Playing Games

I am still fascinated by drawing lines to create shapes. I love the way I can build layer upon layer of color while defining some shapes and creating new ones at the same time. I never know what to expect ... but each drawing in this series has felt like a meditation - just doing it and waiting for the final work to reveal itself.

This one is based on a tic tac toe board (really) - and was actually drawn in blues and greens, marker pens and inktense pencil on watercolor paper.

However, the photo image that allows me to bring it into my computer and this blog simply fails to capture the delicate lines and colors. So, I started to play with it to see it I could make it work. Who knew that a reverse tweak in Photoshop could result in such vibrant colors, making this a really a mixed media work.

I is for Ideas (or no ideas)

One of the biggest challenges of the Art Everyday for a Month challenge is coming up with ideas for what to do next (okay, this is a constant challenge.) Add to this the fact that I am trying to work in an abstract way, and today I drew a blank. (Not one I can post here however.)

Though no abstract ideas are coming my way, the stack of pears on my kitchen counter are calling my name. The tree in my yard has been most abundant this year. A source of culinary inspiration, and this morning, an art idea.

One of the first things I learned to draw was a pear. I was first inspired to try to draw one because I saw them drawn, painted, photographed in almost every book I read as I was learning about drawing with pastels. Pears are just a lovely, sensuous shape. They come in wonderful colors, they lend themselves beautifully to pastels, and they taste good too.


As I look around my studio, I realized  that because I draw pears at least a few times a year, they are a good judge of my progress. So, today, something real - a quick sketch in pastels on canson mi tiente.