IonaScribe

Figure Drawing Resources

2011-12-07T13:32:00.001-08:00

Drawing and painting skills used to be passed down from master to apprentice throughout the centuries. Students were thoroughly trained by drawing first from plaster casts and sculptures, next by copying the works of great masters, and finally moving to the live model. Today's art students are hard pressed to find a school that will teach good foundational skills before expecting them to churn out original concepts. But, for a person with a mind to learn the skills of the great masters, there are great resources out there:

1) Take a class at an atelier! If you're lucky enough to live in or near a major city, chances are you live near a workshop taught by one of the rare few descendants of the atelier/academy system. Nothing beats experience with a live model and a live instructor that can point out how to improve your work during the process. There is a list of recommended ateliers, schools, and classes at the Art Renewal Center website: http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/ateliers.php
I've had a very good experience taking a couple of classes at Gage Academy of Art in Seattle, WA. This school is affiliated with the Aristides Classical Atelier. (Also, any book by Juliette Aristides is a great read.)

2) Learn some anatomy! As wonderful as it is to be able to take a good figure drawing class, sometimes the vocabulary words can come flying fast and furious at a time when you're trying to use the right side of your brain for visual problem solving. It's really helpful to supplement drawing experience with good old-fasioned memorization of important muscle groups and bone structures. Parts of the skeleton stick out as permanent "landmarks" on the body which can help you understand the weight and motion of the body and how to place other related features.
If you want to learn anatomy the way the great masters did, pick up a copy of "Albinus on Anatomy" co-authored by Robert Beverly Hale. It's full of 18th century anatomical engravings. Also highly recommended is "Artistic Anatomy" by Dr. Paul Richer, translated by Robert Beverly Hale, one of the best anatomy resources available to 19th century artists.

3) Take lessons from great masters in books! One of the important components of a classical drawing education is making master copies...that is, copying the works of great masters to understand how they saw things and solved problems. A great way to do this is to grab a sketch book and an oversize library book and have at it. If you want to save yourself some research time, find a copy of "Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters" by Hale (again). Another very popular resource that many artists studied during the academic period is the Charles Bargue Drawing Course. Bargue's course involves copying various exercises and drawings. I did a few for homework in my portrait drawing class and I found it to be a lot of fun! A Bargue book can be pretty expensive, but I've seen a few pdf versions floating around on the web for free (which I don't feel bad about since Bargue has been dead for more than a century). I'm not responsible for any computer virus you may accidentally download; just remember to use a good virus scanner on the file before opening it just in case.

4) Go to a museum! If possible, bring your sketchbook and and make master copies there.

5) Get good at finding used books! As a busy mom, my schedule doesn't permit me the leisure time to go to an art museum by myself during the day to spend time sketching, so I'm mostly dependent on methods 2 and 3. To cope with the fact that art books are usually crazy expensive I try to exercise some creativity:

a) I take regular trips to the library with my toddler, so I'm able to check out one or two books (I can't carry too many of the kind I need at once) and then we go have "story time" in the children's section. Even better than scouring the random selection on the shelves, if your local library is connected to a city-wide system, figure out how to request specific books from other branches! I found a lot of great M.C. Escher books that way. The best part about this is that you can give the books back when you're done so they don't just take up space. It is handy to have a few reference books at home permanently though, in which case...

b) I used to live near a used book store that kept a great stock of art books for very inexpensive. I like paying less than $10 for something that would cost $50+ on Amazon while supporting a local business.

c) Sometimes I scan the book sections in my local thrift stores. I found a copy of Hale's "Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters" for $6 at Goodwill. It smelled like somebody's basement at first, but was otherwise very usable. It was a great find for my reference collection.

d) I have an Amazon wish list, so that when relatives ask me what they ought to get me for Christmas or birthdays, I can direct them to books that would be very useful for me.

Here's a list of the books on Amazon.com in case you want to skim the preview pages, read reviews, and add them to your list:

Albinus on Anatomy
Artistic Anatomy
Charles Bargue and Jean-Leon Gerome: Drawing Course
Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters
Lessons in Classical Drawing: Essential Techniques from Inside the Atelier

Advent

2011-12-07T09:50:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone is having a blessed Advent season.

Here's another photo of the advent wreath I put together for my family:

More blog entries to follow soon, I promise!

Rainy Day

2011-10-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

In Seattle, one must maximize the amount of outdoor time during clear weather. During the past few days of clear weather, I was able to spot Jupiter through a telescope, use up the last of my roll of film on the night sky, and take my toddler for a walk on the beach to play with the sand and look at birds.

Now it's rainy again, and I'm waiting for my film to be developed so I can determine from my notes which exposure times work the best. In the meantime I've taken my astronomy book back to the library and exchanged it for one on calculus. There is also very comfortable seating in the children's section where I read several stories to my little girl who adores books. She looked very adorable carrying a calculus book up to the checkout.

One night a week my very supportive husband makes it home by 6 so I can have the whole evening to myself for art projects. I'm currently working on a drawing involving more saints and I will post it as soon as I'm finished.

When that is complete, I plan to update my Zazzle store!

Astrophotography

2011-09-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

I've started dabbling in astrophotography (taking picture of stars and other objects in the night sky). Pictures of the night sky awe me like like nothing else outside of the liturgy. I realized recently that I have the bare minimum equipment necessary (SLR camera, tripod, cable release) so I gave it a shot using the last of a roll of old low quality film:

This is the "Big Dipper" of the constellation Ursa Major. Not bad for the film I was using and the light pollution from the apartment building across the street. I currently have a roll of Fuji Provia slide film in my camera, and I can't wait to see the most recent exposures. I'm experimenting with leaving the shutter open for progressively longer periods of time to see if I can capture the rotation of the stars relative to Earth.

Medieval universities taught the "seven liberal arts". First, the trivium: grammar, logic and rhetoric. Then the quadrivium: arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. It's a little peculiar to our notion of liberal arts today; notice that 3 of these subjects are math related, one is a science, and one is an art, whereas today we tend to think of the humanities. But the point is, this curriculum was designed to teach critical thinking skills. If a person could complete all of this, then they would finally be qualified to start learning philosophy.

Just think of how much better educated we would all be if we were grounded in these subjects. Instead of being taught what to think, for example, by a professor pontificating about his own pet theories that he expects everyone to accept unquestioningly, what if we learned how to think by making observations on a subject based on evidence, thinking logically and critically about what other people have to say on the topic, and learning to formulate a logically coherent and articulate response?

Anyhow, sometimes my husband and I strongly consider homeschooling our kids. We like the idea of being free to give our children a formation in how to think instead of what to think; being able to teach them about things that are worthwhile and interesting, and being able to keep them engaged and active on their own level according to their own interests so that they never stop loving to learn.

I only have a few months before our second baby is born, so I'm aware of the need to enrich myself as much as possible so that I can invest as much as possible in our kids. I've been watching videos on calculus and complex geometry and listening to a lecture on music from The Teaching Company. So I thought, hey might as well add in some amateur astronomy while I'm at it. My own personal quadrivium studies at home! I currently have a library book checked out called "The Star Guide" by Robin Kerrod, and it even comes with a planisphere (rotating star map). It's fun and reminds me how much I loved reading about astronomy as a kid. I'm really looking forward to sharing things like this some day with my toddler daughter and whoever this new baby is!

St. Francis, St. Patrick, St. Thomas Aquinas

2011-08-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hello again! I recently had the chance to make good scans of some pen and ink projects I completed over the past few months.

Here's a "master copy" of El Greco's St. Francis Recieving the Stigmata. I used pen and ink plus ink wash:

Here is the completed St. Patrick drawing. I used cotton vellum paper to trace up the celtic knot border, pencil drawing of St. Pat, and text and make them one finished image:

And finally, here is St. Thomas Aquinas, the same as before, but a better quality scan:

They are all formatted to the same size so that I can add them easily to my portfolio website the next time I make updates.

Portrait Drawing

2011-08-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy few weeks! Here are the results of a 5-week portrait drawing class that I just completed at Gage Academy of Art. We learned a lot about anatomy and proportion. Each pose was 2-3 hours long. I used charcoal pencil for the first two and pencil for the rest.

My skills really improved with each class. We also had to draw a self portrait each week for homework, and this is the one that turned out the best:

Gregorian Chant

2011-07-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

It's a rainy, cold, gloomy day here. People are even wearing coats outside in July.

I'm inside with a cup of tea, a blanket, and some lovely Gregorian Chant:

I've been very busy taking a portrait drawing workshop. It's only one evening a week for 5 weeks, but the homework is pretty intense and takes up my usual free time. Once I'm done I'll be able to post pictures so you can see my progress.

WikiPaintings

2011-07-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

I was using both Google and Bing to search for images for another project, and I accidentally discovered WikiPaintings.org a beta Wikipedia of sorts containing images of famous public domain paintings, each available at various resolutions. I was immediately able to find some great International Gothic and Renaissance art under the Christianity section. For example, Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter, painted by Pietro Perugino:

St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata

2011-06-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

I'm doing a little research for a drawing I'd like to make of St. Francis receiving the Stigmata. I'm trying to see if there's a traditionally accepted iconography...figures, objects, postures, symbols, etc. that help tell the story, teach sound doctrine, and are consistent throughout Catholic art.

I came across three examples by three artists that I very much enjoy. Going chronologically we have...

Giotto (c. 1295-1300, Italian)

Van Eyck (c. 1430-1432, Netherlands)

El Greco (c. 1585-1590)

In each, there are definitely similarities. St. Francis wears the Franciscan habit of course, he is generally kneeling, displays Christ's wounds in his own praying hands, and is confronted by a vision of a 6-winged seraph bearing a crucifix.

The differences are striking as well. Giotto is painting during the Gothic era, and his image bears a Byzantine influence common to Italian painting at that time. St. Francis and Christ look almost like icons against a guilded background. But the figures move in space, and there is a suggestion of landscape. Jan Van Eyck's work exists on the border of High Gothic and the Northern Renaissance. The folds in the saint's habit are magnificently angular and stylized, and the proportions of the figure are a bit awkward, but everything is rendered in crisp, exact detail.

While Giotto's Francis has his arms spread wide with a bold desire to embrace Christ who is nearly swooping down on him, Van Eyck's Francis holds his hands in a more calm, private gesture. The primary reality is the world around him, and Christ seems by comparison very small and almost out of place. However realistic, his work is still symbolic, using imagery that suggests Christ's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane.

El Greco's Francis seems to float in a darkened world. The reality of heaven breaks in upon the darkness and pours light over Francis who greets his Lord with a devoted expression. Art historians argue over whether El Greco's works display a bit of Byzantine influence as well, but we do clearly see a Mannerist influence in his elongated figures and the overall ambiance is definitely Baroque; the style of the Counter-Reformation.

From this exercise I can get a better idea of what details are essential to illustrating this episode in St. Francis' life, and what different emphases and emotional responses can be communicated through different styles. Though I've normally a big fan of Van Eyck, I think his version is the weakest. I love Giotto's idea of St. Francis embracing his wounds with wide open arms, and practically getting bowled over while being zapped with heavenly light. It really gets close to the spirit of that great saint and his radical love for Christ. I also love El Greco's dramatic rendering...here I think we get closest to the nature of St. Francis' vision. The world melts away and he is entranced by the Lord.

Iconologia

2011-06-11T15:36:00.000-07:00

Sitting in a dentist's office waiting room today, I read a magazine article that referenced an important work that I hadn't heard of before...

In 1593, Cesare Ripa (an Italian aesthetician) published Iconologia, a model book of allegorical figures. There are short descriptions of the symbols and figures, followed by woodcuts of the figures which illustrate concepts such as virtues and vices, arts and sciences. Some of the baroque masters, Vermeer for instance, referenced Ripa's work. You can read it online here: http://emblem.libraries.psu.edu/Ripa/Images/ripatoc.htm

Trent and Art, summary

2011-05-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

I knew that the Council of Trent addressed art briefly and was responsible for the Baroque style's development, but I wanted to find the words for myself. Having done that, I'll try to pull out the main points:

Images of Christ and the saints may be venerated as representations of their subjects, but not worshiped.
They are beneficial because they instruct people in the faith and provide examples worthy of emulation.
Images in churches ought not suggest false doctrine or encourage sin.
The bishops should not allow images to be set up that are confusing, disorderly, indecorous, or profane.

These are, to my mind, very important criteria for sacred art. If the goal is for images in church to teach sound doctrine and offer examples of the faith worthy of emulation and veneration, then that definitely demands a certain level of clarity and dignity in both style and subject matter, plus an overall harmony in design.

Artwork: The Elevation of the Cross, by Peter Paul Rubens

The Council of Trent and Art

2011-05-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from The Council of Trent (25th Session) "ON THE INVOCATION, VENERATION, AND RELICS, OF SAlNTS, AND ON SACRED IMAGES":

"Moreover, that the images of Christ, of the Virgin Mother of God, and of the other saints, are to be had and retained particularly in temples, and that due honour and veneration are to be given them; not that any divinity, or virtue, is believed to be in them, on account of which they are to be worshipped; or that anything is to be asked of them; or, that trust is to be reposed in images, as was of old done by the Gentiles who placed [Page 235] their hope in idols; but because the honour which is shown them is referred to the prototypes which those images represent; in such wise that by the images which we kiss, and before which we uncover the head, and prostrate ourselves, we adore Christ; and we venerate the saints, whose similitude they bear: as, by the decrees of Councils, and especially of the second Synod of Nicaea, has been defined against the opponents of images.

And the bishops shall carefully teach this,-that, by means of the histories of the mysteries of our Redemption, portrayed by paintings or other representations, the people is instructed, and confirmed in (the habit of) remembering, and continually revolving in mind the articles of faith; as also that great profit is derived from all sacred images, not only because the people are thereby admonished of the benefits and gifts bestowed upon them by Christ, but also because the miracles which God has performed by means of the saints, and their salutary examples, are set before the eyes of the faithful; that so they may give God thanks for those things; may order their own lives and manners in imitation of the saints; and may be excited to adore and love God, and to cultivate piety. But if any one shall teach, or entertain sentiments, contrary to these decrees; let him be anathema.

And if any abuses have crept in amongst these holy and salutary observances, the holy Synod ardently desires that they be utterly abolished; in such wise that no images, (suggestive) of false doctrine, and furnishing occasion of dangerous error to the uneducated, be set up. And if at times, when expedient for the unlettered people; it happen that the facts and narratives of sacred Scripture are portrayed and represented; the people shall be taught, that not thereby is the Divinity represented, as though it could be seen by the eyes of the body, or be portrayed by colours or figures.

Moreover, in the invocation of saints, the veneration of relics, and the sacred use of images, every superstition shall be removed, all filthy lucre be abolished; finally, all lasciviousness be [Page 236] avoided; in such wise that figures shall not be painted or adorned with a beauty exciting to lust; nor the celebration of the saints, and the visitation of relics be by any perverted into revellings and drunkenness; as if festivals are celebrated to the honour of the saints by luxury and wantonness.

In fine, let so great care and diligence be used herein by bishops, as that there be nothing seen that is disorderly, or that is unbecomingly or confusedly arranged, nothing that is profane, nothing indecorous, seeing that holiness becometh the house of God.

And that these things may be the more faithfully observed, the holy Synod ordains, that no one be allowed to place, or cause to be placed, any unusual image, in any place, or church, howsoever exempted, except that image have been approved of by the bishop: also, that no new miracles are to be acknowledged, or new relics recognised, unless the said bishop has taken cognizance and approved thereof; who, as soon as he has obtained some certain information in regard to these matters, shall, after having taken the advice of theologians, and of other pious men, act therein as he shall judge to be consonant with truth and piety. But if any doubtful, or difficult abuse has to be extirpated; or, in fine, if any more grave question shall arise touching these matters, the bishop, before deciding the controversy, shall await the sentence of the metropolitan and of the bishops of the province, in a provincial Council; yet so, that nothing new, or that previously has not been usual in the Church, shall be resolved on, without having first consulted the most holy Roman Pontiff."

Source: http://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/ct25.html

Book Review: Framing Faith

2011-05-14T03:33:00.000-07:00

"Framing Faith: A Pictorial History of Communities of Faith" written by Sarah Piccini, photography by Ivana Pavelka & ARTS! Engage.

This book is a wonderful tribute to the faith and hard work of the Catholic immigrant communities in the Scranton, PA area. It highlights ten churches that have been closed recently due to restructuring. "They are Polish, Slovak, Italian, German, and Lithuanian parishes with long traditions and deep roots."

The beautiful photographs of the art and architecture in these parish churches are the next best thing to being able to visit in person. There are many artistic gems hidden in this diocese; stained glass, paintings, altarpieces, and more. I particularly enjoyed the different sculptures of Our Lady in each ethnic parish. For a preview, watch the video below:

Or visit the website: http://www.framingfaith.com

I'm sure this book would be of particular interest to Catholics of the Scranton area whose ancestors came to work in the coal mines, but the story of rapid industrialization followed by waves of European immigrants is a very familiar one to any American. The historical detail was very engaging, especially insights into the immigrants' financial circumstances, various parish organizations, and the odd tale of the suave thief. I'm impressed by the faith of these communities, and how their values were manifested so visibly through their hard work and generosity.

The only piece missing was an explanation of the spirituality of the Tridentine Mass and belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I feel that both of these elements are essential to understanding the faith the way it was practiced at the time these parishes were founded, and understanding what motivated these immigrants to sacrifice so much to honor the Lord.

It's sadly ironic that these once extraordinarily active parishes are now closed after renovations and reforms in the "spirit of Vatican II" which were supposed to help the lay faithful become more active participants. Regardless, these churches stand as a testimony to their great faith, and this book is a well-deserved tribute to them. I hope this project inspires others to document the rich spiritual, cultural, and artistic heritage of Catholic parishes all over the U.S.

St. Thomas Aquinas

2011-05-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

Hope you're all having a wonderful and blessed Easter season!

Here's my latest...St. Thomas Aquinas. It's a gift for my dear husband. We're both pretty big Aquinas fans. The inscription reads "Quod Deus est Veritas." I'll leave you to figure it out ;)

This is pen and ink, using technical pens. It's on a 5" x 7" bristol sheet.

The Cloisters 11/10

2011-04-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

Hi there. I don't want to leave you all totally hanging until Easter, so here's a quick post.

In November, my little family took a trip to the East coast so my husband could go on a business trip and my daughter could spend a little time with her grandparents. The two of us girls took a little trip into New York City while we were in the area, and I made one last pilgrimage (for the near foreseeable future anyway) to my favorite spots in the city: St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cloisters.

The Cloisters is run by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and houses their expanded Medieval Art collection, including the Unicorn Tapestries. The building itself is cobbled together from chunks of real medieval monasteries and chapels sent over from Europe, and includes a garden area full of plants referenced in medieval art and literature. You have to take the blue line all the way North to the end, but it's definitely worth the trek.

My daughter was (understandably for a 9-month-old) too wiggly to allow for an extensive study of the art there, but she did charm one of the security guards into taking a photo of us:

Lent

2011-03-31T10:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, I didn't mean to be on hiatus for the past few weeks, but there have been some difficult circumstances in my life over the past month. As things get back to normal, I realize it's probably good to take a periodic break from blogging anyway to re-evaluate what I'm writing about and why. I think some things will change for the better around here after Lent.

In the meantime, here's an interesting news article about a book that's just been discovered which is likely from a very early Christian community. I will be very interested to learn more about the images it contains: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12888421

St. Benedict

2011-03-03T13:52:00.000-08:00

I just finished this 2 hours ago. It's a drawing of St. Benedict of Nursia in a monastery cell writing his "Rule" (regula in Latin). Flanking him are the symbols from the St. Benedict Medal...the snake emerging from a poisoned cup, and his pet raven who carried away some poisoned bread. I tried to make sure he was using a writing script appropriate to the time period (uncial was the best fit) and the cross on his wall is based on the type of processional cross used in the early 6th century (oddly enough, half a century before the crucifix started being used in the Latin church).

I used soft vine charcoal and white compressed charcoal on brown kraft paper. It measures approximately 14.5" by 11.5".

St. Patrick, 2nd attempt

2011-02-25T14:22:00.000-08:00

Here is a preliminary drawing for what will later hopefully become a pen and ink piece:

This is my attempt at a more historically accurate St. Patrick. Last year around this time I expressed my dissatisfaction with my first St. Patrick drawing and confessed my complete ignorance on the subject of church vestments. After doing a bit of research and having the good fortune to snag a copy of Church Vestments: Their Origin and Development by Herbert Norris for only $16 on Amazon, I was able to more clearly understand the vestments of priests, bishops, etc. where they came from, and what they looked like in different centuries.

Now, I'm not a slave to historicity as an end in itself. Too often scholars become obessesed with the "historical Jesus" by which they mean a version of Christ that they've flattened and projected all sorts of irrelevant modern concepts onto.
I am, however, interested in truth...St. Patrick was a British Roman and an ordained bishop, ministering in a Celtic land. The garments I've drawn him with, rather than being some sort of Gothic or Baroque vestments, are the late Roman era robes and traveling cloak that they evolved from. The pallium he wears is not the earlier Roman toga-like drapery or the round scarf of modern times, but the long folded scarf form appropriate to that era. I've given him a miter, which was not in use for a few more centuries, but in keeping with Catholic tradition, helps him to be readily identifiable as a bishop. I was unable to find an image of St. Patrick's crosier as it has been destroyed, so I gave him a crosier of the type that other Celtic saints were known to have carried.
If I were commissioned to create a painting of St. Patrick for a church, sure I might err on the side of a more modern style (Gothic, Baroque, etc.) so that it would maintain harmony with the architecture around it. But here I am interested in showing that Saint Patrick, while on earth, was a real person who lived in a particular time and place. This is not to diminish his holiness or his connection with the eternal God, but to remind us that we who live in a particular time and place can aspire to be holy too.
Indeed I'm trying very hard to evoke the eternal through the imagery used. Shamrocks to represent the Holy Trinity, the beauty of God's creation reflected in the Irish landscape, the saint himself as an icon of Christ, extending His blessing upon us, the unending Celtic knot representing eternity, its pattern borrowed from the pages of Celtic illuminated manuscripts handed down to us through the ages by the Church's holy monks.
Also, by setting him in his own time period, I am trying to say that our faith is timeless and extends back though the ages; it is not an outdated product of the Baroque era*, nor is it confined to a shallow 1970's Modernism.

I drew up this picture specifically to use in the engraving class that I just started taking, but after my first evening's practice I find that I wield a burin with all the coordination of a five-year-old with a ham instead of a right hand. I'll need a larger less complex image with broader areas of tone. I was praying about this, and came up with an image of St. Benedict in my mind just before I was fully awake this morning. Now to get to work on drawing it.

*Actually good Catholic Baroque is way better at reflecting the timeless truths of our faith than most of not all modern church art.

Google Art Project

2011-02-10T16:46:00.000-08:00

Have you ever used the Google Maps street view option to take a tour of your own neighborhood? Well, now you can use Google Art Project to tour art museums all over the world. Selected pieces have been scanned at such a high resolution that you can zoom in on them and see cracks in the paint.

I just fell in love with "Abbey among Oak Trees" by Caspar David Friedrich at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin:

...and "Gothic Church on a Rock by the Sea" by Karl Friedrich Schinkel:

Award

2011-02-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

I just found out that I've won a blogging award from eCollegeFinder.com!

Accredited Online Colleges

I've been voted among the top 75 Music and Arts Enthusiasts according to their website, which promotes the role of the arts in education and culture in addition to many other resources for helping prospective students make decisions about their college education.

Here is the complete list of winners. I spotted some very interesting blogs that I'll need to add to my rss feed now:
http://www.ecollegefinder.org/music-and-arts-enthusiast-award.aspx

Space and Shock

2011-02-06T16:07:00.000-08:00

M.C. Escher tried to show in his art that "We live in a beautiful and orderly world, not in a chaos without norms, as we sometimes seem to." His tessellations unfold according the the rules of the division of the plane; his optical illusions only work because they obey the rules of vision, perspective, and geometric space.

For Escher, spatial reality is beautiful, miraculous. We become immune to it through over-familiarity, but his illusions point us to the underlying order of the ordinary world which should amaze us.

Escher on the impossible:

"It sometimes seems to me that we are all afflicted with an urge and possessed by a longing for the impossible. The reality around us, the three-dimensional world surrounding us, is too common, too dull, too ordinary for us. We hanker after something unnatural or supernatural, that which does not exist, a miracle.
As if that everyday reality isn't enigmatic enough! In fact, it can happen to every one of us that suddenly, with ecstasy in our hearts, we feel the rut of daily life fall away from us for a moment. It can happen that we become receptive to the unexplainable, to the miracle that surrounds us continuously. It is the miracle of that same three-dimensional spatiality in which we trudge along daily, as in a treadmill. That concept of spatiality reveals itself sometimes, in rare moments of lucidity, as something breathtaking.
...Space remains inscrutable, a miracle.
So the reality around us should already be unexplainable and mysterious enough! but no, we are not satisfied with it and persist in playing with stories and images in order to escape it. As children, and also some of us still as we get older, we read fairy tales. Later on we read in the Bible, whether or not with belief, about the staff of Moses that turned into a snake, about the burning bush, the mysterious multiplication of loaves, and the changing of water into wine. Not to mention the stories of even greater miracles.
Whoever wants to portray something that does not exist has to obey certain rules. Those rules are more or less the same as for the teller of fairy tales: he has to apply the function of contrasts; he has to cause a shock.
The element of mystery to which he wants to call attention must be surrounded and veiled by perfectly ordinary everyday self-evidences that are recognizable to everyone. That environment, which is true to nature and acceptable to every superficial observer, is indispensable for causing the desired shock."(Escher on Escher)

I definitely agree with him that we live in a an orderly universe, and that this is a truly amazing thing that we don't appreciate enough. The underlying structure of crystals, the beauty of mathematical principles, the laws of optics and gravity. These things should stir us to awe.

But I don't think he goes far enough. These things should stir us to awe, and then point us to the underlying order of supernatural reality.

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (Romans 1:20)

The last hymn we sung at Mass today was "Praise My Soul The King of Heaven". The last verse was:

"Angels, help us to adore him;
Ye behold him face to face;
Sun and moon, bow down before him,
Dwellers all in time and space:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace."

I was immediately reminded of Escher- that we are dwellers in time and space, but also of Flannery O'Connor- that we dwellers in this ordinary world need help recognizing the supernatural order that exists above us.

About her stories and novels, O'Connor says:

"When you can assume that your audience holds the same beliefs you do, you can relax a little and use more normal means of talking to it; when you have to assume that it does not, then you have to make your vision apparent by shock-to the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost-blind you draw large and startling figures"(Mystery and Manners)

It's fascinating that Escher and O'Connor both speak of shocking their audience, of waking them up to reality. Escher is largely silent about his beliefs. He was undoubtedly culturally Catholic, but seems to express disillusionment with the Church. And yet his language remains affected by it. He speaks of mysteries veiled by ordinary recognizable things. A faithful Catholic knows that one encounters the mystery of Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist under the "sacramental veil". That is, the Eucharist appears to the senses as ordinary bread and wine, but in reality it is only a pointer to a higher supernatural order. And therein lies the shock in Catholicism; that human beings can encounter the God of the universe in something that appears so ordinary.

M.C. Escher

2011-02-03T17:35:00.000-08:00

I've recently been thinking about M.C. Escher, whose artwork had a profound influence on me during high school. He is probably one of the reasons I enjoy working in black and white, and pay such close attention to the accuracy of architectural structures and patterns. His work is so very logical and mathematical, and, as it turns out, very influenced by J.S. Bach's music. My reading list for this month includes "The Magic Mirror of M.C. Escher" a biography and description of the ideas behind Escher's work by Bruno Ernst, "Escher on Escher: Exploring the Infinite" a compilation of his letters, speeches, and lectures, and "Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas Hofstadter, a book about mathematics, computers, and the similarities between the work of J.S. Bach, M.C. Escher, and Kurt Gödel.

Part of my renewed interest in Escher stems from my speculations about the relationship between math and art. Why do I find Gothic cathedrals so beautiful? Because they are very orderly and have a repeating structure. All of the proportions of a single cathedral are derived from the same equilateral triangle. Likewise, ratios and Euclidian geometry play a role in organizing the proportions in Renaissance and Baroque art. I began to wonder, if mathematics can show us the underlying order and beauty of the universe, what does modern geometry have to contribute to sacred art? As far as I know, not many people have tried to make the connection. The only two examples I can come up with are Antoni Gaudi who used non-Euclidian geometry to design the astonishing Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and M.C. Escher who continually experimented with ways to represent infinity on a 2-D plane. More thoughts later, but for now, I'll leave you with Escher's wood engraving of St. Peter's in Rome:

Jesuits and Art

2011-01-21T10:39:00.000-08:00

I accidentally found this fascinating webpage discussing the Jesuits' influence on art, with Bernini and Rubens as key examples:

Artistic Expression of Jesuit Values

What I was looking for was actually Jesuit contributions to geometry (long story), which makes the rest of the site fascinating as well.

Etching Prints

2011-01-14T09:40:00.000-08:00

Here they are, long overdue to this blog. The prints from the 2 plates that I etched:

I can't quite manage to get a photo that does this one justice. I need better lighting and a tripod, and perhaps to put it up vertically on my easel. Anyhow, if you look closely, it is covered in Celtic knot patterns.

I didn't have time for aquatint with this one. I just wanted to see what I could do with cross hatching on hard ground. The main shadow is not as dark as I intended (if you've seen my preliminary sketch), but I'm very pleased with the shading on the monk's robe.

Overall, a fantastic learning experience! I intend to work up some more ideas over the next year or so and then maybe see about renting some time in the studio.

The Vampire Hunter

2011-01-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

The husband and I spent Sunday afternoon engaged in relaxing activities; he was playing Castlevania and I drew in my sketchbook. I think I drew his body slightly too small for his head, but it's difficult when you and your subject are on the same love seat. This is the first portrait sketch I've managed in a long time and I was very pleased with how it turned out.

The Way of Beauty on Catholic TV.com

2011-01-02T17:11:00.000-08:00

I just finished watching this seven-part series on Catholic art by David Clayton, iconographer and artist in residence at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts. The program explores Catholic artistic traditions of the past and how they can inform Catholic sacred art today:

The Way of Beauty

I definitely found some constructive food for thought here, especially since I'm always interested in the Gothic style as a uniquely Christian aesthetic expression.

Advent

2010-12-22T10:06:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it...Advent is nearly over and I haven't made a single post about it yet this year. You'll have to settle for reading last year's posts:
http://ionascribe.blogspot.com/search/label/advent

Also, last year's makeshift Advent wreath was lost in the big move to Seattle, but this year I found a great taper candle holder at the local consignment shop and constructed a new one:

The brass candle holder fits 5 candles, so I'll put a white candle in the center on Christmas day.

Our Esthetic Vacuum

2010-12-20T09:38:00.000-08:00

Our Esthetic Vacuum
Here's audio from a lecture by Ayn Rand on her philosophy of art. It's a great summary of what you would read in her book "The Romantic Manifesto." I find that both Rand and many Catholics actually have a huge philosophical overlap when it comes to art, it's purpose, and what's lacking in today's art culture.

Also, when I hear her voice, I can't help but imagine Edna Mode, the fashion designer character from Pixar's "The Incredibles":

Sistine Chapel

2010-12-19T13:49:00.000-08:00

I've often wished that I could find a book or website that showed every panel of Sistine Chapel ceiling instead of either just the most popular scenes in close-up or a tiny, inscrutable photo of the whole thing.

Well, the Vatican website actually has a Quicktime VR of the Sistine chapel, so you can zoom around and examine different parts of the entire ceiling, the mural behind the altar, and more!
http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

Thanks to Fr. Z for the tip:
http://wdtprs.com/blog/2010/12/very-cool-webpage/

Monk's Work

2010-11-12T15:05:00.000-08:00

I received some great compliments while working on my Celtic knot copper plate for my etching class...during open studio time, two separate people who I hadn't met before said, "Wow, you're doing monk's work!" and "You have the patience of a monk!"
I felt honored, because I do try to bring a monk's work ethic to my artwork. Then I was able to pleasantly surprise them by showing up the following week with the monk design that I was planning on using originally before I had the Celtic carpet page idea...
Remember that drawing I made while watching "Into Great Silence"?

Well, I scanned it, flipped it in Photoshop, printed it out and used it to make a transfer drawing onto another 6"x8" copper plate covered with hard ground. After doing a lot of cross hatching with an etching needle and the tip of a burnisher, and then putting the plate in the acid bath for 40 minutes, here's what I came out with:

I'm going to pull a couple of prints from it tonight hopefully. This is my last chance at open studio since my husband, baby and I are going on a vacation to visit our families for the next 3 weeks. Sorry for the suspense, but you'll have to wait until December to see the final product since we're leaving tomorrow ridiculously early.

Brief blog identity crisis

2010-11-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

The thought passed through my mind recently, that here I am, trying to be some kind of Catholic blogger, and I have lots of nude figure drawings in my posts. Is this a problem? Not for me it isn't, but do other people perceive it as problematic? By which I mean, am presenting some kind of stumbling block to purity on the part of my readers? It is not my intention, so I guess the responsibility for that will have to rest with those who visit the site.

Is there anything inherently wrong with portraying the nude figure? No, I don't believe so, because there is not anything inherently wrong or shameful about the human body...it is beautiful in fact, made by God in His own image, sharing in His glory. I do my best to portray the human figure with dignity, and to make evident the beauty and order of the natural world as a reflection of the divine beauty and order.

Also, I remembered that I am not a Puritan artist (I don't think there is such a thing) but a Catholic artist, and one such kindred spirit (Michelangelo, to be specific) painted glorious nude figures all over the ceiling of a church at the Pope's request.

I was also delighted to find a blog written by an art student who has given much more time, thought, and practice to these things. Here is a wonderfully written entry working from Pope John Paul II's "Theology of the Body": Sacramentality

Celtic Carpet Page

2010-10-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a scan of the artists' proof print of my etching:

(click the image to see it enlarged)

It's 8" x 6" and it's printed on 14" x 12" paper. It looks a bit better in real life...also on the final prints the edges aren't so dark and smudgy because I filed and burnished the edges of the plate.

So the real first step, which I neglected to mention in my previous post, involved covering the plate with a layer of rosin* which, once heated on a hotplate, makes a fine layer of hard dots which resist acid. After a good 15 minutes in the acid bath, the plate is etched everywhere there is not rosin, meaning the plate gets covered in tiny random pits that hold ink, and when that plate is printed, it yields a grey tone. This is the aquatint technique in a nutshell...it's supposed to look like an ink wash.

Next I did the hard ground layer and used the etching needle to get the fine lines of the drawing.

Finally, I burnished (polished by rubbing with a hard tool) the areas of the plate that I wanted a little lighter than the grey tone. Smooth copper doesn't hold ink, therefore a well burnished area will print white.

Then I printed a proof, smoothed the edges, and printed an edition of 3. Actually I'm not sure they'd qualify as a true edition since one of them isn't inked as heavily, and I got progressively better at wiping the edges. But in any event, I have some prints. Now to figure out how on earth to sell them.

I still have some open studio time left, so I may try to prepare my second plate and do a quick hard ground etch of my monk drawing.

*The rosin is a white powder that is fairly toxic to inhale, so the instructor actually put it through the rosin box for me.

Etching Class

2010-10-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned that I'm taking an etching class right now. It's being held at Sev Shoon arts center (www.sevshoon.com) for printmaking artists. My last class session is actually tomorrow night when I get to pull my final prints. For now, check out what I've been up to:

First I transferred my drawing onto the hard ground layer on the copper plate using graphite transfer paper. I sandwiched it between my drawing and the plate, and I'm tracing over the drawing with a red ball-point pen so I can see which lines I've already gone over.

Here you can see (maybe) the graphite lines on the hard ground, and the back of the transfer paper:

Next, I used an etching needle to scrape away the hard ground along the lines of the design that I transferred. You can see the exposed copper shining in the sunlight:

The acid bath will "bite" (eat away at or etch) the copper plate everywhere that I've removed the hard ground to expose the copper. Then I get to apply ink to the etched copper plate and make my prints which will hopefully resemble my original design:

Drawing Class Part V

2010-10-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is quite overdue...the last installment of drawings from my Summer 5-week figure drawing class.

Some studies of arms from a plastic model and a live model:

Some quick poses...honestly I can't remember if they were 5 or 10 minutes each:

I was really trying to get the hips correct during all the quick poses, but carefully observed the arms too if I had time.

Finally, my last drawing:

I feel like I really captured a sense of weight and volume in this one. The pose wasn't as long as I would have liked (only 1 hour), but I was able to achieve more in a shorter time than before. I'm amazed at how dramatically one can improve their skills by learning a bit about proportion, anatomy, and technique.

Carpet Page

2010-09-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

I found yet another book on Celtic knotwork in the local library. It's called "Celtic Design: Knotwork: The Secret Methods of the Scribes" by Aidan Meehan. My favorite book to date had been Iain Bain's for the nice consistent line widths his method yielded, but Meehan's book, after working diligently at the examples, finally made a lightbulb go on in my brain. After working at this stuff off and on for years, I can finally say that I get it!

Using his examples of how to lay out a carpet page (a design that covers an illuminated manuscript page and looks kind of like a Persian carpet), I was able to figure out a way to apply basic knotwork patterns in a configuration of my own choosing. In short, I created what I can call my first original knotwork design, not just a copy of something I saw exactly in a book but with slight variations due to my own clumsiness. Huzzah!

It's basically a cross shape, with additional "crosslet" designs in the negative space of the main cross. The edges are flanked by the traditional symbols of the 4 evangelists*. Such a design would have been employed by monks decorating a book of the Gospels for ceremonial use during the Mass.

My plan is to use this design in the etching class that I'm taking now, so hopefully in a few weeks I will have an edition of prints to sell.

*The "four living creatures" around God's throne from the book of Revelation came to be associated with the four authors of the four Gospels. This shows up as a ubiquitous motif in medieval art; in Carolingian and Romanesque art on the Continent as well as in insular Celtic art. The symbols each have to do with the first line of each text as well as the main theme of the text. Matthew is represented by the winged man, Mark by the lion, Luke is the ox, and John the eagle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Evangelists

From the Book of Kells:

Roses

2010-09-10T17:05:00.000-07:00

Now that I don't have my drawing class (oops, must remember to post pics of final session) I'm going to try to draw in the park again once a week. It involves tricking my baby into sleeping in her stroller and the clouds not raining, but I think it's doable. Here's today's sketch...the larger drawing is of some small roses on a rose hedge that I sat right near; the smaller drawing is of a big rose far away:

Into Great Silence

2010-09-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

I love this film: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_Great_Silence

Sometimes I wish I could immerse myself in this level of stillness and peace. I learn lessons from the monastic way of life that I try to apply in a small way to my ordinary life. To make even the most mundane task an act of service and worship to God, to seek Him in the silence, to be a reservoir of His peace. I don't do a very good job, but these men are a continual inspiration.

I drew a few sketches from the first couple of shots in the film. This one came out the best:

I love that he is peering down into darkness created by his own shadow, as if he is examining the depths of his soul.

Maintenance

2010-09-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

Just uploading a new background image...the same that I use on my portfolio website. Maybe I'll adjust my blog colors a bit too.

Irony

2010-09-08T09:41:00.000-07:00

In "Letters to a Young Poet," Rainer Maria Rilke writes:

"Irony: Do not let yourself be governed by it, especially not in unproductive moments. In productive ones try to make use of it as one more means of seizing life. Used purely, it is itself pure, and one need not be ashamed of it; and when you feel too familiar with it, when you fear the growing intimacy with it, then turn toward great and serious subjects, before which it becomes small and helpless. Seek for the depth of things: there irony never descends - and when you have thus brought it to the edge of greatness, test at the same time whether this mode of perception springs from a necessity of your being. For under the influence of serious things it will either fall away from you (if it is non-essential), or else it will (if it belongs to you innately) become a serious tool and be ranked among the means by which you will have to form your art."

Now, I love a good parody or satire. Especially something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8xCgC3w1zs

But it's good to check in with truly great and inspiring things sometimes to make sure that irony remains a tool of expression and does not become a symptom of an overall cynicism toward life.

I just read a couple of articles about "Hipster Faith" over at Christianity Today, and it reminded me of the role that irony plays in hipsterdom. I've never been cool enough to wear or enjoy something "ironically." What I do very much appreciate about hipster culture is the very genuine appreciation for the simple pleasures in life: a good microbrew, a hand-knit scarf, a bike ride, shopping at the farmers' market, arts and crafts, etc. It seems like the typical hipster lives in a tension between these two completely contradictory outlooks on life, and I see the latter meshing very well with Christianity. It's good to enjoy life...to find joy in all the small things, to savor the goodness of creation. There's a time for fasting and abstaining, but not as ends in themselves, only as preparation for a grand feast.

If we become too immersed in irony and satire, we may lose the ability to recognize, appreciate, or create things that are sincere and good. So it's a useful discipline to practice seeing goodness everywhere you can find it in small things, and letting those things point you toward the overarching greatest good of their origin. And for the record, Christianity will never be "cool"; we will always appear insane to the culture at large, so we might as well be authentic and enjoy ourselves.

Drawing Class Part IV

2010-08-26T09:31:00.000-07:00

I had my 4th figure drawing class last night. Each class lasts for 3 hours. I was having a bad drawing day for the first half this time, but I got my act together for the last half.

5 minute poses:

10 minute drawing of a knee (knees are hard):

90 minute pose:

When I compare my last drawing from yesterday with my last drawing from last week, I feel like I'm getting better already.

This model throws me off a little because she is only about 7 heads high. I think I've adapted well enough though. I wonder what we'll do for our last class next week?

Drawing Class Part III

2010-08-18T23:25:00.000-07:00

I had my figure drawing class again. Here's what I did:

A bunch of 2 minute poses...part way through the exercise, the instructor had us switch to using the side of the charcoal and do the sketches in silhouette in order to loosen us up a bit:

The last pose in this series is my favorite...looks like some kind of speed skater.

And one pose that lasted the whole last hour of class:

Look, I learned things! It's very exciting to have made progress already in so short an amount of time.

Drawing Class Part II

2010-08-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

This is what I did this week. My sense of proportion is getting a bit better. We had to copy basic anatomy diagrams from a handout for "homework" and this simple exercise helped me to really get it and not have to panic so much during the quick poses (only 2 minutes this time!) I've settled on 8-heads-high because it gives a neat halfway diving point at the bottom of the pelvis, and an indicator of where to put the knees. Getting the correct line of action (the direction of the ribcage, the pelvis, and the weight-bearing leg) really helps in building the body up correctly. Also, I'm learning a lot about light and shadow...direct light, reflected light, core shadow, cast shadow. This is the key to making drawings have a real sense of volume.

2 minute poses:

5 minute poses:

1 hour pose:

traveling church

2010-08-13T12:33:00.001-07:00

Wow, I can't really fathom the logistics necessary to transport a 99-year-old church building. Apparently St. Gerard's in Buffalo, NY is being moved to Atlanta, GA.
Good, I really don't like to see beautiful buildings go to waste...http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=103150

There's a great set of photos and summary of the church's history on Forgotten Buffalo:
http://www.forgottenbuffalo.com/forgottenbuffalolost/stgerardsparish.html

It's modeled after St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome:

human proportions

2010-08-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

One very helpful book that I keep in my personal reference library is "Dynamic Anatomy" by Burne Hogarth. It is full of anatomical drawings of the body in action. However, I didn't realize the full extent of this book's value until a couple of years ago when I read through the lenghty introduction which summarizes the portrayal of the human figure throughout art history. His purpose in this presentation is to make an argument for why we need a canon of human proportion in art. Here's an exerpt from Chapter IV (note: canon = measurement, standard):

"Traditionally and historically, the figure has long been established as seven and one-half heads in length. Ever since the artists of Greece developed its proportions some twenty-four hundred years ago, it has asserted its authority based on the rational order of geometry correlated with the ultimate ideal of absolute universal truth...These were developed from the mathematics of Pythagoras and were embodied in the Platonic-Aristotelian world-system of the Idea of the Good. Thus, the ideal human construct and the perfect architectural structure were conceived as universal architectonic entities; the purity and perfection of the one were consistent with the order and harmony of the other.

Certainly, the artists of Rome recognized the superbly stable values of the Hellenistic system and defined the Roman Canon of Proportions according to the Greek authority. In the Renaissance revival of art and learning, fifteenth century artists sought to advance the spirit of humanism in the tradition of Hellenism. Da Vinci and Dürer sought to rediscover the Greek canons in the light of new knowledge. And because the Renaissance was the dawn stage of the modern scientific era, the Greek figure has tended to survive in art today unchanged, as the ideal criterion of human proportions, seven and one-half heads in length.

However, while we may understand the survival of the Greek tradition, the values of modern life impose great misgivings to the acceptance of the old system. In the fifteenth century, even the meticulous Dürer gave up his quest when he found the ideal figure did not suit his art, while Michaelangelo, and El Greco later, discarded it altogether to favor giantism and elongation in their figures of humanity and devotion. We live in a sharply contrasted world of semantics, relativity, and speed. More than ever, the new needs in art contradict the old figure. To maintain a fixed canon of proportion is to continue to believe in the fixed stars, the finite universe, and zero as the end of a quantity...

We are faced with a contradiction. Why advance a standard of proportion for the figure at all? If the unstable dimensions of life are changing the relationships in art so quickly, perhaps the only reliable index in art is the artist's own personal judgment. Why not let the creator of art be the sole judge and arbiter of its rules, including proportion? Well, hardly; even here we face a final judgment as absolute as the former, for it would enshrine as principle the chaos of unlimited personal opinions against the concept of agreed collective experience.

The course is somewhere in the middle ground. A figure proportion is necessary to art; but it must first be a proportion of its own era, and second, it must respond to the artist's problems in his time. That is to say, from the first it must be a figure not of demigods, nature gods, or gods of nature, but of modern aspiration, inspiration, and human nature. It should be a figure of the general agreement in the culture, like a statistical average in which everyone has his part. Second, as to the artists' problems, it should be used in the learning stage of art, not its goal. It should be understood as a point of departure like the Greenwhich meridian; it should lead to new expressive adventures in the sequence of artistic growth...

Fortunately, the canons of proportion are not irreversible, and the only absolutes which are known to exist lie in their definitions only. For the art student who must experiment, who must behave creatively, this must be reassuring. However, one word of caution: To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules - and proportion is one of them - knows where to bend and how to break them."

I had to share this, because it's one of the more sane things I've ever read about art. Hogarth still seems afflicted by the Modern/Post-Modern panic about not wanting to be confined by the past but not really knowing what's true since our scientific knowledge is expanding and changing so rapidly (not to mention that "general agreement" is a poor substitute for truth, but I think he's referring to statistical averages for the human figure specifically which is a good start). But, when it comes down to it, he recognizes what Pope Benedict XVI refers to as the "dictatorship of relativism"; or the way Peter Kreeft puts it - the declaration that there are no absolutes is just another absolute (and just as confining if not completely contradictory). Hogarth asserts that art has to be based on something, even if just as a point of reference and departure for the artist's individual vision.

Getting a little off topic...sometimes paradigms change, and we have to reevalute what we know about the world. I still believe in an ultimate absolute truth that tells a cohesive story about the universe. Even if Aristotle's or Aquinas' models are no longer completely valid, we shouldn't fear to glean the good things from them that are true, and add to them what we know now. It doesn't mean that there is no model at all, just that the model is more complex than previously imagined. The beauty of Aquinas and Catholic theology is that God wants us to follow our conscience and do the best we can with what we know. There are no points off in God's book for acting without knowing something as long as you've done your best to try to figure things out (the technical term for this is "invincible ignorance"). It's staggering, despite all of our advances, just how much science and math can't tell us about the universe yet, but almost without exception, scientists believe that the universe is rational and intelligible (otherwise we wouldn't have accumulated as much knowledge as we have) and thus have hope and perseverance in pursuing more answers, and creating practical solutions from the body of information at hand. Artists should strive to be more like scientists. This from the artist who married a scientist ;)

Back on topic...every human being is going to deviate a little bit from the average set of proportions, but that doesn't mean that the average proportions are not a very helpful guide for getting it very nearly right every time. Hogarth proposes a very super-athletic set of proportions...eight and three-quarters heads high instead of seven and one-half. Incidentally, this is the same measurement prescribed by Stan Lee for drawing Marvel superheroes, so I can't take Hogarth completely seriously on this point. I prefer to use the Greek model because it is more true to life. I find the fact that the natural proportions of the human body are so...proportional, symmetrical and harmonious, to be a fascinating and beautiful thing. I believe that it is further evidence of a rational, intelligible universe and the guidance of a creator God. My freshmen year drawing teacher used to refer to the amazing "design" of the human body, and whether he meant in a religious sense, an evolutionary biological sense, or some combination of both, I'm not sure, but it's very apparent and true. Here's a fun webpage about the appearance of the Golden Section in the proportions of the body and elsewhere in nature: http://milan.milanovic.org/math/english/golden/golden2.html

Drawing Class

2010-08-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, enough blathering. I actually did some art. I'm taking a 5-week (1 night a week) drawing class at Gage Academy of Art. We had a lightning-speed intro to proportions and capturing form and weight, and off we went...

5 minute poses:

10 minute poses:

30 minute pose with cool "painterly" charcoal technique:

Learning to look at the tilt of the ribcage and pelvis and figuring out which leg is bearing weight has been extremely valuable. My drawings have improved already. Though if it hadn't been for the outstanding foundation drawing course during my freshman year at RIT about 9 years ago, I may have just cried during this class ;)

All drawings were done on 18" x 24" brown craft paper with soft vine charcoal. The last one was done by coating the page with charcoal before figure drawing and rubbing away the highlights as the last step.

I figure it's okay to post these as long as I'm sufficiently unskilled so that they never look like an actual recognizable person. Until then, I'll post my best drawings every week.

Preferences

2010-08-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry readers, thank you for humoring me. I try not to pontificate too often and hopefully haven't too badly recently. The reason for the last 2 posts and why that Christianity Today article stuck in my mind is related to my experience of the Mass in these past few years.

As a convert, I unwittingly stumbled upon a controversy at the heart of Catholicism. It's one in which I have great sympathy for both sides. As a former evangelical, I am always burning with the desire to reach out to people, to proclaim the gospel in terms they can understand. The changes to the Mass in light of the Second Vatican Council in the 60's were an attempt to do this. Riding the wave of Modernist philosophy, essentially a quest to strip things down to a simple purity of form which often ends up denying the existence of the transcendent, the form of the Mass was changed, above and beyond the actual statements of the council. The idea was to regain a simplicity of form from an earlier time in Christianity and make everything more understandable to the average pew-sitter. An admirable goal, but essentially, instead of clarifying the Mass, it obscured it. The old forms that were stripped away were there to reinforce the very theological ideas that the Mass is about. Anyway, I don't want to get too bogged down in specifics. There are many people much more qualified than I am to discuss these things. The point is, I began going to a Tridentine Latin Mass, and I'm hooked. The artist in me sees beauty, majesty, glory, in the old rite. The Church went Modern to be more culturally relevant, but Modern art, music, etc. is a cultural form that has specifically jettisoned the vocabulary of transcendent beauty. The Mass is trying to speak of the grandeur of God, and it just doesn't have a way to communicate that properly anymore. But the Tridentine Mass represents the very pinnacle of Western culture (before the modern decline). In a culture starved of and searching for an experience of transcendent beauty, I think this is of inestimable value.

This all started about 10 years ago when, as an evangelical I asked myself the question, "If Christianity is supposed to be true, then why is our art so bad? Shouldn't it be more beautiful than anything else?" Then I took an art history class and saw a period of time when art, philosophy, and theology work together as a cohesive whole, and Christian art was not only great, but it dominated the whole culture.

Unfortunately, philosophy hasn't been concerned with reason and truth in a long time, so it hasn't given artists or theologians much to work with.

I thank God for the evangelicals. They are a safety net, catching Catholics who had drifted away from the Church because of all the Modernist nonsense being taught there for the past few decades, and introducing them to a living relationship with Jesus and a love for sacred scripture. I owe my own faith in Christ to my evangelical roots.

It breaks my heart to see the "emerging church" movement falling into Post-Modernism the way the Catholic Church fell into Modernism. Christianity cannot be squeezed inside an intellectual movement that rejects ultimate truth and meta-narrative (God = ultimate truth, the Bible = salvation history = the ultimate meta-narrative). Attempts to make the gospel message more palatable by these means will result in obscuring it further.

Granted, Protestants don't need to retain vestiges of Catholic forms that don't serve the theology they teach. But until a solid Christian philosophy reemerges and informs the overall culture, we need to be careful both not to uncritically embrace modern cultural forms or to create some sort of unpalatable, sterilized parody that turns off the very people it was meant to attract.

At a few churches I use to attend, I was told that their denomination was an attempt to live out a purified form of Christianity by going back to the practices of the Early Christians in the Bible (in other words, go back to a time in Christianity before the whole thing was corrupted by Catholicism). I was also told that the mode of worship we used was a matter of personal preference. Liturgy has theological depth, but it is after all, a European cultural relic that can be dispensed with, whereas some people derive more from their experience with contemporary music, and we should use it to engage the modern culture.

I've found, however, that the historical evidence for the use of liturgy in the Early Church is quite compelling, and the theological ideas of what they were doing to worship God were the same then as it is in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches now (and quite Biblical at that). Granted, they started off huddled in private homes, and didn't have the lavish cultural forms that grew up over the ages, but the essentials were still recognizable as a Mass. Different regional forms of the original liturgical practice developed over time (cultural relevance!) but if you look at what Catholics and Orthodox are doing on a Sunday, the essentials are the same even after hundreds of years of separation. In fact, the Orthodox Divine liturgy is, from what I hear, even more beautiful than the Tridentine Mass!

Anyway, these are my rambling thoughts on what it is that I'm about and trying to do. I feel like I'm not qualified to give opinions on any of this, and I don't want to criticize others who love Christ and are doing their best to serve Him. Just documenting my own journey here and trying to speak to the truth of what I see.

Fresco of the Mass in the basilica church of San Clemente, Rome (image from New Liturgical Movement)

Worship

2010-08-03T18:26:00.000-07:00

I feel like I need to clarify my last blog entry. Part of the reason why there are so many widely diverging streams of thought on how to conduct a Sunday worship service is that there are diverging theological ideas behind what church is for. What do we mean by worship, and how do we do it?

Forgive my generalizations as I do my best to describe things. For the Catholic, the Mass is about honoring God. We adore Him, we thank Him for His blessings, we make satisfaction for our sins, we pray for His grace and mercy. At least a couple of very important things are happening. We are transported to Calvary, to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, and the priest offers Jesus (who is present in the Eucharist)to God the Father as our atoning sacrifice as we offer ourselves to God in union with Christ. Simultaneously, we are mirroring the heavenly liturgy taking place in heaven (see the book of Revelation) and worshiping God in communion with all the angels and all the other Christians in heaven with Him. As Scott Hahn says, the Mass is heaven on Earth. The focal point of our worship is the Eucharistic liturgy.

For the protestant, because of theological differences, there is no offering in the sense of re-presenting Christ's sacrifice at Calvary, rather there is an offering of praise to God through song and prayer in thanksgiving for what He has done. The focal point of a protestant service is the preaching of the gospel...a reading from scripture and a sermon meant to edify the believer, and educate and call out to those who do not yet believe.

For the evangelical in particular, great emphasis is placed on the personal conversion experience, and there is often an invitation to begin a life of faith in Christ.

Basically, in the Mass, the first half of the liturgy (called the "liturgy of the word"- scripture readings, sermon, etc.) is for everyone and anyone, and the second half (the "liturgy of the eucharist") is specifically for Catholics. Those wishing to learn more about Catholicism and/or join the Church, go through RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation) which is essentially a weekly instruction class for about a year, followed by baptism/first communion/confirmation at the Easter Vigil Mass.

There is more of a grey area in most protestant churches between how much of the Sunday service is for the believer and how much is to attract and educate the "seeker." Some, like the Episcopalian church, offer a similar course for newcomers called Alpha. Some, try to find some sort of middle ground by incorporating contemporary worship music meant to appeal to the culture at large. Others are geared primarily toward newcomers, presenting the gospel in a simple way and then inviting them to make a decision to follow Jesus. The main activities for the benefit of believers are actually small group gatherings where the Bible is studied and discussed in depth and people pray together.

So here we have 3 different possible focal points based on theology and purpose...the altar, the pulpit, or the community. I maintain that all are very important, but my bias is that the altar is the most essential to corporate worship. And with that, the need for suitable art, architecture, and music to show our reverence for God as we encounter Him in a wonderfully mysterious and intimate way.

Detail of the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan Van Eyck

The Sheepish Church

2010-08-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

I like to read articles from Christianity Today online to keep in touch with what's happening in the Evangelical world, and I find that Catholics and Evangelicals are often struggling with the same things. The Lord Who Acts Like It, an article written by Mark Galli back in June, caught my eye and I meant to blog about it, so here it goes...

The tagline is: "Where did we get the idea that the church should be a place that makes people feel comfortable?" The question arises from a court case in which a teenage agnostic petitioned successfully to have the venue for their high school graduation moved away from the planned location, a cathedral large enough to accomodate all of the students and family members. Why? The art and symbols there are too "proselytizing" and thus offensive and psychologically harmful.

The article goes on to editorialize (emphasis is mine):

"But the sentiment is not unheard of. In fact, some evangelical churches pride themselves on eschewing any Christian symbols whatsoever. A few do so to honor the biblical prohibition against graven images. All well and good. But most of these churches, unlike their Lord, abolish the cross only because it's not a friendly symbol.

Days before the Enfield court case was decided, the Chicago Tribuneran a piece titled "Graduations at church cause unease." It described how many schools hold their graduation ceremonies in one particular megachurch in the metro area because, as one participant put it, it doesn't feel like a church. The absence of any visible sign of the church's Lord is apparently a point of honor for this congregation. According to the article, one of its staff said the lack of crosses and other Christian iconography "makes the space more welcoming for newcomers and more conducive for secular events."

"We don't want people to get hung up on that kind of thing," he said.

During its weekly services, he said, the church preaches the Word ("We want people to hear the word (of God)"), but all in all, "We try to make it an environment where people would be comfortable to sit and listen."

Making people comfortable is a good thing, part of Christian hospitality. But does it strike anyone else as odd how reticent many churches are to make it plain to visitors that when they enter the church, they are entering a sovereign state where someone besides the State is Lord?"

The most relevant comment on the piece comes from "Steve the Atheist" (again, emphasis mine):

"I grew up in the church but have since left it because I find that most people's 'faith' is not really faith at all. Forget the whole symbol discussion, but why are so many of you embarassed, for a lack of a better term, about your faith? What offends me about your churches is not that you believe in a fairytale, but that you try to hide who you really are. I have Christian friends, and they are so worried about appearing cool and tolerant of those not in the church that they just end up looking like fools because everyone can see right through them. If you want people to go to church, perhaps you should try acting differently rather than trying to be like everyone else--you all look no different from everyone else. America complains about the country, all you guys do is complain about the country. America loves money, you guys love money. America loves fighting amongst each other, you guys love it too. In reality, I find in my life, those who are different are the attractive ones."

I have to ask the question then: are we serving "seekers" as well as we think we are by being "seeker-sensitive"?

First, I think when we use minimilist imagery, or omit it all together in our worship spaces, we are missing out on a valuable way to convey the gospel message. This teenager didn't want the gospel in any form, and recognized the visual imagery as a very clear message. You can't please everybody obviously, but most people I've ever met, regardless of background, react positively to the beauty of a cathedral or religious painting. There is something intuitively good, beautiful, and powerful about good art and architecture that resonates with people and witnesses to those qualities in God.

Second, (and this applies to words and imagery,) if you present a watered down version of something in the hopes that people won't come across something that will offend them, once they go deeper, they will bump into that thing eventually anyway and have to deal with it. Meanwhile you've served up something rather bland, mushy, and unappealing. This in turn, either drives the faithful away thinking that their faith has no substance, or they adapt by slowly becoming insensitive to hard truth and piercing beauty.

Thirdly, how can we ever expect that people will be attracted to our faith in Christ if we act like it's something to be embarrassed about? When we say that He is the ultimate source of our joy and peace, the ultimate fulfillment of our deepest longings, the most good, beautiful, just, merciful, loving being in the universe, worthy of radically dedicating our entire lives to...will our worship communicate and reinforce that message? Might visually sterilized settings, oversimplified sermons, banal music, make our claims seem disingenuous? Personally, I'd rather wow someone with a Tridentine Mass and then be prepared to answer lots of questions over coffee later.

St. Therese Window

2010-08-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

My family and I took a weekend trip to Vancouver, B.C. and were able to attend Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral downtown. It was a real treat to see French gothic architecture built around the turn of last century. There's not many buildings that old or ornate on the west coast down here in the States.

The stained glass windows were incredible. I was sitting near the St. Therese window. This photo from the cathedral's website doesn't do it justice, but I wasn't about to snap my own photos during Mass:

From the Holy Rosary Cathedral website:

"Located on the west side of the nave, this window shows various scenes in the life of the saint surrounding her central figure. Shown are her First Holy Communion, her petitioning of Pope Leo XIII for permission to enter Carmel although she was underage, her clothing as a Novice at the Lisieux Carmel, and her death there on September 30, 1897. In the tracery above are symbols of the Holy Face and of the Infant Jesus, reminding us of her full title, Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face..."

Unfortunately, the top of the tracery is cut off in the image, so you can't see the Holy Face and the Child Jesus, but that level of detail that even includes the important devotions of her spiritual life, that's exactly what makes this window so outstanding. Apparently there was a great devotion to St. Therese in that community up until WWII.

There was a St. Patrick window on the opposite side. If I ever get back there again I'd like to examine it more closely. I appreciate the testimony to the devotions of both the French and Irish Catholics that built this Canadian parish.

Sketchbook

2010-07-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

I have a little 5.5" x 8" spiral bound sketchbook that I like to take to scenic places with me. A trip to the Carl S. English Jr. Botanic Garden a few weeks ago with my sketchbook and a pilot pen yielded some nice sketches of various plants and leaves. Here's one of the pages:

I just wanted a little exercise to keep my drawing skills from rusting. But what I found was that I could also use my sketches as a reference when it came time to create another piece of art (Hopefully I'm not ruining my friend's surprise birthday present):

A Google search for "rabbit" turned up a nice reference for this little guy, but I didn't like the background he was on, so I created my own. And as you can see, the leaves that I had already drawn once before are by far the best-looking detail.

The advice I always hear from artists I admire, particularly animators is: draw, draw, draw! Take a sketchbook everywhere you go and draw things. I think I get it now. Not only do I get to practice skills, but by drawing a thing, I can internalize and understand it for when I may need to replicate it in the future, plus I have a ready reference. I don't do this as much as I wish I did, but I think I've found the motivation to try a lot harder. A collection of foliage images would be an extremely valuable reference tool. I'm definitely going to take a weekly drawing trip to the botanic garden from now on. It's only a half-mile away and my daughter needs some fresh air each day anyway.

Oh, and in the case of the ivy sketch on the bottom of that page, I was able to incorporate it directly as a decoration when I designed my new portfolio website...http://www.ardanziger.com

The Elements of Design

2010-07-26T15:38:00.000-07:00

I had the good fortune to discover "The Elements of Design" in my local library. It describes itself as "A Practical Encyclopedia of the Decorative Arts From the Renaissance To the Present."

I had been trying to fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge of art and design history, specifically between the Baroque and Modern eras. This book presents a wonderful visual collection of furniture, textiles, ceramics, metalwork, and industrial design, for each period. Every piece is stunning, though some in an awkward, grotesque way and some in a truly inspiring way.

Each style and period in art history always had fairly complex reasons for emerging, sometimes following the currents of philosophy, economics, popular culture, etc. Reading attempts at a very concise summary of these reasons is somewhat amusing because they usually present a melodramatic characature using the following formula: "Style B emerged as a sharp reaction against the constraints/excesses of the previous Style A, and because of a belief in X, the social circumstance Y and the technological advance/economic reality Z."

Reflecting on this, I realized that the more a style is "about" something and the less it is "against" something else, in other words the more substance it has, the more I find it aesthetically pleasing. Interestingly, I even found some sympathy for the Modern style and it's search for a purity of form when contrasted with Post-Modernism which, for all of it's energetic experimentation, only ever manages to assert that it is against Modernism. Though the heretofore neutral author seems to glow with admiration for Post-Modernism while sneering at Moderism in the final chapter, I was left feeling like I didn't want any of that stuff in my house.

I feel like Post-Modernism can be defeated in the artistic arena with enough persistence, because art "about" something is always more beautiful than art "against" something, and in the end, people are still wired to recognize the beautiful no matter how sociologists attempt to explain this away as subjective cultural conditioning. Maybe scam artists can still find a way to fool millionaires into buying their subjective, deconstructivist concept pieces, but the average person will still choose a sturdy table with a beautiful finish and well-designed proportions over an ironic chair designed to create dissonance and discomfort as a kind of rebellion against "society's expectations."

Ah, such ugly words from me, as I feared. Ironically, verbal attacks on Post-Modernism are aesthetically ugly because they are by nature always "against" the assertion of objective truth's non-existence. My time would be better spent creating art that evokes the beautiful in the hope that people will be attracted to "something" rather than to "nothing."

Hence, I'm enrolling in a drawing class at Gage Academy of Art. I hope to learn the great tradition of Classical Realism and see if it can help navigate the way out of the current artistic dead end.

Viking Days

2010-07-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

My neighborhood, Ballard, is historically Scandinavian. This weekend was the annual "Viking Days" festival at the Nordic heritage museum: http://www.nordicmuseum.org/

I was able to go with my family for a little while and there were all sorts of interesting things to see...folk arts and crafts, viking re-enactment, and free admission to the museum. All of the carved wood pieces and cloth tapestries reminded me of the similarities between Norse art and Celtic art.

For example, the Urnes stave church (Norway's oldest wooden church):

And the carpet page of the Book of Durrow (a Celtic illuminated manuscript):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urnes_stave_church
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Durrow

Catholic Free Shipping

2010-07-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a great source for Catholic books, gifts, art and more: http://www.catholicfreeshipping.com

You can visit them online, or visit their actual store in Fountain Valley in Orange County, CA. They are family owned, they offer free shipping and daily discounts, and they have a ton of resources and information such as interviews with several apologetics authors.

If you'd like to read reviews of some of their products and updates on the store, you can check out their blog here: blog.catholicfreeshipping.com

Web Portfolio

2010-07-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

It's finally finished! My web portfolio:

http://www.ardanziger.com

It features all of my best work in graphic design for print and web, as well as my illustration projects and pen and ink artwork.

So you need a typeface?...

2010-06-30T11:19:00.001-07:00

http://inspirationlab.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/so-you-need-a-typeface/

Hilarious!

Oldest painting of Apostles found

2010-06-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

This just in...

Some art restorers uncovered frescos of Andrew, John, Peter and Paul from the 4th century...with the help of lasers!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/10382828.stm

Free tiled backgrounds - Catholic designs

2010-06-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

I've just created some small images that can be used as tiling (seamlessly repeating) backgrounds for websites or blogs. Feel free to take these and use them for your own site. Some credit would be nice though...maybe a link to this blog or even just a hidden comment in your html code. Tell your friends!

The entire design may not be obvious until it is tiled, so you may want to test them by making a small html file in a text editor and plugging the file name into the body background tag (save both files in the same folder) and trying it out in a web browser.

I'm willing to do custom modifications of these or create original designs for you. Just email me: amandari (at) gmail (dot com). My services are free in exchange for a link to this blog from your site because I could really use the advertising. Thanks! Enjoy!

Prayer Before Study

2010-06-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

Written by St. Thomas Aquinas:

"O INFINITE Creator, who in the riches of Thy wisdom didst appoint three hierarchies of Angels and didst set them in wondrous order over the highest heavens, and who didst apportion the elements of the world most wisely: do Thou, who art in truth the fountain of light and wisdom, deign to shed upon the darkness of my understanding the rays of Thine infinite brightness, and remove far from me the twofold darkness in which I was born, namely, sin and ignorance. Do Thou, who givest speech to the tongues of little children, instruct my tongue and pour into my lips the grace of Thy benediction. Give me keenness of apprehension, capacity for remembering, method and ease in learning, insight-in interpretation, and copious eloquence in speech. Instruct my beginning, direct my progress, and set Thy seal upon the finished work, Thou, who art true God and true Man, who livest and reignest world without end. Amen."

The five-step program

2010-06-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

Here's Catholic artist David Clayton's vision from when he proposed the Way of Beauty program of study for artists at St. Thomas Moore College of Liberal Arts:

"...The aim of such an education are threefold: to train in the practical skills; to increase in the individual an ability to apprehend beauty; and to open the individual up to inspiration from God through a disciplined training that looks to Masters for guidance.

Following traditional patterns of art training, there are five aspects (in no particular order):

1. The study of past Masters of the traditions of Christian art – imitating them with understanding so that the students learn a visual vocabulary of art. In his Spirit of the Liturgy, Pope Benedict XVI cites the icongraphic (of which the Romanesque is a Western variant), the gothic and the baroque ‘at its best’ as authentic liturgical forms.

2. The direct observation of nature: this is the study of the work of the greatest Artist.

3. Practice and study of abstract art in the Christian tradition and the principles of proportion and compositional design (sometimes called ‘sacred geometry’).

4. Learning the theory of Christian art – an understanding of the Catholic worldview and the Church as it relates to art (theology, philosophy, liturgy linked to form and content) so that they understand all that they are practising.

5. Finally, the development of a spiritual life that will open the student up to inspiration (should God choose to send it): artists are unlikely to be able to produce work that inspires prayer and devotion in others, if they are not practised in using visual imagery in prayer themselves."

Full article here at New Liturgical Movement:
http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2009/08/david-clayton-on-way-of-beauty-at.html

I definitely appreciate suggestions on what sort of focus and training is beneficial to someone who would like to create sacred art. My self-directed studies are somewhat haphazard, jumping from art history to theology to philosophy to geometry (and trying not to forget to draw from life on top of all that!) This outline is both reassuring and will help me to stay on track.

Gothic chairs

2010-05-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

Maybe as much as a century ago, someone made the perfect chairs for me...and then strategically left them in a consignment shop in the neighborhood I would eventually move to where I would see them for sale for an unbelievably low price:

We just happened to move here with a table but no chairs, and suddenly we can dine like we live in a castle! I love Victorian Gothic woodwork! They are sturdy and comfortable too, unlike similarly priced, mass-produced Target or Ikea chairs.

IHS

2010-05-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a vector illustration I did today...the Eucharist. I drew a Gothic style chalice and used medieval style lettering on the consecrated host. The "IHS" is a Christogram, or monogram representing the name of Jesus which uses the first three letters of the Greek spelling: iota, eta, and sigma. I added an extra dash to turn the tall vertical of the "h" into a cross. It's a very common symbol in medieval art.

I'm not sure what I'll do with this yet. Maybe a nice desktop wallpaper, or perhaps I should go into the liturgical banner business ;)

References:
Wikipedia: Christogram
Catholic Encyclopedia: IHS

My Daughter

2010-05-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

This is the little dear that takes up every waking moment of my life right now. She's really adorable sleeping in her car seat...

Thank you

2010-05-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who voted for me! You can see the winners here: http://thecrescat.blogspot.com/2010/05/drumroll-please.html

I received a whopping 5 votes! This is 4 more than I expected! (The first vote was mine). Thanks for helping me to not come in last, and for reassuring me that someone out there reads my blog :)

In real life news:
My husband, baby daughter and I are getting settled in our apartment finally. My laptop charger is dead and a new one is on the way, but in the meantime I'm a little out of sorts, and lacking some of the items I was going to post about (I'm using my husband's laptop in the meantime). Hopefully the new one will arrive soon and I'll be back up and running.
Before we moved, I sold one of my landscape paintings to a friend. I used the money to purchase a gift for my family. The first part was a matched set of icons from Skete.com of the Most Holy Mother of God and the Lord Jesus Christ:

The second part of the gift was a small crucifix with a St. Benedict's medal in the center:

I'd just take a picture of the wall where they're hanging together now, but we still need to unpack the camera. Anyhow, I had wanted to set up an icon corner for family devotions and was inspired by this blog:
http://thewayofbeauty.org/2010/05/03/how-to-make-an-icon-corner/

Don't forget to vote...

2010-05-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

for me...here...

IonaScribe for "Best Under Appreciated Blog." I only have one vote so far, and despite the name of the category, receiving the fewest votes will not help me win ;)

Also, I apologize for the lack of posts lately, I've been moving into a new apartment and will hopefully have things more organized after the weekend. Thanks for your patience. Meanwhile, there's a whole world of awesome blogs to check out at The Crescat.

Wow...I just realized that the spell check tool in Blogger does not recognize the words "Blogger" or "blog."

2010 Cannonball Catholic Awards

2010-05-09T21:39:00.000-07:00

If anyone reads this blog, please vote for me (IonaScribe) for "Best Under Appreciated blog" over at The Crescat! Yay!

While you're there, you can find links to many fantastic Catholic blogs as well. Have fun!

The Art of Illumination

2010-04-28T17:09:00.001-07:00

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is having an unprecedented type of exhibit of the Belles Heures of Jean de France, duc de Berry; a 15th century illuminated manuscript illustrated by 3 teenage brothers. Following some conservation work which involved disassembling the prayer book, the curators took the opportunity to arrange a display of all the individual pages at once.

For a video discussing this amazing work of devotional art visit the Met's blog: About the Exhibition

The Quest, Part II

2010-04-25T22:57:00.000-07:00

Here's what I've discovered so far in my quest to understand priestly vestments.

If you take a look at this web page: http://www.memorare.com/puzzles/vestmentanswers.html
you'll find the names and illustrations of all the vestments you might see worn at a traditional Mass. I will make reference to some of these...

Going down through the recommended reading list:

The Fortescue text, "Vestments of the Roman Rite" is available online here.

Fr. Adrian Fortescue (a character that I'd like to learn more about) was a priest, artist, liturgist, and brilliant scholar. He explains that basically (excluding the amice and miter) all of the items a priest wears are descended from clothes in everyday use in ancient Rome in the 2nd-4th centuries. The alb is from the tunica alba, or white tunic. The chasuble comes from the paenula or planeta, a round cloak. The maniple is descended from a wearable napkin of sorts. The Church Fathers describe priests of their day as simply wearing the equivalent of their Sunday best.

These clothes became distinctive for clerical use over time because the priests continued to wear this style (as it was conservative and dignified) while the common fashion changed due to barbarian influence. Of course in later centuries these priestly garments evolved in decoration, size, and function, but they all remained in use. The Orthodox have vestments that look very different but share the same origin, thus each garment in the East has its equivalent in the West.

"Church Vestments: Their Origin and Development" by Herbert Norris is available as a limited preview on Google Books. It must be out of print because you can find it for$552.75 on Amazon.com.

The few sections that are accessable online go into very specific detail about each vestment, including historical references and the rough dates of different developments. The author illustrates each section, which I found enormously helpful. For example, here is an early iteration of tunic, paenula, and pallium:

Back to the question of St. Patrick's weird round scarf...the pallium finds its origin as a toga-like garment that distinguished a teacher or philosopher. It later became something like a large folded sash, and under Christian use, a very large scarf. When it was worn around the shoulders and pinned with one end flowing down the middle, it developed into a symbol that evoked the Good Shepherd carrying a lost sheep across his shoulders. Once worn by all bishops, the pallium eventually became associated exclusively with the pope and those archbishops/metropolitains whom he chooses to honor. The sisters of the convent of St. Agnes in Rome weave the papal pallia from lamb's wool after the lambs are presented at the altar in a special ceremony. Pope Benedict XVI wears a style of pallium that dates back before the East/West split as a friendly ecumenical gesture to our Orthodox brethren.

As far as the other texts are concerned, I could not find the works by Roulin or Legg but I did find "Vestarium Christianum" by Wharton which I'll review next.

Editorial notes

2010-04-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

...We interrupt this series for a little bit of housekeeping...

1) Yes, this is the billionth (or maybe only the 5th) time I've changed the blog template. The last one was getting too out of date (tedious to maintain and incompatible with some of Blogger's new features.)

2) Please excuse me as I post this tiling graphic I just created. I want to use it as a background, but Picasa seems to be having issues so I'm attempting to force it to upload automatically through a Blogger post. Feel free to steal this and use it for your own purposes.

3) Sometimes it takes me a few days to get things right. Typically if you re-read any given post 3 days later it will be much more coherent.

Thank you! Please carry on...

Benziger Brothers

2010-04-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I began a quest of sorts to learn about the history of religious vestments in order to be able to draw some of the saints more accurately.

When I went over to Internet Archive, an online library, and searched for "vestments," I found a really pleasant surprise...a catalogue from the late 1800's by the Benziger Brothers, a family-owned Catholic publishing house and liturgical supply factory in one, based in New York. Here you can find page after page of gorgeously embroidered chasubles.

Catalogue of religious articles, lithographs and engravings .. (1874)

A further search for "Benziger" turned up this book about their metalworking process. It follows every step from the design to the casting and molding to the final polishing.

Silversmith's art and ecclesiastical metal work at its home Benziger brothers' factory .. (1894)

Pretty amazing, right? Well, next time I'll get to the main research...

The Quest

2010-04-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been wanting to create drawings of saints for holy cards. But "because I can do it better than those other guys" is not an adequate reason. In fact it's probably a sign that I shouldn't. Besides, I'm not convinced that I can really do it better.

My real desire is, as always, to glorify God through the gifts he has given me. This means doing things the best that I can...putting a lot of thought, research, and effort into my work. My real frustration is with the obstacles that prevent me from doing those things, not really with the artists of the standard holy cards. And as much fun as it is to giggle at St. Valentine's maniple and lacy surplice, I realized that at least someone got it partially right while I knew virtually nothing about proper vestments, let alone what a priest would have really worn in the first few centuries of Church history.

My one real aesthetic critique is that I think overly saccharine art denies the suffering involved in life and faith. But these images persist because, lets face it, they are wildly popular with ordinary folks. They represent a genuinely Catholic culture and sentiment that they can hold onto in a world where the Church's aesthetic sense has gone crazy, leading to soulless, modernist, spaceship-churches.
But for those Thomas Merton types who get the creeps from fuzzy lambs, and for those Flannery O'Connor types who understand that sometimes grace transforms via the cold slap of reality...I'd like to do things a little differently.

So, I set out on a quest to research and understand what real church vestments were like at different times in history to be able to understand how to better draw some of the saints. I started asking around on Catholic Answers Forums and there people suggested that I contact Shawn Tribe, the editor of New Liturgical Movement. He very helpfully recommended several good resources, some of which are available through Google Books and Archive.org, including:

Vestments and Vesture by Dom E. Roulin
Church Vestments: Their Origin and Development by Herbert Norris
Church Ornaments and their Civil Antecedents by J. Wickham Legg
The Vestments of the Roman Rite by Adrian Fortescue
Vestiarium Christianum: The Origin and Gradual Development of the Dress of Holy Ministry in the Church by Wharton Marriott

I've been combing through the ones I've been able to find, and will report on them here. Though I got distracted by something shiny which I will post about next...

Holy Card Critique

2010-04-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

I think that holy cards are a fantastic idea. A tiny bit of portable devotional art; like a baseball card but featuring the heroes of our faith. However, every time I go into a Catholic bookstore to look at holy cards, there are always the same images by the same publishing house somewhere in Italy. I don't doubt the pious intentions of the artist(s) who created the pieces, but they are not at all to my taste. That is, they are all following the tradition of the Saint-Sulpice Art style...soft, feminine, and poorly researched. I've bought a few anyway, but I can't help wishing that someone else would get in there and offer some variety.

I had the idea that maybe I could create images that could be used on holy cards or other items (see my Zazzle store). In fact, why not take on a couple of saints that have been taken for granted by our secular culture? I started with St. Valentine, but after scouring the web, I couldn't come up with anything except fanciful depictions in the contemporary baroque style of when the artwork was created.

I settled for drawing his reliquary, and I was very pleased with the results:

I knew that many a single person would rejoice at the sight of the original patron of the obnoxious secular Valentine's Day reduced to a pile of bones, but I couldn't get away with showing a dead St. Patrick. However, when I tried looking for sacred art depicting him, I was again confounded by fancy baroque miters, crosiers, and vestments that I just didn't understand.

In the end I smooshed together a holy card and a sculpture, threw in some shamrocks for good measure, and called it a day. Just what is that ring-a-ling scarfy thing around his neck? I have no idea, but it looks good in all the other versions I've seen so I'll go with it (it's called a pallium as I found out recently).

St. Patrick Postcard

Next, I bought my husband the only locally available holy card of St. Thomas Aquinas, and but was dismayed to see a frail slip of a saint.

That was the last straw. History clearly suggests that the good Angelic Doctor was quite a sturdy fellow. Fra Angelico was probably much closer in his portrait of Aquinas...

Anyhow, I knew that these holy cards were just not right, but didn't know enough about the history of saints and vestments myself to do much better. So I've been trying to correct that. More to come soon...

LIFE Photos

2010-04-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

I woke up to a pleasant surprise this morning. Google was highlighting the fact that they are now hosting millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive:
http://images.google.com/hosted/life

This search term is a gold mine:
Roman Catholic source:life

St. Peter's Square

Shroud of Turin on display

2010-04-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow the shroud of Turin goes on exhibit (this happens only 3-4 times per century, so if you just happen to be in the area...): Exhibition of Holy Shroud To Begin Tomorrow in Turin

Positive and negative images of the face on the Shroud.

I personally love the debate over this artifact. As, well...miraculous...as it would be if it were truly the burial cloth of Jesus, the arguments to the contrary seem even more outlandish. It was painted by DaVinci you say? 200 years before he was born??? Right...

As the facts stand, the cloth does indeed bear the photo negative image of a beaten/crucified man. The famous carbon dating test that placed its creation sometime in the 1200's was probably faulty because the sample was taken from a protective edge sewn on at a later date. Though how anyone accurately carbon dates something that has been through a fire is beyond my scientific expertise (which admittedly is about 0, despite being married to a scientist). Other details, like pollen samples and the appearance of Shroud references in Byzantine art from earlier centuries, seem to place it at the right time and place for it to have belonged to Christ himself. Can we really be sure about who exactly is pictured there? No. Do I believe that it's pretty likely the real deal? Yes. If it were not, would it have any impact whatsoever on my reasons for believing in the Christian faith? Nope.

Anyway, if you want to get up to speed on the controversy yourself, I recommend this site: www.shroud.com

I find the art history aspect of the evidence particularly fascinating:
"Alice in Wonderland and the Shroud of Turin" by Isabel Piczek
Christ Pantocrator Icon and Shroud of Turin

I Confess

2010-03-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have a thing for old movies, so we decided to watch Alfred Hitchcock's "I Confess" a couple of nights ago. What a gorgeous film! It's set in Quebec City, featuring numerous shots of the old city walls, regal church steeples, and beautifully furnished interiors, especially Saint-Marie (actually called Saint-Zephirin de Stadacona in real life) church and rectory.

What fascinated me even more than the visual slice of French-Canadian-Catholic history was the glimpse at Hitchcock's own Catholic faith. This is one of the few movies I've seen (short of "The 10 Commandments"or some other Bible movie) where God seems to be an active, involved character.

I mean in a serious way, not by casting George Burns or some other tongue-in-cheek old guy, or by using big-budget special effects, glowing white rooms, or a booming voice from the clouds. Just in the regular way that ordinary people experience God's involvement in their lives...through small reminders of his quiet yet providential presence. A statue of Christ carrying his cross looms large over Fr. Logan on his walk, a crucifix on the courtroom wall is composed neatly in the frame over the head juror who delivers the verdict. A little ham handed perhaps? Maybe, but much less so than so many other more modern films. I'd say it was just right.

Where Hitchcock really goes above and beyond, a truly unprecedented and unrepeated piece of brilliance, is the scene where Otto Keller the caretaker is telling his wife his intention to frame Father Logan. Alma Keller is polishing the candle sticks on the altar. The camera's perspective is the view from just behind the altar. In a traditional, pre-Vatican II Catholic church, this is the place of the tabernacle, the place where the consecrated hosts are reserved. In other words, it houses the very presence of the Lord. Could this shot then represent God's view? This really drives home the idea that God is actively involved in the story. No secret conspiracy escapes His watch or His justice. This director meticulously plans each camera angle in every film, so the shot was no accident. However, like the premise of the film itself*, such Catholic details often go under-appreciated.

*(Fr. Logan is suspected of murder because he can't break the seal of confession to reveal what he knows. This film was apparently not successful because most viewers were not convinced that this should really be a serious conflict.)

La Sagrada Familia

2010-03-09T19:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this past month. My husband and I have been blessed with a new baby girl, born on 2/3, and we've been quite busy since then. In a few weeks we'll be moving out of state to my husband's new job. Please pray for our little family.

In art news, Pope Benedict XVI is traveling to Spain in November to preside over the consecration of La Sagrada Familia, architect Antoni Gaudi's famous work-in-progress church in Barcelona.

CNS story
Temple Expiatori Sagrada Familia

St. Patrick

2010-02-18T14:09:00.000-08:00

I thought perhaps it was still too early to advertise, but I made a sale on one of my St. Patrick design T-shirts today, so on second thought I'll let you all in on the latest offerings in my Zazzle shop:

St. Patrick Dark T-Shirt by IonaScribe
Get a t-shirt at zazzle.com

I have T-shirts, mugs, steins and postcards featuring variations on this design. The block of text is the first section of the Lorica of St. Patrick. The bit of Irish Gaelic below his name means "The blessing of Saint Patrick be upon you." The image itself was inspired by the statue of St. Patrick at Tara. The baroque style vestments are anachronistic anyway, so I dressed up his bishops' miter with shamrocks and gave him the crosier of the bishop of Buffalo, NY which is faintly celtic looking and comes from a diocese with a strong Irish-American history.

I also have a selection of Celtic knot design buttons/pins which would make great St. Patrick's Day accessories. The shipping cost for a single pin is prohibitive, but paired with a larger order like a t-shirt or stein, it becomes very economical.

Ring Knot (blue) by IonaScribe
Browse other Celtic Buttons

St. Valentine

2010-01-25T10:52:00.000-08:00

Hello there, just endorsing my product again:

St. Valentine Postcard by IonaScribe
Browse other St. valentine Postcards

I've always found it a bit curious that we celebrate the feast day of a 3rd century martyred Roman priest with hearts, candy and flowers and not with more skulls and prayers, but maybe that's just me. In case it's not just me, you now have the opportunity to send proper "Valentines" to your friends and loved ones. Enjoy! :)

Grand Opening

2010-01-23T18:36:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

Over the past few months I've been building a store on Zazzle.com. You've been able to see some of the pen and ink drawings and vector designs I've made in my spare time, and I decided to see if I could turn them into something profitable...

Zazzle provides a platform where I can put my artwork on various items that they print and sell. They take care of all the overhead (manufacturing, printing, shipping, online store, etc.) and they give me the royalty that I set for myself (10-12% of the price, a better deal than most licensing contracts). So it's up to me to concentrate on the creative work and the advertising, and where better to advertise than my own blog?

I'd like to announce the grand opening of IonaScribe Designs by A.R. Danziger

By the way, I receive an extra 15% "associates" bonus if you make purchases by following the special link above. The same goes for purchases made using the blog panel which I'll install in the side bar in the near future.

One last thing; I have to plug my most recent pen and ink drawing that I finished just in time to sell as a design on items for St. Valentine's Day:

It's based on the reliquary housing the remains of St. Valentine that can be found in the basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. There are about 7 Saint Valentines recognized by the Catholic church, and relics being kept in other cities around Europe. I'm not sure if these are specifically the ones belonging to the original martyred Roman priest whose feast day we celebrate on Feb 14th. However, this particular image appealed on one hand to my dark sense of humor and desire to console friends who dislike the modern commercialized holiday, and on the other hand, my desire to point to the early Christian stories that our culture tends to forget.

I've created a couple of T-shirts (though the automatic preview images of the shirts on Zazzle don't do the design justice), some postcards so people can send authentic "Valentines," a greeting card which can be purchased individually for that certain special Catholic someone, and a cool coffee mug. Each item incorporates the color red, which is of course not only the symbolic color of love, but the proper liturgical color for celebrating a martyr's feast. For more information on the famous saint, check out the Wikipedia entry: Saint Valentine, or the article on Catholic Online.

Learning Gregorian Chant

2010-01-15T15:41:00.000-08:00

Today I received a Facebook message from Paraclete Press with a link to this YouTube video advertising some of their Gregorian chant resources. I just thought I'd share it here for anyone who loves chant but has no idea where to start learning about it. These look very interesting and might very well go on my birthday wishlist...

I get periodic updates like this because I'm a member of the "Gregorian Chant is for Everyone - getting started/learning more" Group on Facebook.

If you're looking for a free basic introduction to chant as well as a great explanation of why it's very worthwhile to learn, there's always ChantCast, a 10 part podcast by Fr. Jay Finelli the iPadre.

Summa of the Summa

2010-01-10T18:41:00.000-08:00

Passion. Ambition. Butter. Do You Have What It Takes? Well...maybe if I substitute Aquinas for butter...

I just watched "Julie & Julia" the recent film based on two true stories: Julia Child's journey into the world of cooking, and Julie Powell's experience cooking her way through the whole of Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year as documented by her blog. (As an aside, I have to say that Meryl Streep was so very delightful as Julia!)

Incidentally, I have been experimenting lately with the The Fanny Farmer Cookbook and The Joy of Cooking, but I'm not much of a cook at all. My own amateur pursuit is obviously some combination of art and theology. I did feel very inspired by the blogging aspect of the story and by the general creative journey that great chefs, writers, and artists all share.

Though they never met, Julie describes Julia as someone who saved her from drowning. Similarly, I found a cup of cold water in a spiritual dry place during this past Lent by reading a few short stories from Flannery O'Connor. Her characters received what I can only describe as "The Cold Slap of Grace™", restoring them to a sense of reality, saving them from the hell of their own self-delusion. I came to see that some of the most transformative moments of grace in my life were not the rare warm fuzzy times, but those times of suffering and struggle where God cared enough to suddenly grab hold of me and shake me out of myself. Needless to say, I had to figure out what gave this celebrated Southern Gothic writer such keen insight into human (and divine) nature. The answer, in summary:
1) Her Catholic faith
2) Philosophy, particularly her nightly reading of the Summa Theologica
3) Observing Southern culture
4) Terminal illness
5) She was a genius

Fortunately for me, I'm not dying of lupus. I am 9 months pregnant though, and I find that for every 1-2 hours of activity, I need to spend 1-2 hours inert on the couch. I've put a pile of books on the coffee table so I can at least keep my brain active. One of the non-baby-related books that worked its way into the pile was Summa of the Summa edited by Peter Kreeft. Unfortunately for me, I am not a genius, so I was glad that my husband discovered Kreeft's guided tour of Thomas Aquinas' philosophy/theology masterpiece. It's been on my to-read list since our honeymoon nearly 2 years ago. I keep finding over and over again that great art is grounded in great philosophy, and yet I've only scratched the surface so far...I need to get to the source.

Will I blog about it daily like Julie with her culinary experiments? Not likely at all considering the massive number of feedings, diaper changes and baths in my near-future schedule. But I do promise that I'll read a bit of "Summa of the Summa" every day, one article at a time, until I finish and reality looks a little more clear. In fact, this is probably the longest blog post I'll have for you readers for a while. Once the baby is born, my time will be very limited. As always, my primary goal (after taking care of my family but before reading the Summa) is art. I'll post sketches as often as I can, and perhaps in a few months wordier posts like this will come back.

2010 Resolutions

2010-01-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I decided that today was the day to revisit my 2009 resolutions and summarize the year with links to important label tags...

I see that I've only been successful in meeting goal 1 out of my 4 goals set at the new year in 2009, but it was a pretty substantial goal:
The Medieval Orange County Guide

What sidetracked me from the others was a worthwhile exploration of the Catholic philosophy of art:
Gothic
Beauty
Church Teachings on Art

and the completion of some art projects of my own:
Celtic Knots
Pen and Ink

As for the August resolutions concerning my own work, I've been persevering at 1 and 3, but need more work on #2.

So, this year's list will mostly be last year's unfinished business:
1) Create a "Church Architecture 101" guide with photos from a visit to a real church.
2) Create a "Who's That Supposed To Be?" guide for us lay-people who admire stained glass windows but need a little help identifying popular saints and Bible stories by their associated symbols.
3) Pick up on art history posts again (where to head now after Roman art...Byzantine or Celtic?)
4) Draw, draw, draw!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T20:53:00.000-08:00

Dear readers,

I hope you enjoy this card I designed. It was inspired by the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript of the Gospels created by Celtic monks around 800 A.D. I drew all of the non-type elements by hand, then scanned, (vectorized in the case of geometric shapes) and colored them digitally.

Have a wonderful Christmas! Thanks so much to everyone who visits here throughout the year!

O Emmanuel

2009-12-23T16:19:00.001-08:00

December 23rd is the seventh evening of the "O Antiphons," special Vespers prayers for Advent that date back to at least the Middle Ages. Each antiphon addresses the coming Christ by 7 different Messianic titles found in Isaiah; one for each of the seven days before Christmas.

If you've been following along this whole time, notice that the first letter of each title, when read backwards as an acrostic, spells "Ero Cras," which means "Tommorrow I come" in Latin. And indeed, tommorrow is Christmas eve. Very clever, those Benedictines :)

Sapientia
Adonai
Radix
Clavis David
Oriens
Rex Gentium
Emmanuel

Day 7:

Latin:

O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster,
exspectatio Gentium, et Salvator earum:
veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.

English:

O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver,
the hope of the nations and their Saviour:
Come and save us, O Lord our God.

Scripture (Douay-Rheims translation):

Isaias 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel.

The famous Advent/Christmas hymn "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" is a paraphrase of these antiphons, so listen for it next time you sing it!

Sources:
Wikipedia - O antiphon
Fish Eaters - O Antiphons
Douay-Rheims Bible Online

O Rex Gentium

2009-12-22T19:43:00.000-08:00

December 22st is the sixth evening of the "O Antiphons," special Vespers prayers for Advent that date back to at least the Middle Ages. Each antiphon addresses the coming Christ by 7 different Messianic titles found in Isaiah; one for each of the seven days before Christmas.

Day 6:

Latin:

O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum,
lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum:
veni, et salva hominem,
quem de limo formasti.

English:

O King of the nations, and their desire,
the cornerstone making both one:
Come and save the human race,
which you fashioned from clay.

Scripture (Douay-Rheims translation):

Isaias 9:7
His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of peace: he shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom; to establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever: the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isaias 2:4
And he shall judge the Gentiles, and rebuke many people: and they shall turn their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into sickles: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they be exercised any more to war.

Sources:
Wikipedia - O antiphon
Fish Eaters - O Antiphons
Douay-Rheims Bible Online
Video from: YouTube

O Oriens

2009-12-21T12:01:00.000-08:00

December 21st is the fifth evening of the "O Antiphons," special Vespers prayers for Advent that date back to at least the Middle Ages. Each antiphon addresses the coming Christ by 7 different Messianic titles found in Isaiah; one for each of the seven days before Christmas.

Day 5:

Latin:

O Oriens,
splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae:
veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

English:

Dayspring,
Brightness of the everlasting light, Son of justice, come to give light to them
that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death!

Scripture (Douay-Rheims translation):

Isaias 9:2
The people that walked in darkness, have seen a great light: to them that dwelt in the region of the shadow of death, light is risen.

Gero Crucifix, Cologne Cathedral, Germany
(...I've seen this in person!)

Sources:
Wikipedia - O antiphon
Fish Eaters - O Antiphons
Douay-Rheims Bible Online
Image from: Wikipedia

O Clavis David

2009-12-20T11:35:00.000-08:00

December 20th is the fourth evening of the "O Antiphons," special Vespers prayers for Advent that date back to at least the Middle Ages. Each antiphon addresses the coming Christ by 7 different Messianic titles found in Isaiah; one for each of the seven days before Christmas.

Day 4:

Latin:

O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel;
qui aperis, et nemo claudit;
claudis, et nemo aperit:
veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris,
sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

English:

O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel;
you open and no one can shut;
you shut and no one can open:
Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house,
those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

Scripture (Douay-Rheims translation):

Isaias 22:22
And I will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulder: and he shall open, and none shall shut: and he shall shut, and none shall open.

Isaias 9:6-7
For a Child is born to us, and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace. His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of peace: he shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom; to establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever: the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Isaias 42:7
That thou mightest open the eyes of the blind, and bring forth the prisoner out of prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

Sources:
Wikipedia - O antiphon
Fish Eaters - O Antiphons
Douay-Rheims Bible Online
Image from: The BBC

O Radix Jesse

2009-12-19T18:20:00.000-08:00

December 19th is the third evening of the "O Antiphons," special Vespers prayers for Advent that date back to at least the Middle Ages. Each antiphon addresses the coming Christ by 7 different Messianic titles found in Isaiah; one for each of the seven days before Christmas.

Day 3:

Latin:

O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum,
super quem continebunt reges os suum,
quem Gentes deprecabuntur:
veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.

English:

O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples;
before you kings will shut their mouths,
to you the nations will make their prayer:
Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.

Scripture (Douay-Rheims translation):

Isaias 11:1
And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root.

Isaias 11:10
In that day the root of Jesse, who standeth for an ensign of the people, him the Gentiles shall beseech, and his sepulchre shall be glorious.

Sources:
Wikipedia - O antiphon
Fish Eaters - O Antiphons
Douay-Rheims Bible Online
Image from: Anglicans Online

O Adonai

2009-12-18T13:40:00.000-08:00

December 18th is the second evening of the "O Antiphons," special Vespers prayers for Advent that date back to at least the Middle Ages. Each antiphon addresses the coming Christ by 7 different Messianic titles found in Isaiah; one for each of the seven days before Christmas.

Day 2:

Latin:

O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel,
qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti,
et ei in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

English:

O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai:
Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

Scripture (Douay-Rheims translation):

Isaias 11:4-5
But he shall judge the poor with justice, and shall reprove with equity the meek of the earth: and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. And justice shall be the girdle of his loins: and faith the girdle of his reins.

Isaias 33:22
For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king: he will save us.

Sources:
Wikipedia - O antiphon
Fish Eaters - O Antiphons
Douay-Rheims Bible Online
Image from: Pylgeralmanak

O Sapientia

2009-12-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

Tonight begins the recitation of the "O Antiphons," special vespers prayers dating from at least medieval times. Each antiphon addresses the coming Christ by 7 different Messianic titles found in Isaiah; one for each of the seven days before Christmas.

Day 1:

Latin:

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodidisti,
attingens a fine usque ad finem,
fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia:
veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

English:

O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other mightily,
and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.

Scripture (Douay-Rheims translation):

Isaias 11:2-3
And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness. And he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord, He shall not judge according to the sight of the eyes, nor reprove according to the hearing of the ears.

Isaias 28:29
This also is come forth from the Lord God of hosts, to make his counsel wonderful, and magnify justice.

Sources:
Wikipedia - O antiphon
Fish Eaters - O Antiphons
Catholic Culture - O Wisdom
Douay-Rheims Bible Online

Advent preparations

2009-12-01T22:17:00.000-08:00

Advent is the time when we prepare ourselves spiritually for Christ coming into the world which we then celebrate at Christmas. Similar to Lent leading up to the Easter celebration, the waiting and anticipation are key to setting the appropriate spiritual tone to more fully appreciate the great joy and wonder of the holiday. I'm trying not to take Advent for granted this year. Instead of propping up a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving, I'm going to hold off for a while and build up to it. I've been reading up on some of the Church's wonderful Advent traditions and using my creative skills to help prepare for this time.

I created a printable Advent calendar a couple of years ago. I need to figure out how to host it on my web server so that people can download it and print/assemble it themselves. It's a bit late now, so I'll offer a link to it next year.

This year I decided we definitely needed an Advent wreath. I wanted it to be simple, inexpensive and reusable. As lovely as it would be to make it from fresh pine boughs, I'm a Southern California resident, and palm trees just don't have the same qualities. Also, my apartment doesn't allow candles to be burned, and we don't have a lot of space, so I didn't want or need 12-inch taper candles. Here's what I came up with using items I found at Michaels craft store:

The parts:
1 metal pillar candle stand,
4 votive candles
1 bundle of wired plastic pine garland (only $1.99, and plenty leftover for more wreaths)
1 spool of wide wire-edged ribbon (half price sale)

The ribbon and the candles are actually a little more of a plum color, and the lightest candle is rose colored, but the color balance of the digital photo is a little off so you'll just have to believe me that they're liturgically correct. The metal stand is high enough to elevate the candles above the plastic greenery in case we did want to light them briefly during our prayer time. The other nice thing about this stand is that it has 3 decorative rings which work nicely to hold the wreath in place.

The second project I began is a small handmade Nativity set (just the Holy Family and the manger to be exact). The proportions and features are a bit cartoonish, but then again sculpture is not my strength. I modeled these using Sculpey polymer clay and baked them in the oven. Mary and Baby Jesus are sturdy, but Joseph started leaning backwards in the oven, fell over and cracked in the middle. I'll need to fill in the gap with glue and grind down his base so he can take a forward leaning posture again. I eagerly anticipate using my early Christmas present from my husband, a Dremel Stylus. I guess I couldn't keep Christmas from coming early in that respect. However, once I paint the figurines, I promise I'll keep the infant Christ out of the display until the appropriate time. ;)

My final holiday idea was to use my leftover Sculpey to create a couple of ornaments for the tree. I rolled it out, cut the circle with a cookie cutter, and the square by hand using a palette knife. Then I rubber stamped directly onto each shape. I'll bake the ornaments, and hopefully the heat will permanently set the ink into the polymer clay. This is definitely an experiment so I'll have to let you know how they turn out.

Benedict XVI's address to artists

2009-11-24T13:08:00.000-08:00

This is the big event I've been anticipating for weeks now. On Saturday 11/21, Pope Benedict XVI addressed over 250 artists from around the world to encourage greater friendship and dialogue between the art world and the Vatican.

The meeting took place in the Sistine chapel, which is of course the home of Michelangelo's famous ceiling fresco commissioned by Pope Julius II during the Renaissance. In my opinion, this piece is the ultimate example of the overlap between the period of some the highest human artistic achievements in history and the peak of the Church's relationship with the art world.

Event coverage from Reuters.com: Pope tells artists beauty can be a path to God

The complete address from Zenit.org: Benedict XVI's Address to Artists

Artists' reactions from Zenit.org: Artists Laud Pope's Step Toward "Their World"

A great except from the Holy Father's address:

"Saint Augustine, who fell in love with beauty and sang its praises, wrote these words as he reflected on man's ultimate destiny, commenting almost ante litteram on the Judgement scene before your eyes today: "Therefore we are to see a certain vision, my brethren, that no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived: a vision surpassing all earthly beauty, whether it be that of gold and silver, woods and fields, sea and sky, sun and moon, or stars and angels. The reason is this: it is the source of all other beauty" (In 1 Ioannis, 4:5). My wish for all of you, dear artists, is that you may carry this vision in your eyes, in your hands, and in your heart, that it may bring you joy and continue to inspire your fine works. From my heart I bless you and, like Paul VI, I greet you with a single word: arrivederci!"

Papal general audience addresses

2009-11-20T13:46:00.000-08:00

Pope Benedict XVI has included lessons about some of the great Medieval thinkers during several of his general audience addresses over the past year. A particularly noteworthy subject is St. John Damascene, a Doctor of the Universal Church who is best known for his defense of icons and sacred art in the 8th century. In his "Discourses against those who calumniate the Holy Images," he clarifies the theological distinction between veneration and worship. Benedict's analysis is definitely worth reading here at Catholicculture.org.

Another important reflection from the Pope, and perhaps a preview of tomorrow's scheduled meeting with artists in the Sistine chapel, concerns what we can learn today from the great cathedrals built in the middle ages. He discusses beauty as "perhaps the most attractive and fascinating [way], to be able to find and love God." There are two articles available at Zenit.org: On Europe's Cathedrals and The Most Fascinating Way to Reach God.

Nativity Set

2009-11-17T09:57:00.000-08:00

I realized that Advent is fast approaching, and we don't have any sort of nativity set for our home. The internet tells me that a good one costs about $200, which is too much for me to spend. Instead I bought some Sculpey polymer clay, and my husband gave me an early Christmas gift of a Dremel Stylus rotary tool for sanding and carving. The cost of the tool and materials is still significantly less than half of a purchased set. I'll only have time to make the Holy Family and the manger this year, but I can add more figures each subsequent year. I just baked baby Jesus last night!

I've been daydreaming for years about one day making a nativity set for my hypothetical future family. At this point the desire to create a festive domestic environment is extremely strong. I've been married for nearly 2 years, we have a baby on the way in January, and I'll be much too pregnant in December to fly across the country to visit our families of origin for the holidays this year. So I really want to start celebrating Christmas in a way that makes our distinct family unit feel like a real family at home with each other.

Soon I hope to post some photos of the work in progress, and the finished pieces. I'd like to complete the sculpting and baking before our Thanksgiving train trip to the SF Bay Area.

Medieval Interior Design

2009-11-06T15:04:00.000-08:00

My husband and I are likely to move in the Spring, and with our first baby on the way my "nesting" instincts are due to kick in full force in about another month. With this is mind, I've been daydreaming about how to decorate a new home. While I wouldn't go as over the top as some of these examples, I really enjoyed this Google session, and I feel inspired to find subtle ways to add a touch of Gothic dignity to wherever we live next:

BBC Homes - Design Inspiration - Medieval Living Room

Medieval & Gothic Home Decor

Medieval Decor for Modern Homes

Unique Medieval Décor - LoveToKnow Interior Design

Kuler

2009-10-24T04:17:00.001-07:00

Adobe has a free, web-based color palette creation program called Kuler. It's become my favorite place to go when I'm working out a color scheme for any project.

Just yesterday evening I created a few "themes" based on colors from the 3 most famous Celtic illuminated manuscripts: The Book of Kells, The Book of Durrow, and the Lindisfarne Gospels. The 2 themes based on the Book of Kells recieved 3 star ratings from a couple other users already (it's out of 5, but I don't think anyone's ever received a perfect 5) so I thought it was worth mentioning here in case anyone happens to need an illuminated manuscript based color palette:
http://kuler.adobe.com/#themes/search?term=userId%3A180956

Free Images

2009-10-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

The weather has been turning here finally, and the first signs of fall fuel my anticipation of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (preceded by All Hallows' Eve of course). In my search for artwork appropriate to the occasion I discovered a couple of resources for free, public domain Catholic line art (pen & ink/ black and white engravings/woodcuts) scanned from old missals, prayer books and the like. These 2 collections have been around for a couple of years now apparently, which proves that you can always count on me for the latest in old news ;)

The first can be found at TheCatholicLibrary.org, a work-in-progress collection of public domain Catholic resources. Just add the images to your cart and download them as a zip file. There are a few other items besides line art, and there don't appear to be restrictions on use.

The second is a set on Flickr, images for use in liturgy programs, uploaded by Jeffrey Tucker of The New Liturgical Movement, courtesy of the Church Music Association of America. They are recommended for church programs, but in Jeffrey's words, they are "for use in whatever."

Some day, I hope I can create something awe-inspiring like this:

The Ageless Story

2009-10-08T16:20:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure how I find this stuff. Just following links to other links to other links until I'm on a really fascinating blog talking about an award winning Children's book from the 40's about Jesus' childhood, featuring a selection of Gregorian chant. The book is called The Ageless Story, by Lauren Ford. Jennifer Gregory Miller of the blog Family in Feast and Feria, has posted a couple of the magnificent illustrations along with the introduction text, a letter to the author/artist's godchild.

The last few sentences of the introduction are perhaps the most clear and helpful advice to an artist I've ever read in my entire life:

But there is something an artist can do to keep him from looking just like a good, fat, little boy, and Christian artists have always done this thing. An artist can try to think about Him all the time. He can keep on thinking about his being God, and how God lends us everything we have—our talent, our paint brush, our life—how He gave us His own life, every bit of it, because He loved us. If an artist will try to do this, the Little Boy in the picture will look all pure and kingly and His Mother will look like a Heavenly Soul.

Really, it's a fascinating critique of humanist art in terms that a child can understand. It makes me reconsider whether it is possible to hold Christianity and humanism together, or if I should concentrate my artistic style on my beloved medieval influences. We'll see what develops.

Exciting things

2009-09-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

I have a few interesting items to share recently. I'm always looking to connect with other Catholic/Christian artists and always looking for resources that discuss theology/philosophy and art. Here's what I've been up to lately:

1) I'm a regular over at Catholic Answers Forums, and I just recently started a group there called Catholic Artists & Architects. I'm looking forward to some great discussions with fellow creative people, and I hope that by mentioning it here some of the traffic from CAF to my blog will find the group and want to join us.

2) I randomly discovered this wonderful group blog: The Catholic Illustrator's Guild
It's full of art, inspiration, and interviews with other artists.

3) I subscribe to the weekly email from CatholicCulture.org so I can stay informed about the latest in Catholic news and resources available on their site. They recently sent out a list of resources on sacred art that I thought would be valuable to share here:

The Way of Beauty - The Pontifical Council for Culture

An Essay on Art - Jacques Maritain*

Some Reflections upon Religious Art - Jacques Maritain

Creative Intuition in Art and Poetry - (an entire book by) Jacques Maritain

I haven't yet read the Maritain articles, but I will soon so I can offer quotes and insights.

*Jacques Maritain (1882–1973), French philosopher and political thinker, was one of the principal exponents of Thomism in the twentieth century and an influential interpreter of the thought of St Thomas Aquinas. (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Beautiful Liturgy

2009-09-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

This is one of the funniest blog articles I've read in a while... Fr. Z's blog, "What Does the Prayer Really Say?" focuses on the importance of restoring beauty and reverence to the Catholic liturgy. A reader drew Fr. Z's attention to this letter written by U.S. founding father John Adams about his visit to a "Romish chapel." Bold emphasis at the end is mine:

This afternoon, led by Curiosity and good Company I strolled away to Mother Church, or rather Grandmother Church, I mean the Romish Chapel. Heard a good, short, moral Essay upon the Duty of Parents to their Children, founded in justice and Charity, to take care of their Interests temporal and spiritual.

This afternoon’s entertainment was to me most awful and affecting. The poor wretches fingering their beads, chanting Latin, not a word of which they understood, their Pater Nosters and Ave Marias. Their holy water – their crossing themselves perpetually – their bowing to the name of Jesus wherever they hear it – their bowings, and kneelings, and genuflections before the altar. The dress of the priest was rich with lace—his pulpit was velvet and gold. The altar piece was very rich – little images and crucifixes about – wax candles lighted up. But how shall I describe the picture of our Saviour in a frame of marble over the altar, at full length, upon the cross in the agonies, and the blood dropping and streaming from his wounds.

The music consisting of an organ, and a Choir of singers, went all the afternoon, excepting sermon Time, and the Assembly chanted—most sweetly and exquisitely.

Here is everything which can lay hold of the eye, ear, and imagination. Everything which can charm and bewitch the simple and the ignorant. I wonder how Luther ever broke the spell.

A beautiful liturgy is powerful and attractive, even to those with poor pre-conceptions ;)

In other news, Zenit ran this article today about an meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and Russian Orthodox Archbishop Hilarion, a representative of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. There has been no public statement on the meeting yet, but the press certainly seems very optimistic on the reunification front.

The only disappointing comment, and I say this because I've experienced this to be true, was the Archbishop's expression of disappointment with the Catholic liturgy. I had a wonderful opportunity to attend an ecumenical vespers service between my parish, another local Catholic parish, and 3 different Orthodox parishes. Hands down, the Greeks, Armenians, and Copts blew us out of the water with their parts of the liturgy. Thank goodness my parish choir mustered an old Latin hymn at the end. Nothing says transcendent, heavenly beauty like an Orthodox liturgy; we could stand to learn a lot from them.

To end on a positive note, I found this paragraph near the closing very encouraging:

Closer relations between Rome and Moscow, then, could have profound implications also for the cultural and liturgical life of the Church in the West. There could be a renewal of Christian art and culture, as well as of faith.

I'm all about a renewal of Christian art and culture :)

New icon

2009-09-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

I was getting pretty good about posting here regularly, but have recently been sidetracked by my efforts to create a new portfolio website for myself. I'm very excited about it, and couldn't resist sharing a preview of the new logo/icon graphic I created from the knot shape in the previous post. As promised, I have "web 2.0-ified" it using some Adobe Illustrator tricks: