Archive for June, 2010
Stars and Fireflies
Sunday, June 27th, 2010
Home from Singapore for a few days, and having to go north to pack up the Dancing With Trees exhibition, I drove up to Ontario first so I could see my sons in Canada before Christmas. At night in the fields and trees from Tennessee to Michigan there are stars and fireflies in the trees – so magical! Until I can express it in paint, here is a quick photoshop impression.
Turmeric Blossoms
Thursday, June 10th, 2010
Turmeric Blossoms, 9H x 12W” graphite on paper with 11H x 14W inch white mat.
Turmeric is a member of the ginger family. The local bees, flies and ants can’t get enough of the nectar. The rhizomes are a rich golden yellow, used as a food coloring and flavoring agent, in dyes and traditional eastern cosmetics, and is an important ingredient in curry powder. Native to India, it is grown widely in the tropical areas of Asia. The blossoms are about 14 inches across, these ones seen at the Botanic Gardens in Singapore. Exotic and unusual!
Treasures 03: Time
Saturday, June 5th, 2010
Treasures 03: Time, 9 x 12 inches graphite on paper
I returned to that store a few times, mesmerized and taking stock of all the interesting objects in the window display and beyond. Just for fun, find the clocks and watches set to these times 10:40, 8:05, 7:10, 8:20, 9:00, 2:25, 1:25, and 7:50.
Treasures 02
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
Treasures 02, 9H x 12W inches graphite on paper
…and where does one begin such a drawing? With Aladdin’s lamp of course. Listed in no particular order, here are the treasures in the above illustration: 1. Spiral-Horned Antelope statue, 2. monkey statue, 3. Woman golfing trophy, 4. Water Buffalo statue, 5. outdated video camera or equipment – three of, 6. horse head statues – heads only – there are two, 7. what I fondly refer to as “Aladdin’s lamp”, 8. log-stemmed pipe, 9. duck head statue, 10. Coca Cola alarm clock , 11. statue of three elephants, 12. case of watches, 13. Fish statue, 14. Chinese lantern, 15. ship in a bottle, 16. three vases displayed together, 17. large horse statue, 18. smaller (glass) horse on a glass ball statue, 19. hour glass, 20. outdated camera
Dragon Fruit
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
Dragon Fruit, 9H x 12W inches watercolor pencils, graphite on paper, white mat and 15H x 18W inches white frame with crackle finish.
I’ve discovered a strange-looking and wonderful new fruit here in Singapore: Pitaya, commonly called Dragon fruit, is cultivated in Vietnam, but apparently is native to Mexico and South America. Possibly then, it’s imported to the U.S. and hopefully is sold in Texas – yay. I’ve seen it in the markets here but thought it was some sort of artichoke. Rarely do you find a fruit that is so large and fleshy where you don’t have to deal with removal of seeds or pits or cores to get to the yummy part. This one’s all yum, about 6″ long, very refreshing and tastes much like a kiwi, but more sweet than tangy.
Treasures 01
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010
Treasures 01, 9H x 12W inches graphite on paper
I walked by a store the other day where there was a woman bargaining with the owner for one of the items inside, but she was only able to peek in and point because it’s crammed full to the entrance door. No customers can even get in to browse! It’s a store like one I remember on an old, old ’60’s episode of Outer Limits, where odd items just like these had mysterious powers over those who purchased them.
So if you’re looking for a Beta-Max video camera or a spooky-cool outdated deep sea diving outfit, I know where you can go… it’s a store that would inspire any artist, any writer… and any hoarder! I took a lot of photos through the glass and this sketch is the first of a few that are planned.