Life Is In The Balance

In my beloved Chinese redwood grove at Narrows Botanical Gardens   Please join me on Saturday, September 9th  from 2 - 3pm at Narrows Botanical Gardens in Brooklyn  for my Artist's Talk for the exhibit Life Is In the Balance Learn about my process in making the drawings, the 40 year history of my making work that has a very similar structure in sacred geometry and radial symmetry and how my four years as a volunteer at NBG informed this project.  Find out where each drawing's subject matter is located in the garden. I look forward to answering your questions and talking about the art and nature and visualizing the connection of all life on Earth.  If you have questions, please contact me at krharris46@gmail.com.

Chinese Redwood Grove at Narrows Botanical Gardens On Saturday, August 19th I taught a drawing workshop at Narrows Botanical Gardens in conjunction with my Life Is In the Balance exhibition. I was thrilled to welcome 15 participants to our drawing studio, inside a grove of Chinese redwoods in the Gardens. We had artists from 4 to 70 years old. My students from the Bay Ridge Center were well represented and a welcome addition.     I brought a number of drawing pads and pencil and as I introduced myself I handed out the supplies. The students first task was to open the tablet and write; My Nature Notebook and their name. I challenged them to  continue to fill the notebook with drawings from nature after they left the workshop.     For those who chose an alternative to drawing the trees (complex subject matter) I had a collection of natural object for them to draw. There was a cicada, a few seed pods, a small branch from the redwoods complete with pinecones. ...

At the opening event for Life Is In the Balance, I had the delightful opportunity to have conversations with about 25-30 park visitors about the artwork. It was so gratifying to hear how much the work was appreciated and how it added to their experience in the park. Narrows Botanical Gardens are truly a valuable resource for the community. I am so happy to make this contribution for the two months the artwork will be on display. Don't miss out. July 15 - September 15   Kristin in front of newly installed artwork: Narrows Botanical Gardens, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn I got an interesting array of questions, most frequently what were the materials used to make them. Seeing drawing reproduced on vinyl is not something that happens everyday and many thought they were paintings on canvas. I informed them that the originals were mixed media on paper, which of course could not be displayed outside. I explained that the work was inspired by the gardens and all of the plants/fauna exist in the par...

I am so pleased to see this series of drawings completed. That said, there is much more to come in the Life Is In the Balance project. Details will be provided when exhibition dates are firmed up. Funded by the New York State Council on the Arts, Life Is In the Balance is a visual reflection of the connection of all life on Earth and the continual give and take as life self-regulates and perpetuates in balance.   I find this a wonderful miracle. The specific subjects were inspired by a park in New York City. My choice was Narrows Botanical Gardens in my neighborhood of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. As a result of this series, I have a new awareness of the process of drawing as a conversation between the artist, the subject and the paper and tools used. These drawings were definitely a collaboration. Every step of the way created a new reality that was a factor moving forward. That certainly makes it more of a challenge and so much more satisfying than believing I know where I'm going...