When life gives you lemons, draw them, 11 x 14 inches dry pastels, graphite on paper

"When life gives you lemons, draw them." (Nikki)

"Color! What a deep and mysterious language." (Paul Gauguin)

Archive for July, 2008

Painting facelift

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008


 

Rocky Mountain Vista, top detail, 48H x 24W x 2D inches, acrylics on canvas

Rocky Mountain Vista, central detail,48H x 24W x 2D inches, acrylics on canvas

Rocky Mountain Vista, bottom detail, 48H x 24W x 2D inches, acrylics on canvas

Started April 7th this year, Rocky Mountain Vista received a face lift this week before I brought it in to be judged for a local exhibition. There are subtle but positive improvements compared to when I posted it as finished on April 13th. Progress can be reviewed on the April 9th blog post. It is now well and truly finished!

Not available. Donated to VAST Arts, Denton, TX.

Rainbow at sunset

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008


 

Rainbow at sunset Lewisville TX, July 30, 2008

Rainbow at sunset and Oak trees, Lewisville Texas

New heart-shape

Monday, July 28th, 2008


 

Heart shape in the center of a Sunflower, newest photo of the series.

A new heart shape in nature to add to the series today.

Design Inspiration

Sunday, July 27th, 2008


 

14 inch long Flamboyant Tree seed pods from Chapala, Mexico

Flamboyant Tree seed pods, pencil sketch then detailed with digital pen        Flamboyant Tree seed pods, pencil sketch then digital effects        Flamboyant Tree seed pods, pencil sketch then digital effects


 
Wind in the Maples, Kingston, ON, Canada

Wind in the Maples original design sketch, pencil on paper        Maple Keys design, pencil on paper        Maple Keys, scanned design sketch then digital play

My Dad recently gave me a few Art books of his. I remember browsing through them when I was younger. He always left his books out laying around on the tables, intending to plant the “drawing seed” in me, and it worked. One of the books Is about the art of  M. C. Escher. What a mind! You can’t help but flip through pages of art like that and not be inspired.

Eastern Cottonwood, Ottawa, Ontario, CanadaThis week I was also organizing my photos of leaves, seeds, and bark that I took specifically because of their outstanding design. Looking through the books plus my photos compelled me draw a few designs I’ve had in mind for a couple of years. I may paint some large one-of-a-kind cushion covers using a few of the best.
American Elm Seeds/Keys, early Spring, Coppell, TexasThere is no substitute for a good old fashioned pencil, but it’s sure fun to play with the Paint Shop Pro effects, cut and paste, repeat patterns. The drawing combined with computer play have me appreciating Escher’s work so much more. He did not use computers at all.

 

Eastern Cottonwood leaves, pencil sketch then detailed with digital pen        Eastern Cottonwood leaves, pencil sketch then digital effects        Eastern Cottonwood leaves, pencil sketch then digital effects

American Elm Seeds/Keys, original pencil design        American Elm Seeds/Keys, pencil sketch then digital effects        American Elm Seeds/Keys, pencil sketch then digital effects

 

Pecan nuts, Dallas, Texas   Pecans, preliminary design, pencil on paper  Raindrops and Leaves, pencil on paper, scanned, digital play Early Spring rain, Coppell, Texas

Magic Hour – work in progress

Thursday, July 24th, 2008


 

Magic Hour - one of the Haida totems downtown Victoria, B.C., Canada, 60 x 40 x 3 inches Acrylics on wrapped canvas. Phase 3, work in progress..

Magic Hour, 60H x 40W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, work in progress.

Art history is human history. What we call Art is the expression of individuals finding connection with our humanity; who are we? How do we respond to our surroundings and who are we in relation the things we depend on for survival? Standing in front of the Totems I realized that the answers we sought long, long ago are the same, and the things we love now are the same things people have always loved. As Artists and Art Viewers we’ll never venture far from subjects that speak to the heart.

The originals of all the totem poles erected in Thunderbird Park on the grounds of the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, Canada are now protected from the effects of weather inside the museum. The totem portrayed in this painting is a replica of the Gitxsan Pole that was moved in 1958 from Kitwankool, BC. This version of the pole is named Skim-sim and Will-a-daugh, belonging to Chief Wiha (Wee-kha, Ernest Smith), the chief of the Wolf Clan: only the top 3/4 of the totem is portrayed. Due to deterioration caused by weather, the originals of all the totems in Thunderbird Park are now erected inside the museum and are replaced with replicas carved by Mungo Martin, chief carver, Henry, Tony and Richard Hunt (this one 1960).

Symbols/crests: The bird at the crown is a giant woodpecker (wee-get-welku). Legend reads that a female ancestor kept a pet woodpecker, feeding it so much it grew to be a giant monster that ate everything made of wood until it was killed. It sits atop 5 human figures who stand on the head of the Mountain Eagle (Skim-sim), who kidnapped and mated with a woman then devoured their offspring. The eleven small figures are humans fishing through holes in the ice. Under them and not pictured in the painting is Will-a-daugh, also known as “Person With a Large Nose”, holding her child who was conceived from a wood grub.

Magic Hour started

Thursday, July 17th, 2008

 

Magic Hour, one of the Haida totems downtown Victoria, B.C., Canada, 60H x 40W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted, work just started                                 

Magic Hour, 60H x 40W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted, work just started. This is the top half of the magnificent Gitxsan Totem pole, one of the Haida totems in Thunderbird Park near the Inner Harbor downtown Victoria, B.C.

The drawing is sketched with Alizarine Crimson and Red Oxide base. We were there a week ago just as the sun set, shining light on the right side of the totems and rising moon light lit the left side. I changed the tree silhouette to a typical B.C. horizon of tall Red Cedar, whereas the trees in that park are Maples.

Special effects

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008


 

Yellow Sunflower seedhead 8 inches across

The whorl pattern of Sunflower seeds on this large seed-head has a hypnotic effect. (You neeeeed to purchase my Artwork!)

Cucumber vine tendrils grasping nearby dead sunflower leaves Funky looking Sunflower bud

Two more interesting garden pics: tendrils of a cucumber vine reaching out like hands, grasping dead sunflower leaves…and the outer petals of a sunflower bud.

Salt Spring Island Fog

Monday, July 14th, 2008


 

Salt Spring Island Fog, 18 x 24 inches pencil, eraser, dry pastels, colored pencils on paper, framed size 28.5 x 34.5 inches.

Salt Spring Island Fog, 18H x 24W inches graphite, eraser, dry pastels, colored pencils on paper, burnt umber frame size 29H x 35W x 3D inches, accepted for the Visual Arts Society of Texas 2009 Calendar. All accepted original works will be displayed. Meet the Artists and purchase a signed calendar (or more!) on November- December, 2008 at The Chestnut Tree in Denton, TX.

Post-dated Note: Article published in the Denton Record Chronicle, Entertainment section February 8th, 2009

Everything’s Bigger in Texas

Sunday, July 13th, 2008


 

A cucmber that grew from 1/2 long to 8 inches X 3 inches wide in two weeks.

After two weeks away, one of the first things I did was inspect the garden, most curious about the cucumbers, because it’s the first year they’ve survived this far into the season. There I was at midnight, feeling around in the dark, and found a cucumber that had grown from 1/2 inch long to 8″L X 3″ wide during that short time. I expected to find a virtual Jack And The Bean Stalk situation this morning, but all the other cukes are average-sized. The heart-shaped cookie cutters I placed around some veggies in order to shape them have fallen off, so will have to try again; now able to monitor the progress of growth.