Archive for December 2009
And still more……….
Posted on: December 28, 2009
I received this story from a reader. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1088275/Girl-5-able-shine-epilepsy-surgery-removes-half-brain.html The story is that a 5-yr-old girl who had been having epileptic seizures since she was 2 did not respond to medications and had to try surgery that removed the left hemisphere of her brain as well as the neurons connecting it to the right hemisphere.
Despite this, within just a few weeks after surgery, her speech, and motor skills (left hemisphere) had returned, and she soon went to kindergarten as expected.
Artists – please excuse this detour to my fascination w the brain. Plasticity (the ability to change) is a gift from G-d, IMHO.
I have always been fascinated by the brain hemispheres and what they offer. I love this discussion by Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuro-anatomist who had a one-hemisphere stroke, yet was able to watch and remember what was happening to her. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyyjU8fzEYU
When I studied biology (in the bronze age), it was thought that only the liver could re-grow. That has all changed as we now hear from the scientist that the brain is much more “plastic” than we ever thought and can “re-grow” and also develop new “channels”.
Altho it has long been thought that people who were right-brained/left-handed were more creative, there is new research showing that it is actually the somewhat ambi-dexterous who can be the most creative. Whew! — there’s hope for me after all:-) If you want to read the actual article (it’s really not too scientific), it’s http://www.miller-mccune.com/news/raise-your-hand-if-you-re-creative-either-hand-1534
I’d love to hear what you think about this subject and where you think you fit on the spectrum!
Spam on WordPress
Posted on: December 15, 2009
Most of my readers/commenters are way ahead of me on matters computerish, but I just wanted to mention that I looked at all my spam that had collected, and in there were 3 legit comments from friends!!
I don’t blame WordPress; I’m the one who never looks at my spam folder:-)
This is something I get asked about a lot; what do they teach you in art school? The short answer it that they don’t. Anyone who has seen the movie “Art School Confidential” will come away no longer regretting that they “missed something”.
But (there’s always a but – right?) — even tho the teachers don’t do much teaching, what you do get is an amazing amount of studio time to develop your skill as you watch others and learn about the great artists of the past. Each class (like sculpting 101) is called a “studio” and is 4 hours long. You have 2 studios/day, which means you are working at developing your art skills (painting, drawing, glassblowing, soldering, etc.) 8 hours a day, including Saturday. That’s 48 hrs/week, and that doesn’t count time in the evening finishing up a piece or two.
That is how we really learn in art school Learning to question, to try, to fail, to “see”, to steady the eye-hand coordination. And you do it 
YOURSELF! Don’t ask me what the professors were doing; I vaguely remember them walking around:-)
I got off the track for a long time, but am now able to replicate this time spent honing my craft by painting every day and every hour that I can. By going to the library and actually reading about the artists I was supposed to be studying back then. I have my own “studios”, and I’m teaching myself to use many different kinds of media, as well as cramming in all I can about color and composition.
We’re all self-taught; don’t you think?
New Paintings
Posted on: December 5, 2009
Many of you follow my Flickr feed and have already seen these, but I keep hoping I’ll get some new visitors here, so I’m posting work from the last 2 months.These are all going to be for sale – let me know if you’re interested.
Rachel Makepeace suggested I share this w everyone. I had to go into a hobby shop to get something for a doll I’m making and found these letters discontinued and reduced to pennies!! They look big in the picture, but they’re really only 2″ high. The window is just to the left of the chair I ususaly work in, so it’s quite fun, actually.
It’s a bit like naming my studio, and since I’m not selling or known at all yet, it’s great fun:-)
nina colors 