Category Archives: art

Work In Progress: Birds Flying Bike

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18 x 30" Acrylic and Ink on Canvas Work in Progress

18 x 30″ Acrylic and Ink on Canvas Work in Progress

Part of my 365 goal was to complete a piece of art each day. It didn’t have to be large, and if I was working on something larger scale, I could take more than one day to complete it, but I had to complete something smaller that day as well.  This was great initially. It forced me to follow through on projects and helped me to stick to the arting. As the year moved along though, I realized this goal was less helpful and I was anxious for the day when I could simply post a work in progress.  Today is the first of those days! Hooray.

Biking Bird

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6.25 x 24.5" Acrylic and ink on wood

6.25 x 24.5″ Acrylic and ink on wood

They’d thought him slightly off his rocker and dubbed his antics a waste of time.  What sort of bird rides around on such a wheeled contraption when nest building and worm catching should be one’s priority?

To and fro the carefree bird would pedal, scarf sailing in the wind. For hours he would sometimes ride and when he tired he’d stop, flutter his wings, and dismount smoothly – turning his attention to whatever it was birds of his sort do.

May 14 Biking Bird Head DetailMay 14 Biking Bird bike detail

Adding Some Color to a Black and White World

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Color added to original 11 x 14" drawing in Photoshop

Color added to original 11 x 14″ drawing in Photoshop

“Go with the flow,” they had said. So he hopped in his rowboat and waited for a tide. But ponds in the middle of suburbia offer little in the way of waves. He sat at the ready – alert to inspiration. Somehow, though, he couldn’t shake the sense that such a tactic may not garner the grandest results.

All Natural Approach color copy

The tooth had been giving him fits for days now. He’d tried some herbal remedies and ointments but they just weren’t cutting it. After reading up on the issue in Everyday Health Questions Answered; A Guide to Holistic Healing, the progressive lion determined the tooth must go.

While he couldn’t say he was thrilled with the idea of removing his canine, he did feel oddly pleased with his recent choice to switch to a vegan diet - a justification of sorts. As his tooth was being pulled he reflected that, without a doubt, this all natural approach to life was really the best thing he could do for himself.
I drew the original black and white images clear back in July. You can see the rhino here and the lion here.  Today I took the time to add color to the saved images in Photoshop. The results make me smile. I hope you enjoyed!

Red Sketchbook

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Sketchbook

I bought myself a wonderful gift. A reward of sorts for finishing my 365 days of arting and blogging.

She’s perfect. Red and hard bound with pages that lay flat. Her paper is heavy, keeping the stories drawn or painted on one page secret from those to be told on another. She’s small enough to hold easily, but not so small as to fall off of a lap if that is where drawing should take place.  She has an elastic cord that closes her cover tightly, keeping safe the pages inside.

She does not have a name yet. Certainly someday she will. And when I call it out or ask for an opinion on a line or a color or the state of the world, her pages will flicker in response.

Sketchbok page 1

red

Elephant Editions

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11 x 14, Block print on Magazine paper

11 x 14, Block print on Magazine paper

Yesterday I began pulling out older work to hang on my studio walls, since many of my paintings are currently hanging out in Twin Falls, ID. As I sifted through the days upon days of  art that had accumulated I came upon some elephant prints that I had done early on. I was reminded how fun a process carving the rubbery material was and how much I enjoyed the end result. I pulled out a bunch of paper and a canvas and decided I would create more editions. I collaged paper using an an old magazine for one edition, created a watercolor for another, cut up a work that I have never really been fond of, and lastly painted a canvas as a backdrop for the final print.

It was as much fun this round as it was the first!

Day 369 soft watercolor Elephant Print Day 369 Elephant Prints Day 369 blue pierced paper Elephant Print

Seed Clouds

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4 x 5" ink and watercolor on paper

4 x 5″ ink and watercolor on paper

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

They looked to the sky longingly, as the cloud made it’s way in. A food truck of sorts. Disaster relief for Mother Nature’s neglected children.

You Can’t Be Serious

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Drawn/painted in Photoshop

Drawn/painted in Photoshop

This can’t still be happening, he thought. A balloon permanently attached to one’s finger is fun for a little while, but this had gone on much too long. Sure it brought shrieks of joy to small children, was a great conversation starter and made most everyone smile. It was not all fun and games though.

Cooking, driving, writing – all were made a bit more difficult with this helium filled tag-along. Hugging his kids or his wife became a challenge unto itself for fear of strangulation. He eyed the floating bulb with disbelief. Enough.

I have completed my goal of 365 consecutive days, but this doesn’t mean I am done arting! For those of you who wish to continue following my work, I plan to post Tuesdays, Thursdays, and either Saturday or Sunday. Thanks so much to each of you for coming along on the adventure!

Arting for 365 Day 365: Catching Up in the Garden

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Day 365, 9.5 x 12" watercolor on pierced paper

Day 365, 9.5 x 12″ watercolor on pierced paper

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

After weeks of fussing underground, the flowers are poised to make their debut. Their green heads poke through the cool moist dirt as they are doused by a brilliant sun. It startles them at first. Soon enough though, the rays become familiar – like a gentle embrace. The flowers stand taller. They take their place in the garden – joined by old friends and new.  There is much catching up to do.

Day 365 Idle Gossip of Springtime Blooms Detail

Original pierced paper image

Original pierced paper image

Arting for 365 Day 364: The Process

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Day 364, 4 z 6" ink and watercolor on paper

Day 364, 4 z 6″ ink and watercolor on paper

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

As this 365 project has neared the end, quite a few people have asked if I have anything special planned for day 365. The answer, I am quite content to say, is no.

I began this project because I needed to commit myself to art making. I needed to quit making excuses for why I wasn’t creating – the number one excuse being time.

When I began, I had aspirations of spending hours upon hours, every day creating great drawings or paintings; and there were a few days I did. I soon realized, though, there would be days that I would find only 20-30 minutes to focus on art. Initially I felt guilty about those days. As my daily practice continued though, I realized I was improving not in spite of the small amounts of time I could devote some days; but because of it.

Perhaps I don’t have anything special planned because I plan to continue to make art every day. While I won’t blog daily, and I won’t require myself to finish a piece each day, my commitment will continue and I will continue to improve because of it.