Seashells or Dalmations?

I am sticking to simple today. Black and white. Ink and paper. Dot-dash and squiggle. Sumi-e. Japanese ink and brush on paper. Seashells are my models. Textures. Little bits, but specific to that island. And ink. Flowing ink. I think that I can handle that today.

I have finished 2 of the 3 books on writing I set out to read this week. The next one is on punctuation. I know, I know. Try to contain your excitement. It's a little bit of a different book, not all Strunk And White. I am looking forward to reading it because I have my own ideas about punctuation. Comes from two things, maybe three, okay four.

1) Advanced Placement English
2) Saramago's graphically unforgettable book Blindness
3) Poetry
4) Ink drawings like the ones above

And since the last chapter in the first book of this week's read is devoted to pacing and progression, I don't think I am far off the mark. (Ooh, I really did NOT intend that pun, but I am leaving it in.)

Punctuation is about rhythm. It's about clarity too, but it's a whole lot about rhythm and direction. There is no tool out there that doesn't have a few rules to go with it and with rules...wait for it....come the ability to break them. Or at least to use them creatively.

Told you I was not the good child.

Look. Dot dot comma comma exclamation point. Semi colon semi colon parentheses.

Even the words have rhythms. I could use those marks for texture in a painting for goodness sake. Because punctuation didn't just appear fully formed, no more than language did. They were both born of necessity and were used way before we wrote them down. There is intention behind them. I-N-T-E-N-T-I-O-N....see slowed you down and emphasized with just a few dashes and some dots.

So I am reading the punctuation book and doing Sumi-e today. I am exploring marks in black on white. And those first ones up there in the photo look a little like a Dalmation to me. Hm. Context will make the difference...but that is a whole other discussion.

C'mon Brush. Let's go get busy. You get to dive into the ink.