‘bike sketch’ copyright Kate Forman 2014
A former co-worker of mine recently sent me this fantastic article about an artist with down syndrome, her art reminded him of a former client of ours. It’s not a very long read, but it is empathic and inspiring. It touches on the therapeutic use of art in clinical settings, and the use of art to serve the individual art maker — two things I’m very interested in. The article doesn’t specifically mention the use of art therapy, but it does provide a nice snap shot of how powerfully therapeutic art can be amongst populations that are often misunderstood and underestimated. In addition, it eloquently illustrates the potential power of art to support our greatest personal image: “She also found respect and deference as her talent blossomed.” Ah, what a sentence. What a goal for art making. What a reason to make art.
This week I’m trying to go Christmas shopping, and get out our Christmas cards, and convince my little ladies that naps are necessary every day, and, in the case of my little bean, should be enjoyed more than once a day. I haven’t left myself much time for art making, but I’ve still got my magic sketchbook, and a few quick sketches here and there are making me feel good. Specifically, I’m working on some hand-drawn font, and I’m drawing bicycles. I’ve been intimidated by bike drawing my entire drawing life — I’ve actually creatively avoided it in illustration assignments. Bikes beguiled me, but lately I started thinking of a painting that I’d like to do, and it requires a bike. So, I went on line and found a few “this is how to draw a bike” tutorials. As it turns out, I LOVE drawing bikes. Spirals and movement, line and balance — it’s all there. I should have gotten in touch with my inner bike drawer a long time ago.
I hope your Thanksgiving (if you celebrated it) was absolutely lovely — warm and nourishing. And that your holiday season is filled with light, and that you’ve also been doing things that wrap you in joy.
Kate Forman Illustration 