It Happens from Time to Time

You do not normally see this from me. I rarely, rarely sketch anything which might be recognizable to everyone. One day I was at my parents home and just wanted a pencil in my hand. I ended up doing this page. I know it is nothing for many of you, but I thought I would give you a rare glimpse into something you do not usually see for me. They are a bit tight don't you think?

I also thought you might enjoy this article. While this artist probably isn't really strapped for cash, it says a lot about our fiscal vulnerability, doesn't it?

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. It was lovely here and I spent yesterday working on a painting which has been waiting on me for sometime. I look forward to visiting your blogs to see how things are going in your part of the world.

Do you have plans for a fun week?

Influencing Your Art

I want to share with you a book I completed reading yesterday. And if you have been reading this blog for a few months, then you have already heard about it.Catching the Light is written by Susan Pope. You know Susan, she is our very own Sukipoet. I have to tell you this book was a real page turner for me. I just had to see what this young woman was going to choose for herself. She had so many obstacles to overcome, but behind it all she was drawn to her art. And Susan shows how she used her life to influence what she so loved doing. This book is so well written and draws you into the location and into the lives of the characters. In addition, an underlying message is how we come across people who influence so many parts of our life even after they have gone from it. I highly recommend you locate a copy of Catching the Light...I know it has become a treasure for me. And thank you so much, Suki, for such a beautiful gift and such a beautiful message. You are an inspiration in so many ways.

And I have something else for you to play with this weekend. You don't have anything else to do, right? Take a look at this image:
It looks like some people at MOMA, right? Well it is not! This is a sketch of mine...a lowly sketch you have already seen on this blog before. I used an online service called Dumpr where I uploaded this sketch to be placed in this setting! This kind of thing has been making its way around the blog world, so you probably have seen it on other blogs. My apologies to the blogger who made the recommendation, I can't remember the blog I first saw it.

One of the things I thought was so interesting is how you can use something like a sketch to get an idea of how that might translate into a larger painting. For example, I think this looks better as a painting than it does than a sketch...I had no idea it would translate that way.

Dumpr has some other fun things to play with on their site, too. Some of them you have to pay for, but these I am showing are free. One of the toys I have had great fun with is the Amazing Circles feature. See what a photograph of a red tulip translated into with that feature:
So now, here are a few fun things to do this weekend. I really hope you have so much fun and enjoy reading and playing with images...believe me, when you read Suki's book, you will want to get in there and do some serious creating!

Have Fun!

Sketching and Structure

While I am working on other things in the studio, I thought I would show you a couple of sketchbook doodles.
This was just a deal where I was seeing where the pen would go when I moved it across the page. The color is just color! There was nothing preplanned about this at all.

These are done in a Moleskine Watercolor Sketchbook. I prefer these since they hold up to a lot of abuse.

This was an idea which came to me in a dream...my starters often happen that way. This was kind of a literal interpretation, but I am suspecting it might show up in a different way later. :)

Yesterday Chewy said she was going to begin a sketchbook day on her blog...I can hardly wait for that. I am afraid you are going to come here to see what you get with my blog, though. I am like that in my life, too. I don't do well with structure in a lot of ways. Do you do well with structure? Do you see that translated in your art?

Have a Beautifully Creative Day!

Friday...

Hello Everyone!

Thank you all for your kindness and patience over the last few days. I am still with my parents helping with my father's surgery recovery. He is home and doing well (sans getting used to some pain medication) and thanks you all for your kind word and thoughts for his health.

I am feeling bad about not making this an art post, however I am so driven by images and can't upload any from this dial up connection I am working with here. During all the waiting time, I have been doodling a little bit and have some new ideas for paintings. What art have you been working on over the last few days (I know, I know I need to make a blog visit to all of you)?

I probably will not get to much more this weekend, either. But that is the way it works sometimes with life, isn't it? I am eager to be making art again, though. So how about you? Will you be making art this weekend or will you be enjoying some beautiful outdoor time?

I look forward to hearing from each of you and will be posting again next week...it may be later on Monday, but I will post that day!

Until then, have a beautiful, creative weekend in whatever you choose to do.

If All Goes Well...Tomorrow Will Be the Day!

It looks like tomorrow, Wednesday 27 February, is going to be the day the surprise will be ready to reveal to you! Are you excited? I know I am excited. Let me tell you a little about this without telling you about it... A few months ago I was approached by someone to do this particular thing. At the time, I was not all that interested, because I wanted to do this in my own way. Then some other people came to me with the same idea, so I began to feel a bit of pressure. I am not one to bow to pressure very easily, but this thing kept playing in the back of my mind, too. I still had to do it my way. Then the opportunity just came flying at me, so I decided I could take a hint! I began working on this and how I wanted to work it out...it had to be my way! Tomorrow, you will get to experience the results of what has been going on with me for several months now.

So today I wanted to also share something else with you. A few weeks ago, Chewy who writes the blog, The Back of My Headboard: A Place to Stick It recommended a book called "Spirit of Drawing" by Connie Smith Siegel. Something made me order this book, and it arrived yesterday. Now I am not much of a drawer, but this book is awesome! I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone interested in expressive art! The title will fool you as it is so much more than drawing. For me, I can see where it is going to help my sketchbook take on a whole new meaning and when I travel...oh that will be completely changed!

Do you have any books you would like to recommend?

Now, don't forget to visit me tomorrow! I think it will be an exciting and inspiring day!

A Few Weekend Bits

I played a bit in the studio this weekend, and actually began a new series. But more on that later. My studio is small, but I insist on working on large canvases. I know it makes no sense, but I just can't help wanting to put my entire self into the work. So I end up playing with some other things while I am working on one large piece. And here you will see the result of some of those bits and pieces. Do you recognize this? It is similar to a sketch from the sketchbook posting on Friday. This is rice paper (but your probably already caught on to that) with paint brushed and splashed about, crumpled when it was wet, flattened back out and some sweeps of copper paint added. Well, I had been wanting to do something with this image, so I just popped it on this paper. Of course the paper and the crumples made getting the lines smooth an issue. Part of me says they need to be more crisp...that would be the part that wants contrast. The other part of me says the blurred lines add to the meditative quality...that would be the part of me that probably wants this to be better than it is :) I know it is just a bit of paint on a paper like a doodle, but what do you think?

These are two bits of paper which are not attached to each other...just lying there. The bottom one is actually rice tissue paper, with the same kind of crumpling and folding for creasing, with color added. The top one is heavier rice paper which has not been crumpled, but only had paint added to it. The silver line...you will see something similar again - maybe later in the week. What do you think here?

Now I have a question for you. As many of you know I have to keep my studio portable since we move about with some regularity. I have been searching for an easel I can use when painting on the deep canvases so I can get at all edges at any time. Something in the back of my mind says I saw one in use in a studio in England, but for the life of me I cannot find any such animal. The one I think I saw had a feature where you could attach the canvas frame to the easel and this allowed all the edges to be free of touching a surface. And I think it even was made so you could "spin" the canvas to get to all edges easily. Why didn't I ask when I was at the studio? Well, that studio was on TV. Has anyone out there seen anything like this? Do you know the type of easel it is called? Do you know where I can purchase one? Hanging on the walls to work, right now, is just not an option for me. If you have other ideas, I am listening....



So I begin with lots of questions this week! But I believe it is going to be exciting around here, so come back to see what is up!



Here is to a beautiful, CREATIVE week!

Do You Keep A Sketchbook?

You all know I am love my abstract art. It is very much how I think and how I move through my life. Clearly, that would carry over to my art. I am very interested in process. For many years, I did not keep a sketchbook, but recently I have started doing that. Sometimes, I doodle little recognizable images, but most often I do not.

Please excuse my finger here...this is a little sketchbook. I was thinking about meditation, obviously when I did this little sketch. I have always wanted to use this image in a large work, but the opportunity hasn't presented itself.

And sometimes I combine some journaling with some images. Who knows what you might read here...so be cautious :)

And I do play with color, too! This is in a moleskine watercolor sketchbook.

And some days I just want to color...sorry about this image. These are metallic watercolor crayons. It is brutally difficult to get a clearer image quickly with this medium. I didn't think you would mind, though.

The most important thing is to just have fun!

Do you sketch nonrepresentational work? What kind of sketchbooks do you like? Would you share your sketchbook with other people?

Have a Wonderful and Creative Weekend! And Let Me Know What You Are Thinking and Doing.