graphite
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Wednesday, May 30th, 2012
Chrysanthemums, work in progress; see previous post. Above: color details of 85W x 45L inches graphite, colored charcoal / dry pastels on white 100% cotton
When working with a large format, it’s easy to overwork the smaller areas. They’re like little compositions on their own. The trouble is, they may seem successful close up, but may not contribute to the overall balance and flow of the larger piece. Above are some examples, where I’m now reluctant to change what needs to be changed…but I will. Back to Art 101: It’s absolutely necessary to stand back often and study the entire composition from afar.
When you throw in a factor like color, there’s no turning back. I had a specific purpose for this drawing though; to fill a wall space in an otherwise fairly monotone, contemporary room. The idea was to create a look similar to a black and white photo where one color highlights the main subject only.
It’s obvious that introducing color has compromised some of the original spontaneity, so to recapture some of that energy, I carefully try not to disturb what’s left of those livelier marks, and enhance some with little sparks of color. Isolating red, and only red to the central main flower sapped all the attention, so I’ve added more colors to it and the surrounding elements than initially planned.
Chrysanthemums: work in progress
Friday, May 18th, 2012
Chrysanthemums, 45L x 85W x 3D inches, graphite, charcoal and primer on 100% cotton, work in progress
Rather than priming the fabric first as usual, water and primer are painted to enhance the graphite while the composition works itself out. It’s been all about getting lost in the improvisation and surprise! Grass blades are implied by the buildup of thin streaks throughout, which also serve to balance and energize the work, plus add slight cubist effects.
This is will hang in a contemporary-style room. If color is used at all it will be limited to red, yellow and green areas near the large main flower. Parts of the surface may be left raw, so to set the finished piece, the entire back will be primed and the front will be sprayed with fixative.
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The chaos of this past year, moving to Oregon from Texas, has truly put my artsy artist’s statement to the test; that ‘creativity is an attitude toward life’. I’m accustomed to creating chaos in my artwork, then resolving it. With too many move-related priorities and unfinished renovations, no wonder I’ve felt increasingly disoriented. The good thing is that observations never stop, even if the focus on art-work has to.
Influence
Monday, November 29th, 2010
“Some of us loved to draw when we were very young and many didn’t, but we are all capable. There is something to be said for innate abilities, but talent alone will not help us to advance. You might inherit Grandpa’s artistic genes, but every talent needs continual development to become skill no matter what it is, and drawing is no different than learning to play an instrument or climbing a mountain in that respect…” (excerpt from the article “Extreme Drawing“).
My father was a wood carver for most of his life, and his love for drawing was crucial to designing all the different things people ordered. Any time he taught woodcarving, he first insisted on lessons in drawing.
As it provided the funds necessary to build a house after a career the Canadian Armed Forces, there was almost nothing he wouldn’t carve; an entire range of subjects from detailed Armed Forces crests, modern abstract pieces, as well as birds and animals. My favorites were the custom designed doors, cupboards and headboards made for clients in Canada and the U.S. before retiring in 2002. Well, artists never really retire, they just keep moving on to try new things!
Photography has always been one of his passions, and he’s the real die-hard kind that will sit in mosquito-infested forests waiting forever for the right shot. One time he climbed a tree to capture photos of a porcupine, then fell out and sprained both his ankles. I was about nine years old, and I remember my Mom, my brother and me holding him up while he hobbled back to the car! Here is some of his recent photography, and lately he’s been taking the time to enjoy drawing again.
My Mom was an equal and supporting partner in the creating and finishing details of all the wood work they sold. Though my mother claims to not know how to draw, they have both been, and continue to be, huge influences as far as my being an artist. When I was quite young I would ask my Mom to draw anything so I could color it. I did care what it was. It was not refined and professional, but I would coax her, “Yes, you do so know how to draw! Pleeeeeaaaase!”. Children don’t seem to have the same hang-ups we adults do about drawing.
Now they see my two young nieces often, one of whom drew her own interpretation of “Stellar’s Jay” after watching her Grandpa. Andra is 5 years old. Don’t you love the addition of hearts on the branches?! I feel so inspired by children s’ work. It is pure and straight from the heart. In fact, she is so nonchalant about her abilities and unaware of how keen she is, she did not even show it — my Dad found it after she left.
If Andra chooses to be an artist, it’s due to Nature and Nurture, and also not so much about what she’s been given, but what she does with it.
Mary Ann Pel’s Bench
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010
Mary Ann’s Bench, 11 x 14 inches graphite on paper
Illustration of a bench dedicated to a client’s sister by the staff at the University Arboretum, Madison, Wisconsin
On exhibit
Friday, July 9th, 2010
On exhibit at Oxide Gallery, Denton, TX are: Milkweed Melody, 27H x 33W inches framed Oil Pastels on WC paper, has brassy-gold frame painted with an extension of the drawing. Bonsai Garden, 12 x 15 inches graphite on paper, and Lilacs, 36 x 24 x 2 inches acrylics on canvas, gallery wrapped sides painted, narrow frame, which can be displayed horizontally or vertically.
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 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.
The Masjid Sultan, version 02
Monday, May 31st, 2010
Masjid Sultan Mosque 02, Kampong Glam district, Singapore, showing the ancient Islamic symbol of the Crescent and Star on top of the golden dome. 9H x 12W inches graphite on paper, white mat and 15H x 18W inches white frame with crackle finish.