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Inner Eye, Susan’s wonderful drawing challenge

Last week, Ariane announced that Susan had offered “Inner Eye” as this weekend’s drawing challenge.

I happily jumped at the chance to participate. Inner eye, how hard can that be?

Turns out that it was pretty hard for me. I don’t mean difficult as in technique, I mean difficult as in feeling satisfied with an image to depict the subject.

I think I drove Robert crazy with the constant reevaluating.

At first I broke down the inner eye, the third eye, the Sanskrit Ajna, the Shiva Hakini, three petals of the white lotus, moon and sun, my yoga practice…there’s too much, you know? In the end I was most satisfied with the white lotus, and that’s what I started to draw and then paint.

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The painting evolved any old way along my favourite “as the cell divides” method. I used pencils and inks and pens and acrylics and watercolours and charcoals.

I still have Mucha in my mind and so it took on a somewhat Art Nouveau bend. I still have Klimt in my mind and so some of Klimt’s colours and shapes popped in. And, by this morning, I put this painting down and had a big sigh.

I’m not satisfied with it.

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The more I looked at the white lotus on that yellow, golden background, the more I wasn’t satisfied with it, the more I came to Poe.

The lotus reminded of my favourite Poe story, Silence, a Fable, and the following:
“The waters of the river have a saffron and sickly hue –and they flow not onwards to the sea, but palpitate forever and forever beneath the red eye of the sun with a tumultuous and convulsive motion. For many miles on either side of the river’s oozy bed is a pale desert of gigantic water-lilies. They sigh one unto the other in that solitude, and stretch towards the heaven their long ghastly necks, and nod to and fro their everlasting heads.”

And, while I read it, I looked at the amazing art of William Heath Robinson.

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And this afternoon I picked up a page of Chums; a boy’s magazine from 1910.

I started to draw the white lotus again, ghastly and ghostly in it’s sickly hued morass, sighing, unto the others.

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This time I’m satisfied. 😀

Come have a look at Susan’s site and our friends’ wonderful ideas about this challenge.

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Comments: 14

  • Christie

    July 5, 2014
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    They are both wonderful, each in their own way…but I do prefer the second one. And I love the art by Robinson. I’m off to check out more of his work. Thank you for the suggestion.

  • July 5, 2014
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    Both have merit, the first has colour and energy and the latter has the appeal of flow and simple elegance.

  • catherine

    July 5, 2014
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    maybe the first one could represent ‘outer eye’ – I too love them both – the first one inspires my optimism and appreciative outward looking, the second one inspires my reflection and inward looking

  • July 5, 2014
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    I think they both are good but I also prefer the second. The first is more illustrative and the second has more layers. That may fit more with the theme.

  • July 6, 2014
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    ha ha ha… thank you for taking us down your winding paths and such a good idea to not let your quest rest, because what turned out a sketch really was the perfect onset for your eventual result on chums. it is gorgeous, so sumptuous! the colour blue is divine. oh and mucha, hé, as you said it, i saw it. too right. i bet prague is still very much on your mind, and so it should be. i’m beginning to long to go and see prague for myself! n?

  • July 6, 2014
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    Two lovely & different interpretations ….I see the influence of Klimt in the first…& love the layers & colors of the second !

  • July 6, 2014
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    both pieces are gorgeous! how wonderful that you did not give up, inspired to create two beauties. loved reading your thoughts, info and processes.

  • July 6, 2014
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    Well done to keep going, not giving up! Obviously there was more to say. A good reminder to us. Thanks, Veronica.
    Next week’s DC is at my place. Joining?

  • sus

    July 7, 2014
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    I am agog – at the diversity, first, and second at the power of the Poe quote and where it sent you with the White Lotus. Thank you for taking us on this inner journey, v.
    -sus

  • daryledelstein

    July 7, 2014
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    its always lovely to see behind your creations … xo

  • July 7, 2014
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    wow they are so different and yet the quality of your drawing is equally wonderful- but yes different mood- perhaps the third eye is all of the above so to speak- so it would be a challenge to satisfy- maybe you should keep going 🙂

  • July 8, 2014
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    Hey why do not you like the first job, I’ll tell you that I like better than the second (on the page of the book) and not only has “some” Mucha and Klimt. I would say it has a lot of Gaugin! Not that your second lotus is not good, is fine, but it’s just that I like the first. :9

  • July 8, 2014
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    ;^))
    not being satisfied, boy, do i know that!
    but
    they both fine in such different ways
    of the first i like it’s spontaneity, the way you had to ‘travel’
    the second one a beauty, that wonderful blue
    and that old page, ‘silence’, wauw…
    all together such a fine post!
    thank you

    x
    Patrice A.

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