Day 298, 3.75 x 8.75Watercolor on pierced paper
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
Burnt
Sienna
Floods the sky
Nudging the tops
Of hillsides
Day 298, 3.75 x 7″ watercolor on pierced paper
While life
Is uprooted
By helium vessels
That float
In no particular direction
Day 295, 4 x 6″ ink and watercolor on paper
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
One of the many perks of living at our particular KOA campground is that there is a lovely little pond that is often filled with ducks and geese. I’ve only ever jogged or walked around the thing, but because it was another gorgeous day yesterday I decided I would take my drawing waterside. I sat quietly, watching and listening to the ducks. I was enthralled. Where ice met water, they dove under searching for food. They flapped their wings in smooth take offs and their webbed feet worked as brakes as they came in for splash landings. I need to watch these birds more often.
Day 294, ~ 3 x 5″ watercolor and ink on paper
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
A brilliant blue sky and temps in the 50s once again teased me yesterday. I know better than to think spring is upon us mid-February, but I couldn’t help myself. Sitting on the deck of a local brewery, I basked in the sun, enjoyed the great company of friends and chose to ignore the fact that snow and cooler temps were being predicted for Wednesday.
3 x 5″ ink and watercolor on paper
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
She saw the momentum grow
Precariously
Thin rods and rolling spheres
Barely balanced
The excitement that was to come
3 x 5″ watercolor and ink on paper
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
Yesterday we had the pleasure of hanging out with my two and a half year old niece. The day was fun filled – lots of pretending and playing. Toward the end of the day we asked her if she wanted to go on a run with us. She excitedly answered yes, proceeded to find everyone’s running shoes and we were quickly out the door. We took a stroller along, but my niece opted to run quite a bit and seemed to enjoy the entire thing. It got me wondering, at what point do we decide that running is work instead of play? At what age do we become so tightly wound that a once fun activity is a chore rather than a reward?
As I watched her enjoy herself, stopping as she became tired or distracted I realized we could probably learn a lot from a kid. Kids don’t seem to care how much distance they cover, calories they burn, or time it takes to complete an activity; they simply get out and move – enjoying the fresh air and world around them.
8.5 x 11″ watercolor on paper with pinholes
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
Some of you may know I have recently become a bit obsessed with creating images from pinholes. I’ve worked smaller scale, larger scale, abstract and realistic, and each time I feel pretty pleased with the result. Yesterday was the first day that left me wondering.
I decided a few days ago that I wanted to create a portrait using pinholes, so I took a stab at it. My feelings on the finished piece are mixed. I can’t say I don’t like it, but it just doesn’t seem to be hitting the nail on the head. Part of me feels like I should have gone a bit more hog wild with the pinholes. Part of me thinks I should have avoided using color (see below) – or at least not used it to help establish form. Maybe the pinhole approach naturally lends itself better to abstraction. Who knows? I guess more experimentation is the only real way to figure it out.
3 x 5″ watercolor and ink on paper
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
Long stems grow skyward
Tickling clouds above
Strong
Resolute
18 x 24″ Watercolor and pinholes on paper
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
The other night after my grandma passed away, my sister sent me the following piece of writing and asked if I could do something with it. I absolutely loved what she wrote and was easily inspired. Because her poetry invoked very concrete images, my interpretation is rather literal. I did, however, decide I wanted to abstract that imagery. I may add some more of the brighter blues down the road, but not just yet. I love this piece – probably for more than one reason.
By: Gail Richardson
Gone
Mostly, I remember her voice.
I don’t remember what she said.
I could guess, or try to conjure up what someone else might say they remember.
I just recall the sound.
I don’t know what I would do with
Grandma’s recorded voice –
Except that it wouldn’t be
Gone.
Not “smooth” or “silky” –
Almost crackly-
But not a cackle.
A zillion sand-sized bubbles
Popping in succession
The flicking and clicking of cards shuffled
Only quicker
And soft
And pushed through a voice,
Or a laugh,
Or a sharp stinging comment.
Air and water
Shushed
Through a faucet
Only coarser
And more
Abrupt.
Words of hers,
(I can’t say which ones),
Jagging briskly over
Fine cracks in my imagination.
Silvery scribbles
Slipping
Off the margins,
And I try to reel them back
Onto pages I can keep.
5 x 3″ watercolor and ink on paper
Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days
The holiday season is upon us. In our family this means overindulging in food and drink until you are, basically, comatose. Yesterday was no exception. Chex mix, candy, pie, sugary drinks and adult beverages abounded.
While there is plenty of healthy fruit around the house, it seems most of it has been used in our adult beverages – limes squeezed into tonics and cranberries floating in mulled wine. Just as it should be.
Happy holidays all!
3 x 5″ watercolor and ink on paper (In real life image is has more of a red hue)
The Slinky aka Slinky Dink: A toy that, as a child, held such potential for fun. This funny metal (they may be plastic now) worm-like toy brought excitement to us all. My siblings and I would crowd together at the top of the stairs to hold races or contests to see just who had the best touch for making the Slinky go the farthest. And as we set the thing off on its downward journey, the sound of rings of metal stacking up on each other was pure delight!
If you are anything like us though, our excitement quickly faded. It seemed that after a few runs, the slinky dink was out of commission. I’m certain it wasn’t that we became over zealous upon sending the metal worm down the stairs – watching it flip and fly as it went – landing in a tangled mess at the bottom. It also couldn’t have been the stretching of the slinky across the room that made it perform less spectacularly. No. We were certain the toy was just not that good.
I’ve tried the Slinky Dink again as an adult and think they must’ve fixed the problem – whatever it was. It seems to work fine now.
Micah Richardson 