Working consciously and intentionally
Updated: 2 days ago
This week with Maraya Lopez Advanced Studio on zoom we considered what it means to work consciously on your art. When we make conscious decisions, we learn to think holistically about the drawing, the concepts, and how they interrelate, and to remember that every decision has a reason that pertains to the drawing.
“When you become conscious and intentional, you cross over from
some realm of ignorance to true awareness.” ~ Margaret Davidson
Maraya recaps The Act of Intentionality: ”In this session, we considered what it means to work consciously and intentionally throughout the creative process. When we make conscious decisions, we learn to think holistically about the artwork and its concepts, how they interrelate, and remember that every decision has a reason tied to the work. For inspiration, I introduced works by Kiki Smith, Margaret Davidson, Agnes Martin, and William Kentridge, all of whom hinge on the intentionality of drawing, either as a starting point or, in Martin’s case, as the essence of most of her paintings.
Luna joined us from France and says: “Today I was sitting in a bistrot (bar) with my older sister and my grandma. My grandmother was talking, but I wasn’t really listening. I was just thinking about nothing and a thousand things at the same time. I was admiring this simple but extraordinary view, and then I realized, “I was thinking,” haha. I was aware that “I was thinking.” Even though I didn’t exactly know today’s subject, I knew that I wanted to express this feeling and this view in my artwork today.”
Aaron’s watercolor is a painting of a sculpture, exploring intentionality through color and shadow.
Rashidah’s drawing was inspired by Agnes Martin's grid paintings. Lately, she has been preoccupied with the idea of death. She merged the concept of the grid with that of an empty calendar to express the passage of time and mortality. Rashidah adds: “For my piece this week I wanted to be intentional about the inevitability of death, and decided to depict an image of time fading away.”
Flo says, “My piece is still a work in progress, exploring the power of prayer over time and space, and how it gives me access to a deeper layer of the world I observe.” I am particularly impressed by his painting, which recalls the social-realist work of Ben Shahn, whose work is at once enigmatic, ambiguous, and poetic.
Vyomika says, “My drawing was inspired by my very hungry cat; it turns out she knows where the cat food cans are and can grab them in her mouth and bring them to me!”
As a child, Jacob says Dumbo was significantly emptier. “When I biked around the neighborhood, I never worried about traffic. Now that the neighborhood is more crowded, I must be more intentional about following traffic flow and remembering which direction each street flows.” Jacob’s drawing is at once a reimagined grid and a Citi Bike route.
Leah and Meridith both use watercolor to explore time. Leah explores the color changes of the seasons and the passage of time through a delicate balance of earth tones and golds, evoking a cityscape in transition. Meridith shows us the intentionality behind the progression of her painting by photographing it at various stages. In doing so, the audience becomes part of the decision-making process.
Rose’s drawing of herself sitting is at once disorienting and visually compelling. The hand draws our eye into the composition, while the legs and shoe bring us full circle. This particular hand is beautifully ambiguous, evoking the countless hands depicted throughout art history and the unique challenge they have always posed for artists seeking accuracy.
Briana explains: “My piece shows what I felt when I noticed my breathing. I inhale but it never seems to reach my belly. The drawing starts off with color and that is the life (breathe) or energy I am inhaling but then slowly the spine detaches and leans off while losing its life force (breathe). In the end it feels heavy and with each loss of breath I felt a brick growing and growing.”
Vee’s gestural self-portrait is layered over a private text message—a moment of digital venting to a confidant about a workplace confrontation regarding "appropriate work attire." The vulnerability of this text, combined with the exposure of the sketched nude form, creates a profound contemporary statement on sexuality and identity. It directly interrogates the emotional toll of institutional policing and the fragile boundary between workplace harassment and personal autonomy.
Karla's writes: "My thoughts for this collage were about the various materials my father and grandfather used to create lines. I thought about carbon paper as a duplicator, about cursive writing, math lessons done in fountain pen, about architectural drawings drawn by hand and not computer. I had intentionally gathered these actual materials to use in composition.
Thank you, Maraya for the very interesting inspiring lesson! Was a great perspective on what you do at the Met! One that others would not imagine or think about. One that brings attention to thoughts, observation, and relating to people in a space. I will be looking further into a work of Agnes Martin.
So many of the evening’s images reflect thoughtful intention in composing.
Flo’s watercolor is a beautiful observation. Figures especially drew me into the work. A certain vague quality leaves it in memory. The tone and indefinite line pull me into the crowd with an invitation to walk into the depth at the left.
I felt Vee, Leah and Meridith used color/light highlights to bring contrast and definition to their works!!! Yellow on or within dark hues especially!"
Maraya’s slow-motion video offers a playful yet pointed commentary on the grueling hours spent standing as a security guard at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. As she shifts her weight on screen, a tiny cut-out security guard stands watch between her feet, anchored against a background fashioned from Met Matters—the museum's internal staff magazine. The piece juxtaposes the institution's grand scale with the physical reality of the labor that sustains it.
Tuesday Advanced Studio in person at 180 Franklin Avenue explored political posters with the second back-to-back session with Neah Gray.
Neah summarizes: “On Election Day, AYB artists voted early, then came together for an in-person class about the history of political and activism posters. During my presentation, we looked at the collections of prominent museums and institutions that carry large archives of international, historical posters. We explored the archives of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, UK, which includes an international archive of student/campus organization posters from the 1960s.
Images of protest posters and demonstrations discussed in this session.
We learned about Emery Douglas, a Black visual artist who created many of the beautiful and recognizable illustrations, posters, and newspapers for the Black Panther Party movement. We also analyzed the signage protesters used during The March on Washington in 1963. We learned how different student groups, political organizations, and everyday people used posters, printmaking, newspapers, guerrilla marketing, and other forms of print media to raise awareness about issues like job security, healthcare, women’s rights, discrimination and more.
Emory Douglass photo and Emory Douglass, All Power To The People
Art and text can be transformed to create powerful messages that inform, radicalize, or raise awareness to important social political issues that affect us. Participants of this class were asked to think of social political issues that matter to them, or has caught their attention during these 2026 midterm elections. We used black poster paper as our canvas, and asked ourselves the question, “How do we create light out of the darkness?”
Posters by Neah Gray, Florian Kiniffo-Neven du Mont, Amadou Tine, Ajani Russell, Fisola Famuyiwa, Vee Tineo, Molly Willis, Cheyenne Rivera and Florian Kiniffo-Neven du Mont
Not only did I enjoy Kevin’s message, “Media literacy not Media hypocrisy”, but I also loved how he drew his hand and phone. The icing on the cake was the subtle green box/checkmark at the top, juxtaposed to the red circle and “X” at the bottom. Overall, it was a beautifully composed piece that shared a strong but succinct message.
Adrian’s poster, which read, “F* ICE”, was beautifully drawn, and one of the class’s favorite pieces of the night. We complimented his impressive technique, especially his ability to show melting ice, blood, and transparency using oil pastels, and while only using three letters to share his message.
Typography is a huge component of spreading a message on a politically centered poster, so I enjoyed the beautiful lettering that was included in the posters that read, Meridith's “Art is a training ground for possibility“, Ed's “Thou shall not lie“, and Margaret's “Protect trans rights “. Ed also has a beautiful and unique style of drawing, so I appreciate his participation in class this week and enjoyed experiencing his artwork in person again.
Ironically enough, I ran into Sam Moses, who was the subject of last week‘s class about his life, legacy and public art in South Brooklyn. He was working on a new mural in the Kings Plaza Mall located in Brooklyn, New York. I was able to connect with him, learn more about his new mural, and show him last week’s recap, presentation, and wooden signs we painted during class. He expressed how grateful and appreciative he was for us holding space and recognition for his work!”
Neah and Sam Moses as well as his new mural in progress. Photos by Neah Gray.
What We Are Reading
I'm thoroughly enjoying Franny Moyle's The King's Painter: The Life and Times of Hans Holbein (Abrams Press, 2021). It's a lively mix of biography, family history, and Tudor-era intrigue, with wonderful details about the cultural and artistic world Holbein inhabited.
One of the more interesting threads is just how gifted Holbein was from a very young age. Working in his father Hans Holbein the Elder's studio, he appears to have enjoyed both considerable encouragement and a certain amount of latitude. By the age of 20, he was already producing remarkably sophisticated work and, in defiance of studio convention, signing his own name. Moyle also draws on contemporary records, including accounts of brawls, disputes, and court proceedings, to help reconstruct the character of the times. One gets the impression of a talented, ambitious, and rather self-assured young man who knew what he was capable of!
Moyle's descriptions of the nuanced day-to-day of the extreme political situation, and nuanced layers of an artistic career in those times are captivating. She gets into some deep looking at Holbein’s paintings in a way that illuminates things like typical gender roles and his family life, bringing an art historian's eye to the story and sending you back to look more closely. And then there's the wonderfully over-the-top review from The Times (UK), which called the book “A great, thrusting codpiece of a book. It is big, bombastic and richly brocaded... A jewel in its own right.” Oh my!
I'm not quite finished, but it's got my attention and I think a must read for all of us who are interested in the lives of artists and the context in which we do it.
Other Art News
Jacob Rath texts: “I walked by the Buddha again today, and made a quick drawing. I was particularly interested in showing how the hand is disconnected from the limestone.”
Assata Benoit shares: “My sketch of the view outside my window, which I am constantly drawing for whatever reason. Maybe because I see it every day. Also - update I couldn’t come to Advanced Studio last night because I had my last DJ class and I got top 4! I’ll be spinning a party next week & officially a DJ!!”
I (Meridith) completed a new Magical Things painting. I was drawn to the close color relationships of the melted cheese toast on a pink plate atop a hand-blocked deep red tablecloth.
Exhibitions We Love
TJ Edgar “went with my class to a view private collection art gallery called The Warehouse (1643 Chattahoochee Avenue NW, Atlanta, GA) the art collection of John and Sue Wieland exploring the complex and varied themes of house and home. There were some fantastic pieces, I took photos of my favorites.”
SIMON EVANS ™, Simon Evans & Sarah Lannan, This American Dollhouse I (a soft reboot), 2022. Photos by TJ Edgar
Do Ho Suh, Main Entrance, 388 Benefit Street, Providence, RI, USA 02903, 2016
Roger Brown, Ancestral Homes of the Type Utilized by My Forefathers: Shotgun; Dog Trot; Slab-End; Log Houses, 1990 Mark Dion, All Heaven in a Rage, 2024. Video and photos by TJ Edgar
Jules has taught a couple of sessions inspired by the work of Do Ho Suh, nice to see his work is in this collection. It also seems to me the Wieland’s would be interested to see the AYB at 180 Dollhouse!
Several of us made a point of catching two superb exhibitions before they closed. First up was The Prime of Your Life at Marc Straus Gallery (299 Grand Street, NYC), an exhibition featuring eighteen women artists, all over the age of 75, whose work demonstrates that creativity has no expiration date. As the curatorial statement suggests, “Years do odd things to identity. They change us. Ideally, they heighten our openness to change, so that every present has the potential to be the prime of your life.”
Beautifully installed across the gallery's three floors, the exhibition brought together painting, photography, sculpture, and drawing. The thoughtful arrangement gave each work room to breathe while creating unexpected conversations between pieces. Rather than looking back on long careers through a retrospective lens, the exhibition celebrates what these artists are making now. It challenges the notion that an artist's prime belongs to a particular moment in time, suggesting instead that it can evolve, recur, and remain very much in the present.
Squeak Carnwath, My Umwelt (2025) and Lynn Hershman Leeson, Wrinkles in Time (2022)
Conduits of the Unseen: Women Artists Imagine Other Worlds at Andrew Edlin Gallery (Tribeca, NYC) was another exhibition beautifully curated and packed with the kind of artwork that is right up AYB's alley! Bringing together 17 international artists across generations, the exhibition explores alternate realities, spiritualism, and cosmic consciousness through works that emerge, in many cases, from spirit communication and other forms of esoteric practice. Cats, Tarot, enigmatic portraits, luminous color abstractions, and magical beings abound.
The exhibition raises interesting questions about the relationship between art, intuition, and the unseen. Just what we have been thinking about!
Installation view Conduits of the Unseen: Women Artists Imagine Other Worlds at Andrew Edlin Gallery, Marjorie Cameron, Fairy Queen, 1962, Leonora Carrington, The Window, 1996, Leonor Fini Sans titre (Trois visages), undated, Juanita Guccione, And the Sun Too Shall Fade Away, 1948 and Adele Watson, Untitled, 1915-25
You are invited to the opening of The Nature of Building: Artists Books at Kentler International Drawing Space (353 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn) tomorrow Saturday November 7th from 4-6pm. I (Meridith) am thrilled to have three pieces in the exhibition which remains on view through December 13, 2026.
Exhibition Extended
Have you had a chance to visit The Gallery at 180 Franklin Avenue to see Ajani Russell: Drawing The Line?
Ajani’s solo exhibition has been extended through January 5, 2027.
Tuesday evenings 6-8pm are a great time to visit, or you can make an appointment. The important thing is not to miss this gorgeous exhibition.
Opportunities
Deadline: December 4
MEANS Magazine invites artists to submit work exploring anticipatory anxiety, fear of the future, and the emotional complexities of transitioning into a new year. Submissions across all mediums—including art, music, and writing—are welcome, with particular interest in contemporary, experimental, and conceptual practices.
AYB was featured in MEANS 7 Grassroots, we love their publication and encourage you to apply if the theme is a good fit for your work!
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