Tag Archives: dpchallenge

Arting for 343: Simplicity

Posted on by

12

Day 343, 5 x 5' Ink and watercolor on paper

Day 343, 5 x 5′ Ink and watercolor on paper

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

There are those days when everything you attempt to do seems much more complicated than need be. Phone calls take longer, predicaments that seem as though they should be so simple drag on for hours and hours. Yesterday was one of those days.  Luckily, we were able to spend it with a really good friend, which made the situation much more enjoyable.

By the time last night rolled around, though, I wanted to draw something that reflected what our day should have looked like. Simple, nice, easy.

Day 343 Simplicity Needed Detail

Arting for 365 Day 341: Celestial Locomotive

Posted on by

3

Day 341, 8 x 10" watercolor, ink and pierced paper

Day 341, 8 x 10″ watercolor, ink and pierced paper

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

Roger Ebert, a fixture in the critic’s world, passed away yesterday. I can’t say I was an avid, or even semi-avid, watcher of Siskel and Ebert or At the Movies. I can probably count the number of times I’ve seen the show on both hands and read Ebert’s reviews from time to time. So why am I talking about him? Because yesterday I read an incredible piece he wrote re-printed by Salon.com that discussed his views on death. It nearly had me in tears it was so lovely.

Inspired by his thougthful words, I created this simple, ethereal piece.

Day 341 Celestial Locomotive Detail

Arting for 365 Day 340: Octopus Defenses

Posted on by

8

Day 340, 8 x 10" ink on paper

Day 340, 8 x 10″ ink on paper

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

He’d been accused of being too defensive – unable to handle criticism. He adamantly disagreed. But his attempts to deny such statements were proving to be difficult as the trail of ink that accompanied his less positive reactions stymied his arguments.

Arting for 365 Day 339: Ukuleles

Posted on by

9

Day 339, 5 x 7" drawn image colored in Photoshop

Day 339, 5 x 7″ drawn image colored in Photoshop

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

Perhaps it was a stretch to call these strange creatures ukuleles. For they lacked strings and the hollow cave where music resonated, on some, shown clear through. Small, off-center sound holes adorned others, but none were the thing you’d hope to make music from. Ukes they were though – jumping fleas. And when no one was watching they danced and shimmied imagining one day, fingers would strum them happily.

Arting for 365 Day 338: Pianos About Town

Posted on by

11

 

Day 338, Initial sketches for piano

Day 338, Initial sketches for piano

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

I hesitated to include this as it is not a finished project, just a preliminary sketch. It took so long, however, that I decided the hours spent coloring made it worth including. The reason for the sketch is a much bigger project.

Fort Collins, CO has some really great programs that support local artists. One of them is Pianos About Town. Artists are selected to paint a piano that is then left around town for people to play.  I love the idea. The pianos are really colorful and create a great, friendly atmosphere. The other bonus is that selected artists are given a stipend to complete the project. I’m not sure when I find out whether I’ll get to paint one of these or not, but I think it would be a pretty fun project.

Day 338 Pianos About Town Tail Day 338 Pianos About Town Bird

Arting for 365 Day 336: Abstracted Lima

Posted on by

1

 

Day 336, 4 x 6" ink on paper

Day 336, 4 x 6″ ink on paper

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

It was the boyfriend’s birthday this weekend. We celebrated with great friends. We also overindulged in food (and maybe drink). One food overindulgence came about from a friend that happens to be an outstanding cook and who loves sharing her culinary skill with us each time we visit. She made incredible Indian dishes that left us stuffed to the gills. Prior to our dinner, she had us taste some fresh lima beans. They were bright green, round, shiny and completely lovely in their simplicity. I knew immediately the little bean would be my subject for day 336.

Arting for 365 Day 334: Cliff Swallow Evolution (A Pierced Paper Piece)

Posted on by

9

Day 334, 8 x 10" pierced paper

Day 334, 8 x 10″ pierced paper

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

I caught a story on Science Friday that was really interesting. The long and short of it was this:

  • Cliff Swallows have begun making nests on the overpasses above busy highways and interstates
  • Initially, many of them were getting hit by cars, leading to their untimely demise
  • Rather quickly, researchers began noticing bird deaths were declining
  • They then noticed these highway birds’ wings seemed to have evolved to shorten, making it easier for them to avoid head-on collisions

Much more research is needed to prove that this quick evolution is actually happening because of vehicles, but it is looking as though it might be the case. SO COOL.

I was inspired. I created this swallow with the hopes of emphasizing a really large wing vs. a small one. While I like the final piece, if I were to re-do it, I would create a smaller bodied bird and somehow drastically differentiate the wing sizes. Placing the smaller wing in front would help too. Currently, it looks as though I’ve demonstrated perspective on the back wing – not really my goal. An interesting little guy, nonetheless!

You can buy this piece!

Day 334 Cliff Swallow detailDay 334 Cliff Swallow Evolves Lit