We went driving up to and through the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument today. The lighting was so perfect and the park so lush…the monsoons have really brought the desert to life this summer.
In the margins (more or less)
It’s been a while since my last post. I took a summer art history course that ate up all my free time, and I let my blogging slip so I could concentrate on getting a good grade. I don’t regret it (I haven’t taken a serious college course since 2005), but I miss the process of picking a topic and art to talk about.
But then when I got back to my art journal, nothing seemed to go right. The words wouldn’t come, the art felt stiff…like I’d forgotten how to access that part of me.
I started with a shouting bird (redundant, I realize). Sometimes words have to be forced out, and the art reflects the strain.
Then I tried some Egyptian motifs, but my mongoose went poorly and I put the page in time out.
Finally, I just put random paint down on a new page and let whatever was lurking there decide what it wanted to be. As usual, I found weird creatures:
Laid-back troll? 
Horsepig 
Impressive Antlers
My next class starts in a few days, and I’ll be learning to write specifically about art. I’m excited! Maybe it’ll help me find my voice in this area…I feel like I’m still too stiff from all of my years as a tech writer. I wanted to take a drawing class so that I could have some formal training and learn some discipline, but the only classes I feel comfortable with are remote only, and I’d have had to attend an in-person lab session. Oh well. Maybe I’ll take some online workshops instead! If you have any suggestions on good resources on YouTube or CreativeBug, I’d appreciate it!
Trying something different (part two)
So I tried the painting again! Started with a sketch:
I’m really proud of this sketch, actually. I don’t usually sketch realistic objects or scenes, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to do a good enough job. But I did! Hooray for me!
Once the sketch was done, I decided to work on the background first, instead of last (like last time). And I used Derwent Inktense watercolor pans so that each layer would stay fixed, and hopefully not get muddy looking. Once I got the background in, I worked on the leaves. I switched to Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay inks, and did multiple layers of greens.
background stage one: blues 
background stage two: adding greens and browns 
time for leaves! blue highlights then grass green 
now deeper green shadows…
After adding some frisket to protect certain parts of the flower, I started working on the reds in the blossom. I never realized how complex the red in a pomegranate are!
Finally the finish line was in sight! I’d started working on deepening the colors in the pod part of the flower when disaster struck! I knocked over a bottle of ink and it spread all over my desk…even worse, it splashed onto my painting:
I am not ashamed to say that there was wailing involved. It was so shocking and distressing I could barely think of how to react to save it and the other art in the notebook. Luckily this painting was the only one that had any substantial damage, but even so, it took about three days for me to be able to work on it again and finish up some last details:
All things considered, I think I did a pretty good job. I’m thankful that the spill happened in such a way that it only barely touched the flower itself, and so it sort of looks like a weird branch.
What do you think? Have you had art disasters happen to you, and were you able to recover, or work the mistake into the image so that it didn’t stick out so much?
Trying something different
My garden has a couple of pomegranate bushes, and they’re in bloom:
It’s so lovely and vibrant! They don’t have much fragrance that I can detect, but they make marvelous fruit. I’ll be very happy harvesting them in the late Fall when they’re ripe!
I’m trying to improve my watercolor skills, and so I’m pushing out of my comfort zone by trying to paint more realistically. So I got out my watercolor and inktense palettes, and gave it a shot:
Pen, watercolors, and Inktense on multimedia paper
I think I did pretty well, for a first try. Next time I’ll do the background first, and I’ll try to get the colors of the leaves closer to reality. But I’m really pleased with the layering on them!
I think I might try this same painting again. Usually I move on to something different, but this seems like a good exercise. I’ll update this post with the next version when it’s done. 🤓
going places
What if birds could travel underwater? Where would they go?
Continue reading going places
I accidentally created my own coloring page (part 2)
I am always surprised at where these drawings end up.
Continue reading I accidentally created my own coloring page (part 2)
I accidentally created my own coloring page (part 1)
When I had a little downtime last week I was looking for inspiration in the coloring book pages that’re being released by art collections and museums. The hashtag I saw is #colorourcollections… it’s random and weird and there’s so many styles and subject matters! I love it.
In the collection of The University of Sussex, I found a wonderfully weird person-pig mashup from a book called “The Works of that Famous Chirurgeon Ambrose Parey, 1678.”
(Great title, right?!)
Continue reading I accidentally created my own coloring page (part 1)
What is Real?
Where do our imaginary friends go when we’re too old for them, when we outgrow them, when we no longer believe?
Do they have homes to go to, with fancy bathrooms and secret chambers? Is there a favorite chair, with a table nearby to hold a slice of cake?
Continue reading What is Real?
Sunsets in my Mind
There’s something about the colors the sun paints across the sky at sunset. Giant watercolor masterpieces, painted with light and air movement. It’s so stereotypical, right, for an artist to find inspiration in the event that defines the day?
But look:
Emotionally cloudy
I’ve been struggling with my art during this pandemic. When I’m scared, my ability to access my intentional creativity diminishes, and drawing specific things gets a lot harder. In times like this, when I’m so overwhelmed, just playing with color on the page is sometimes all I can manage.
I visited my friend Susan a few weeks ago, and as we were talking about what was happening in our lives and the world, she let me play with her new watercolor palette. I felt a lot of different emotions swirling around us…it was pleasant to sit with her and just let my unconscious take control of my brushes.
