Finding Balance

drawing #8 WIP - tap dance series

graphite on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

This week I went with my family to see the documentary "Being Elmo". It is the story of how Kevin Clash became the puppeteer behind Sesame Street's most beloved monster.

It is an excellent film about a man who followed his passion to become one of the most respected professionals in his field. I highly recommend the movie!

Based on the trailer, I expected the feel-good side of this story. But within this uplifting story there was also a little regret.

Mr. Clash spoke about how the demand for Elmo meant he that he traveled a lot and worked many hours. His passion for his work took him away from home and his daughter. You could see his sadness at missing out on some of the moments in her life.

I really appreciated his honesty on that topic. It was good to see that mastery doesn't come without tough choices. Many times that detail is glossed over in Cinderella-like stories of success.

But the truth is, everyone has to find a balance - the combination of working towards mastery of something they love and living the rest of their life - that works for them. It is often a trial and error process of testing different combinations until you find the balance that feels right.

Mastery is not a gift that some lucky people are just born with. It is the result of action, choices, decision and hard work.

I regularly evaluate the choices I am making to see if they support the balance that is important to me. I check to see if my actions support my priorities of family life, taking care of my health and spending time on my passion (art). If I've gotten off track, then it is time to start making different choices.

My balancing act this week included fitting studio time and some exercise in around our Christmas preparations. I tried a new-to-me approach this past Monday.

Monday was a cool, overcast day and as soon as I crawled out of my warm, cozy bed I was chilly. I have learned from experience that when I sit still at my studio table for a few hours I often get cold. I am too "in the zone" when I am working to notice it happening, but once I stop I realize I am quite chilled! (It doesn't take much to get me cold. My husband claims I only have a 5 degree temperature window in which I am actually comfortable.)

I decided to try and avoid the chill by chopping up my exercise into intervals. I started with about 7 minutes of brisk walking on the treadmill. Then I spent an hour drawing. Followed by another 7 to 8 minutes of walking, an hour of drawing, etc.

At the end of my time I had managed about two and a half hours of drawing and two and a half miles of walking! And after my first interval of walking I wasn't cold the rest of the day! This is a balancing tactic that I will definitely use again.

My drawing time was spent working on the above tap piece. I am really happy with how it is coming together.

Upcoming Local Exhibit and Work in Process Update

drawing #8 WIP - tap dance series

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

I have some good news to share! There is going to be another opportunity this year to view my artwork in my local community of Bethlehem, PA.

I know quite a few people lamented the fact that they were not able to attend my Open Studio in September. If you were one of those people, please read on. (Even if you weren't, please read on anyway. There are other details that might interest you.)

On Sunday November 6th I am thrilled to be exhibiting my artwork at the Tap Ties' Day of Dance and Friendship!

The wonderful Tap Ties ladies are hosting a fun filled afternoon of tap master classes followed by an informal performance and reception. The classes are open to intermediate and advanced tap dancers ages 12 and over. The reception and performance is open both to dancers and non-dancers. See their website for more information.

The Tap Ties directors have graciously invited me to exhibit my artwork during the event. My art will be on display outside of the dance room during all the classes and the reception. I will be showing a variety of pieces including (but not limited to) drawings and related products from my tap dance series. It is the perfect time to start holiday shopping for the tap dance lover or art lover in your life!
Click here for directions and a map.

The details...
Tap Ties Day of Dance and Friendship
Sunday, November 6, 2011
2pm - 6:30pm
Moravian College Dance Studio
Johnston Hall, Elizabeth Avenue
Bethlehem, PA

About the art...
The image above is a work in progress shot for what will become the next drawing in my tap dance series. I absolutely love my reference photo - another one snapped at a Tap Ties choreography session. I chose to use graphite for this image because of the subtle tones in the background and floor. Since I am using graphite, this drawing is moving a bit slower than my last two charcoal pieces did, but I think it is going to be worth it in the end.

And for the sake of complete disclosure, I will say that shortly after snapping this photo, I saw some things that I wanted to change so I spent a little quality time with an eraser. That certainly didn't speed up my progress any, but I'm happy with the changes which is all that really matters.

In the Studio - May 25, 2011

Since yesterday was National Tap Dance Day, I thought I would post another update of the tap drawing I am working on.

drawing #8 WIP2 - Tap Dance Series

approx 8.25" x 11.5" graphite on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

National Tap Dance Day is a celebration of  tap dancing as an American art form. May 25th was chosen for this day of celebration because it is the anniversary of tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson's birthday.

The image above shows approximately 4 to 4 1/2 hours of additional work since the image posted on May 19th. People often ask me how long a drawing takes, so I thought these two shots would give an indictation of my pace for graphite work.

I worked on this drawing some more today and spent about 3 hours darkening the pant leg on the right hand side of the drawing. (I'm not sure the values above are exactly right. I didn't adjust my scan until after I had already put in the additional work so I was relying on memory!) I'm hoping that the right hand pant leg is now finally dark enough.

In the Studio - May 18, 2011

This is what I worked on in the studio today.

drawing #8 WIP - Tap Dance Series

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Actually this was today's starting point. After taking this scan, I put in about 3 hours working mostly on darkening the pant leg on the left and toning down some of the highlights on the right pant leg.

It has been a while since I did a graphite drawing. Graphite work takes me to an interesting place. On one hand adding the layers of graphite to build up the values is an almost meditative practice. On the other hand I sometimes get frustrated because building the darker values is such a slow process. So I flip back and forth between feeling very peaceful and zen-like, and feeling impatient and anxious to make progress.

Knowing this I normally start with the darkest areas because once I have them in the rest of the drawing goes pretty quickly.

The Farmers' Market Opens!

Last Sunday was a day that I have been waiting for since November. I have been waiting for it with the eagerness of a child waiting for Christmas. On Sunday our local farmers' market opened for the 2011 season. Hallelujah!

I love the farmers' market. (I felt I had to say that in case it wasn't obvious.)

Not only does it supply me with super fresh, super delicious local produce, meats, cheeses and breads, but it also provides a wealth of painting ideas and models that are known to sit very still. Well..., unless someone comes along and decides to steal the model for a snack before I am done my painting.

Farmers' Market Spring Bounty

photo ©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

We've had a very wet and cool spring so I wasn't sure what would be available at this first market of the season. I was pleasantly surprised!

We came home with several different types of greens (arugula, pea shoots and leaf lettuce) as well as asparagus and mushrooms! We also picked up a scrumptious focaccia and some locally made salsa. We bought the mild salsa and were happy to find that it was very tasty and had a slight kick which built the more you ate.

Sunday Lunch!

photo ©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

We also stocked up on some locally raised chicken and bison since our freezer was empty!

I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be back to eating locally grown produce. The stuff shipped into the grocery stores over the winter just can't compare. This is our third or fourth year shopping at the market and I wonder now what took me so long to give it a try.

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In other news, for those of you who live close to Bethlehem, PA, this Saturday is the Tap Ties National Tap Dance Day Celebration.

I will be selling my tap dance series of note cards, prints and posters (new this year!) both at the Banana Factory during the daytime workshops and in the evening at Foy Concert Hall before the performance. If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello!

I will also be performing with other members of my advanced tap class. Tickets are available in the lobby prior to the show if anyone wants to see why I am a professional artist and not an professional dancer. Click the link above for more information and directions.

Jumping Off Point - Tap Dance Series Charcoal Drawing

"Jumping Off Point"

18" x 24" charcoal on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Available

This is my newest charcoal drawing. I finished it earlier this month and then had to wait for a bright day to snap a photograph of it. (And I might try again since I'm not 100% happy with this shot.)

I had so much fun working on this drawing. As with the rest of the series, my "jumping off point" for this drawing was the motion. I love how everything is moving in the drawing except that front foot, and I love the contrast between the sharp detail of that foot and the softer lines and edges in the legs.

This drawing is bigger than my other charcoal pieces in the series. I wanted to create a sense of space for all of this motion to take place in without feeling cramped. I also worked to create a feeling of distance between the front foot and the back foot. It is a big movement and I wanted to convey that to the viewer.

My model for this drawing is my friend and tap teacher Rochelle Haynes. I met her when I began taking the Tap Ties advanced tap class and I was blown away by her talent. She has a style of dance that is very intricate and that squeezes so many sounds into a single eight count. But somehow her dancing never looks hurried and she manages such clarity in each of the sounds. She makes it look and sound easy, but I can tell you from experience that it is not!

In addition to choreographing some wonderfully complex and intricate pieces she occasionally also pulls out some mad tricks to challenge the class. The reference for this drawing is a shot of her landing after one of those special moves. It might have been some kind of wing, but I was watching through the camera lens so I'm not really sure.

Rochelle was an awesome muse and I have many references from our photo shoot. I am sure you will be seeing the product of some of those references again in this series.

Thank you Rochelle! When I grow up I would be thrilled to be half as good at tap as you.

Spreading Sunshine - Tap Dance Series Watercolor

"Spreading Sunshine"

24" x 18" watercolor on paper

©2010 Stacy L. Rowan

Available

Finally I am sharing with you my first watercolor in my tap dance series! I am not sure why it took me so long, but I am glad I am doing it now.

My model for this painting was the creative and talented Germaine Salsberg. She was in town creating choreography for the Tap Ties company and agreed to allow me to come to several rehearsals and take pictures. I tried to act very suave and professional but truthfully I was a little star struck.

The first rehearsal I attended Ms. Salsberg was wearing these wonderful yellow shoes. I loved them and knew immediately that I had to paint them! What could possibly be more fun than tap dancing in yellow shoes? Well, maybe painting a tap dancer in yellow shoes, but not a whole lot else.

When it came to naming the piece, I wanted to reference the shoes because they were my inspiration. Since I view tap dancing as a dance of joy, "Spreading Sunshine" just seemed to fit.

This is the largest piece in my tap dance series and for now the only watercolor. (Although I have more planned!) It is currently on display at the William Ris Gallery in Stone Harbor, NJ. I hope you like it.

Tap Drawings at the Daylesford Abbey Show

I thought I would post some of the art I have on display at the Daylesford Abbey Art Show for those of you who either can't make the show, or who want to see what I am displaying before you make up your mind.

I decided to start by sharing the three drawings from my tap dance series which are in the show.

"Dancing Feet"

8" x 10" graphite on paper

©2010 Stacy L. Rowan

This is the first time I am showing "Dancing Feet" on the blog. The drawing was created from one of my reference photos of the lovely and very talented Germaine Salsberg. I did this drawing as a preliminary piece to a much larger watercolor (which I promise to share here soon).

"Icebreaker"

14" x 18" graphite on paper

©2009 Stacy L. Rowan

My "models" for the other two drawings are both Tap Ties company members - Melody Kline (above) and Amy Smith (below). The Tap Ties ladies have been wonderfully supportive of this series of drawings and paintings and have allowed me to photograph a number of their rehearsals, for which I am forever grateful.

"Keep on Your Toes"

18" x 14" charcoal on paper

©2009 Stacy L. Rowan

Straight Talk - Tap Dance Series Charcoal Drawing

Straight Talk

18" x 14" charcoal on paper

©2010 Stacy L. Rowan

Available through William Ris Gallery

Straight Talk is the second charcoal drawing in my tap dance series. It may look familiar since I showed the start to it here.

Although this drawing shows a simpler step with only one foot in motion, the movement is still what attracted me to the reference.

I love that the foot on the right is a balance of movement and sharper, almost still areas. The best tap dances also have a balance of movement and stillness. A perfectly placed pause gives the steps a chance to breathe and will feel as loud as a stamp when it follows an intricate series of steps. A little well placed silence will help a piece shine much like the way the sharp highlight of the toe tap provides contrast to the movement of the dark shoe in this drawing.

I completed the drawing last year. It is currently being shown at the William Ris Gallery in Stone Harbor, NJ along with several other works in this series. Please contact them through the link above or the one in the right column if you are interested in purchasing this piece.

Virtual Open Studio 2010 - Post #4

After you've had your fill in the kitchen, you can walk down the single step into the family room. Immediately in front of you is a black rack holding an assortment of prints and a table displaying a basket of note cards. (Information about the note cards will be featured in the next VOS post.)

In between these, on the round table, is the small original painting Onions.

 In the center of the room on the ottoman is another unframed original painting of an apple. The miniature drawing of the Central Moravian Church of Bethlehem is also here.

Above the couch are two framed charcoal drawings - Sunquats on the left and Keep on Your Toes from my tap dancing series on the right.

Directly behind you above the large cabinet is one of my floral paintings titled Purple Distraction.

On either side of the fireplace you will find the painting Sacrifice

and my series of watercolor leaves.

On the table near the leaves is a new graphite drawing for the tap series which I will share here soon.

Remember there is still time to enter your name into the door prize drawing. Just leave a comment on any of the Virtual Open Studio posts. It doesn't have to be a comment about the open studio or the art. A simple "I was here!" will do the trick. Now is a great time to enter because I've decided to add a second prize! Check out post #5 later this week to find out what it is.

All images ©2010 Stacy L. Rowan

Tap Dancer Drawing - Keep on Your Toes

I am currently working on two new tap dancing pieces - a charcoal which I showed the start of here and a new watercolor. I am nearly finished the charcaol and am getting excited to share it. While thinking about that, I realized that I never posted my last drawing. Today seemed like a good day to remedy that oversight.

Keep on Your Toes

14"x18" charcoal on paper

copyright 2009 Stacy L. Rowan

available at the William Ris Gallery

This is my fifth drawing in my tap dancing series and the first one that I did in charcoal. (If you've missed the other drawings in the series, click the link above or type "tap" in the Blogger search bar on the upper left and the search results will show you all the tap related posts.)

Again my model for my reference photo was one of the lovely ladies of the Tap Ties company. In fact with this drawing I reached the milestone of having drawn all four pairs of feet. Surprisingly, they knew whose feet were in each drawing without me telling them!

While dancing, the tap dancer needs to keep on her toes - figuratively speaking. It is like participating in a fast moving discussion. She has to be ready for quick movements and sudden weight changes. Hesitation will be heard. Achieving a crisp sound requires everyone in the group to be perfectly synchronized. The dancer needs to know if the step requires her to keep her weight on her toes, like the cramp roll shown here, to keep the weight on her heels, say for toe taps, or to keep her weight right in the middle. Concentration, agility and grace are required to make the performance look effortless.

If you are interested, this drawing is being offered for sale through the William Ris Gallery of Stone Harbor. In fact I am very pleased to announce that they have recently added images of my tap drawings to their website.

Days 22 and 23

Tap class started up again last Friday. A perfect excuse to sketch my tap shoe. I chose to show off the actual taps and sketched the bottom of it.

sketch of bottom of tap shoe

graphite in Cotman Field sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy L. Rowan

The next day I wanted to get my sketch done early. My sketching time had been sliding later with each passing day, which seemed like a dangerous trend to me. So as soon as I was done my morning shower I started looking for a subject. I settled on this basket in my bathroom. It holds hair brushes and various lotions and creams. I decided that the items int he basket were more interesting to sketch than the actual basket itself which explains the odd crop you see here.

sketch of brushes and bottles in basket

graphite in Cotman Field sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy L. Rowan

Happy New Year!

Well here it is -- 2010. Another year has come and gone. And it seems like just yesterday I was trying to remember to write a 2 for the year. How could that be 10 years ago? I have no clue.

I know a lot of people were happy to see 2009 end, but I will look back on it fondly. In terms of my art, I will remember it as the year that I started to combine my love of art with my love of tap. I created five drawings for my tap series and had four drawings (the four that were available) accepted into a gallery. I found joy in taking my own reference photos for this series and bringing the references to life in my drawings.

"A Quick Turn of Phrase"

copyright 2009 Stacy L. Rowan

I also realized that I had another series in the works in 2009 and formally named it "Locally Grown". My outings to the local farmers' market where even more enjoyable as I held this series in mind. My photo files are bulging with references waiting for their turn under the brush.

"Peter's Missing Snack"

copyright 2009 Stacy L. Rowan

I challenged and stretched myself last year by attending two watercolor workshops and a series of local portrait drawing sessions. It was fun to try my hand at new things.

watercolor portrait WIP from workshop
copyright 2009 Stacy L. Rowan

Overall 2009 was an exciting and productive year. And now we are moving on to a new year. I have my goals written out (more about that to come) and I'm ready to go with high hopes for all I plan to accomplish.


Wishing all of you all the best in 2010!

Tap Dancer Drawing - Off the Cuff Remark

"Off the Cuff Remark"

18" x 14" graphite on paper

copyright 2009 Stacy L. Rowan

available at the William Ris Gallery

This is my fourth graphite drawing in my tap dancer series. I chose to call it "Off the Cuff Remark". When something is done "off the cuff" it means it is done without prior preparation or planning. This tap step has a nice sharp sound created by the quick snapping motion of the toe as the leg is drawn back.  It makes me think of a witty retort tossed into a rapidly paced conversation.

As I was drawing this I took some work in process photos that I thought I'd share.

work in process - image 1

I start all of my graphite and charcoal pieces with a contour drawing and then move onto the shading. For me the shading makes a drawing come alive. Here I started laying in the shadow shapes using a rough cross hatching technique. It takes quite a few layers to build up a good solid dark on this paper, so I know I have plenty of time to smooth out the hatching later.

work in process - image 2

Next I moved onto the stationary foot. Since this series of drawings is about tap dancing, it is very important to me to get the tap shoes right. I don't want to spend a lot of time on the legs until the details in the shoe are nailed down. Also, I knew I wanted my darkest darks to be in this shoe. I needed to get them in the drawing early so as to define my range of values.

work in process - image 3

If you compare this image with the one above it, you can see that I stuggled a bit to figure out what the hips were doing. I was confused because in my reference photo it looked like I could see the full width of the hips, but at the same time I was only seeing the side of the knee. My mind couldn't figure out how that could be possible. To resolve my confusion I ended up standing in front of a mirror trying to recreate the pose. Believe me this was more difficult than it sounds. The answer is that the knee swings in as the leg moves.

To reach the final image at the top of the page, I darkened a lot of my values and added in the reflection on the floor.

Now a little story about this drawing... Shortly after I completed it, I had the opportunity to take a master class taught by the tap dancer who was the reference for this drawing. It was my first time taking a class with her. (My reference photos were taken while she was teaching choreography to the Tap Ties company.)

After warm-ups, she taught us a short combination and in the combination was this exact step. As soon as she did it I recognized it as the step in my drawing. My mind excitedly yelled at me  "That's it! That's the step!" And that quickly I switched over from the dancer part of my brain to the arist part of my brain.

As a result I completely missed the next couple of steps in the combination. Apparently the artist part of my brain can't learn tap steps when it is comparing the feel of a movement to the lines in a drawing. Luckily for the dancer part of my brain she went over the steps a second time.

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This series of four graphite drawings -

Off the Cuff Remark

Quick Turn of Phrase

Ice Breaker

Riff

is available in a set of 8 note cards (with envelopes). Each card measures 4.25 x 5.5 inches. Price for a pack of cards is $10 and includes shipping. Please use the Buy Now button to purchase.

You can also find other products featuring my tap dance art at my Cafe Press store. It's a great place to find gifts for your favorite tap dancer.

Tap Dancer Drawing - Quick Turn of Phrase

A Quick Turn of Phrase

14" x 18" graphite on paper

Stacy L. Rowan

available at the William Ris Gallery

To turn a phrase means to give words new meaning by using them in a particular arrangement. Just like words in a poem or story, common tap steps can be given new life by combining them in unique ways. One way to make a combination more impressive and to increase the level of difficulty is to do the steps while turning.

I knew I wanted to create a drawing from this reference the first time I saw it. I love the motion and the twist of the legs. And it turned out to be one of those drawings that just flowed from the first pencil mark until the end. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. For this drawing I used graphite, but don't be surprised if you see another version pop up some day in charcoal or watercolor. Some references are like that, they make you want to revisit them more than once.

When It's Good to be Forgetful

WIP charcoal for tap dancing series

Stacy Rowan

Sometimes in tap class when I am learning a new combination there seems to be a roadblock between my brain and my feet. The teacher demonstrates the series of steps and I know what I am supposed to do, but somehow my feet don't get the full message and they do something different. Let's say the correct steps are shuffle hop knock heel flap ball change. Not a difficult combination, but my feet might do shuffle hop heel knock... freeze... because I realize I did something wrong. I've talked to other tap dancers and I know I'm not the only one this happens to.

I've noticed that occasionally this happens when I am drawing too. I can picture the drawing in my mind's eye, but my hands create something that doesn't seem to match the image in my head. So I check all the angles and measurements and faithfully make any changes...still not right. Most times I have to leave that area of the drawing and come back to it later to get it worked out properly. In that time the roadblock clears and the problem is normally fixed with some minute change.

I've decided that the difficulty learning the tap combination comes from muscle memory overriding the knowledge of the proper steps. If I had a previous teacher who always put a heel after a shuffle hop, my muscles hold the memory of that combination. It can be a tough memory to overcome.

I'm not sure where the drawing difficulty comes from. My guess would be that it has something to do with drawing what I think I see versus what I am actually seeing. The memory my mind has of the symbol for whatever I am drawing overrides what I am actually seeing. My new series makes me feel like my mind has a very strong memory of its shoe symbol.

Luckily the mind eventually gets the hand to draw the object correctly, just like it always brings the feet along when dancing. It just might take longer than I like.

Exciting News

Hello friends and fans! I have some exciting news to share with you. Many bloggers might entertain you with a long, dramatic story building suspense to a moment of spectacular reveal. But I might burst if I try that, so I'm just going to throw it out there...

I got into my first gallery!!!

And the best part is that it's the fabulous William Ris Gallery in Stone Harbor, NJ. This is the same gallery that my husband and I have been visiting during our vacations for at least the past 10 years. It is the gallery where we made our first purchase of fine art. And it is a lovely, family run gallery which shows consistently beautiful work. I couldn't be happier!

I met with director Mary Cantone Thursday morning. Mary's warm, friendly personality put me right at ease. I really enjoyed showing and talking about my art. Mary agreed to take six pieces -- four drawings from my tap series and two watercolors. Hooray! (I promise to share images in a future post.)

Please stop by and take a look if you happen to be in Stone Harbor or any of the neighboring South Jersey shore towns.

And thank you to all of my online friends who encourage me and give me feedback on my work, especially Rose. I don't believe I would have been able to accomplish this goal if I was creating in a vacuum.

Tap Dancer Drawing – Icebreaker

Icebreaker

18" x 14" graphite drawing on Canson paper

Stacy L. Rowan

This is the second drawing in my tap dance series. Tap dancing, like art, can act as a means of communication. One of my goals with my tap dance series is to bring tap conversations to a wider audience and increase the appreciation for this style of dance.

I have been titling all the drawings to go along with this idea of using dance to communicate. The first drawing is named “Riff”. According to the American Heritage dictionary a riff is “a clever or inventive commentary or remark.” A riff is also a common tap step. Its two sounds are created by brushing the ball of the foot followed by a heel strike on the same foot. Looking at the drawing, you can see the blur of the foot on the left shows the motion required to create the different sounds in the riff.

The drawing shown above is titled “Icebreaker”. An icebreaker can be a comment that eases tension and acts as a conversation starter. The dance conversation has to start somewhere as well. Why not with a strong, simple sound like a thumping heel to start the beat?

Announcing My New Series - Drawings of Tap Dancers

I am very excited to announce this new series because it combines two of my loves – art and tap dancing. I mentioned my love of tap before, but at the time I was not dancing. I started dancing again about a year ago, and in the fall joined a class offered by the Tap Ties company.

Not long after joining I started thinking about combining art and tap. Since the ladies who make up Tap Ties are all incredibly nice, it didn’t take too much guts to ask them if they would mind allowing me to take reference photos during their practices. Lucky for me they said yes.

I now have over 300 reference photos and the ideas for drawings and painting are coming so fast I often find myself scribbling them down in my own strange short-hand. My biggest problem so far has been deciding which ones to start with because I want to start them all right away!

I have a lot more to say about this new series, but for now I want to share the first drawing.

I decided to start this project by focusing on the dancers feet. One of my goals is to convey motion, because so much of tap is about the movements the feet make to achieve the desired sounds.

tap dancing feet

9” x 6” graphite drawing on Canson paper

Stacy L. Rowan

In this drawing you can see that the front foot is moving fast and probably making multiple sounds, while only the heel on the back foot is moving. I loved the interesting shape of the front foot combined with the realism of the back shoe.

I currently have two more drawings started and a third planned. So stay tuned!