Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
They had time on their hands. A lot of it. So they spent it being productive – evaluating, the looks, actions, dress,and speech of those around them. It wasn’t like they were being mean. Just pointing out the obvious.
Perfection comes from recognizing faults, they thought.
Some friends of ours are getting married today, so late yesterday afternoon we headed to good ‘ol Wyoming to take part in the festivities.
To celebrate the special occasion, I decided I’d create a piece of art for them. The bride and groom are fantastic people. They both love the outdoors, are full of life and have wonderful boisterous laughs that fill a room. So it was pretty easy to come up with something that I hope they’ll like and that reminded me of the two of them.
The wedding should be wonderful. We’ll be in the mountains, surrounded by great friends, great music and a lotta love.
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
Directly before sitting down to write day 117’s post, I decided to go on a jog. While weaving my way through the hood I was excited to see a sign for an estate sale. Changing route I made my way over to the house and walked in; curious to see what I couldn’t live without.
My anticipation quickly turned to a feeling of uneasiness. I’ve been to an estate sale before and realize that they are typically held when someone has either passed away or foreclosed – neither great situations. But this one felt different. People were everywhere. The house I entered no longer felt like a home but a clearinghouse of used goods whose owner was suddenly forgotten and whose personal items were being rifled through, groped, and nabbed without second thought. Here I was, in this once lovely home that now felt broken up into sections with only hints remaining of what it once was. I quickly turned and left.
As I finished up my jog I realized how much the piece I had just created made me think of the situation I had walked into. The flower – like the house – had been gridded off into sections. The pretty was still there, but for all that was happening around it, it was hard to see.
4.75 x 4.75″ Ink on paper
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
I dig abstract work – both looking at it and creating it. There is something fantastic about morphing lines and forms to create a new visual representation of the original. The abstraction takes on a personality and energy all its own.
The viewer interaction that goes along with this type of work is also interesting to me. The “Oh! That’s a ____” or “It kind of reminds me of a ____” moment is always fun. It can be even more entertaining when the viewer sees something unintended by the artist. Perhaps a person asks whether or not I purposely created a face within an abstracted bird. Or, I remember one time, after working diligently on a drawing, someone asking me if I meant for a certain area of the drawing to appear phallic. “No,” I said. But after she’d pointed it out, that seemed to be all I could see. I think I even ended up changing it because it was so obvious.
For day 113’s piece, I created a water/stream/river abstraction. As I worked on it, it morphed into something less water-like. New shapes and forms finished off the piece.
I hope you enjoy letting your mind find new and interesting things within the drawing. If you’re lucky (or not) you may just find a penis.
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
Yesterday our friend hosted a gourmet camping party to celebrate her 40th birthday. It was about as far from hard core camping as you can get, but was oh so lovely! We had delicious food, paired with some amazing beers – thanks to the slew of home brewers in the group – and wine. If the shindig wasn’t awesome enough, we topped it off with some forest croquet.
Being out in nature is always inspiring. And as it came time to create my day 112 project, my friends suggested I use a bit of nature. -A brilliant idea. We pulled out some pens and got busy drawing on leaves.
I love the simple designs. I also love that the leaves started out flat, but as they dried overnight, curled. Because I like the new form so much I decided I’d take a crack at resin again – coating them before they got too brittle. I feel like I’m going to turn them into necklaces.
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
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.
4.75 x 4.75″ Ink on paper
As most of you know, I’ve got this little goal of creating a piece of art everyday for 365 consecutive days. A good chunk of my pieces are completed within a day, but some of my larger projects take a few days to complete. When that happens, I make sure I create a smaller piece along with working on the big guy, so as not to feel like I’m cheating.
Some of you may also be familiar with my stunning ability to underestimate how long something will take to complete. Yesterday, as I put up my drawing and got ready to call it a night, the boyfriend looked at what I had accomplished. He quickly asked me what I planned to create for day 110’s work. I assured him I’d be able to finish up the piece I had been working on in a few short hours the next morning. He gave me a look of disbelief. Actually, I like to think it was more of a “You are the most fabulous person in the world and I love you dearly, but don’t be ridiculous” kind of look. I glanced down at the barely inked up paper and reluctantly admitted he was right. -Not out loud of course. Out loud I told him I would create a second piece but that “I would not need to use it.”
I hate it when he’s right.
If you can’t live without this piece, you can buy a print or the original.
4 x 5″ Ink on paper
She speaks a language all her own and doesn’t seem to mind that you aren’t smart enough to understand the depth of her conversations.
Through gestures you may pick up on the fact that she got new shoes or that she found a new species of bug on the porch. But because you lack the ability to understand her complicated language, you will never know of her pet dog which only comes out when adults are away. You will never hear about the pig balloon she invented – fat and funny as it was – that blew away on a windy day.
These stories will have to wait.
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
“Go with the flow,” they had said. So he hopped in his rowboat and waited for a tide. But ponds in the middle of a suburb 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.
Original piece and print available for purchase
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
I have come to realize that repeating a pattern or shape when creating art is as close to a meditative practice as I get. The act seems to allow me to immediately relax.
Perhaps this is why, when I am most high strung or have a broad idea that I am thinking about and can’t quite get my head wrapped around, I tend to turn to repetition in my work. I am able to slow down and think through the issue at hand. I don’t always come up with a brilliant solution, but I feel a heck of a lot better when I’m done.
Original and print available for purchase
Micah Richardson 