ocean angel

Silence is a source of great strength. 

Lao Tzu

This morning's little sketch...

today feels melancholic to me.

A melancholic Monday.

I went for an early morning walk on the beach this morning,

and when i came back, i wrote this

in my little journal.

Life is ebb and flow.

It's about learning

when to hold on

and when to let go.

Like the turning of the tides

it comes and goes

in constant transformation.

There are days

where i have the strength

of an ox

and days where i am like

a butterfly in the wind.

On days when i am called

to have strength of steel

i go within

and imagine myself

as the ocean

capable of swallowing shores

and soothing spirits.

My heart pulses

and i become rhythm.

Back and forth,

the ticking of a clock

the breathing in and out

the breaking of waves on the shore

the singing of birds

the leaves in the wind

the footsteps in the sand

the blood in my veins...

i become one with the ocean

and there,

i find my voice.

I hope you all find some time today

to connect with what's important to you

and find your own voice.

xoxo

EMERGE and white wings...

Well, here it is. Done.

At least i think it's done.

I sometimes have to sit with it 

for a few days before i decide.

Not sure about the title...

EMERGE keeps coming to mind.

I just looked up a definition that reads:

Sea mammals must emerge periodically to breathe.

Yeah, sounds about right these days.

My apologies for the crappy photos.

Last night's painting is basically a "paint over".

(what you see here is already painted over)

I had done a painting a few years back

and hated it.

Every time i saw the painting in my studio,

i wanted to paint over it.

So i finally did,

and this one sits with me

far more comfortably than the other one did.

a few earthy, neutral colors...

and this little being was born.

I think this is the first time i've ever painted

in such neutral colors.

At least on canvas.

Maybe i just felt totally colored out

after EMERGE

and needed to get back to basics...

back to a more pure nakedness.

xoxo

eraser free drawing

Good morning folks.

I've heard some people say that

they can never draw without an eraser.

Well, i'm here to tell you that YOU CAN!

:-)

When i want to paint something in watercolor

i usually draw an outline in MICRON pens.

But the outline, as you see,

isn't just one continuous line.

I think the most important thing when drawing

is to see the empty space

as much as the object itself.

When we draw, we often spend far too much time erasing,

or we draw in the one continuous line

and then get caught up in the details,

and then realize that the shape is off,

or the object is way too small

in proportion to the page,

or the angle is wrong...

we've all been there, right?

So here's my little secret.

1. LOOK at what you're drawing. (photo or still life)

2. OBSERVE IT before you begin to draw it.Where are the shadows? Where's the light?Where's the buckle with reference to the heel?In the middle of the shoe? More at the top?(...you get it, right?)

3. SEE the space around it (the empty space) 

4. BEGIN by drawing reference points (or little lines) on the page

5. BE KIND and patient with yourself.Yup. This is an actual step, and if you don't do it,the whole thing just fucks itself up. :-)

Obviously, as you see here,

the reference points don't need to be exact

and if you realize (like i did in this case)

that the shoe is actually more narrow,

or a bit longer,

then just draw new little lines!

You'll hide the old lines with the painting.

Cut yourself some slack,

be kind to yourself

and just keep drawing.

This takes practice...

Once the left shoe was done,

i basically did the same thing on the right.

a few little details and very rough lines...

it's not important for the line itself

to be precise here,

but the shape of your object.

my trusty little watercolor set...

I usually begin with the lighter colors

and work my way to the darker colors.

A few added details with the watercolor

and there you have it.

Little shoes that belonged to the unknown child of the Titanic...

Drawing techniques can be mastered by anyone,

but you want to draw with more than just technique.

You want to draw with emotion

and intuition

and trust

and feeling.

At least i do.

And you want to have fun while you're at it!

So get to it, peeps.

Take out the micron pens, or markers, or bic pens...

and try your hand at this.

I'm cheering you on, here!!

For those who are already masters at this,

just go get yourself a glass of wine

and join the cheering section.

xoxo

art history

I love history, and art history in particular.

I was reading part of these great books last night

and it got me thinking about the need for expression

and how similar we all are, in so many ways...

There's so much to learn

about one another, isn't there?

Regardless of how far back you go in time.

We are far more similar

than we are different.

I believe the need for expression

is far greater than we sometimes realize.

 I wanted to share

at least these few little things with you

that i find so interesting about these few artists.

Auguste RENOIR (1841-1919)

broke his right arm several times during his life,

and learned to paint with his left hand.

At the age of 57, he has severe athritis,

and eventually paints from his wheelchair.

But still - he paints.

(Renoir, with an already paralyzed right hand)

Claude MONET (1840-1926)

Attempts suicide several times in his life,

by jumping into the Seine River.

Between 1916 and 1926, he works on 12 large canvases,

that become The Water Lillies

and within this time frame,

he goes nearly blind due to cataracts.

Still, he paints.

(Monet - The Water Lillies)

Edouard MANET (1832-1883)

One of the great impressionist painters

who becomes good friends with artist BERTHE MORISOT,

who eventually becomes his model for painting.

He falls in love with Berthe, but in 1874,

she married his brother, Eugène.

Edouard's pain becomes obvious in his brush strokes

and choice of color in his paintings of Berthe.

He is no doubt filled with grief and longing,

and at the age of 40,

he becomes partially paralyzed

due to an illness.

And yet - he paints.

He dies at the age of 51.

The differences between this earlier painting

and the last painting in 1874

show the differences

between love

and loss.

Berthe MORISOT (1841-1895)

Her paintings are accepted at the Salon de Paris

when she is only 23 years old.

She builds a home in Paris

where she often entertains artists & writers,

including her dear friend, Edouard Manet.

Edouard dies in 1883,

her husband in 1892,

and her sister in 1893.

There is a dark cloud cast around her

and her work as an artist.

Still - she paints.

She dies of the flu in 1895,

at 54 years old.

(Berthe Morisot, self portrait, 1885)

Vincent VAN GOGH (1853-1890)

Of all the Impressionist painters,

Van Gogh is the one who inspires me the most

and who i feel was most misunderstood.

 He began to paint at the age of 27,

and painted over 1000 canvases in a period of 10 years.

He also wrote over 800 letters to his best friend & brother Theo.

Vincent suffered from epilepsy and other mental issues

that would surely be treated today,

but they go untreated in the 1800's and eventually,

he is brought to an asylum in Saint Remy de Provence, in Paris

after he cuts off part of his ear.

Van Gogh, self portrait, 1887

Van Gogh, self portrait, 1889

(Van Gogh, his last self portrait, 1889,

given to his mother as a gift.)

Still, he paints.

While he is in Saint-Remy,

 he paints Starry Night.

In 1890, at the age of 37,

he walks to a corn field

shoots himself in the chest,

and dies 3 days later.

His brother Theo dies only 6 months later

at the age of 33,

no doubt of loneliness.

They are buried next to one another

in Auvers, Paris.

Vincent Van Gogh sold one painting during his lifetime.

Today, they are worth millions.

I'm adding this footnote after i saw Lorinda's comment,

for fear that some of you

may run out & cut your wrists this afternoon...

;-)

This may sound to some like

the plight of the suffering artist

but what i find so interesting

is how despite everything,

despite how difficult or tragic

or traumatic these lives were -

they still felt the need to create.

The need for expression.

Perhaps it is not despite everything

but because of everything

that this need was so profound?

How about you?

Do you feel more creative

when all is well,

or does your art seem to take on

new meaning

when there's a gray cloud above your head?

Do you use art as a way

to help you out

of the darkness,

or simply to express this darkness?

Humour me.

I have a curious, passionate heart.

I said so in my profile.

:-)

And hang around.

Tomorrow's post may not be so heavy.

xoxo

intuitive painting, take 5

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling

of letting go and holding on. 

Havelock Ellis

hello people.

I've been MIA for the last few days.

Sometimes, life itself is too damn good

to be spending any time

blogging about it. 

I'm back now,

so you can all breathe a sigh of relief,

get yourself a drink and settle in.

(giggle)

I started this last night with no idea 

where it was going.

Intuitive painting, i guess.

i thought of the funny & multi-talented Cat as i painted,

when she posted the question lately

about whether or not we talk to ourselves while painting. 

I do.

Last night, i seemed to be repeating the words

just trust yourself.

And so i did.

It's still a work in progress,

so i'm not sure yet how i feel about it.

I sometimes wish i didn't always gravitate

towards these familiar leafy pod shapes...

But it is what it is, right?

If i consciously tried to change its direction

then it's no longer intuitive painting,

but controlled painting.

Controlled painting is ok sometimes

but last night, i was in the mood 

for letting emotions run free,

like wildflowers in the wind.

I'll try to post it again once its done.

It's a rainy Sunday,

my teenage son is here with a few friends,

and i think I feel

a painting coming on.

;-)

Hoping you all have a great week.

Pull yourselves away from the computer now & then.

It does the soul good.

xoxo