Comments on: . . .And Now I See. . .

By: Maria Theresa Maggi

Maria Theresa Maggi — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 20:47:09 +0000

Dear Gena, Thank you for this lovely comment. Perhaps this is ironic for both of us in the age of the smart phone with camera, butI so agree with you that taking a picture, but I so agree with you that snapping a photo doesn’t necessarily capture the experience of seeing authentically. When I draw, as when you write your accounts, I am perforce emphasizing what moved me, what it felt like to see what I saw, which the smart phone camera just can’t do. Sometimes I do get a good shot on my phone, but since I’ve started trying to do this instead, I often find the phone shots are lack luster and definitely don’t have an immediacy of sensation to them that I strive for in the drawings. Thank you for looking forward to my take on the eclipse and also for the encouragement about including the illustrations in the post. I always look forward to your insights from reading! xoxo

By: Gena

Gena — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 11:28:10 +0000

Maria,

I missed the eclipse when I was away, and I was looking forward very intently to reading your thoughts about it when I returned home. I love that you’ve give us a written “memory sketch” about these visual remembrances and how you process/experience them. And I especially love the way you’ve been incorporating them into your posts lately; it’s giving your blog a wonderful new dimension, and because you’re currently living in a landscape that’s very different from my everyday “view,” it affords me an opportunity to feel closer to you and to truly inhabit the world you describe verbally!

When I got back from Prague, a few friends asked why I didn’t take more pictures. I felt a little sheepish, because what I shared on the blog is really all I have; I’ve never had an easy time remembering to capture images in that way. Rather, I often write about what I saw not long after I see it, and in some ways I think I can understand the cognitive processing you describe in generating your memory sketches. I also sometimes feel that, were I to try to capture an image in the moment, I’d end up with something exact, but less authentic, because in processing what I’ve seen retrospectively, I come to find what stood out most to me. Maybe you can relate to this sentiment, too.

I’m happy that the eclipse, no matter how completely topsy turvy it may have made things feel, actually encouraged you to self-soothe, to speak calmly to yourself, and to tap into your own humor and wisdom, rather than getting overly transported by nervous energy or fears about the experience. And so glad that this centered quality allowed you to write, create art, and verbalize your experience so lucidly to all of us!

G xoxo

By: Maria Theresa Maggi

Maria Theresa Maggi — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 21:57:14 +0000

Thanks Veronica! I’m so happy you enjoyed the sketches and seeing how I see things. . .and very happy you got to witness the eclipse yourself and that you are now hooked! You and Pam (comment above) both!! 🙂 xo

By: Veronica

Veronica — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 14:12:04 +0000

I’m so glad you got to see it! I was hoping clouds and fog didn’t ruin things for people on the totality line. We had to drive out about 45 minutes inland to find a tiny patch of blue sky – but we saw it! Only 80% totality, but it was still pretty incredible. I hope to see the next one in full. Already planning…. Luckily I grew up in Dallas, and it’s on the line in 2024!
I love all your sketches – drawing something from memory is quite difficult, and I like how you described your process. You’ve always got an uncanny knack to see things a little differently, with your sideways glances. 🙂 xo

By: Maria Theresa Maggi

Maria Theresa Maggi — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 04:22:24 +0000

Thank YOU Colleen! You are most welcome. I am honored to be part of your art appreciation curve. xo

By: Colleen

Colleen — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 03:54:31 +0000

Wonderful thoughts and an unexpected art appreciation moment. You know, I like to go to art museums and learn to appreciate at least one new artist each trip. The last time was a trip to the Heard museum and an RC Gorman painting that was recognizable as his work but utterly unlike the pastel prints that are in 75 percent of the medical offices in the southwest. This is the first time I have done that without actually being in the environment of the art, even Sister Wendy (who I adore) didn’t really teach me anything new, I just enjoyed her take as entertainment. I see visual art in a new way now, and that is really something. Thank you, Maria.

By: Maria Theresa Maggi

Maria Theresa Maggi — Sat, 26 Aug 2017 05:07:36 +0000

Thanks, Pam! I’m glad you’re enjoying the memory sketches and hearing a bit more about how they come about. Wow, you sure did luck out! I love the details about the synchronizing of the fog rolling in and out–perfect! Sounds like the experience made eclipse chasers out of you. More cool travel adventures in your future. 🙂

By: Pam Woods

Pam Woods — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 22:31:15 +0000

I was just going to check in with you about the eclipse when I saw the email to let me know about this post. I’ve really been enjoying your memory sketches lately, and I love hearing a bit more about how you create them. Love knowing about the sideways glance detail.

We lucked out… the fog lifted at our campground just before 9am, and it was mostly sunny the whole time. What was interesting was that the fog began to come back in as the moon covered more and more of the sun… and then the fog began to clear again as the sun came out from the moon’s shadow. It was magical to experience totality. We’re already researching where to go in 2024 for the next total eclipse in the US! 🙂