Going back to what I know

Of all the work I've done, the pieces that got the most attention have been either my graphite still-life's or photo manipulation.  I mentioned earlier about going back to what I'm good at and growing from there.  So I think I'm going to head that direction.  I may have even found a source of inspiration. 

I have always been drawn emotionally and spiritually to the culture of the Native American.  As long as I can remember I have always held a curiosity and respect for their art and beliefs.  Living in South Dakota has brought me into the presence of a great nation, the Ogala Lakota Sioux.  Everyone is in some way familiar with the Sioux. Crazy Horse, battle of Wounded Knee, Custer's Last Stand, Sitting Bull, Dances with Wolves, the teepee, the war bonnet, intricate beadwork and many other iconic images that we use to associate with the "Indian".  You can't spend time in the Black Hills without feeling and understanding why this area was sacred to the Sioux people. I highly recommend "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee", by Dee Brown.  There's a whole different side to how the west was won, or as some have put it "how the west was lost..." For any one who fancies themselves an American History buff, it should be required reading. 

So I hope that my source of inspiration, the buffalo and  War Bonnet, do justice to show my respect and awe of this beautiful culture.  I hope to use my personal buffalo photographs as well as borrow from an item that is quite exquisite, a buffalo skull with war bonnet imagery.  I hope to convey as sense of life/death/rebirth with my work.  I don't want to go into too much detail, but I really hope I come through on this one. 

Art-To-Go

So I think I need to become a portable artist.  There is very little to virtually NO space in our home for me to work.  I usually end up with my sketchpad on my knees or propped up on the coffee table.  Neither of which is ideal for the back.  We have a hard enough time trying to find some place to put the mail.  Currently, everything (2 portfolios, 4 sketch pads, pencils, drawing board, etc) is all shoved under the bed.  My pencil tackle box is hidden in the closet, out of the way of Babyzilla. 

The biggest challenge is this unshakable urge to go B-I-G!  I want to do everything > 24x24!  Feasible, hardly.  First off, that is a really time consuming project regardless of the subject matter.  More importantly there's no place to store a project that size that is easily accessible.  I guess being forced by circumstance to work smaller isn't a bad thing.  It's probably for the best. I need to practice, practice, practice before I can even commit to doing something on a larger scale.  

I have been able to narrow down a few of the project from "100 Creative Drawing Ideas...".  They should help me get out of my rut, as well as to introduce me some abstract styles.  Luckily, I have been able to commit to a medium.  I had been itching to paint, but I've never really had any painting instruction.  So for now, it's back to graphite and charcoal. 

I'm making all of the little decisions in my head before I start; working smaller, paper type, and medium.  Even subject matter is floating around there.  Just have to commit, so why can't I commit?

100 Creative Drawing Ideas

Phew! That was a long holiday season! I got side tracked from drawing due to the craft project I mentioned earlier. The wreaths were a big hit as far as opinions go. No one (except for Erin) offered any sort of financial compensation for them. I do think I need to do some more tweaking to really perfect the,, but if I can make a sort of inventory for next year that may help. I also plan to sell on Etsy.com when the time comes. The wreaths are so time consuming. When I tracked how much time I spent on them, it easily takes 8+ hrs per wreath. All of the little boxes need to be assembled, wrapped and adorned with ribbons and bows, then the most challenging part is the actual placement of the boxes. This is what really takes up the time. Since I only have the evenings to work on them, it's about 2-3 days for one to be completed.

Moving on...

Speaking of Erin, for Christmas among the slew of wonderful gifts my best friend bestowed upon me was a book titled "100 Creative Drawing Ideas" by Anna Held Audette. It's a compilation of 100 unique drawing exercises used by innovative professors and instructors to provide new dimension and perspective on traditional drawing exercises. What's funny is my own and all time favorite art teacher used some of these exercises in one form or another.

Ultimately, it got me thinking. I've been at a loss with which direction or what I should do as my next piece. I need to get back to basics. Complete a few exercises to help me relearn the media and basic techniques.

Another great source of inspiration has come from the Emptyeasel at http://emptyeasel.com/ It's a website that features articles by artists for artists from basic techniques to how to market and sell your work. It provides a weekly newsletter. The most recent article looked at motivation. That basic premise focused on resolutions. Instead of making resolutions, which are absolutes, focus more on goals. Take a week to really think about an idea and work on it conceptually before committing to a piece. This is just the advice I needed. Another article also looked at what happens when you hit a low-point, where none of your work comes out the way yo0u want or you can no longer create. The artistic form of "Writers Block". It recommended going back to what it was that lead you to create something you found to be wonderful and that really provoked your imagination. Again, another fantastic idea.

So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to go back to the media that I was most successful in (graphite and charcoal) and use my past work as inspiration. For me, that one piece that really got the ball rolling was one I completed in High School. It was surrealist in nature and was chosen by my art teacher for submission into the Dali's Student Surrealist Art Exhibition. This was the first time my work was ever featured, and a real turning point in my artistic adventure. So that's where I'm headed. With my new drawing exercises in hand and a direction to go in. It's time to get started again.

Keeping the ball rolling

I've been keeping busy with my holiday project. I've had many positive reviews with requests for their own. It's time consuming, tedious, and a real challenge to just complete one and I LOVE it! I'm happiest when in the middle of a project. Although, I'm beginning to think my husband isn't as thrilled by just how involved I get into one project. I tend to become swallowed up by the process and a bit huffy when things don't go my way or get in my way.

One of my greatest challenges to my new hobby (aside from the constant interruptions), is my lack of space. There is absolutely no room for me to work or keep my materials within reach. My supplies are scattered around the house, in closets, under the bed, in the bookcase, etc. I wish I could just have everything in one place! Then I would know exactly what I have and wont feel like I need to buy any more supplies (a real weakness). Alas, due to the confines of our living space I must rummage and stash my work where I can.

I've been able to squeeze in another pen and ink line drawing. Quite proud of it acutually. It's very satisfying to be able to sit down with an idea and complete it in one sitting. I enjoyed this piece as it evolved as I went along. I love that sensation, the constant working and reworking to make sure it comes out just right. Currently, happy as a clam. I should be able to complete more of my holiday projects and other pieces during this holiday week. I'm desperate to keep up the pace, just need to make sure I don't overwhlem myself. Another constant challenge...

Progress

So apparently I'm on a hot streak...as far as motivation is concerned. I ventured out to the local art supply store, Creative Art & Frame, in search of a giant drawing pad. I have this urge to work bigger! The one they had in stock had too much of a tooth (texture) for what I wanted. They do sell vellum sheets individually, so I purchased one 22'' x 30'' Srathmore 400 Series Bristol Vellum. The sales person mentioned that I could special request a bound version since they are working on inventory at the moment. May have to take him up on it if the piece is successful. I did however, visit a chain store (Michael's) and picked up a Strathmore Drawing 400 Green Series 14 x 17 pad and materials for my next project.

I'm going to work more with the ink and graphite camouflage drawings by taking my inspiration from more hair care magazine advertisements. In the meantime, I've decided to switch focus to a holiday craft project I wanted to try out. I'm about 25% completed, so I hope to finish it up by the weekend. I also plan to have the lobsters and a second ink and graphite completed by the weekend as well.

There is so much I want to do, however since I can only work at night it puts a cramp into the uninterrupted time I can commit to my work. I hope I'm not jumping into too many things too fast. I threw in the holiday project since the holidays are literally weeks away! Just have to see what happens. I'll keep updating this with my progress as I go along.

Thanks for reading :)

Unlikely

Sometimes you just have to MAKE yourself do it. I've fussed all day about what my next project should be. The lobsters are almost done, just waiting on a critique from a friend. I've googled and I've googled, not finding anything inspiring. I revisited some familiar and favoritie artists. Like previously mentioned, Emily Carr is my latest muse. I would LOVE to learn how to paint like her. Granted I have to learn how to paint first. That will have to wait though. The local art center, The Dahl, in Rapid City offers classes. Of course, the painting class is pretty much over, so I'll have to wait until after the holidays.

In the meantime...

I've determined what I need to do to help me refine and refresh my skills. I'm going to have to do some reproductions of works that I admire. Maybe through them I will be able to try different techniques. However, there is one medium I am pretty good at. Graphite. So why push myself into the unfamiliar when I'm getting back in the swing of things?

While taking a break from looking for inspiration I found it. In high school, we had an art assignment where we took a photograph and camoflauged it using multiple patterns virtually obscuring the image. The piece I completed acutally won an award. I was flipping though the pages of "O" Oprah's magazine when I found a really intersting hair advertisement. It's from this ad that I used to begin and complete my latest work.

This piece was completed on Strathmore 80lb drawing paper. Derwent Drawing Pencils (F, H, 3B) were used to complete the body of the figure. Sharpie fine point marker was used for the patterned hair.

Short Bursts

** UPDATE BELOW**


There is always the underlying feeling and drive to paint/draw/create. However, the time to act on it really only happens in short bursts. Sometimes it's something I see, like a photograph or even advertisment, or something I read. This recent burst came after something I read.

The book is called "The Forest Lover", by Susan Vreeland. Vreeland also wrote "The Girl in Hyacinth Blue" and "The Passion of Artimesia". I have yet to read "The Passion of Artimesia", while I have read the other two. Both are fantastic page turners that really get into the art and passion of the artist. This isn't a book review, but rather identifying the source of my inspiration. "The Forest Lover" is based on the life of Canadian artist Emily Carr. I had never heard of Ms. Carr until this book. He subject matter was based on the First Nation's art of the northwest Canada, as well as the surrounding wilderness. I started and finished the book during my trip to Boston for a conference. Once I returned home, I busted out the paints again.

My current work in progress is a watercolor my first lobster dinner during my first trip to Maine. I've posted the orginal photograph, as well as my current progress. I want it to be a little on the 2 dimensional side. My main objective is to continue to work with the colors and re-learn basic painting techniques. I'm quite happy with it at this point, and I can't wait to see it finished!



Monday 11/15/10: I've made some progress. I want to call it finished, but I think something is missing. I'm tempted to go back and add violet washes to the lobsters to give them more depth. However, I don't want to "over work it". I had a friend give me a brief critique and she suggested ultafine tip ink to add details with hatch, cross-hatch, and stippling. Keep in mind variations to color due to these images being taken at difference times of the day.