Tag Archives: winter landscape

Something To Crow About

July 1, 2021 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

Although, I’m most fond of cats, as everyone knows, I also love crows.

Oops, sorry, my mistake, that’s not a crow.

Anyway, while I was browsing through Facebook, a suggestion for a group came up. It was about loving crows and their ilk.

Oh, no, that’s not a crow, either. I could redo it as a crow….but nah.

The group has a lot of crow art in it, as you might imagine. While I was posting my various crow pictures…….

I realize I’ve done only crows during the dark time of the year, autumn and winter. It’s summer now, I still see crows around, I don’t hear them, though. They’re also still beautiful. So, why have I not done a summer crow?

Here’s one last crow. It’s a notecard, and based in fall. I figure it would be good for a Halloween greeting.

I used to have a little poem of personal meaning I’d use when I was a teenager, first heading into New York City. It was:

The differences of, Pigeons and Doves.

I’ve updated the poem to:

Who knows? Between Ravens and Crows.

FWIW

FAIR DANBURY FAIR

June 15, 2021 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

One of the more fond memories of Danbury, is the state fair that came around every fall. That is, until 1981. Now the fairgrounds is a shopping mall. Still, there is still, a lot of good subject matter here.

Why this fuss about Danbury?

I’m part of a pop-up that just popped up on Friday nights in downtown Danbury. My first night was very slow, knowledge of the event wasn’t widespread.

Obviously, I need to work a bit more on the presentation.

HOWEVER………

It’s exposure.

I’m taking the advice of someone I’ve mentioned before. More or less, is that if you want to make a splash at a show, you should have one big statement piece, and the rest small accent pieces. I have the accent pieces…..but the statement?

I thought of it many times. I think what is best is to do an enlarged version of one of my more successful works.

My first thought was Floral Overload…

But I’ll be damned if I do all that work again. I was about rip the hair from my scalp, by the end of doing this.

So, I kept considering pieces, and considering pieces until I became utterly confused.

I called on a couple of a couple of friends. I’d like to say we had a viewing of my work with cocktails and hors d’oevres. Alas, I thought of that too late. It’s a nice thought, though.

All of us decided views of Danbury would be more inviting to come into the Pop-Up and Party Space. So, we considered a few.

My only request was no cats. I didn’t think it would be as interesting to people. Naturally, when you eliminate cats, that disqualifies about three quarters of my portfolio.

Oh yes, and no N:YC pictures.

We settled on this:

So, those of you in Connecticut and nearby New York State, the show is Danbury, on Main Street in an empty storefront, I think it’s spelled Mereiki. It’s on Friday evenings, going through August.

Oh, yes, ……the featured image of my last post was so big that it was impossible to see. So, shrunk down to size:

Definitely a New York City picture.

MORE GREEN, PLEASe

June 10, 2021 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

What, might you ask, has the above man strolling down an urban street, have to do with green? Nothing, except, while I was drawing him, my day’s priorities took the sudden turn around. Sometimes, when that happens, that’s a bad sign. This time it is good.

How about this?

So, why, may you ask, and ask you may….what have these got to do with anything? I was contemplating doing a large drawing of the man in the street…..or one of this tree, cloud, jet trail composition. That’s when I got an email.

I had applied to be in a Pop Up show this month. Never heard back about it. I had pretty much given up on it, and was moving on.

The email was an invitation to join the pop-up next Friday, as in tomorrow. So, I set about quickly getting things together. I’m to be selling notecards and holiday cards.

I realized that almost all of the cards are winter themed. Damn! It’s June. I was figuring on selling them in coming winter. But this pop-up is too exciting.

So, quickly, I tried to get together as many sunny cards as possible. In fact, I redid the cloud, jet trail, tree composition as a notecard:

Then in taking the tape off of it, I managed to tear the paper on the card. Drat!

So, I did this:

And then……

And if I sell anything, that means a little more green in my life.

BICYCLES is PEOPLE!

January 3, 2021 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

As are chairs:

But, back to bicycles, and the title of this.

Boomers will remember an old movie titled “Soylent Green “. Long story short, in a dystopian world, people are given something to eat, called Soylent Green. As it turns out, its made of recycled human remains. Thus, the cry “Soylent Green is People!” Very creepy movie.

So, I have come to the conclusion, in my work, bicycles stand for people, and people’s personalities.

Remember this picture from not too long ago?

It’s a little girl’s bike, that was cute as hell. Children’s bikes are adorable to me. That is, if children aren’t riding them around in the aisles of huge discount stores.

As a friend of mine put it “When you fall, you break something “.

Not the child’s fault, of course, but thoughtless parents.

I also wrote recently about how I look forward to January, and the end of the holidays. So, here’s the latest. “January Thaw”

A WEEK IN THE CLOUD

December 28, 2020 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

The week between Christmas and New Years is a little surreal to me. It’s a regular week, but it’s not, it’s time in limbo. Real, but out of the ordinary, like files in the Cloud.

There have been better holiday weeks, than this in 2020. It’s been a rough year, for everyone. People are looking forward to the future, but quite honestly, I think people are looking quite longingly at the past.

So, this is a post about Winter Past

January 2nd

This is my favorite picture of winter. It’s the quiet time after Christmas, New Years, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Fesitvus, has passed. Even Greedfest,as a good friend used to call it.

I’m thinking of the past in New York City, the City that Never Sleeps, as it sleeps in winter.

We all have memories, both good and bad to look back on. I have faith, that as time passes, we will add to our good memories, even during these rough times.

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Here,and there

September 24, 2020 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

I’m really enjoying doing these little drawings. For now, at least. Less in the way of time, expense and aggravation. Did I mention aggravation? Yes,I guess I did.

What keeps going around in my mind..

Are any of these worthy of the time and effort of large versions?

So far, I am going to keep going and stash these away as an animal saves food for the winter.

Yes,winter is coming! Will the dull colors it always does. This time, im prepared!

But let’s make the most of fall,while we can.

Can’t Complain

February 27, 2020 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

Wouldn’t help anything if I did…

So, as I pointed out, I’ve come to a milestone 10 years….I’m not running out of ideas for the blog, but no so much artwork.

Here’s a recap of the blog so far:
I’ve complained about how dreary winter is:

I’ve complained about Autumn being the entry to the cold, bleak winter:

I’ve complained about summer foliage being repetitive and boring to draw:

I’ve complained about missing the country while living in the city:

I’ve complained about missing the city while I live in the country

I’ve even had the nerve to complain about flowers and rainbows:

So, as you can tell, I’ve run out of things to complain about. Therefore, I can’t complain.

I’m going to concentrate of my artwork, until the desire to complain comes back….which could be next week, for all I know.

Until then, meow for now.

Taking a second look

February 22, 2020 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

So,it’s kind of like this…and I am sure that all of you go through this, no matter what you do….

Finding something that you discarded as totally, totally awful, then deciding it’s not so bad.

As is the case with this.

See,I hated the damn thing so much that I didn’t delicately trim it.

Looking back on it,I realize I like it. It accomplishes what I intended it to do…looking at the dawn, blurry eyed, with a half drunk cup of very strong coffee in my hand.

Okay now, back to the present.

Since, as you recall, I had no patience, jumped the shark, or both, in terms of ideas for full size winter drawings.

So,the natural thing is to do little winter drawings for holiday cards. I did so many that I photographed them in groups.

Then,I jumped the shark on that project. As you may have noticed, I love the term “jump the shark “.

So,the cards are the ones on hold for now.

I have a fresh batch of paper, an idea, and I am ready to hit the road.

Speaking of second looks, here’s one that I declared was my “worst of the year “,I forgot how long ago.

Of course it goes the other way, too. Some pieces that I was sure were masterpieces, on second look, stink like moldy salami.

What’s your sign, Babe?

February 12, 2020 roxannebaldwin Leave a comment

For those of you who weren’t around in the 1960’s, or weren’t paying attention, astrology was a big thing. At parties, in classrooms, on jobs, “What’s your sign?”, was the big question…yeah, pretty lame, but it was a good icebreaker.

For those of you who are interested, I’m a Pisces.

For those of you who are really, really interested, I’m a Pisces Sun, Gemini Rising, Moon in Capricorn.

Conversationally speaking, of course….

But signs are sometimes signatures…….you knew I was going somewhere with this, didn’t you?

There’s a website I used to follow which had a business section. People seriously had questions about signing art.

Like, where do I sign the painting? (My answer: Anyplace your little heart desires, sweetie)

Can I just use my first name? (Not unless you’re Van Gogh)

What color should I make it? (Any color you want. Please, no chartreuse on lavender)

Yeah, I decided it was a better use of my time to make artwork, than perusing artist chat boards.

My signatures have evolved over time. This is what my father would say was my “Artsy Craftsy” signature. I realize that my signature really dates the artwork. Speaking of dating artwork, you can legally copyright your work by signing it, putting in the date with a @. Yes, but no one will want to buy anything because they perceive it as old.

Yeah, I went through a time when I just wanted to sign my work “Roxy”.

Then I came to a place where I boldly declared that yes, this is my name.

Then I went through a period of time when I didn’t sign my work. Like calling a picture “Untitled”, it was just plain laziness on my part.

Then I got around to hiding my signature. Just happened somehow.

So, back to the soap opera…..

When we last saw Roxanne, she was flipped out about the greeting card she had designed. It reminded her of this;

So, she decided to redo this less than perfect one, above.

To this:

Clearly and proudly signed!

Roxanne Baldwin's Artsy Blog