Adria Arch

Big Nazo is awesome! Its a group of performance artists who create wild and wacky costumes from foam rubber coated with latex and acrylic paint. Big Nazo gave a demo at the DeCordova Museum last weekend.

This week my students worked from a female figure model. The object was to capture movement and paint what the model is doing , not what she looks like. In other words, look for the gesture of the movement, and don't get caught up in trying to make the painting look proportional, or even look like the model! Students painted rapidly, creating a painting every minute or so. We painted using sponges and brushes. One of the most successful exercises was one in which the contours of the model were laid down in less than a minute - then each student moved to the right and painted on their neighbor's paper. Students continued to move to the right until they came back around to their own piece of paper.

This Monday, my Intuitive Painting class at the Arlington Center for the Arts painted "Recipe" paintings. Each student was given a list of 12 "ingredients" like 5 hot red dots, 6 sad blue puddles, etc., to place on a sheet of paper. The only rule - no brushes! This forced the students to use paint in ways they never would have normally, yet the security was in following the list of ingredients.

"Boston Paints" at Endicott College - the reception was last night, and I went to see how the show looks. I am very excited that three of the works completed this summer at Vermont Studio Center are on display. They are works on paper, and hang free like scrolls from a hidden metal bar at the top of each column. Glyph Columns 1, 2, and 3.

I am teaching a class at the Arlington Center for the Arts called "Intuitive Painting". What is it? I know it when I see it. I know it when I am doing it. It is not an easy thing to teach - but I do feel that students can practice this kind of painting at any level. First, you have to let go of your judging, self-conscious mind. Not an easy thing to do. Our first exercise was to paint with children's tempera paints to music - to completely engage in the act of letting the paint flow where it wants to go in rhythm to the sounds you hear. The second exercise was to paint "The Nub of Me". Meditate on that phrase, and paint what comes to mind. Next class, we'll make paintings from a recipe - and no brushes allowed! Kudos to my friend Jeanne Williamson for getting a big plug in the Globe for curating a fiber art show! Kudos to me for getting into a few good shows this season! 1. Edge, juried by Clark Gallery directors Dana Salvo and Dawn Southworth, will open in ...