As I sit here thinking about drawing, I am honestly blown
away. It can be so simple yet so complicated; it can be the perfect activity
for a three year old or an eighty year old. When I was little I always looked
up to my mom and grandmother’s artistic abilities. My grandma paints porcelain
miniatures with delicate one-hair paintbrushes and my mom was a designer. Even
though she helped design the old Canada Dry can or multiple Express stores, her
bubble letters always impressed me (that’s probably the main reason I used to
practice drawing). After years of
doodling my bubble letters still aren’t as good, but I am constantly reassured
that in 20 years maybe they will be. A large part of me is very impatient about
drawing, but over time I have learned that time is the best thing you can put
into a piece of art.
In 6th, 7th, and 8th grade my
school required us to take two of the follow: visual arts, dance, theater, and
music. I kept an open mind and tried all four at some point. When it came to
high school, one of our graduation requirements was to complete 2 years of one
of the 4 arts. My freshman year I took drawing and have taken visual arts ever
since. I tried ceramics and painting in the following years, but drawing always
seemed like home base. The class really enforced the basics. I learned how to
draw from observation and the importance of shading and values. We were taught
to keep working on our drawings even after we thought we were finished. Although
very often I was frustrated with my work, I was always happy with the final
project. Art was a forced break in my day that I always found was necessary.
This class and my past inspired me to take this drawing class at Duke. With my
premed classes art seemed to be the perfect way to break up my schedule and
slowly get to be as good as my mom and grandma. I really enjoyed this class.
The first half of the semester was really nice to reinforce the basics. Learning
the significance of the line, the eraser, and the values. Somehow a drawing can
come to life using only one color. Although the charcoal sometimes gave the
drawing an unanticipated feeling, the final piece it always better than I thought.
Although jumping into the landscapes was frightening, it was a great learning
experience. I am truly proud to see how far my work has come from the
beginning.
-Becca Fisher
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