andreweverett360 Art, Book Review

The Art of Responsive Drawing


The Art of Responsive Drawing
by Nathan Goldstein (1927-2013)

I was prompted to read this book after a discussion with an art professor about what makes a work of art compelling. I commented that spontaneous gesture drawings can capture an intangible quality—energy, attitude, spirit—that is often lost in more technically resolved drawings and paintings. How does an artist preserve the initial spark of interest in a more complete work?

Nathan Goldstein writes about the expressive character of a drawing—that is to say, its psychological appeal grounded by the fundamentals of representational drawing: gesture, shape, line, value, perspective and foreshortening, volume, color, and composition.

“The best drawings always disclose a blend of facts and feelings, and to displace intuition and empathy with a dry intellectual examination of a subject’s structural condition upsets the necessary and delicate balance between discipline and indulgence that gives master drawings their individual character and spirit.”

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andreweverett360 Book Review, Career

Success Built to Last: Creating a Life That Matters

success-built-to-last


Success Built to Last: Creating a Life That Matters
by Jerry Porras, Stewart Emery, Mark Thompson

This book is about common traits of what the authors call “enduringly successful people” or “builders.”  The findings are the result of original research.

“The traditional definition of success was resoundingly trounced in this survey, as well as our personal interviews… Nowhere in the dictionary definition do you find any reference to finding meaning, fulfillment, happiness, and lasting relationships. No mention of feeling fully alive while engaged and connected with a calling that matters to you.”

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