Wednesday, January 31, 2007

quote pages


When drawing on my abstract backgrounds doesn't feel right, words can always fill in.

These remind me not to look back at old plans that no longer serve me, but to make new ones.

Color is pastels; letters are brush pen.

Monday, January 29, 2007

join the connection

There's a connect-the-people effort at www.lost.eu/190a4 to see how many people we can connect across the globe. Don't know what it means or what it proves, but check it out if you're curious.

macro cat


Under the lamplight those fine hairs really stand out.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Bath bear


Not a bear to take a bath with.

I bought this wooden bear in Bath on my first trip to England in 1994. I didn't at all do his black wooden eyes right. Clearly this subject needs to be a repeated model, in a variety of media.

Sketch-and-wash pencil with w/c added on Stonehenge paper.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

green leather


Just to keep the drawing going, a pencil attempt in the Moleskine sketchbook. (Watercolor pencils for darkest areas, then swished wider.)

Not good highlights or accurate color, but any practice is better than none, I say.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Looking for spring


I wish I could have caught Chaucer's curiosity and batting at the longest flower stalk, but this after-position will have to do. The flower survived.

Badly skipping gel pen and w/c on extra smooth journal paper.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Another cutup


With all the storm-related activity, I've only done fast paintings and drawings in my journal as the pages get filled.

Spirals of darkest blue and red indicate the maelstrom passing through. Pasted on a clear sky w/c background.

Friday, January 19, 2007

and then there's the tree



Can't tell what damage it did, doesn't appear to be too awful. We were lucky with this one!

Note how it goes all the way over the ridge line to the front. And it is rooted beyond the backside of the shed. Nothing like a tall tree!

There are branches smashed up against the deck door. No breakage there, most fortunately.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

After the power comes back

Turns out that it's a big project to get back to normal, once the electricity comes back.

When we turned the furnace on, the bedrooms didn't get warm. Had to call my all-time favorite plumber who ended up sawing holes in room to find and fix broken pipes. Agh.

Much cleaning of freezer/refrigerator, much folding of quilts and bedding from sleeping in the family room by the woodstove, and much moving and stacking of piles so the pipes could be replaced. Double agh.

And it continues tomorrow. Insulation needed, wall patching, and, oh, yes--heat in the bedrooms (without waterfalls in the living room).

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Yayyyy!

We're empowered! There's a furnace problem upstairs, but at least we have lights and hot water!!

It's two degrees outside, so it's still scary out there. With web access, though, blogging may proceed.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Winter finally hit

Ice storm, power outages, falling trees. We're cooking on a woodstove, sleeping on the floor beside it, and playing pioneer for a couple days (I hope).

At least today I can post this note from work.

Friday, January 12, 2007

rockin' again


Straight lines and accurate perspective on even something as simple as this is such a challenge, somehow. Slick, bowing paper in the notebook brings out every tremble.

Ink in Moleskine sketchbook.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

We see it daily


Close enough to see the dust on the number keys, in spite of daily keying.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Rippley sky


A sky pic that looks like the painted background, inked figure style I've been aiming for. Nature does it better!

Monday, January 08, 2007

Seeing things


I'm painting backgrounds to be drawn on with India ink. It's all a spontaneous, see-what-happens experiment.

But in this case, after I saw the red figure standing in a blue doorway, I didn't want to add more.

W/c on 140# paper.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Blue mug


Macro views enthrall me.

Friday, January 05, 2007

city scrap


Random playing on a tiny scrap of bristol paper. These are the ones I like to glue on blank pages ahead in my journal for colorful accents.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

freaky mug


My mother had a phrase: It's so ugly, it's cute. This mug qualifies.

I've had it for years, just found it on a shelf. The gray is a shiny glaze; the face is unglazed clay.

Tech pen and w/c in a new 5.5 x 5.5 sketchbook by Handbook.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

During a phone call


The layers that developed while I listened.

Color-surround added later. Gel pen on the back of an envelope.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Earthquake


Had a great trip to visit relatives, home again to play with paint.

I pasted this quickie into my journal. It reminds me of sedimentary layers shifted by an earthquake.

May our new year NOT be quaked! I wish you a happy, healthy, peaceful 2007.

W/c on bristol paper.