art in paint, in sand, in words, and in music

Melancholy were the sounds on a winter's night.

- Virginia Woolf

i've been away from the sketchbooks for a few days,

thanks to a migraine. I get them now and then.

Whenever i get them,

the world stands still for a few days -

but i'm happily back to the drawing table again. :-)

I just finished this a few minutes ago -

this is acrylic on paper...

there may have been a left brain/right brain thing

happening here...

I only noticed after i got the basic blue paint on there

that it was rather symmetrical.

and then of course, you just KNOW i'm gonna find a face. ;-)

These shapes just looked like eyes to me,

and a nose, and mouth.

a few added white dots, and it's done.

The hardest thing for me (as an artist)

is knowing when to stop.

Then, time for a little collage/painting

 a few leaf shapes...

added circles and acrylic paint...

 a few details...

Painting abstracts always helps me let go

of the need to know the meaning of the painting.

It's very freeing to paint something

that doesn't NEED to look like anything.

At least for me it is.

And while i was recuperating on the couch,

i read this book again.

I absolutely love the soft illustrations in this book

and the story is such a fragile one...

about a young boy (Hervé) who loses his father...

Such a gentle way to share an overwhelming loss...

I leave you with this 8 minute video on sand art.

Some of you may have seen it already,

but i'm sharing it anyway,

because i not only find the art beautiful,

but i love music as well

and it's a wonderful reminder

that art extends much further

than the pencil or the paint brush.

Art is about communicating.

Across the oceans,

across different cultures,

across generations.

I don't know what that song is at 5:05,

nor what he is saying,

but it's one of the saddest songs

i've ever heard...

xox

pastels and Relay for Life

hello friends!

Not much art to show this week...

I'm in the crest of the wave

rather than on the wave itself lately.

But that's ok.

I'm still on the ocean.

:-)

I've had these dry pastels for about 20 years. 

Truth.

I've used them once or twice,

and didn't like the feel so much

so i just left them there.

But time changes things, doesn't it?

Like dreams we had years ago

that are no longer the same dreams,

or partners we chose

that no longer meet our needs

or the car we loved

that we no longer care for... ;-)

All of a sudden, when i found the box the other night,

they called to me again. ;-)

So this is what i attempted, on paper.

The face looks far too male -

or maybe it's the lack of hair...

but she's a cancer survivor,

so i wanted little hair.

i loved the pastels this time.

Love the feeling of rubbing my fingers in the chalk dust

and the rough look of dry pastels.

...yes, that's a halo. :-)

Anyone going through chemotherapy,

I've decided -

deserves a halo.

Don't you love the roughness?

It's funny how much we change

in terms of what we want to paint or draw as artists.

Years ago, i loved precision.

i loved making art that looked as much

like a photograph as possible.

Now - not so much.

There's nothing wrong with painting realistically.

It's just not where my heart is at this time.

Then i had this little piece of scrap watercolor paper

and did this little bunch of funky leaves.

The paper is only about 3" x 7"

but you don't need huge amounts of paper

to make a little bit of art, right?

i love making the little spirals...

meditative.

On another note, this past Friday night

my family and i went to the Relay for Life, in our home town.

The Relay is a yearly fundraising event

that focuses on cancer survivors

and those who have lost the battle.

I was never comfortable with calling it a "battle"...

it sounds like a fight within oneself,

and i'm not sure that's really what it is.

Anything we see as a battle

is already lost from the beginning.

The beauty and transformation comes,

i believe - in acceptance.

In surrender.

These are my lovely parents... from behind. :-)

Cancer survivors (in the yellow and white tshirts)

walk around the track and teams of people

who participated in the fundraising

walk for 24 hours...

from 7pm till 7am

in support of finding a cure for cancer.

Each little white bag you see on each side of the track

has a little tealight candle in it

and the name of a person chosen by those

who donated to the cause.

They are usually names

of lost loved ones.

At dusk, they light all the candles around the track

and they stay lit for the duration 

of the 24 hour walk...

it's beautiful.

One word describes what the Relay for Life is all about:

love.

wishing you all a wonderful week ahead

filled with good moments.

xoxo

surprise purple bird

hi peoples!

A few years ago,

i came across something on the net called black out poetry.

It's basically using text in newspapers,

or magazines or books,

and hiding (or blacking out) the words you don't need

for the creation of your own masterpiece poem. :-)

You can see a sample here...

I began this journal page last night

thinking about black out poems...

only my poem ended up being loose words

just scattered across the page

willy-nilly. 

:-)

And the text i chose happened to be

from a boring article about finances.

Yawn.

Still - i managed to find a few choice words in there.

The purple bird just kinda happened

when i began to contour a few leaves

and saw the shape of a bird.

Well, ok, i kinda made it into the shape of a bird. 

:-)

This is a photo i took this morning, in natural light.

What a difference it makes, huh?

These colors are much closer to reality,

although the leaves are a punchier lime green.

And speaking of green...

let's talk money for a minute.

I read a lot,

although i've never been interested in books like these.

But this morning at the book store,

this one caught my eye

and practically jumped off the shelf and into my hands.

Published in 1937 - before it was even cool to be rich. :-)

I was raised to believe

that money is the root of all evil,

that money can't buy happiness

that those who seek wealth are selfish,

that real wealth is found

in a kind heart

rather than a full bank account.

I suspect i was raised this way

because we had no money.

:-)

I believe the greatest thing about having money

is being able to share it.

Being able to use it somehow

to inspire others

to reach their potential...

to realize their own dreams.

And one by one,

make the world a better place.

Maybe I'm naive to think this way -

but i know that in the end, i'd feel better about my life

knowing that I had lived it with an open heart,

rather than hoarding everything to myself.

Hoarding anything is unhealthy.

Especially art.

xoxo

YAY for Saturday!

Need I say more?

:-)

Happy weekend everyone. xoxo

sketchbook project + AEDM - day 22

another sneak peek at my sketchbook (for the 2012 Sketchbook challenge). 

The pink part is a skirt.

Honest, it is. :-)

a few little blobs of paint...

a few added words...(and the pink skirt) :-)

...and there you have it. Art.

I thought this challenge would be so intimidating - just knowing the sketchbook was gonna end up in an art library in New York (i thought) would be enough to paralyze me. But instead, i'm having so much fun with it. It's not about perfection, or competition with the other sketchbooks out there. If it was, it would no longer be art for me, nor would it be fun. i really believe that art needs to come from the heart. Otherwise, it's done for the wrong reasons.

This project (for me) is more about putting my own fingerprint - giving others a little glimpse of how i see the world. It's about trying to be original without putting the pressure on myself to create a masterpiece. Pressure and art don't mix in my world. It needs to be fun for me, and free, and safe and brave and expressive and creative and fearless.

...and it can't be fake. 

xoxo

Sharpie doodle time...

I drew this while listening to a podcast. 

What i love most about the Sharpies (on photo paper) is that the ink dries so fast & colors don't run into one another. I suppose you'd get the same with quality paper, but you wouldn't get the squeaks.

...and we all know the squeaks are a necessary part of the process. :-)