New Site

I'm moving this blog to a new address. You can view it here at www.takealineforawalk.blogspot.com

A paper-weight "800 lb Gorilla"

 This is an older "big" drawing I started about a year back I decided to work on again.  

In regards to the subject, I was pondering whether the need for a religious explanation of the world only comes from awareness of self.  When we were little what was it like before any idea of "god" exists in our mind or was it always there?  What is external or internal?  (Also...not so deep, just thought it would be "cool" to draw a really big gorilla.)   
In something I was reading recently I came across the animal metaphor/phrase about the 800 lb gorilla which refers to an entity so powerful it can do whatever it pleases (I guess most gorillas weigh less than 800 lbs).  I thought that this put an interesting spin on the picture.
Although to some there might be more satisfaction with one definite statement it seems better if art can act as a catalyst for further thought.
Need to work on anatomy some more---too bad there aren't many gorilla models about to pose.

Getting tired of this one yet?
Have to admit I have been working on some other projects too....I definitely have artist attention deficit disorder (AADD).
 

big board update

Contemplating Nothing & Spring Break

The empty shell of these crawdad claws somehow reminded me of the picture done by Durer of hands praying.  Their position seems to be folded in peaceful thought yet the thinking parts above are missing.  Thinking about "contemplating nothing" resulted in this drawing.  Since the concept seems to be the opposite of an exclamation I placed the items in an upsidedown exclamation mark......perhaps too much thinking on my part......?   Not sure I like the result since it seems so plain but maybe that is the point of the subject.

Looking forward to working on some more art during the break. 

Upon Reflection

Sometimes reflection is the more interesting view....which pair do you see life thru?

(Colors in the reflection were actually caught by the camera...not created by photoshop)

What if Georgia O'Keeffe had Photoshop..........

 

I've been taking a class in photoshop recently.  The above is from an old photo I took of a peony.  I don't know too much yet but it is fun to play around with the filters.  If you can't afford the software there are many similar image editing programs out there to get creative with for free.  One that comes to mind is GIMP--- here is a link to download http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

Hope to keep it going during classes.....

Big Board continued

Had to take a break on the background... was getting pulled down by the undertow.

Missing work with charcoal

Seems like there are many paradoxical tasks we set for ourselves.

  Remember to Forget (or, if you'd rather...forget to remember).

  

With charcoal it seems that the type of paper/ground you work on often determines the effect of the results more than the medium itself.  I like working with it but I have yet to figure out how to get great detail on a smaller scale.  It usually erases easily so you can create highlights by "carving away" at it...but the one thing I dislike is how sometimes the oil from your fingers etc. (I think) will cause spots where the charcoal "stains" the paper and can't be removed. (Might be obvious but don't sneeze on your paper and expect to get great blending results.)

When your subject makes a house-call

 

I first noticed this visitor in a tree outside my window on my b-day (hopefully not a ominous sign) and since then it appears he/she has decided to roost there for the nights off and on.  Not a great photo but it is the best my camera can do at a distance.  Despite their social stigma they really are graceful birds.  Love to watch them fly, plus they recycle.

It makes me wonder if could solicit a free critique of the pic from my last post by taking it outside and placing it by the tree?.....

Looking for beauty......or past it.

"Ugliness is in a way superior to beauty because it lasts." 

-(Serge Gainsbourg)

  I like this quote although I can't say I completely agree with it because not much of anything lasts.  It might seem like "ugly" lasts because for whatever reasons many of us don't spend too much time observing it.

Here is a project I started a little while back.  It may not be a favorable subject for some.  Here is the progression.

 

This unfortunate road crosser happened to end up along the side of the road in some debris where he/she went unnoticed for burial for a few weeks.  After getting used to encountering him/her along many a walk you could sense a presence (of the absence) of the critter that once was.  Although perhaps more sanitary, it was a little sad when someone finally removed him/her.....kinda like he/she died again.

Probably going to add a little more to this a little later on.   

Big Board cont.

A little more work done.....experimenting with gold.

 

What do broke artists paint?





Adding to the board

Design & Style......creating a stylized version of something is usually on the edge of my comfort zone.
Looking at many of the old Indian Court paintings I'd like to incorporate a background utilizing patterns and designs (without too much distraction from the subject).  I attempted to create some of my own simple patterns to add to the board.  Simple done well always seems complex.

 

Trying out colors with a little water mixable oils (a media oxymoron).

Going to take a long time to cover....

A Really Big Blank Board

     I bought this ampersand gesso board 36" x 48" a few years back (when $$$ was more plentiful) and although I had a project idea in mind then I put off working on it (...esp. since lately mistakes & materials are more expensive for the budget than they used to be).  Well knowing me, instead of finishing some of my other projects I find interest in restarting this one.
I have to admit I envy the clean, white, blank state of this board---on those insomnia-full nights I wish I could exchange the sleep-depriving contents of my mind for such but I digress.
 
     Although the board comes with a gesso surface, I sprayed a few coats of Krylon Spray Gesso which seems to help grip and absorb the first few layers of paint a little better.  Next I trace some of my drawings (I worked on previously) and use these to come up with an arrangement to transfer to the board.

   And thus a beginning.  Now to figure out how to obtain enough paint to cover.  In case there is any future curiosity about my subject choices I took inspiration from a marble soda, 16th-19th century Indian Court paintings, the pelican, & Shiva's self-sacrifice in the Samudra Manthan (you can read about the latter here if interested Samudra Manthan ).
More to come.....

In Memoriam--2011 Figurative Artists

     Like many others, I was saddened earlier this year to hear of the loss of the figurative artist Lucian Freud.  You always wonder about that last work in progress that may have gone unfinished, where it ends up, and if anyone was privy to knowing the artist's thoughts about it before his/her departure.

Another artist George Tooker, one of my favorites (who may not have been known as well as Freud) also passed on at the beginning of the year.  Tooker worked almost entirely with egg tempera paint and is probably best known for his paintings done during the 1950s which depict a Kafka-like modern social environment.  They do a good job of expressing that alone in a crowd feeling; human disconnection resulting from a system designed for the masses that overlooks the individual.
     However, Tooker's work is not limited to this subject---he has many other works showing the warmer side of human emotion.  He seems to have a unique way of rendering an expressive face.  I also like the use of perspective in many of his works.  It is interesting to see the pencil studies of these.

Here is one of his works from the Whitney Museum of Art collection, The Subway (1950).  The link to the museum and work is referenced below.

http://www.whitney.org/Collection/GeorgeTooker  
    

Creativity & Vik Muniz

Older but worth watching--here's an interesting talk with artist Vik Muniz

This video among lots of interesting others can be found at the TED website  http://www.ted.com/talks/tags/art.  

If you are curious what kind of art can be made with chocolate syrup, diamonds, and thread check out the artist's own website here http://www.vikmuniz.net/ ( Vik Muniz's oscar nominated documentary Waste Land is also noteworthy.  I love it when art is mixed with social issues and collaborative effort.  On the same topic Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds is another project that comes to mind.)

Pen Sketches & Devils of the Tasmanian type

Here are a few pen sketches of possible subject matter for a new project.  I have a tendency to avoid working with mediums that aren't easily fixable when you make mistakes....gotta get over this.

Interesting fact about Tasmanian devils--they are on the decline due to something called (DFTD) Devil Facial Tumor Disease, a transmissible cancer, meaning that it is contagious among the species.  Transmissible cancer is rare in humans.  It spreads from one "devil" to another "devil" by bite wounds that occur when fighting.  Devils with the disease develop tumors on the face and mouth, are eventually unable to eat, and starve to death---a horrible way to go.
 Just speculation on my part,  but it is interesting that the possibility might exist that individuals whom fight less may be more likely to survive and pass on their peaceful(?) genes.  Typically Nature seems to be unconcerned with moral goals but here might be a case where peace is favored.  Ironically the devils may be evolving into angels after a few Darwinian generations...?
By the way, if you ever listen to a recording of the noise a tasmanian devil makes will understand why they've been given their unfortunate name.

Traffic

My experiment in posting a video.

(may take a while to come up)

A video for the truely bored.  Only using one lane--- but they stay inside the lines pretty well.