The Good of a Bad Story

T. is a good kid, but like many good kids, he still gets himself into a little bit of trouble now and again. Today, T. was challenging a substitute teacher, nothing major, but enough that the narrative found its way back to me. I pulled him aside on his way back from lunch.

Painting Goals

I've had to be kind to myself as I have tried to find time to draw and paint more.  I set the goal of completing 25 acrylic paintings by the end of June.  It was a good goal, but, with only 10 paintings currently completed, I have little hope of achieving my objective.  Still, the effort has been beneficial.

John Haines

I wish I had discovered John Haines sooner.

I am nearly 50 years old and only stumbled onto his writings a few months ago. I wish I had found  "The Tree" or "Poem of the Wintry Fisherman" twenty-five years ago. I want to think I would have been just as inspired by his writing then as I am now.  I want to think I would have felt the same connection and been inspired to greater works.  However, I am sure his words would not have had the same meaning for me. I was immature and felt unrooted.  I wasn't ready.  What I have now, that I lacked then, is a greater connection to "place."  I understand better how place--the small towns and big cities, the people and the land--have shaped me and my perspectives.

Rediscovering Art

In 2016, I became the Dean of Students at Venture High School and in 2018 I moved into a principal position at Venture Academy.  The move into administration brought with it an increase in responsibility and work hours.  I still tried to maintain a sketchbook and draw or paint when I could, however, art was relegated to a lesser role in my life.

Time for Edification

I don't normally share my personal views online, but today, the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak have compelled me to reflect on what is most important in life.

Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show

Between 2005 and 2013, I had the privelege of contributing art to twenty-two issues of Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show. Sadly, the online magazine printed its final issue in 2019. It will be missed. Below are a few of the illustrations I created for the magazine.

Beskar Vader

© 2020 Kevin Wasden

What if Vader wore Beskar armor?  And, what if Vader wielded the Dark Saber and led the Mandalorians?  That, I believe, would be an interesting story.

The Island of Doctor Necreaux

© Kevin Wasden

A couple years ago I was asked to contribute to the second edition of The Island of Doctor Necreaux, a cooperative adventure game created by Jonathan Leistiko.

Outwitted, by Edwin Markham

One of my favorite poems is Edwin Markham's "Outwitted," published in 1915's Shoes of Happiness.  I decided to translate this poem into Spanish for practice.

The Black Heralds (Los Heraldos Negros), by Cesar Vallejo

I am fascinated with the process of translating poetry from Spanish to English, or vice versa.  It is a challenge, which ultimately is what draws me in.  To simply change the words of a poem from Spanish to English is easy, but to capture the soul of the poem, that is difficult. 

Poem 20 (Poema 20), by Pablo Neruda

While serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (1990-1992) in southern Chile, I began to hear of Pablo Neruda.  I had always felt a fondness for poetry, and Neruda quickly became one of my favorite poets.  Following my mission, I took a class at Utah State University on Spanish Literature, which I absolutely loved and which expanded my interest in Neruda, as well as other Hispanic poets.  Unfortunately, for many years, I haven't read as much poetry as I would have liked.  Recently, I have sought to remedy that problem.

Building a Positive School Community: The Community Stewardship Model

“. . . community life does not organize itself in an enduring way purely spontaneously. It requires thought and planning ahead. The educator is responsible for knowledge of individuals and for a knowledge of subject-matter that will enable activities to be selected which lend themselves to social organization, an organization in which all individuals have an opportunity to contribute something, and in which the activities in which all participate are the chief carrier of control.”

-John Dewey, Experience & Education (1938)

Successful teaching and learning are largely dependent on the community structures created by administrators and teachers.  Educators can--and should-- shape supportive communities that foster positive learning experiences and give greater meaning to learning.

What is a Positive School Community?

The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology describes community as “people having something in common, although there is much debate about precisely what that thing is”(1).  Another article describes community as “a group of people with diverse characteristics who are linked by social ties, share common perspectives, and engage in joint action”(2). Others contend that a community is a group of people sharing a common geographical area, however many argue against a proximity requirement, stating that technology has created virtual communities that are as fulfilling as “real” communities (3).  I recently posed the question, “What is community?”, to a class of students at Venture High School. Through discussion, they crafted the following definitions: "a group of people working toward a common good,” “a group with similar values that support each other,” and “a feeling of safety and welcoming.”

Learning to See

   

As an art teacher, I learned early on that drawing is rooted in perception, and not so much about motor skill.  In class, I like to spout little catchy cliches, like, "Look longer, see more" or "Art is an action of the eye before it is a work of the hand."  Or, as some people much more famous and important than me have said, "People who look hardest in the end will be good artists" (David Hockney) and "It is my contention that most people, including many artists, do not use their eyes to really see, but only to identify objects" (Fletcher Martin).  It's not unusual for me to take away a student's pencil while she works on an observation drawing and tell her bluntly, "Now draw."  Many of my students probably think I'm a little crazy (they may be right), but there is method to my madness, and it's always satisfying when a student learns to use their "eyes to really see," not simply to identify objects.

Today, a student brought in a lion drawing she created in 10th grade (above, on the left).  She--now a 12th grader--wanted to compare it to a recent lion drawing she created a couple months ago (seen above, on the right).   As I'm sure you'll notice, there is a notable difference, which is due to the development of this student's willingness to use her eyes to really see.

Can you spot the differences?

I was never really happy with my painting, "Long Voyage In A Small Boat." It had been sitting on a shelf in my classroom for about a year and it never felt like it was complete.  I had given up early on a few parts.  I finally decided to revisit it and rework some areas.  Can you spot the differences (other than some obvious color corrections)?

New

Old

    

Prints of the new version are available at INPRNT.com.  

Guiding Light

Here is another in a long series of paintings that I start then set aside for a year, then return to.  It's a problem I have.  I blame my attention span which probably hasn't improved since 5th grade.

As for the painting . . .
There comes a time when each of us must find the truth for ourselves and be guided by our own faith.
Oils over acrylics on canvas.

Prepping to Paint, Part 2

I'm progressing slowly on this because a number of other projects have priority, but I wanted to post a photo of the second step on this project/experiment.  After "fixing" the powdered charcoal and ink, I then applied a generous coat of white glue over the canvases.  While the glue was still wet, I painted a fairly even coat of cadmium red medium acrylic on top of the glue.  As it dried, the glue pulled and cracked the paint, exposing the charcoal beneath.  I really enjoy watching the random beauty that occurs through this process.  Now  I just need to figure out what to paint on them.

My Brain on the Shelf

    

Late last night I decided to organize my "library", which is a single wall of bookshelves that I built in my basement last year.  I promised my wife I would confine my book collection to those shelves, which has become a problem because the shelves are already full.  Basically, that means for every new book I buy, I have to get rid of an old book to make room.

Prepping to Paint

One of the things I like best about my painting of Virginia Woolf  is the texture created by layering charcoal, white glue, and acrylic paint.  Tonight, I laid the groundwork for two small paintings using the same technique. I used General's powdered charcoal and a spray bottle with water to apply the charcoal across the canvases. I then experimented by dropping ink onto the canvases as well.  Overall, I like the effect.  Much of it will be lost as I apply glue and paint, but elements of it will sneak through, helping make the final painting more visually interesting.

Layering with Elmer's Glue and Acrylic Paint

Today I tried something new, at least for me.  It wasn't the path I planned to take, but in the end it was better.