Tina Kraft is a talented South Florida artist with connections to our besties at the New York Studio School. It was at NYSS where we met many of our great instructors such as Fran O’Neil, Charity Baker, Catherine Lepp, Sam Wade Levy, Shruti Ghatak, and Jonathan Harkham. Our own Keith Pfieffer is currently pursuing his MFA there, and Mary Shea is no stranger to the school either. (Mary Shea’s “Drawing with Color” class starts in 2 weeks, by the way.) That was a long winded family tree, but hopefully it gives some context to why I’m looking at these branches.
Tina Kraft came specially recommended to teach with us by the very highly regarded Fran O’Neil, an esteemed instructor at the NYSS, and a star with us since 2019. Lucky for us Kraft agreed to teach a couple of workshops at SAL this summer! More about that later.
Nosing through Tina Kraft’s portfolio, I found this drawing of trees.
This drawing of trees by Tina Kraft shows some methods in common with Van Gogh. Look at the marks. See how the whole composition from each edge of the rectangle is filled with descriptions? The lines go right up to the edge. The lumpy ground is dotted with pattern and texture, circles and squiggles. The generous tree canopy brings volume and movement because they’re described with a choir of curved contours across shared undulating clouds of leaves. The diagonal trunks and branches bring form and rhythm with each angled straight structure. Nothing is at a perfect vertical or horizontal, so the whole picture is in motion, and all of it is infused with energy! See how each group of marks leads you to the next group of marks? Everything is in a sort of social relationship. Nothing is isolated. These drawings give the viewer unlimited pathways in, around, and through the composition. There’s much to discover!
A big part of why we enjoy working with graduates from the New York Studio School is seen in the way they draw. There is an intensity to the descriptive information in the marks. Forgive us for being art nerds, but honestly we think it’s thrilling. These methods are rooted (sorry for the pun) in classical approaches all the way back through Rembrandt, but they aren’t static or stodgy. These keenly observational marks propel us forward into modern ideas that describe our experiences being alive now. They even lead to abstraction. NYSS artists and instructors changed the way I think about drawing, and I love them for that. More later! For now, enjoy a few more drawings of family trees.
Statuesque Emma standing on flowered blanket, drypoint on 14×11″ Rives gray BFK A sister image to the last drypoint I posted. The model’s pose reminded me of classical sculptures. This …
This robot was designed to have human-like focus. It looks first at the subject, then at the paper, and wiggles its little robot arm to make marks with a Bic …
I’ve shared most of Carlos San Millan’s favorite paintings by Emil Joseph Robinson but not all, and these paintings are too good to pass by, so I’m sharing the full …
People are still posting work for our 30 day January challenge, in which artists are invited to respond to a daily prompt posted on our V. Notes blog. Unlike other …
Drawing of Trees by Tina Kraft
Tina Kraft is a talented South Florida artist with connections to our besties at the New York Studio School. It was at NYSS where we met many of our great instructors such as Fran O’Neil, Charity Baker, Catherine Lepp, Sam Wade Levy, Shruti Ghatak, and Jonathan Harkham. Our own Keith Pfieffer is currently pursuing his MFA there, and Mary Shea is no stranger to the school either. (Mary Shea’s “Drawing with Color” class starts in 2 weeks, by the way.) That was a long winded family tree, but hopefully it gives some context to why I’m looking at these branches.
Tina Kraft came specially recommended to teach with us by the very highly regarded Fran O’Neil, an esteemed instructor at the NYSS, and a star with us since 2019. Lucky for us Kraft agreed to teach a couple of workshops at SAL this summer! More about that later.
Nosing through Tina Kraft’s portfolio, I found this drawing of trees.
This drawing of trees by Tina Kraft shows some methods in common with Van Gogh. Look at the marks. See how the whole composition from each edge of the rectangle is filled with descriptions? The lines go right up to the edge. The lumpy ground is dotted with pattern and texture, circles and squiggles. The generous tree canopy brings volume and movement because they’re described with a choir of curved contours across shared undulating clouds of leaves. The diagonal trunks and branches bring form and rhythm with each angled straight structure. Nothing is at a perfect vertical or horizontal, so the whole picture is in motion, and all of it is infused with energy! See how each group of marks leads you to the next group of marks? Everything is in a sort of social relationship. Nothing is isolated. These drawings give the viewer unlimited pathways in, around, and through the composition. There’s much to discover!
A big part of why we enjoy working with graduates from the New York Studio School is seen in the way they draw. There is an intensity to the descriptive information in the marks. Forgive us for being art nerds, but honestly we think it’s thrilling. These methods are rooted (sorry for the pun) in classical approaches all the way back through Rembrandt, but they aren’t static or stodgy. These keenly observational marks propel us forward into modern ideas that describe our experiences being alive now. They even lead to abstraction. NYSS artists and instructors changed the way I think about drawing, and I love them for that. More later! For now, enjoy a few more drawings of family trees.
4 drawings of trees by van gogh
Related Posts
Some Pretty Paintings: Statuesque Emma … on a Flowered Blanket
Statuesque Emma standing on flowered blanket, drypoint on 14×11″ Rives gray BFK A sister image to the last drypoint I posted. The model’s pose reminded me of classical sculptures. This …
Robot Portraits
This robot was designed to have human-like focus. It looks first at the subject, then at the paper, and wiggles its little robot arm to make marks with a Bic …
Emil Joseph Robinson
I’ve shared most of Carlos San Millan’s favorite paintings by Emil Joseph Robinson but not all, and these paintings are too good to pass by, so I’m sharing the full …
30SAL Challenge Faves: Week 2
People are still posting work for our 30 day January challenge, in which artists are invited to respond to a daily prompt posted on our V. Notes blog. Unlike other …