Laurie Doctor Newsletter: Current Online Classes and Work
Rubbing made of scraps of linen thread: repetition of a mark — Laurie Doctor Sketchbook
Responding to requests, we are going to offer another session of “Speak to Me From Everywhere” the week beginning March 15. Our intention is to support the lovely Taos retreat, Mabel Dodge Luhan House. We will donate 5% of all the proceeds to Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, New Mexico, where I hold annual retreats.
Thank you for your enthusiasm, encouragement and participation. We are delighted with the level of connection that can happen online, in spite of the longing to be in a physical place.
This session of “Speaking to Me From Everywhere”, beginning Mar 15, will donate 5% of all the proceeds to Mabel Dodge Luhan Retreat in Taos, New Mexico.
Photo by Julie Keefe | Managing Director | Mabel Dodge Luhan House
The focus in the class is on exploring our “near environment” through writing— using four aspects of landscape: scale, value, movement and pattern. My intention is to create an online class that mirrors, as much as it is possible, the contemplative atmosphere of the physical classroom.
It is only possible to see a small sampling of the work of the students. There is a mix of experience, from beginning to advanced, and there are both calligraphers and non-calligraphers. Everyone who wants to study is welcome. Below are some examples from our most recent session of “Speak to Me From Everywhere”.
Details from work in process with the limited palette: indigo, new gamboge and alizirin crimson:
Noticing pattern in your near environment:
It has been a fortifying exploration of our physical environments —out your window, in your room, or on your walk. One of the students, Linney Wix, called it “close noticing”. I made discoveries doing the exercises I gave to the students. When I took my walk, for example, with the intention of only noticing what is moving— in the sky, on the ground and in the trees— my senses were heightened and my pleasure redoubled. This is a way of nourishment in isolation.
What I have noticed is that it has become rare to see anyone walking without a device— that often for me, too, it seems a good time to call a friend, or take photos. But when I go walking without taking anything but pen and paper, and a focus to notice, something else happens.
Have you taken a noticing walk? I’d love to hear from you.