ART BY DRAX
Henna Paintings and the Fine Art of Potato Mischief

"What? Find the. . . Oh thanks a lot. Just like a friggin muse to wander in, get my hopes up, then make a hasty exit. That's it, I'm heading right back to my corner." But I had no sooner crawled back up onto the Stool of Sulking when I had An Idea. "Potatoes," I pondered. "What about potatoes?" "What ABOUT potatoes?" I can hear you asking. "They are a tasty and versatile root vegetable, to be sure, but what does that have to with artwork, Drax? In particular, what does it have to do with block printing?? Unless you're considering . . . POTATO PRINTS??? No. It can't be. You wouldn't! You're a REAL artist, Drax! It simply isn't done!" NO WAIT!!! Don't hang up! Just hear me out. Let's think about this from a creative point of view . . . 1. A potato is not intimidating. If I screw it up, I can slice that part off and start over! 2. Potatoes only get just so big (unless you live downwind of a nuclear power plant), so that would make for a pretty small print. Small is good, I'm thinking. 3. A potato is much easier to cut a design into, drastically reducing the likelyhood of losing a finger to the linoleum knife. (Fingers cost money- they don't grow on trees, you know. Lose one of those puppies and the price of the prints from that edition goes through the roof!) 4. I wouldn't need to buy ink- I can print potatoes using acrylic paint instead (which I already have). No special paper, since they wouldn't be oversized. I think I'm out of potatoes, though. I might have to get one. Soooo. . . Without all that time and expense involved, I could actually sell the prints pretty inexpensively. Kinda cheap, even. So anyone could afford one. It's not a car payment, it's just a breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee. It's not about making loads of money, it's about making cool art that people can afford to collect and share if they want to. Hmmmm. . . Henna design potato prints. This has serious "fun" potential . . . I think I need to make a quick trip to the store, but I'll be back! To be continued . . .

 

And there it was- the answer I'd been seeking for a year! I was so excited I wanted to get started in the car on the way home. I could already picture it: a three-foot-long dragon clawing its way up the paper, great bold henna designs sweeping across the . . . Hold on now, those big prints are a lot of work! It would take what, 40-60 hours to carve that dragon on the printing block? Then there's the whole long and unbelievably messy inking and printing process. And it would be a bit of an investment-- linoleum blocks to carve, new cutting tools, printing inks, special paper. . .

Hmmm. . . Between the labor and the expense involved, that would make for a pretty pricey finished product. Eighty bucks? A hundred bucks? And we're not even talking about framing materials yet. Who can afford that right now? Not too many people, I think. So I crept back to my corner to sulk some more.

"Pssst. . . " said a voice in my ear. "Does it really have to be so big? So complicated? So breathtakingly expensive?"

"Umm. . . " I answered, sensibly.

"What if it was smaller? What if it was simple? What. . . " the voice leaned closer in a conspiratorial whisper, "if it was. . . fun?"

I stared. I blinked. "Fun. . . ? It could be fun??"

The voice nodded in reply. (Which, I might tell you, is no mean feat.)

"Fun, you say," I say. "How could this 'fun' be achieved?"

The voice smiled. "You will find the way. . . " it whispered, as it slowly faded away.

"What? Find the. . . Oh thanks a lot. Just like a friggin muse to wander in, get my hopes up, then make a hasty exit. That's it, I'm heading right back to my corner."

To be continued . . .

As a henna artist, I really enjoy doing art on people. . . it's kinda like painting on a moving target. But lately I've been toying with the novel concept of doing artwork ON SOMETHING THAT HOLDS STILL!

"Drax?" you ask, "Painting on a non-skin object? What on earth would you make pictures on instead of skin???"

"Ahh," I reply with a knowing smile, "Paper."

I used to do that a lot, you know. In fact, I tried only last fall to re-interpret some of my henna designs as watercolors, but I was disappointed with the result and sulked in the corner of my studio until spring. The finished product just wasn't quite what I was imagining. I have no idea WHAT I was imagining, but I was certainly it wasn't THAT. . .

Then along comes my brilliant friend Bob at the MoorArts Show two weeks ago, to whom I whine about my less-that-special images. Bob scratches his head, shrugs, and says "You just didn't pick the right medium. Why don't you do them as block prints instead? It would probably make more sense."

Block prints? BLOCK PRINTS...???

**PING!!!**

And there it was- the answer I'd been seeking for a year! I was so excited I wanted to get started in the car on the way home.

To be continued. . .

I am a serious henna artist. This is my 10th year. I take pride in my work and strive to give each one of my customers a safe, beautiful design that they will be proud to wear. You probably know by now that I've been studying for the International Certification for Natural Henna Artists exam for almost a year. This is not an art class. The areas of study include biology, botany, chemistry, health and safety, henna traditions throughout various cultures, tools, techniques, and materials. I studied it all. I finally decided it was time to take the plunge! (After all, my henna-wrapping sidekick Pat deserves to work with a real professional!) Now, I admit I was nervous, and I'll tell you why--you know what qualifies as a passing grade for that exam? 95%!! Ninety-Five! Can you believe that?? And, if I failed the exam, I'd have to wait a MONTH before I was allowed try again! NO PRESSURE!!! Ok, so they tell me that you have to register for the test, then 24 hours later they will email you the URL for the exam along with your access code. Pat wisely suggested I register early. No problem! I was planning ahead! I wanted to take the test on Monday, so I made sure my Monday schedule was clear and I registered on Saturday. (I was already sweating as I signed up...) Surely that would give them plenty of time. I'd have the necessary info on Sunday and could begin first thing on Monday morning! In the meantime, I study. 24 hours, right . . . ? Sunday came, Sunday went. No email. They would no doubt send it Monday morning! (I was sweating a little more now... but I try to take my mind off it by studying harder) The day dawned, and I was excited, ready, and waiting to begin! What? Still no email . . . ? Well, perhaps by lunchtime . . . or not. (Checking the DraxWatch now.) It's a little late in the day to start at this point. Oh . . . I guess they must have been talking about "business days" . . . but of course it will be here in time for me to dive right in on Tuesday morning! So I cancel a doctor's appointment and clear the rest of my schedule for Tuesday. Nope. (By Tuesday afternoon I've chewed my nails off and studied until I need glasses to combat the eyestrain.) I can stand the wait no longer, so I send the Examinator a DraxMail inquiring politely about my exam. And I clear my Wednesday schedule. Pat says comforting, confidence-boosting things. Finally, late Tuesday evening (after having obsessively checked my email every 3 minutes until I had a blister on my click-finger), IT HAS ARRIVED!!! With great excitement, I open the email and peruse the secrets enclosed. URL? Check! Access code? Check! All I need now is a tranquilizer dart so I can calm down and go to sleep... I want to be fresh and alert for the test in the morning, you know. Alert? Oh, yes. I was in perfect form, with a rugged breakfast to sustain me through my grueling day of testing and a liter of water by my side. I wipe away the nervous sweat that is already trickling from my brow and begin. Or try to, anyway. Perhaps I've typed the passcode incorrectly . . . let me try again. And again. Oh dear . . . Half an hour later, a desperate DraxMail to the Examinator. (Now I am beginning to wonder if these extra little stress-nuggets are all a cleverly crafted part of the exam . . . just to see if I really have what it takes to be a pro. If I am too stupid to make the passcode work, will I be denied the coveted Certification?) I study while I wait, wearing out the band-aid on my click-finger by checking email every 2 minutes. My ankle swells. It takes them over an hour to respond. At last- I'M IN!!! My confidence comes rushing back. I know this material inside and out--after all, I've been studying for a year. And I have 24 hours to complete the exam. All proceeds according to plan. Until question 28. What was that...? Squid ink and licorice? WHAT??? This is a trick question, right? So I wait 15 minutes, but no--they must be serious because the same question is still on the screen. I select what I believe to be the correct answer and press "Next". I have pinpointed the time at which my deodorant failed--3:38. And this is why: When I pressed "Next", the following screen informed me that I had been logged out. Another stress-nugget! "Why on earth was our dear Drax so upset by such a message," you ask yourself. No really, I can hear you. Allow me to explain. In the rather extensive Exam Rules, I have been instructed that I must never logout once the Exam has begun. Closing the browser window will cause the test to logout. Opening a different browser window on the same computer will cause the test to logout. Logging out will cause the test to logout. (I did none of these things, but that did not change the fact that here I was, logged out.) And I will not be permitted to log back in to complete my exam, unless I contact the Examinator, who MAY decide to grant me another chance. (And I know that the Examinator is ALREADY beginning to suspect that I'm an idiot.) At 3:39, I send another panic-stricken DraxMail to the Examinator, begging for a stay of execution. I clear my schedule for Thursday. I study. Pat is getting annoyed by the sound of my obsessive clicking to check for email. Two hours later, I send another inquiry. (I decide against more studying and contemplate whether finding a quiet corner in the backyard and vomiting for a while might not be the more comforting option.) No reply that night, no matter how often I check. My poor click-finger. I finally give up and try to get some sleep. Thursday morning. Nothing. I pace (which is no mean feat on crutches). I have anxiety for breakfast and get an ulcer for lunch. Pat doses me with Mylanta and suggests I approach the Chairman of the Board of Directors about my dilemma. I do it. I go over the Examinator's head. Somehow, this does not ease the knot in my stomach. But in just a few minutes the Chairman sends me word that she's forwarded my concerns to the appropriate entity. Soon after, the Examinator grants me a reprieve and I start my exam all over again. This time it goes without a hitch. When it is all over, I sit and look at the next button for a while before I finally click it to get my test results. I scored a 99!!! I actually passed!!! Time for a strong drink with a Mylanta chaser. (I'll bet it was the squid ink and licorice question that cost me that point . . . )

...So we must be at the 4-H Fair! You never know what you might see- a guinea pig in a hula skirt, a bunny dressed as Abe Lincoln, Kool-Aid colored chickens, or maybe Drax on crutches. Here's a huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped us at the fair !!! We had a wonderful set-up and break-down crew to help us out! Kids from the Tae Kwon Do club, along with their fearless leader, made short work of getting our booth constructed. And Samantha firmly instructed my gimpy self to stop trying to carry things and sit down! Without their help, my faithful henna-wrapping sidekick Pat and I would still be trying to get everything back into the truck. Our henna posse grew this year, and we had Kira (our official 4-H mascot, who is currently sporting a very cool gecko henna) and a whole handful of kids looking out for us, running for drinks and food, and making sure we had everything we needed. My dear friend Alyson (our original mascot who ran AWAY from the circus to join the Marines) was able to hang out with us for a while, and it was really good to see her. All the munchkins in the world can wander into my booth, but they will never replace the original. It always seems like something's missing when she's not in the booth... happily drifting away on the scent of henna paste... She never chooses a design, just shrugs and says "Whatever you want to draw is cool." My favorite words. It's amazing what you can learn about someone when you let their spirit speak to you. It feels good to create new artwork on someone, using only their personal energy as a guide. Their body tells me what to draw. That's when I enjoy doing henna the most... I watch in amazement as the design almost creates itself, like a story about them unfolding in front of me. It seems to take a few visits before people realize they're safe in my hands and decide to take the brave step and plunge into uncharted henna. They're always happy when they do, knowing that they're wearing a design that was created just for them. So yes, it was awkward and sometimes painful to be in the booth with my foot propped up on a stool hidden under the table... trying to get into a reasonably comfortable position for each new henna. But it was great to be outdoors, surrounded by friends (and their pets!). It was great to have a chance to feel creative again! I can't wait to go back!