What Is Kinesthetic Artwork?
My Kinesthetic Artwork starts with a drawing done by not looking at the paper while I draw. It is more than a blind or contour drawing which can be done by anyone at any age. When portraying dancers and musicians, I draw from my awareness of body movement as an Alexander Technique teacher, a Thai Yoga Therapist and a dancer myself.
I may peek at my drawing if it is a complex one but I stop drawing while I peek. Also, I sometimes add a few details afterward when necessary like a line here, a dot there. Only then do I choose those drawings that lend themselves to adding pastel color and turn them into pastel and acrylic art pieces.
Dry pastel are very messy and many drawings were lost because the dry pastel got smeared irremediably onto the drawing. That is why each layer needs a coat of fixative. I add many layers of various tone and colors to give it depth and just the right feel.
They are fun to do and I was not always able to draw that freely. I had to decide to get the intellect out of the way so I took the critical vision out of the creative process.
Give it a shot, you may surprise yourself!
Shadow boxes versus Mixed Media in 18 x 24
Apart from the obvious difference of size and framing style, the main difference is that with the shadow boxes artwork, I started with seeing something I liked and created my version of it. With the other pieces, I drew from a live nude model and then used the drawing as a point of departure to suggest the feel of the piece which evolved in something often unrelated to the original drawing. Imagination and spontaneity plays a bigger part. Also I was trying to expand my comfort zone and sometimes allow myself to be messy as life can be sometimes!