Alexandra Tyng, Unveilings Moderator
 

The artist's inner world is, in many ways, more real than anything else in life, so I'm going to be a little different by telling you a story in pictures about myself as a kid, and what was most real to me then. It's not just about me; hopefully you will see yourself reflected in the story.

Let's see. . .I grew up in Philadelphia. My parents were architects who also did a lot of drawing, in fact, my father's first career choice was to be a painter and pastel artist, but he changed his mind in high school when he took an architecture class. He used to buy me blank books to draw in, and I wasted a lot of paper. My favorite subjects were houses, castles, rooms with furniture, people, and patchwork quilts. The first drawing, which I did at 3 1/2, was one of my better attempts to puzzle out perspective.

Later I became fascinated by haunted houses. I liked to write books about them, with lots of illustrations of course. Most of the books were never finished. I even made a series of book covers but never wrote the books. The second drawing shows a dramatic opening page for a very, very spooky story.

I could draw "regular" drawings, too, but only when persuaded. Here's a sketch I did when I was 13 of a neighbor boy asleep on our couch.

But I was really interested in the imaginary world, in which I attended boarding school in England, I had altogether 12 siblings, and my oldest brother was Paul McCartney. My friends and wrote books about our life in England, and here is an illustration from one of them.

Ok, yes, I finally matured and faced reality. My friends and family might not agree, but if you compare me to the way I was, you will notice some change. You can always look on my website if you are curious to know what I have been doing lately.

Alexandra, thanks SO much for sharing this. You are so fortunate to have saved all this early work (play). I absolutely love the haunted house/unhaunted house. Brilliant!

We have something in common: ...but in my imaginary world I was Paul McCartney...I eventually (when I was about 36) got over it.

I loved this, Alex, and thank you for posting this glimpse into your rich inner life. I don't for an instant believe any artist has truly matured and faced reality, though you, Alex, are very convincing, of course. Funny, isn't it, how we call ourselves "realists" when there is so much else going on in there.

So, David, we are long-lost siblings! Or maybe we used to be?

Linda, that is so true about realism--I never saw it quite like that before. I guess we're really superimposing our visions, or inner realities, on outer reality--if there is such a thing!

This is a completely joyful introduction! I love them all, especially the first :)

Yay, glad to have you as a moderator Alexandra! I wonder how many of us have held on to childhood drawings. It would be a real hoot to see some of them. Maybe some of your mothers have kept them. I think the earliest I still have are some pen and ink drawings from about the age of 12.

Oh, Chris! Heidi, too! I thought this was where I just posted an intro and I didn't expect to get much response.

There's something about little kids' drawings--so spontaneous--in a way it all goes downhill from there. A couple of months ago, a university in this area had an art exhibit called "Very Early Drawings." It was all artists' childhood drawings. My husband and I went specifically to see the work of a boy I used to babysit for who is now an artist, but we ended up loving the whole show. There were such imaginative drawings--you could tell each child's inner world was so unique in ways you couldn't possibly imagine. There were a couple of 3-D things, too, including a model of the Munsters' house, all handmade with incredibly detailed interior. (Yes, you guessed it, I spent a long time looking at that!)

Well, I finally got the nerve to venture out to other areas of the forum and decided to look into this during my lunch hour..

Thank you for a delightful post...I adore the drawing of the boy sleeping on the sofa (I mean I adore it!) that sort of vision is impressive at any age.

You should finish those books now...that would be spectacular!

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas

Thanks, Joy! I don'tt know what came over me when I started to write this intro--just that I didn't want to say the same stuff I say over and over. About the sketch--it is funny how I look at my old drawings that I labored over and they look so stiff compared to this, which probably would have been a throwaway if it hadn't been in a sketchbook. Yeah, those books. . .it would be nice to have a couple of other lives to do everything we want to do. ;C

Dear Alex

Every time I see new things by you you reveal just how rich a person you are. I hadn't noticed these before - just shows how little I have explored pf the forum - I this they are marvelous drawings! I'd buy the last 2 if they were for sale! Just lovely. All the different details of expression and levels of height of the children in the last picture, and the splendid buildings and landscape that has so much interest and character. And the boy sleeping, with his lovelily drawn hand - just super details, and with the wonderful observation and selection of details that interested you.

It made me realise I am trying to get back to that playfulness of childhood drawings (although I wasn't half as good as you were in the least) in my own work, but there's so much anxiety and self-doubt that goes with it, doing it as an adult, that it is hard to get that joy.

So nice to see these this morning!

Dear Alex,

It is wonderful to read about you in an "uncensored" way, through your drawings. It is interesting to see how much detail is already apparent in the very early works. I also see that unlike me who just can't break away from a facination with just the faces and particulary the eyes, you have explored people and their environments. This still holds true for your paintings today. The painting that sticks out the most in my mind is that of your children playing music in a fully "decorated" room.

Thank you for sharing this different type of introduction! Although, I always thought you very a pretty cool lady!

Heidi,

I think that's a great idea!

Thomasin, I hardly know how to respond, but I am deeply grateful for your words. Actually I thought it would be fun to show some childhood drawings because children's un-selfconscious work is so revealing--uncensored, as you say by the adult veneer and polish. I agree it is important not to lose, or at least to return to, the direct expression we had as children.

Enzie, thank you also for saying such nice things. I think all artsts' work must contain those essential distinguishing characteristics from the beginning. Glad you brought up that quote of Heidi's--maybe "childhood portraits" would be a good thread for the Cafe section. Woudn't it be fun to see people's first efforts?

Alex, all of this makes sense with your love for children literature.
Looking back at my childhood I can see exactly the path that led me to paint and I think I couldn't have done anything else except that.
I haven't got any work from my childhood, but I do at least keep many of my children's scribbles, who knows, maybe one day...
Ilaria

Ilaria, it' s sad you don't have any of our own early drawings. I'll bet you were amazing. You seem like the kind of mother (person) who would value her children's drawings. Even if they don't become artists, they will still have fun gong back through them. Neither of mine have shown any interest in being artists (yet) though they are both talented. Whenever we look at their drawings we can see so clearly their personalities and interests emerging in a consistent way.

Alexandra, gave us all a good idea about sharing early works . Since this is unveiling for moderators, I din't know where to post my childhood stuff, so I uploaded it on my blog

I also like to pass along a little message to those of you who are not part of this forum or are unsure about posting your work.

Enzie, thanks, I enjoyed looking at your blog. There's a lot of interesting stuff on it. I like the way you have compiled the women's self-portraits, men's self-portraits etc. Not a bad idea for an art book, unless it's already been done.

What a great thread Alex and I love your drawings. I don't think I have any of my childhood work although I know my sister has some hanging on her wall. She's waiting for me to get famous I think. I do have some of my grandchildren's work and can't wait to see them realize their potential should I live that long. Thanks for sharing!