Tag Archives: still life

Drawing a Conclusion

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My big mistake in “Broken Promise”, as it shall now be named, is that I forgot what I’m about.  I draw.  I get into a state of mindfulness, where’s there’s just me, the subject, and pencil and paper.  Read my intro,  is says that I love to draw, but enjoy color too, or some such wording.  I need to get back into drawing, hardcore.

It doesn’t mean that there can’t be fun in the drawing.  I go back over my stuck times, and I realize pushing the pencil, so to speak, will eventually get me out of the deepest funk.

 

The more complicated the drawing, the better.

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Bromeliad

 

 

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Now that’s hardcore!

 

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Rushing the Season (and Rushing the Post)

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Spring moves by so fast, I wanted to get a jump on it.  The problem is, by the time I’ve managed to do a drawing of one stage of the season, spring is almost gone!  So, by the time I do a daffodil picture, the lilacs are already gone…

My mother one year, greeted spring with a painting of a crocus breaking through the dead leaves.  It was good, and very appropriate, however that was her image.  I decided to do this, instead:

Belated Happy Imbolc/Groundhog Day/Candlemas/St Brigid’s Day

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Or whatever floats your boat in early February.  I’m very glad to see the sunshine returning.

I’ve got my recent drawing of the tree with the heart carved in it, stuck in my mind.  I like the idea, but not the result.  I think I’m going to try it again, but with a bit more, shall we say mindfulness, as to what I want to convey.  It does seem like a good late winter/early spring piece.

I like hiding hearts in drawings, for instance, in this.  Speaking of hearts, and late greetings for holidays…here’s an early one!  Happy Valentines Day

 

 

Colored Pencil Hypnosis Technique

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So, I’ve finished the piece, “Wild Strawberries”, with all the dot, dot, dots. I’m getting very sleepy.  Maybe it had something to do with Pumpkin meowing at 4:00 am, last night…or maybe the repetitive work of filling in a background in minute detail will tire a person out.  Probably, both are true.

This drawing reminds me of a dream I once had.  That’s probably why I stuck with the drawing as I did.  Speaking of dreams, have you ever heard a song in your dream before you heard it anywhere in real life?  Everyone tells me it’s my imagination.  I thing there are things in all people’s lives that just can’t be explained.

A Brief History of My Relationship with Strawberries

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So, I’m fighting a bit of a summer cold, and  working on the full-sized strawberry patch picture.  Rather than lay out the whole composition before I filled in the details, this time I decided to let it flow….and fill in the details as I went along.  I thought it would be less tedious that way.  At least I thought so.

These drawing are not the first I’ve done of strawberries.  A long time ago, I did this:

 

A very realistic drawing of strawberries.  I thought I’d found the solution to the problem of making money with my art…make small drawing that I could sell inexpensively.  It was another attempt that went down in a fiery flame.

Seems no one could relate to just strawberries on a plate.  Or apples with pearls for that matter. I found there had to sell, even that size, the viewer had to have an emotional connection to the subject matter.

Finding subject matter like that is pretty much a shot in the dark.  I’ve managed to sell two, on Ebay, and how my customer found them in the thousands of drawings there, I’ll never know.

The two were these:

 

So, one customer I’m sure had to be a motorcycle enthusiast, while another was someone who ❤ New York.

I feel I am getting closer to an art product people will buy.  Too bad it’s taken a few decades to get there.

Shabby Sheik? Or Chabby Cheek?

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While I’ve been waiting for the grey, rainy weather to dissipate, I’ve been bored out of my mind, hell!  I’ve been wanting to draw plein aire outside, but it’s been too wet.  Sun is out today, but the grass I would sit in is wet.  So, sigh, I must find something else to occupy my time.

So, I’ve had this idea for a while, to integrate prints from my pictures, along with acrylic paint, on useful objects.  I started with this, which is actually a real drawing with paint, on a trivet.

If you recognize this kitten, which you might….it’s a sketch for this drawing:
So, I’ve found something useful to do on off days.  We’ll see where it takes me.

Retaility vs. Reality

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I’m trying not to get too far into the Holiday rush on this blog.  After all, there’s a fierce election ahead of us.  But, for those of us who work in stores, we’re already focused on “Tis the Season” (to make money).  After all, when I worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Gift Shop, we started receiving holiday items in JULY!  So, while I’m going to avoid that subject, and let you have a nice November.

So, let’s talk about the election. No, LET”S NOT!

Let’s talk about art.

And how beautiful autumn is.

lgsycamore1
Here’s an autumn memory….from several years ago.

Decision ….2016

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You will be relieved to know that I am not making a blog post about the current presidential election when I talk about a decision.  As a matter of fact, I’m doing my best to help you keep your mind off it, by giving you something else to think about..so here goes:

 

I just recently came across a post for a juried art show at the famous Mark Twain Library, in Redding, Connecticut. That’s really just a hop and a jump down the road for me.  It’s been a long time since I’ve done a show, so, I figured…why not?  What have I got to lose but twenty dollars (which is a very reasonable jury fee).

So, then the decision…which drawing?  I looked at the judge’s artwork, very nice, real but idealized still lifes.  So, given that is the type of work she does..what would she look for?

I am going through my work and looking….so here are a few candidates.  Any comments or opinions are very welcome in this.

 

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All the work has to be for sale, so of my other work that you may have seen…yes, I’m open to opinions about them, too, but a lot of them are no longer in my possession or I do not want to sell them.  I also plan to donate one, which will not be judged, so it will be seen no matter.

So, there…didn’t I give you something else to think about?  You’re welcome.