Mackie, on the interwebs. The last days of January were...a blur. Teachin, artin', travelin'...it just escaped me and I didn't MAKE time to blog. (notice I didn't say 'have') In my defense, Mackie was always on the computer when I did want to blog, so I am not totally to blame. Look, I even have proof! So, uh...here's a wrap up of the last bit of January. Last weekend I traveled to Daytona for a Florida Art Education Association board of director's meeting, John came along and we stayed an extra day to have a mini-vacation. Some great networking for next year (more on that at a later date), planning for conference and gave my Youth Art Month report and then, just some quality time with my husband. Good times! One of the biggest take-aways from the weekend (beside a little tan!) was meeting a very special lady. On Sunday, per usual- I am up way to early...and John, well..he is not. So I head out with my art bag to find a spot to draw and while I was wandering around I stopped in the hotel gift shop to look for my mandatory jewelry purchase (I buy a piece of jewelry every time I go on a trip, at least one piece...uh, sometimes more) and I met Alma. I knew there was something special about this woman as we quickly bonded as I looked for jewelry. Turns out....she had experience in the jewelry industry, designing and was the perfect person to help me select something- we chose a bracelet in a gunmetal mesh with sparkles all over it. Her husband was also in the industry, and she also worked with galleries and spoke candidly of selling work and attending gallery parties. We talked fashion, of silk scarves by Lanvin and Bottega Venta, her love of green to compliment her once auburn hair. I could clearly see that hair in my mind, this amazing woman before me with an amazing head of red, sassy hair. Alma asked me if I was an artist, and I said yes. When she asked if she could see my work I happened to have the pieces I just finished with me, so I took them out and put them on the counter. She loved my work. I talked to her about trying to do this whole art licensing thing...and she told me to keep going, not to stop. She said many encouraging words, and it was such a sincere moment. There were a few times I just had tears in my eyes, that I had by chance come into contact with such a kindred soul. So, we went back before leaving Daytona, after lunch on the pier and some 'angel bombing'...and I gave Alma the last of my angels that I had with me. This angel, in a zebra dress and red heels, was reaching for a star inscribed with the word, 'inspire'. How fitting. I promised Alma that I would see her again in the fall. And I will. I had these intentions to write this big ol' diatribe of my work for this month, what I was inspired by...to try to explain it all...but well, I have two unresolved pieces I want to complete and another one for February (more about that later)...and that is all I can think about...how to come to some closure for the month of January...so here is just some rambling comments... ...started with the idea of 'darkness'...I interpreted it as ladies with dark hair with tattoos and piercings, which I think is lovely...in the 6th piece of the series I added a peacock feather tattoo which prompted me to go off on a tangent with a peacock feather motif...then I tried to reel myself back in, only to get distracted by calla lilies and dragonflies in my tattoo designs...then I started thinking, 'I need to work with my backgrounds more', so I focused on that...then I kept thinking about a phrase I love from an Avett song...so I started working with text...and then, another piece of text, a quote I love: ...so I started thinking about light and dark, and duality...how within each one of us we have the potential for both good/bad, light/dark...and I guess the Louis Vuitton Spring 2013 fashion illustrations I completed this month, heavy with black and white graphics and pops of yellow were still in my head and inspired my colors...so I created a piece that included a portion of the text, and then went on to just the idea of the duality...and then, wait- I met Alma and she inspired me to create a picture of a fiery red-headed muse whispering in my girl's ear...then back to my black/white/yellow images...and now I am trying to close up the series. I have the last two pieces, still painfully unresolved. My goal is to include many of the elements from this whole month...don't know how it will turn out...but that is where I am at. Enough for now. Gotta go make some art. Will post final pics tomorrow for the series as well as the first piece in the new series and all kinds of other things related to art, cheer and sparkle...
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So after a pretty productive day/night of drawing, I am taking some time today to look for more images/organize and to write a little about my process. On ORGANIZATION….I have created a visual filing process, which helps me when I am trying to draw my figurative elements and also gives me inspiration. When I am reading magazines and I am always looking for faces and bodies. I never really have anything in mind, just whatever catches my attention. Sometimes it is a particular pose, sometimes the angle of the head of the gaze of the eyes. I rip the images sorting them according to face vs. full body. Then I sub categorize the images into full-on view, three-quarter view, profile, looking up vs. looking down, seated figures, etc. I even have another category for patterns, which I sometimes find in textiles, jewelry design and other fashion-based sources. I have another category for hair, when I pictures that showcase hair, usually really wavy or wind-swept. (LEFT: just some pics of the mess I created this morning as I was pulling and sorting images. Notice I do have a studio assistant, he isn't very helpful though) Funny thing is, no tree pictures on file. Just thought of that. I guess I am not as concerned with the tree; it is more of a vessel for the figure and patterns. Side note… I have had formal training in drawing from life. Did the whole standing for three hours, looking at the nude figure and trying to recreate it in conte crayon or charcoal. Loved it. I have done self portraits, set up mirrors in different settings to learn my own face and how to articulate it in paint and other media. I love drawing from life. But sometimes you want to start and stop a drawing, or you can’t get the model to stand still so my go-to source for ‘models’ for my work is the images I see in magazines. So for the tree series I am working mostly from photos, however that could be a whole other series…something to keep in mind. That would definitely be more gestural drawing, perhaps with charcoal or India ink and a long handled brush… Now on to PROCESS….When it’s time to draw, at least for this series, I have started one of three ways. The first way of working on this series is to start with the tree outline first, then fill the shape with pattern and figurative work if it ‘fits’ with the image. Sometimes I will draw the face(s) first and then add the tree later; there really is no set formula I just decide when I sit down. I sometimes start by tracing a large circle on the page in pencil; I like the idea of the circle as a metaphor for showing something that is sacred…mandalas, halos, Byzantine iconography… the circle is just something that is aesthetically appealing to me. In the first half of the series I sat down and just started to draw with a Sharpie. No pre-drawing. Somewhere around tree fifteen…I started doing more pre-drawing in pencil and not just sitting down and going straight for the pen, which allows me to make changes as I draw. For the most part each drawing have been completed in one sitting (the 18x24 drawings); time spent on each drawing ranges from twenty minutes to two hours. And I am not sure how other artists feel on this, but I just about always listen to music when I work. So that is how I organize and my explanation of my process for this specific series. After finishing the twentieth drawing last night, working on the slide show and then organizing some of my images this morning I just felt like taking a minute to record and to reflect. That is really the whole reason I started this blog, to write what I am doing, how, why… and to really keep myself motivated to keep working. Now, back to work! Gotta try to finish these trees so I can treat myself to some canvases tomorrow! |
AuthorArtist and Art Teacher
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