DRAGON SKETCH

Winged Dragon

Now for something completely different....I seldom do visionary fantasy.  I don't feel I have the imagination for it.  However, as Dali once said, 'draw what you dream'.  I wanted to show that I have a bit of versatility, too.  Though I have mostly a classical education in fine arts, I am like any other artist...wanting to step out of the box!   And like most people, I have a mysterious past...oooooooo!  I spent a few years as the newsletter writer (or Wordsmithy) for a local S.C.A. group. (That is the Society of Creative Anachronism, or renaissance faire-type group.)  Hubby had mis-spent his college youth in a Fencing class, and had the time of his life doing fencing challenges.  I found that I enjoyed doing historical research on the life and times of medieval folks.  During that few years, I illustrated the newsletter, wrote it, and drew plenty of dragons.  I never liked any of them.  So it is amazing that I really like this one.  I think it shows my inner nasty side.  Oh, yes!  Everyone has one!  You know that YOU do, too!  Think about it.........

ART JOURNAL ENTRY: HEALING, HAVE I GOT ISSUES!!!

click on image to enlarge view

Some of my art expressions for the art journal come out in surprising ways.  I started out with no thought on what I was going to draw, and the turtle called to me.  I realized that I was equating my progress in my art, life, and other areas of frustration in the slowness of a tortoise.  Drawing it, writing it down...taking my time by changing the colors of the pen to make each thought separate, really worked for me.  And please forgive the bad rhymes.  I am a poet at heart, sometimes gifted but most times NOT!

WILL ROGERS: AN EXAGGERATIONAL PORTRAIT

Will Rogers

Class was canceled this week, so I chose to do a well-known figure, exaggerating his more interesting features.  Not quite a cartoon, but close!  I enjoyed drawing this piece.  It made me look for the more prominant characteristics of a man in a photo that I did not have the option of getting to know.  More than that, the completed piece made me smile!

ART JOURNAL ENTRY: A RAINBOW OF COLOR

Every so often I drag out my art journal to express my REAL feelings, both good and bad.  This is the very first page of my journal, and I set free my thoughts on being an artist.  I used every color of Sharpey felt tip pens that I could get my hands on and doodled, wrote and played. I find this is a great way to find balance in your life, get grounded (or centered, as Mom, the experienced meditater says) and let out a few festering feelings....few festering feelings...say THAT 10 times fast!

CONQUERING THE STUDIO

Do you feel that sometimes your studio has gotten out of control?

Do you have an addiction to art supplies that has gotten out of control?

Does household clutter end up in your studio when company comes, and it has gotten out of control?

Well, I am ashamed to say that my studio has become the bottomless pit of all things lost in this household.  I am sure that all of the socks in the world that disappear from dryers everywhere are probably in there.  Besides my art space, the studio houses the spare sofa (which I NEVER use),  games and puzzles that come out only once a year, scrapbook supplies that have gotten WAY out of control, and even the seasonal clothing...sweaters that seldom get worn because we no longer live in the north!

I haven't actually painted anything in there in a year.  I usually drag a few tubes of paint down to my kitchen table, along with a table easel.

NO MORE!  I am taking control! I am reclaiming my space for art! With sword held high, I will smite at the evil infiltrators of clutter and claim victory over the chaos!

(Hubby, quit mumbling under your breath about my being a drama queen and help me carry stuff!)

THE UNCOMFORTABLE MAN: STUDY IN CHARCOAL

CLIFFORD

"Clifford" was very uncomfortable with being a model.  He sweated, he squirmed, he moved so much it was difficult to get a likeness.  I don't think that he liked himself very much, and his discomfort made us all a bit edgy and glad to get the class over with.  I learned a lot from the experience.  It took several sketches to get even this semi-decent likeness as he dodged us all in an effort to not be known. I am not particularly happy with this portrait.  But then, neither was he!

WATERCOLOR BIRD: INDIGO BUNTING

Just a quick little bird, but I really needed the color today.

LEONARDO DA VINCI: OLD MAN SKETCH AND POEM

Study from Da Vinci Notebooks

I have learned a lot from studying some of the master's sketchbooks.  Da Vinci had a delicate hand with shaping and details, and I think that he showed real emotion with his work. Perhaps the only portraits I have really admired and wanted to emulate is Da Vinci's.  Here I have tried once again to learn from the beauty of his self-portrait that man can be incredible, superb, and full of character.

THE FACE

I saw a face with

character today.

It wasn't pretty,

It wasn't classic.

The face had

weathered features.

It had wrinkles.

It was crooked.

The nose was large

and bulbous.

It was broken.

It was hawkish.

The brows were wild

and wiry.

They were bushy.

They were connected.

The eyes were

slightly crossed.

They were hazel.

They were piercing.

The chin was full

of bristles.

It was square.

It was determined.

The face was full

of character.

It was beautiful.

It was timeless.

---poem by Rose Altom

          

PORTRAIT OF AN OLDER BUT WISER WOMAN

CLARISSA

I call her Clarissa.  While I was sketching her, she spoke of regrets and truths.  I thought about my own choices and paths while I drew her.  Had I learned anything over my own years...or was I sliding along, taking life as it came to me?  Clarissa has something to say, to reveal, and to teach. I hope I was willing to listen and learn...

CHARCOAL AND CHALK PORTRAIT

TYLER

TYLER, DETAIL

This was a sweet young man, the son of one of the artists in our group.  He kindly consented to pose for us when our model couldn't make it to class.  He was shy, slightly embarrassed, and a wonderful model.  I chose a 3/4 view to sketch and grey newsprint paper.  We used a strong light to get enough contrast for a good portrait.  I chose to call him "Tyler", which is not his real name,of course! I am not sure I got his ears perfectly aligned, or even the right size. I am rather pleased with the results, however.

PORTRAIT IN CONTE CRAYON: OLD MASTER'S STYLE

AMY RAIN

AMY RAIN, DETAIL

I don't do portraits very often, but I love working with the conte crayons.  I was lucky enough to get into an exceptional life drawing class not long ago, with a lot of interesting models to work with.  I will be featuring the occasional conte and charcoal portraits over the next week or so.  These particular pieces are not permanent...that is to say that I chose to recycle old paper grocery bags.  I love the color of them, and I love the texture and 'tooth'.  It is also a plus to know that the sketches were not 'forever' pieces, and I could ease my anxiety about messing anything up, yet get loads of experience doing faces.  I especially enjoy looking for the shape through light and shadow.  I think that it makes the drawing more 3 dimensional and more interesting.  I wasn't too concerned about getting a perfect likeness, though that was a plus if it happened!

This first drawing was fun.  The woman had made her own hat, and admitted to loving the 1960's so much that most of her clothing reflected it.  I chose my spot in the room to try a profile, and emphasize line for this particular person.  She had a fascinating shape to her face.  I call her "Amy Rain".

TEA AND SYMPATHY

When I was little, and got a cut or scrape, my mother always got out the Constant Comment tea and brewed us a cup...for some 'tea and sympathy'.  I am drinking a lot of tea this week!  I am having some heart problems, (hopefully fairly minor) and am feeling a bit under the weather.  I am also dealing with a bit of self-pity, and trying to whip my attitude into shape!  Mom always said that tea will cure what ails you.  I am taking you at your word, Mom!  The box of tea is on the tea cart, as well as my favorite teapot.  It is getting a bit cooler lately, so maybe I will make a batch of cherry hazelnut scones to go with it....

BEADED CIGARETTE



Beaded Cigarette by Seedybeader


Check this out!  This is NOT A REAL CIGARETTE!  My best buddy, the Seedybeader, made this with bead weaving techniques that boggle my mind, and would probably strain my eyes.  She does the most amazing beading, specializing in necklaces and medicine bags.  Look for more pictures of her work, because she is just amazing!  (I bought my daughter this 'cigarette' to hold while she tries to quit smoking.  She can't ever figure out what to do with her hands when she tries to quit.  Maybe this will help.)

LOOKING AHEAD TO HALLOWEEN

Norman Rockwell study


I have been practicing obbozzo (see my Artipedia section to the right), doing some sketching from some of Norman Rockwell's seasonal paintings.  I loved the view of these children as the innocently go off to Trick or Treat, wishing their hardest for lots of candy.  I find sketching from some of the master artists a good education for learning composition skills and technical knowledge.

This is my own cartoon of the look of fright reading ghost stories.  I am horrendously bad at cartooning, but it isn't going to stop me from having some fun with it!

CHARCOAL PENCIL TEA BALL

Tea Ball

My favorite season is on it's way!  I love fall, autumn, cool weather, or just any excuse to have a cup of hot tea!  My mother and I used to have tea parties when I was a child, and I did the same with my children.  My daughter's favorite teapot was a blue chintz cat-shaped one, and she loved peppermint tea.  My son's favorite teapot was a vampire, and red zinger was his favorite tea because it looked red like...well, you know!  I have had every type of tea imaginable.  Most memorable over the years were watermelon tea, China brick tea (shaped into a small brick that you broke chunks off of to brew), and recently I was excited to try bird's nest tea.  Tea leaves are shaped into small bird's nests and buried in the ground to ferment for 5 to 100 years.  The flavor is incredible!  Over the years I have painted tea-inspired oils,acrylics and watercolors, and sketched many a tea kettle and tea infuser.  It is a continuing theme because it is a big part of my life.  Tea cures all, including the soul!

NATURE'S MANDALA



Basket Flower: Photo by Rose Altom



I have been reading about Mandalas lately in my excursions into finding inner peace.  Supposedly, as you create your circular mandala, it brings about a meditative state.  I have been looking for some of the natural mandalas that surround me, and this Blanket Flower (or Fire Wheel) was the perfect one.

ARTIST CHALLENGE #54

Christmas Memories:  Original Oil with Morager, $650.00
(Postage and Insurance Paid)

Creek Darling: Oil on canvas
NFS



I have entered  the Artist Challenge #54 - Remember Me
http://www.theartistchallenge.com/
These 2 paintings are by far my most memory-filled pieces.  "Christmas Memories" was my tribute to the best of Christmas, which is children.  These are my own children's favorite toys to play with growing up, and it was the type of toy that they would help me to pick out to give to Toys For Tots (whom the U.S. Marines set up to get toys to children in need at Christmas). 
"Creek Darling" was a wonderful memory for me, as it is the place that I chose to teach my son to drive.  We were living in North Dakota at the time, and that state park was close and usually deserted in the late fall.  We saw so many wonderful things in nature there.  Large flocks of eagles would perch in one particular tree there every year when they were migrating...a miraculous sight!  We identified dozens of beautiful ducks and geese at the Lake there, and my son and I actually rescued a large and really prickly porcupine one day while driving through.  I wanted to show the amazing golden glow the late afternoons had, and the feeling of contentment and peace.
Both paintings brought back lovely memories, and were a joy to create!

COLEUS: SKETCH AND NOTES

Coleus Sketch and Color notes


Part of my creative process, especially when I am doing sketches that will later be used in a painting, is to make detailed drawings with color notes to remind me what it looked like.  These notes are invaluable, because  you tend to forget those feelings that the color invoked at the time.  It is a little reminder that will round out your painting later.  This was one of many sketches that I did with this foliage plant, and some of the other drawings had copious notes on the more emotional aspects that the colors brought out for me, personally.  I try to write down more specific colors as well, such as Sap Green, Veridian, or Cadmium Light Yellow.  Then I write about the mood of what I have in mind...'use late afternoon golden light to generate a feeling of nostalgia'.  Or 'backlight this area to emphasize the line of the stem'.  You have to use a process that really works for you and doesn't bog you down in too much of the details without the heart that goes into your piece. 

GOLD PANNING DAY!

His and Hers Gold Pans


What better way to spend a hot summer day than to go gold panning?  Hubby and I both love to go digging in the dirt looking for gemstones and gold.  We never find much, but we have such good memories that we have made over the years.   I still remember the first time we went, up in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  We set up our son's playpen beside the creek and panned for gold in the iciest water I have ever felt!  Thirty years later, and we still love to get out and hike the trails, hunt for treasure and spend time together.  Sure beats going to the movies!  (And yes, I ALWAYS bring my sketchbook with me.  You never know when inspiration will hit you.)

CANNA LILY PHOTO

CANNA WITH BEE



Not being a woman with a green thumb, I am especially proud of my canna lillies this year.  I was delighted to find out after processing this photo that I had actually captured a tiny bee in flight coming in to enjoy the nectar!

BEAR CUB MINIATURE



Smoky Mountain Bear Cub




I did another miniature....2"x3" acrylic on canvas.  My intention was to get something.....ANYthing completed in one day!  Sometimes the big paintings can get so bogged down that they don't want to be completed!  So  small is in right now.  I kept it simple, just enough detail to give you attitude and innocence.  Interesting story...I was hiking up in the Smoky Mountain National Park, not too far from the main roads, just off of Alum Trail.  Out of the brush comes this sweet baby, who was just as surprised to see me as I was to see him.  Quick to my camera, I took a few reference photos, as I was very CAREFULLY backing away!  Mama bear is always nearby, and you do NOT want to get between her and her baby.  I count myself lucky to have seen this cub, survived it, and not disturbed it.  I took creative license with the colors.  I was thinking it was so black it shimmered blue, so that is how I painted the fur.  Normally I will add the complimentary color for contrast, but I chose a pinky flesh tone for the white muzzle.  Subtle, and I am hoping it projects the cub's curiosity and youth.

SOFT-LEAD CHARCOAL PENCIL SKETCH

An artist is ever seeking another subject to draw.  I discovered a lovely little leaf nestled in the blades of grass that had high contrast light and shadow.  I used a soft-lead charcoal pencil to really add contrast to that light.  I took an ant's eye view of it and suffered only minor mosquito bites for the effort.  Every time I scratch the itch I will think of this sketch!

DEER COLLAGE



Deer Collage


I tried something new...collage is very popular these days, and I love the inventiveness of it!  I took a small sketch I had done of a deer and combined it with some thin rice paper (used I think for Chinese New Year - to burn for good luck?) and a few pressed leaves.  I liked the effect of it, though it turned out to not be sturdy enough to last through transportation, even under glass.  Lesson learned. 

MINIATURE RED FOX



Red Fox




I painted this Red Fox on a 2"X3" canvas...amazing that I actually found a frame to fit the tiny thing.  Normally I get obsessed with the tiny details of things, and this time I chose to go more abstract with my painting.   I tried to get the essence of the fox without overwhelming the piece.  I deliberately went small so that I would NOT get overly detailed.  I am actually quite pleased with how it came out, though I think that my hubby is not too fond of it.  It gives the feeling of a delicate structure built for speed, and a curious and alert stance.  The ears are perked high to hear something in the distance and the stance shows a possibility of a quick retreat.

CAROUSEL HORSES

Carousel Study


We lived in Biloxi, MS for 3 years and left just before Katrina hit the coast hard.  Every week I would go down to the beaches and do sketches of the laughing gulls (my favorite shorebird!) and the various buildings and people.  The Family Fun Center on the main beach had a wonderful old carousel, and on especially windy or rainy days, I would park my car near it and draw the horses.  I am sad to say that my trip to Biloxi this year showed how little was left after the big hurricane and the carousel is long gone, along with the house I lived in back then.  As nature does, the land is healing itself, and the beaches are clean and full of wildlife.  They aren't building tourist traps as close to the beach as they were.  I do miss the horses, though.

BIRD STUDIES

Bird studies

I do a great deal of paintings of birds, and am working on a painting of an eagle right now.  Because of this, I do a lot of bird studies, trying to get the attitude down.  If you do a lot of bird watching, you will notice that birds DO have attitudes.  I had a run-in with a mockingbird once that bordered on psychotic!  I happened to live in her territory, and she took great pride in defending it by dive-bombing my head every time I came home.  She took a few tufts of hair out of my cat with strafing missions designed to scare off the enemy. 

Hummingbirds have a lot of personality as well.  The ones I feed this year are very demanding, and if they run out of nectar they let me know by hovering at my back window and peering in.  I have a Carolina Wren who has consistently taunted me with her flippy little tail, bouncing about me like a ball when I go outside.

So you can see that it takes a lot of work to discover the attitude of the bird you are about to paint or draw.  I do dozens of sketches to get to know them, and try to show that attitude in my finished piece.  Whether it is a dignified stance or a defensive one, all birds have 'personality'.

Yellow-headed Blackbird

OUTDOOR PICNIC



Outdoor Picnic Still Life


I am trying to get back into my painting by finishing a few that got left behind for various reasons.  With 'Outdoor Picnic', I was in the middle of painting this piece in my backyard, when we got unexpected orders to move.  It has been packed away for quite a long time, and I rediscovered it when sorting through my studio this week.  It is acrylic on prepared masonite board, and I am rethinking the size and shape of the piece, as well as trying to figure out why I got so obsessed with the apple and didn't work on any of the rest of the still life.  I have a few issues...the leaves are from an ancient sycamore tree that I no longer can see.  I took no photos for reference.  We have no sycamores around here...should I add oak leaves to the piece?  Should I continue with the photorealism?  Or maybe go a bit more abstract with the background....?  Should I cut the painting down to a smaller size?  I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this!!!  Humor me and take a risk....comment button is below.

Outdoor Picnic, detail

DA VINCI HANDS



Hand study in conte

I am still enjoying the book "Draw Like Da Vinci", and have been doing some hand studies in terracotta conte sticks.  It is amazing how a straight line can indicate shape and form!  And yes, I am still avoiding doing painting right now...my research into other artists' blogs has shown me that I am not the only one struggling with creative blocks right now.  Thank you to all the vocal people in cyberworld who comment and encourage all over the internet.  It is always appreciated and well recieved by the artist!



Hand study, detail

ONION STUDIES

Onion Studies

I bought a huge bag of onions this week, and became fascinated by the layered skins, the papery thin, fragile stuff that looks a lot like rice paper.  So I sketched them in sepia ink....and then I sketched them in black ink.  Then I crushed the skins into boiling water and made a dye to dip handmade rag paper into.  It came out a beautiful mottled golden color!  Then I made dinner.  Amazing what will inspire you....

CONTE DRAWING



Zen Meditation Chimes

My wise mother gave me these Zen Meditation Chimes.  You hold them in one hand, and rotate them while emptying your mind of all bad thoughts.  They have a tiny chime in each one, and when they knock together, they ring.  I loved the reflective qualities of them as well, so had to draw them.  I chose conte pencil, which is a kind of compressed charcoal.  It usually comes in terracotta, black and white.  I love the feel of the block of conte when I use it.  It flows, builds up, and is a joy.