Author: liza

Yo-Yo Ma and Me

Yo-Yo Ma and me, photo by Eric Korenman

Recently, I was given the privilege to be onstage and draw and improvise with master cellist Yo-Yo Ma. It was an incredible honor.

I drew, he played. I watched him, and the audience; he watched me and my drawing as it appeared onscreen. It was a multiple collaboration. I responded to what he was playing, he responded to what I was drawing. In between the playing and drawing, we discussed many things, moderated by Stage Director Guy Ben-Aharon.

Some drawings were of the audience, some of Yo-Yo, and one was pure imagination in response to his playing.

Two arts interacting.

 
A beautiful stage. Our conversations were moderated by Director Guy Ben-Aharon, on the right
 
 
 
Me “directing” Yo-Yo

 

 
I drew the audience as we began. Everyone takes a marble and puts it in a jar as it is passed around. Even Yo-Yo and I did the same.
 
Yo-Yo turned to face me and played one of my favorite songs, the Bach Cello Suite No. 1 . He played directly to me as I drew him.

 

 
This was pure imagination, a drawing in response to “angry” music.
 
A drawing of Yo-Yo playing an “angry” composition

 

 

The final collaboration was about hope. Yo-Yo played a medley of songs of hope, I drew the audience. Why the audience? Because it was a diverse gathering, with people of all ages, races, colors and different communities. The Jar, where this was held, strives to bring together such gatherings through an intentional Convener Model. It’s a wonderful non-profit that you can read about, here. It was founded by stage director, Guy Ben-Aharon, who also beautifully moderated the evening.

 

The evening really felt like a community.

I learned so much. We talked and created about passion, fear, hate, anger, hope, laughter, joy. Art is about connection. The two of us connected as we created, but we also connected with those observing.

Art is interactive.

I hope we touched others. Through our expression, I believe we were able to provide a bridge between us all in our shared humanity.

After the event, we did a shoot in front of a large drawing I did earlier. These photos were taken by the amazing photographer and my friend, Eric Korenman

 

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With Guy Ben-Aharon

 

 
We had so many great converstations throughout the night.
 
by Eric Korenman

 

 

Additional photos by Anna Olivella.

 

Democracy In Tennessee Has Gone Missing

The Tennesse House of Representatives voted to expel two Democratic members yesterday, after they were vocal on the House floor, protesting in favor of gun control. There were actually three Democratic Representatives who protested, but the one representative who is White did not receive enough votes to be expelled. The two young Black men did. The three protestors, now being called the Tennessee Three, are Justin Pearson, Justin Jones, and Gloria Johnson.

“What is happening here today is a farce of democracy,” Jones said at the beginning of his 20-minute defense. “What is happening here today is a situation in which the jury has already publicly announced the verdict. What we see today is just a spectacle. What we see today is a lynch mob assembled to not lynch me, but our democratic process.”

He continued, “We called for a ban on assault weapons, you responded with an assault on democracy.”

I hope the two expelled members run again. This is outrageous.

 

Trump Not In Control

 

I am watching the coverage of the indictment of Trump, and live-drew the above from a CNN feed. In my drawing above, he’s leaving the room where he learned of all the 34 felony counts against him, heading to the courtoom where he will plead. It was immediately noticable to me that the man in front of him as the group walked through this door, did not hold the door for him. The door fell against his body and he had to push it open. It was very symbolic to me. Trump is in custody and is not in control of everyone around him.

He looked sullen, sad, little, very angry.

If there were more I could live-draw, I would, but I don’t like to draw from others’ photographs.

 
 

From my newsletter, Seeing Things:

Ever since Trump was running for office in 2016, I drew him as I do above, in short pants. I always thought he was like a schoolyard bully, persistently pushing people around, manipulating the truth, humiliating and belittling others to get his way.

I drew him on Lady Justice’s scale because, frankly, I could not think of any other way to depict this moment. It’s historic, and while I have ridiculed Trump in drawings before, I did not see a need to do that now (except maybe slightly, in the way I drew him). Nor could I figure out how to encapsulate all the nuance of emotions, anger, and fear of this moment in a pen line.

We don’t know what will happen.

I see the indictment of Trump as democracy in action. He is not above anyone. I suppose it is a test in that never before in the history of our Republic has a former President been charged with a crime.

Trying to understand it all, I think it boils down to this: in 2016, did the Trump campaign (via his “fixer” Michael Cohen) pay Stormy Daniels hush money to:

1. protect his family (as his lawyers claim), or

2. protect his candidacy for President.

Whether hush money can be counted as a campaign donation is not settled law. And we don’t know specifically what all the many counts are against him.

This weekend will be interesting. Before his arraignment on Tuesday, Trump will try to rally his base with a lot of lies and threats, attacks and accusations. Republicans will have to take sides. Democrats will have to be cautious.

And we wait.

Is it ironic that Lady Justice is a lady, and this indictment, in part, has to do with Trump’s interactions with a lady?

 

Live Drawing The 95th Academy Awards

Did any of you watch the Oscars this year? I very much enjoyed them, from my persepctive, on-site and constantly drawing. As I draw, I listen, and my senses can pick up on mood. I felt a joy in the air-pehaps the joy of celebrating movies, yes, but also a joy of being back together.

What brings everyone together, of course, is a love of visual storytelling. The energy is really electric, and, over the course of the week one can feel it building. The Academy has a new CEO, Bill Kramer, and I can sense a subtle shift in tone. Personally, this year was a little different for me because I know two people who were nominated! It was a thrill to see them both on the red carpet (one won, another lost, sadly).

I am glad to be back after two years away during the pandemic! Returning for my sixth on-site drawing week, I’m grateful to be given access to behind the scenes and on the carpet. Some of my work was shared on The New Yorker’s social media, and some on Vanity Fair’s Oscar Blog, as well as my own outlets.

Oh, and prints of my drawings will soon be sold in the Academy store!

Enjoy!

Director of Navalny is a constant drawer like me. We had become friends online and planned to meet on the Red Carpet!

I hope you enjoy!

My History Of The New Yorker Cartoon Class

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I am passionate for learning about history through looking at drawings, specifically the drawings from The New Yorker magazine.

Drawing by Barbara Shermund

I am teaching a virtual course on the history of The New Yorker Cartoon through the NY organization, 92NY. Here is a link to the course if you want to sign up! It starts March 16th and goes four consecutive Thursday evenings. Would love to see you there, and please spread the word.

Since it’s Women’s History Month, I thought I would share a few from women artists of the past. Through these drawings, sometimes one can see that things have changed; in many ways they have not. These artists chronicled their worlds with humor and drawing. Humor can reflect the zeitgeist of a time, and while sometimes we don’t “get” the reference, there are many that resonate 70 years later. It’s fascinating.

In my class, I will share New Yorker cartoons and talk about many different artists, both the men and women, as well as the few Black creators from the past (there was one that we know of before recent times, in the 1930’s, E. Simms Campbell). I talk about their work, their lives, the editors, and everything in between that I have learned. I taught this course last year in two sessions, and this year the 92NY agreed to extend it to four sessions, so I can take my time showing you things, and we can have questions after each class. We will discuss works up to present-day artists.

Enjoy!

 

 
Drawing by Helen Hokinson

 

 
Drawing by Helen Hokinson

 

 
Drawing by Alice Harvey
 
 
Drawing by Roberta MacDonald
 
Drawing by Mary Petty