Artist Marie Brozova's recollections of the public drawing event in Luxor Book Palace.
The most sensitive audience of my project is definitely recruited from readers. Readers have their imagination developed by reading books, they do not have any problems to stop for a while and look at my exhibition. Readers often view my drawings like a door to the dreamland of my fantasy and they can read stories my drawings tell. That is why I will never forget the public drawing event at Luxor Book Palace, the biggest bookshop in central Europe, situated in the very center of Prague, in Wenceslas Square. For the first time I wished that my paper was endless, so I could go on and on forever working on the drawing titled "The Shepherd of Clouds" and cast an anchor at the place of active but concentrated energy. My easel would have taken roots among the thousands of books, and I could continue drawing and never think of the fatigue.
The drawing Shepherd of Clouds is trying to capture the upper world of dreams and visions, the sheep of clouds pasturing in sky meadows. I started to work on this drawing right inside the shop window facing Wenceslas Square. It was very interesting to observe the crowd of people passing by like sheep, not interested to look around to see something interesting, just following the followers. But there were some independent sheep that noticed me standing in the lighted shop window and these were drawn closer. It took only a few minutes and suddenly there was a numerous flock of sheep standing and watching me through the glass. But only the most inquisitive sheep found their way inside to see my work from the close view. They often had something interesting to tell me, and there were times I felt like in Hyde Park in the middle of never ending disputation about the meaning of art at present, surrounded by all the people voicing (sometimes very loudly) their opinions. But they were not angry with my art, the most frequent word I could hear was "joy". The joy, radiating from all my drawings, the joy that should be the essential motivation in every creative work. When artist create without this joy, the resulting piece of art does not have any chance to touch human soul.
Even the meaning of beauty in art was discussed. Most visitors were very sad about the widespread opinion that pure beauty is often criticized as a tasteless kitsch. Even the beauty of nature is despised, as we often hear in expressions like "the kitsch sunset", or "kischy fly agarics". I was reminded again of famous Andersen's fairy tale about the ice queen. In the beginning of this tale the devils throw an evil mirror on Earth. This mirror shows everything beautiful in a crooked way, but the things that are really ugly this mirror shows like something interesting that should be admired. Tiny fragments of this broken mirror get into the eyes of many people and these people abhor everything they used to admire, and mock all the things that used to touch them. In the end their hearts were turned into a piece of impeccable ice crystal that could have been melted only by deep and pure love or very touching remembrance.
My drawings must be full of intensive touching childhood memories that we all share. They are like keys unlocking hearts, what else would be the reason of strong emotions some people experience while visiting my project. They often cry or get very enthusiastic when they think of a forgotten memory from their childhood. I am glad that I can share my joy with all the others, it does not stay hidden deep inside me, and this joy can travel around the world and come back to me again. I admired an agile granny, who retired last year and concentrated her efforts on drawing with colored pencils. Before Christmas she bought her first set of colored pencils and in two months she created almost twenty very detailed skilled drawings. I was also really impressed by the class 2B from Elementary school in Vodickova Street nearby that visited me twice during my public drawing event. These eight years old children accompanied by their young teacher were very sensitive and perceptive. They came for the first time to learn my technique, and for the second time to thank me with a collective drawing picturing a red haired artist walking in the world of her fantasy. I was also very glad to meet a young lady, who had visited me before. She came to tell me that I encouraged her to quit the job, she had not enjoyed. She immediately started to work on her own creative efforts and brought me the first very promising results.
Sometimes I think that my drawings are like mirrors. Ten people see ten different stories in one piece of art. The figure of the shepherd is not pronouncedly feminine or masculine. You can imagine whatever you want. Some people saw yogi, others The Loving Shepherdess by Robinson Jeffers, some were reminded of an old Chinese fairy tale The Dragon king's Daughter or old Japanese haiku. And all of these people were right in a way, because the shepherd or the shepherdess is sitting in sky meadows near the source of all ideas. Some of us, mortal artists, from time to time succeed in bringing these ideas down to earth like the paper flying kite of our desire to have wings, and it does not matter what title we invent for these ideas.
Even the exhibitions of my works at the Luxor Café awaken the interest in colored pencils and imagination. Two likeable ladies came every day for their afternoon cup of coffee and they always chose the table under my drawing The Local Meridian capturing the atmosphere of south-bohemian town Jindrichuv Hradec. When they stopped at my easel to see the progress they often told me "We have just returned back from Jindrichuv Hradec."
My public drawing event in Luxor Book Palace culminated by the ceremony during which my my new DVD complet Queen MAB Dreamland was christened. This DVD includes TV document about my project The Defense of Colored Pencils, my pencil technique instructions, virtual gallery of my drawings and photogallery of three year's traveling of the project. Queen Mab was according to the legends and lore the queen of Elves, sending people their dreams. For the ceremony we dressed up like the Elves and invited the revered Godmother of the DVD, famous Czech actress Valerie Zawadska, who christened the DVD with the water from the spring of Prague river Moldau that rises in wild mountains in South Bohemia. She dedicated the DVD to all the children, even those who are hundred years old. The ceremony was visited also by Vrata Ebr, the founder of Luxor Book Pallace, who collected the material for his new book of juicy bon mots. The evening passed in a good mood and friendly atmosphere, and the DVD set out to a long journey to help people find the way back to the world of imagination with the little help of colored pencils.
VISIT MARIE BROZOVA’S VIRTUAL GALLERY
www.angels-fairies-unicorns.com,
where you’ll find both the drawings created during public events and in the studio.
NOW YOU CAN ORDER
signed author prints ready for framing, postcards and more.