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The Ever Open Book in the Matter of Design By J. W. G. Macdonald

ATURE is after all the only and ever open book in matters of Design, always providing one looks hard enough. She has more ; decorative forms than she can ever dispose of and we who would design | must be ardent students of her. Knowledge of form and drawing is the foundation stone of Design and without which nothing can be produced. A student must extract all there is to know about any one of God’s creations and then put down his observations in his own way. This is the only way to create original design.

Study the History of Art by all means, but do not look through the eyes of the Egyptians or Greek or any other nationality. Rather, under- H stand the essence of the principles that makes their work high water marks 1 for all time. This does not mean the frills and the icing, but the basic structure.

Be as progressive as you like, as advanced as you like, but always provided it is one step forward and not beyond your knowledge and strength. Let the motto of your work be, “Think seven times and draw once and for all time.’ Glory in the beauty of your country for all the big forces of Nature are around you.

Col or By Dorothy Hensman

SAW a splash of colour (from dark trees) in brilliant sun.... All

suddenly it struck my staring eyes. . . . I trod a path so deep in trees, so chill, so sombre grey . . . . my colour sense seemed straining in the dark. ... The colour doors, which commonly do stand but half ajar, lay wide . . . agap for light and warmth. . . Each colour channel open lay to hands and feet and-brain; each colour nerve a-tingle to receive. So was I unprepared to check . . . and suddenly it came . . . like golden river, flooding wide its banks! It flooded through my weakened form, stark colour, rich and strong, a brilliant Captor pressing hard its claim. . . Just for an instant glorious, with startled mind aflame. . . Standing mid

_ sombreness . . . | seemed . . . colour personified.

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