18 x 30″ acrylic on canvas
What good was a unicycle with no pedals? Not much to most, but the two young birds flying overhead were certainly not most. They saw adventure and entertainment in the one-wheeled contraption – it had more than just ground potential.
They took to the sky, unicycle in tow. Diving and spinning, heaving and whipping the little cycle moved like a gyroscope through a glorious afternoon sky.
8 x 10″ ink and watercolor on paper
Upon coming into the studio today, I had all intention of painting more of my last work in progress. When I arrived though, I realized my groggy self just wasn’t feeling it.
Instead I opted to begin another circle painting. Creating the circles allows me to fall into a sort of flow. I don’t quite zone out, but I do get absorbed into the repetition and pattern, which I think is good for the brain from time to time. I plan to build up both the color and the circles further before calling it done.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Original pierced paper image
Micah Richardson 