A few days ago I met a very well known artist/potter. I had a chance to show him some of the stuff I was working on and get some suggestions from him on drawing and painting. He is more than 80 years of age...has grown up in Shantiniketan with Rabindra nath tagore and also worked with Gandhi. His childlike way of looking at things was very beautiful though. With each thing one could see he was fully involved, feeling the space around him......he showed my his own sketches from his student days more than 60 years ago....looking at the yellow pages of the notebook it felt like holding a old treasure. But it was so interesting to see how he drew....Earlier when he told me that there was stiffness in my hand and I should loosen up, I kind of understood....but when i saw his work, it opened something up within me.
Today after that meeting when I drew I felt something different from within.....as though i had loosened up....as though it didn't matter. I realized how on an unconcious level one gets so attached to what one is making, one is so conditioned to being right or wrong.....but his saying - nothing is wrong or right...even though i knew it....when i drew without hesitation, without worrying about the right'ness' or wrong'ness' of what i was doing....drawing became a totally different experience. I felt like i was just simply flowing with the drawing..........these are some that came out of that experience today.....
This letting loose is something I want to bring more into me as I work.....this state of being very intense and aware and yet relaxed...............