Bursting someone’s bubble while ironing out the kinks – those were the two combatting expressions running through my head while creating this piece. Please note that luckily there is more than one bubble and, being an optimist, I’m thinking someone will take the iron away before this inadvertent move affects all bubbles.
This piece has sold.
20.5 x 7.5″ Watercolor
Goal: To create one work of art each day for 365 consecutive days
It is always so fantastic to come across work that you absolutely fall in love with. Yesterday I did just that as I looked at Chris Marley’s pieces on Design Milk . Marley uses bugs, insects, butterflies, etc. to create his work. I think bugs are really amazing – especially beetles – so I love this. I also really appreciated the clean, geometric manner in which he laid out his designs. Marley’s work, along with my recent thoughts on cells and my urge to really dive into a big ink project is what inspired day 16’s piece.
I began the work by drawing out circles, which I thought of as individual “cells” onto my 12” x 25” paper. I tried to allow each cell to work independently as its own design, but to also interact with those around it. Lines and shapes in one circle often carried over into another creating a kaleidoscope-like image.
Work available for purchase at http://www.etsy.com/shop/OriginalsByMicah or by emailing me at micah@azzlsoft.com
Goal: To create a work of art each day for 365 consecutive days
There are days in all of our lives which are filled with tedium. For me, yesterday was one of those days. I anticipated dedicating a few hours to some computer-y type stuff (the tedium) and maybe another hour to an editing project. But as five o’clock rolled around I found I had sat bug eyed at the computer for way too long. Therefore I decided I needed to work on something that was bright, fun, and whimsical.
I pulled out some brown Sierra Nevada coasters we had laying around and proceeded to apply acrylic paints to them. Next I whipped out my trusty ink pen and began drawing. Initially I created more elaborate and intricate designs but I quickly decided that was the wrong road to take. Instead I aimed to keep the design and colors extremely simple. I used the existing coaster design and painted shapes to lead the way. The results are light-hearted and simple. -Just what I needed after a long day. Well that, and a beer of course.
Work available for purchase at http://www.etsy.com/shop/OriginalsByMicah or by emailing me at micah@azzlsoft.com
Goal: To create one work of art each day for 365 consecutive days
A while ago some lovely friends asked me to create something with a focus on peacocks. I was excited about the idea and thought it could be a lot of fun. But as I began working on the project I was bombarded with all of the “stuff” that makes up this beautiful bird: color, lines, shapes, symbolism, more color. I had sketched some ideas and even began a painting, but somehow they weren’t doing the bird – or the friends for that matter – justice. I had to take a step back.
Yesterday I took another swing at the project. I thought about the pea fowl and its complexity. Its bold, brilliant range of colors, lines, and shapes often leaves me in awe. I realized that rather than jumping in with all of these elements to create the work, I needed to break things down. I used black ink on white paper and focused on what I think about when I look at a peacock. The bird is regal and bold with attributes so distinctive color is unnecessary for recognition. I feel the final 7″ x 28″ work exemplifies this.
Now that I have explored the peacock in black and white and determined how I want to approach him, I may give color another whirl. The slideshow below shows my progression on the work.
This piece has sold.
Goal: To create 365 works of art each day for 365 consecutive days
I really love running (more correctly – jogging). I am not super good at it and I don’t know if I’ve ever even got a “runner’s high” but I get grouchy if I am not active and more importantly, I LOVE being outdoors. The feel of fresh air is always great and coming across the wonderful little visual treats that nature provides is really where it’s at for me.
A great example of one of these treats is the leaf/seed things we came across while jogging the other day. They were gorgeous and delicate and made me think of butterfly wings. We stopped to pick a handful’s worth out of the grass (yesterday I went back and filled up a bag) and I immediately began thinking of how I might create with them.
After experimenting a bit – laying them out in different ways, contemplating how they might be molded around a 3D object – I started thinking of each leaf as a mini canvas. I coated them with clear acrylic and began drawing. The final day ten project is this floral-like design. It could be pushed a bit further and as I become more familiar with working with these little treats from nature, I’m hoping this will happen.
Also, if anyone knows the name of the tree these great leaf/seed things come from, I’d love to know.
Goal: To create one work of art each day for 365 days in a row
Fo
r more than a little while -about three years, actually- I have been meaning to take pictures of two ink drawings, which I finally got around to yesterday. As I was taking the glass out of one frame in order to get a reflection free image, the construction paper I had used to temporarily back the work fell out. A once black piece of paper was now showing its age where the sun had bleached perfect rectangles and straight lines. It was lovely and it beckoned to be used in day eight’s project.
I painted a 22.5″ x 16″ canvas, applied acrylic coat to the paper and began painting and adding other cut paper. The geometric imagery at the bottom was much busier initially, which was really distracting, so I painted a good deal of it away. As for the color, a brown palette is not one I’m real chummy with, but I wanted to keep the bleached paper basically unchanged so thought I’d give it a whirl.
Now that unemployment and I have gotten to be such close friends, “What am I going to do with my life?” is a question that frequently interrupts my thoughts. And while I have come to no clear conclusion, it seems that making stuff should definitely be a part of the equation. What better way to commit to this vague goal than by creating something every day.
My first official day of this endeavor was yesterday (4/29/12). Inspired by the shapes within and moldability (my made up word) of an egg carton, I created this geometric elephant head. He’s about 15″ x 11″, painted acrylic.
Let the making stuff begin!
Micah Richardson 