruskin in all of us. He bears the invitation to slow down and smell the honeysuckle. He told us, "There was always more in the world than men could see, walked they ever so slowly; they will see it no better for going fast.
The really precious things are thought and sight, not pace." To be like Ruskin requires a sense of awe and a profound realization of ignorance. These qualities have us all holding hands with the Romantics. "I would rather teach drawing that my
pupils may learn to love nature," said Ruskin, "than teach the looking at nature that they may learn to draw."


This underscores why I feel that drawing is so universal and can be important to anyone who makes the effort to learn how. All it can do is improve the quality of our awareness and appreciation for life...

There. Art thought for the day.