MERIEL LINDLEY

Heather

























A sketchbook page of blind-contour drawings done during a session of Seeing Meditation classes this past summer. 

Meriel started getting to know her subject this way, drawing with a pen while keeping her eyes only on her subject and not looking at the page. This kind of drawing is invaluable to mastering the ability to draw what is really there and avoid the pitfalls of drawing what we think we see. The left hemisphere of the brain likes shorthand and generalizations. This technique gets the brain to switch hemisphere's to the right side, which is all about details and the visual.

I love the truth of these drawings. They can be all over the place but they capture the true shapes and individuality of the subject.
























And here is the painting that followed. A charmingl page reminiscent of an old fashioned book plate.

Watermelon

Serendipity at work in the studio... Meriel dropped her watermelon on the floor and it cracked, inspiring her to paint it as it emerged in all its flawed perfection.

Ornamental Corn









































This cob of coloured jewels presented quite a challenge both in the drawing and the painting. Getting the distinctive regular/irregular pattern of kernels without going cross-eyes was followed by painting each one with its center of light and specific markings.

With a subject as complex as this it can help to find ways to mark your place... Meriel used coloured tape dots at intervals and counted her way between them to make sure everything matched up. 

Taking on a cob of corn is the equivalent of reading a very thick novel, perfect for the artist that like to spend a long time with the same companion. If you're a short-story sort of person you might want to reconsider!