Art & volunteers

The Thinker
Pen & Ink, coloured pencil 8 x 10
copyright Jeanette Jobson

I have worked for most of my professional life with volunteers and for volunteers. I also am a volunteer myself in the art world. I worked on the board of directors of my local art association and am a volunteer teacher/moderator on an online art forum and have done for the last two years.

For those who don't work in the non profit industry - or the art industry for that matter - volunteering is a foreign and often dirty word to them. 'Why would you work for nothing?' I hear over and over again. 'What? A meeting at night?'

Volunteers are simply staff that aren't paid for what they do. I treat them the same way I do staff and as a volunteer, I expect to be treated equally well. And I also expect that the effort that I put into volunteering does not cause undue stress or that I am used or abused in that position.

In the world of art online, people expect a lot from an art forum. They never consider that what they are getting is some of the finest instruction from experienced artists for free. And often they come to expect - or demand - it and more without fully realizing the work that behind the scenes to make the finished product come to them or the fact that these individuals also have jobs and lives besides their volunteer roles.

So try to understand what volunteers do in your community; the impact they make; the work that is carried out by them and the dollars that are saved by local and federal governments through the work of volunteers.

Comfort curls

Shannon I
line drawing 11 x 14
copyright Jeanette Jobson

I'm taking a little break from the tomatoes and spent the weekend sketching, photographing scenery and starting the line drawing for a new portrait.

Weekends for me are full, too full usually as I try to cram in things I can't accomplish during the week. Sometimes things fit, many times they don't but I still try to do what I can between getting some R & R.

This line drawing is of a friend's daughter who is three. I love how when she sucks her thumb for comfort/habit, her other hand immediately goes to her hair where she twirls a curl. She has lovely red hair, a lively personality and is adorable. I took some photos of her when I visited earlier this year and finally am getting around to actually starting a drawing. I haven't decided on the medium for this one yet and I have another image of her that may translate into an oil painting.

Another update

Heirlooms
coloured pencil 9 x 12
copyright Jeanette Jobson

I've added more layers and expanded the drawing. The Colourfix is reaching its saturation point in areas so I'm using a light hand and trying not to add more than I have to. I want to make sure the surface of the skin looks realistic and need to soften the highlights a little as well as work on the far right tomato and the leaf section of the bottom one.

I quite like using this paper. Its a unique support for cp and takes a little getting used to to be able to achieve the effects you want.

Arts cuts

Envy

Available from my shop in Etsy.
Support handmade!

I don't often post about politics, but this piece has provoked me enough to do so.

There are a lot of misperceptions about the arts -whether visual, literary, theatre or music. In Canada, the Conservative government dropped $45 million in funding from arts programming and now the 'defence' of the action just seems to ensure that Conservative will not be the box of choice to tick on October 14th.

The perception of those involved in arts from the government's perspective came out in this article.

The Conservative Leader Stephen Harper defended slashing $45 million from the arts budget and dismissed mounting criticism by calling it a "niche" issue that doesn't resonate with "ordinary" Canadians.

In his strongest statements to date over the cuts, Harper said regular Canadians see a "bunch of people, you know, at a rich gala all subsidized by taxpayers claiming their subsidies aren't high enough, when they know those subsidies have actually gone up."

The Globe and Mail adds further in this article.

In his first detailed defence of $45-million in controversial cuts to arts and culture funding, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper called his party's decisions good governance and said the government must walk “a fine line” between providing financial stability and “funding things that people actually don't want.”

I prefer Rick Mercer's poking fun at the government's statement in his program The Rick Mercer Report. Rick is a Newfoundland comedian with host of successful programs - and wit behind him.

Listen to his version here.

This monologue about the arts cuts is by Darrin White, Mudderings blog.


What is the status of arts funding where you live? And, if you are in Canada, what are your thoughts about the cuts?

Heirloom update

Heirlooms
coloured pencil 9 x 12
copyright Jeanette Jobson

I've made a little more progress on this drawing of heirloom tomatoes. These are mostly Brandywine fruit in this piece and they come in many shapes and shades. One of my favourites is the dull red/green ribbed one on the left.

People complain that the Colourfix paper 'eats' coloured pencils. Yes the pencils do wear down more quickly but not at the rate that I was expected based on what others have said. I'll keep experimenting with the paper and have to say that I quite like the surface so far.