When life gives you lemons, draw them, 11 x 14 inches dry pastels, graphite on paper

"When life gives you lemons, draw them." (Nikki)

"Color! What a deep and mysterious language." (Paul Gauguin)

illustration

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Treasures 03: Time

Saturday, June 5th, 2010


 

  Treasures 03: Time, 9 x 12 inches graphite on paper

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, 9 x 12 inches graphite on paper

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 outdated video camera or equipment – three of, 6.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 outdated camera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. 

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, 9 x 12 graphite on paper

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 - second version, Singapore 9H x 12W inches graphite on paper 
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.

Bonsai Garden, Singapore

Saturday, May 29th, 2010


 

Bonsai Garden, Chinese and Japanese Gardens, Singapore 9H x 12W inches graphite on paper

Bonsai Garden, Chinese and Japanese Gardens, Singapore, 9H x 12W inches graphite on paper, white mat and 15H x 18W inches white frame with crackle finish.

Masjid Sultan, version 01

Thursday, May 27th, 2010


 

Masjid Sultan, Kampong Glam district, Singapore, 9H x 12W inches graphite on paper with white mat and 15H x 18W inch frame   

Masjid Sultan,  (Malay for Sultan Mosque), Kampong Glam district, Singapore, 9H x 12W inches graphite on paper, white mat and 15H x 18W inches white frame with crackle finish.

Cockatiels

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010


 

Cockatiels, Jurong Bird Park, Singapore, 9H x 12W inches graphite on paper, white mat and 15H x 18W inches white frame with crackle finish.

Cockatiels, Jurong Bird Park, Singapore, 9H x 12W inches graphite on paper, white mat and 15H x 18W inches white frame with crackle finish. Check out the Jurong Bird Park website.

Showcased in the J. Mane Gallery’s Fins, Feathers and Fur 2020 Exhibition.

New Series: Twenty-five days in Singapore

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010


 

Parkview Square, Singapore, 11H x 14W inches graphite on paper

Parkview Square Building, Singapore  11H x 14W inches graphite on paper

The opportunity to travel to Singapore popped up with a few days notice. While I’m here the plan is to do at least one sketch per day. The new series is called “Twenty-five Days in Singapore”. I drew the upper portion of the very unique Parkview Square building from my hotel room over the course of two days while recuperating after the 28 hour flight from Dallas. At a cost of $87 million, the Art Deco style building was completed in 2002. The eight fiberglass figures each holding a light-ball guard the building, only hint at the sort of art and design to expect on the grounds and the gorgeous interior.

Little pen sketch

Thursday, February 25th, 2010


 

 Marie Lake campsite, Alberta, pen on paper

Marie Lake Campsite, Alberta, 8 x 10 inches pen on paper

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