THURSDAY, MAY 3,1979

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BUSY HANDS ARE HAPPY WHEN PLANTING DUNE GRASS^ The old military adage that says "Busy hands are happy hands" was borne out recently as IS volunteer sand dune preservationists planted 6,000 dune grass ‘plugs’ in bare spots between 30th and 31st on the beach in Avalon. The hay-like plugs will soon send their clinging roots into billions of particles of sand which will help to build up the protection of Avalon’s sand dunes. Yvonne S. Ballenger. chairman of the Avalon Environmental Commission is shown (right) overseeing the operation. More dune grass planting was done this week when the Avalon School children donned old clothes and hit the dunes with over 4.0(lt) plugs.

Announcing

BIRTH!

THE CAPE MAY COUNTY

Hcralii IS THE PH0UD POPPA OF A NEW NEWSPAPER TO SERVE THE PEOPLE OF Lower Township

There are three basic H working procedures that can be used as approaches to the portrayal of a subject: 1) working from the model, 2) working from memory, 3) using photographs. Each artist has a preference for, or dependency on any one of these methods. All of them are "acceptable"; any two or all three can be used within the course of one effort; each has its advantages and drawbacks. When one is working directly from a model, one experiences and reacts with a coordinated effort. There is an event taking place that is witnessed by the artist, passing through her and out the marking

tool.

"Model", here, refers to a subject before you which could be a rock, a child, a corner of the room, piece of tin foil, edge of a box, etc. The model can be the backbone of the work or an incidental starting point. For example: Audubon was studying recognizable markings and structures of birds. Here, the model is the dominant necessity. The artist works with shapes and colors that create a similar appearance. It would make a difference to Audubon if we switched his bald eagle with a Blue Jay.

On the other hand, when Picasso glimpsed a bird, he would seek to capture its "Gestalt"; he was not painting a specific bird, but rather Bird. Degas suggested that the model pose on the first floor, and the artist paint on the-

second.

To capture a fleeting moment, or a model on the' move, one needs a keen eye, a quick wit, and a clear space in the mind on which the image may be impressed. Or one may use a camera to freeze a moment in time, or a documentary of the general arrangement of

things.

A mark in its disfavor is that it is such an easy way of recording a subject in its generally recognized from, that the artist is tempted to copy the shapes and colors of the photograph, going no farther than the camera

image, and so loses the soul of the camera and limits

his own.

I will illustrate a situation in which all of the methods were used by citing a personal example: I received a commission for a painting of a Laborador as a gift for a man who owned and cherished one. As this was to be a surprise, the dog was not available for modeling. 1 was told the dog's age and gender and his favorite

exercise spot. Using a hunting magazine Tor reference, I made note of various positions and stances that accentuate that breed's form, and then arranged for a stand-in to romp around Higbee's Beach with his master while I observed and sketched. I noted things that a photograph could not contain: a dominant line down the back that expanded and contracted with a certain rhythm is the dog moved; the tail with its positions expressing as much as the eyes; <he force of his black shape against the glistehing water. The drawirigs I made were simply reminders of what I had seen, some containing merely .one line, but the fact that I was making some barks helped me to be attentive and receptive. I began to make decisions as to how I was to present this thing, and took some photos from a specific angle with the dog cooperating amid threats and rewards. Drawings and color notations were also made of the scene. Back at the studio a painting was developed which included the initial image that I received when considering the piece, strengthened by drawing, experience, and involvement.

Annual Dance Musical Slated

CAPE MAY - Joanne Reagan Studios will present its seventh annual dance musical May 4 and 5 at Lower Cape May Regional High School Auditorium. This year’s program is entitled "There’s No Business Like Show Business, featuring aspects of darite that have been vital parts of the world of show business. A cast of 300 dance students ranging from age three to adult, will par-

ticipate. The art of ballet will be featured in several variations: the toy soldiers from the famous "Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky, the "Can-Can” from Gaite Parisienne and the "The

Spanish Dance’’ from Tchaikovsky’s "Swan Lake." Students participating in the musical are from the entife Cape May County area.

STARTING NEXT THURSDAY MAY 10th THE

Lower Township

LANTERN

"C

Will Replace The County Herald In The Many Herald Distribution Points Around Lower Township. (The Herald Will, As Always, Continue To Be Distributed Throughout All The Many Other Areas Of Cape May County That It Serves.)

In Addition To Bringing Lower Township Readers Some Of The Columns, Features And News Items That Have Made The Herald Of Local Interest, The Lower Township Lantern Will Also Offer Readers

EXPANDED COVERAGE OF LOWER TOWNSHIP'S Personalties Churches Schools Places Organizations Clubs AND MUCH MORE! News Releases, Photos, and Letters of Interest and Importance To Lower Township May Be Sent To The 4

LOWER TOWNSHIP LANTERN P.O. BOX 308 VILLAS, N.J. 08251