Just a head above water (I'm sure many can relate.)

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Continuing work on this drawing I have been asked to do. Well, by the time this posts, I'll probably be about finished with it. But you can get the gist of it already.

I know, I know. I should have finished it already. I have other things to do, too, ya know! I am helping my brother remodel his new old house among other things.

But what I'm really excited about is my new top-secret project. It's much bigger than any ink painting I have done before, and I have big hopes for it. That being said, I don't want to count my chickens, so I won't talk too much about it until I have something to show.

This is not the most obvious pairing, but...

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Ok, it's entirely possible that this pairing has never been achieved in art before. Dandelions, moonlight, and mountains just don't stand out as a grouping you would think to put together. 

Why would you? But here it is.

More or less successful. (See the whole image at right, detail above.)

I have no real explanation for how this came about other than this was what I felt like painting at the time.

It's also actually the first ink painting I have done of dandelions, come to think of it.

Does it work, do you like it, is it just plain crazy?

All feedback is welcome, so have at it!


Chance encouner

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

A little while back I chanced to notice something different outside. So I ran for the camera ^^ Anyway, I knew it would be my best chance to get a clear look at this guy because the zoom mode on my eyeballs is broken. Not to mention the moment I opened the door to see if he would say, yep, you guessed it - he flapped away. But I thought it would make a nice semi-wordless Wednesday ;)

Keep your head above water 2

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

This week I started work on a commission that will be headed for Germany. It is based on one of my larger drawings, Head Above Water (see above). I have been doing more with ink than pencil lately, but it's just like riding a bicycle.

This time I have been asked to draw it with the whole head showing. A young girl's head.

In the original I wanted to focus on the reflections of the water, and also I wanted any viewer to be able to step into the role of the swimmer rising up to the neck. Changing to a full head will have a big change to the meaning of the piece. I suspect the person who asked for it to be drawn that way has a special reason.

Any road, here's how it looks just started. And you can see I like to start somewhere in the middle and let things just start to spread out. Kind of like spreading waters ;)

Splashing through the colors of the rainbow

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

I was splashing through my colors, testing out my new paint formula. And here you have an artist at rest. 
I was particularly pleased by how the feet came out ^^
And what's it all mean? Artists are magic. Never forget that ;)

My work is helping kids learn to read? Check it out.

Friday, June 4, 2010

This week one of my original prints is being published in Literacyhead, an online mag that helps teachers find creative resources and techniques to help children learn to read. They have a great mission and I hope they have a lot of success. At only $30 a year for weekly, creative help with lesson plans, I think this will be a great resource for teachers allover. Hopefully they can manage to get grants or corporate sponsors that will enable them to give teachers free access in the future.

I know it may not seem like the most pressing problem in the world, but illiteracy is something that can cripple children for life. Anything out there that can help more children learn to read is worthwhile in my book, so if you are a teacher or know one who is involved in teaching children to read, consider getting or giving a subscription. You can get a free 2 week trial of the magazine here:  Subscribe


Surrealism never died anyway. So what if I undulge.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Playing with my new color paints. They seem to have turned out as good as I could have hoped. The can go from transparent to opaque and they are waterproof just enough that I can paint in layers without worrying about the colors running together.

And here is one of the fruits of my labor. This was painted from one of the drawing in my notebooks. I have this attraction to surrealism and I do a lot of free association. And when something really catches hold, I make drawings, perhaps a few note to jog my memory. 

Unfortunately, those notes very often are not good enough for me to really remember the original idea. Hence, most of my surreal pieces are nearly as much a mystery to me at they are to any other viewer. I guess it's more fun this way anyway.

So, I don't know exactly what this piece is all about, but there are a lot of ideas swirling around in my mind about it.

At any rate, enjoy.

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