Friday, August 03, 2007

Why do we draw?

Why do we draw? What makes us put pencil to paper and make marks that resemble the world around us? What makes us crave to learn how to better represent ourselves artistically and to seek out the company of like minded people?

I'm doing some exercises in fur in a class and find myself wondering these things as I do them. I already know how to draw fur, so why do I want to do this class? Will I find a secret, special way to draw that will be my eureka moment or do I simply need to reaffirm that I am doing something correctly and do have the capacity to learn nuances of technique or style that improve my ability to draw?

Humans have been making marks on stone walls, trees and forest floors for thousands of years. Was it decorative then or did it serve another purpose? Why do you draw?

2 comments:

Rose Welty said...

Jeanette,

What a good question! At first glance, I thought I knew, but now that I think about it, I'm not so sure. I've always admired those who could draw, seeing a good drawing always makes me want to be able to do that. But now that I draw on a regular basis I find that I just enjoy the process and challenge - perhaps I've always just been a nerd and finally found an arena that feels much more comfortable than the rest of life...that seems to be overstating it. Hmm, I'm just not sure. What a good question.

Jeanette Jobson said...

Rose, I've thought about this long and hard and still wonder why I draw. I do so for a number of reasons - one simply because I can, but I am trying to understand what it is inside me that drives me to produce something on paper or canvas.

It is a difficult question to answer indeed.