Seven Tiny Faces

What to do when you have a collection of tiny frames with no art work in them? Make faces!

Faceless

Faceless. Slightly modified digital photo. 2015

Something a little different this week- a faceless face!

Climbing Out (II)

After finishing the colorful painting Climbing Out, I was on a roll, and did another. This time I focused on the graphic nature of the picture, but since I love pen and ink drawing, completed it in black and white.

Climbing Out II. 4" x 4". Pen and ink on Bristol. 2015

They work as a pair, so I plan to mount them together for hanging. I found this cool metal sign thing at the craft store, so I'll be putting them together on that- once I figure out how to without potentially damaging the surfaces of the paintings/drawing. Hmmm. Need to do some research!

Climbing Out

As I've been creating more faces for my gallery show next summer at Fuller Lodge Art Center, I've been going through many photos from my stash (it's also been an excellent chance to get rid of lots of really bad ones!). I love the facial expression on this guy's face and the perspective was very intriguing– he was climbing out of a hole in some rocks, likely in Wyoming or Colorado, though time does funny things to the clarity of memories...

Climbing Out (Color). Watercolor. 4" x 4" 2015

I cropped the original photo quite a bit and did several prep sketches to decide how exactly I wanted to go about the presentation since the photo wasn't really good enough to try to capture any realism (and who wants to do that all the time anyway?). I chose to go bold and bright, with shadows reduced to graphic shapes.

Behind the Scenes of Climbing Out (Color)

I really enjoyed having to think differently about this one, and about how best to get a sense of depth with a limited palette and shading. And it led to the next face (next week!).

Blind Contour

I've managed to get to a couple of life drawing sessions with a local group, which has been good to do. I'm not passionate about drawing the human figure from life but I know it's excellent practice, and it's nice to have time set aside with others to do this. I haven't yet made any masterpieces, but I really liked this blind contour from one session. Actually, this lady was great to draw and although I got a few more acceptable drawings from the evening, this one is my favorite.

I love the freedom and craziness that can come from not looking at your paper as you draw. When a blind contour ends up pretty accurate, it can be a delightful surprise!

Thank Yous

I'm always in need of thank you cards, but never seem to have any. As an artist, I feel that I should make my own, but it's time consuming to make each individually by hand, especially when doing so delays the return of thanks (and therefore, more often than not, gets forgotten). Recently, I decided to pursue an idea I've had for a while using a duplicated black and white drawing and then hand coloring the cards. I now have cards to send to people who deserve them!

Some of the first people in line for thank yous are my kids' teachers and classroom IAs. The cards will be included with their gifts this year, with sincere and heartfelt thanks! I had fun decorating the plant pots, and of course, I included some upcycled denim zippered pouches...

THANK YOU!

Eye Spy Opening Reception

Also, my picture, After the Natural History Museum, is currently in the banner/cover for Fuller Lodge Art Center's Facebook page! 

See you on Friday!

After the Natural History Museum

I'm taking this drawing up for the next gallery show at Fuller Lodge Art Center. The show is called Eye Spy. I started this piece after going through the CU Boulder Natural History museum, while sitting in the awesome downstairs lounge at the museum. The lounge has even more displays and hands-on experiences, and I was basking in all the natural history: fossils, shells, pelts, photos of insects, taxidermied animals... This drawing was an attempt to put on paper what it's like to be there! (I looove ammonite fossils...)

Pen and Ink, Acrylic on Bristol. 9" x 12". 2015

The opening reception will be May 22nd from 5 to 7 pm. I think it will be a great show!

Beautifying Black Velcro

Due to an unfortunate jogging accident (at least no one saw me skid in the dirt and swear profusely), I am on crutches for a couple of weeks while I heal from a fractured ankle. But, since I'm sitting around, I'm staying busy with my art supplies! The walking cast I'll be in for several weeks needed some upgrading– and I love an excuse to use paint markers:

Plus, it now goes with everything! Ha!

Flowing

I was inspired by some of the graphic novels I read to compose this simple face. I wanted to concentrate on the flowing of the hair– with just lines, so much movement can be conveyed. I imagine the hair waving and swishing in a breeze.

Flowing. Pen and Ink. 4"x4". 2015

Zen Kumomi

I was invited to join a women's retreat this last weekend and teach Kumomi, the art of meditative doodling. Not only was the retreat wonderful (it was at a Zen center in the mountains, after all), but the evening of Kumomi was one of my favorite activities. Even though I'm on the spot, so to speak, when teaching this, there is so much spontaneity that it's unpredictably amazing every time. It's such a thrill to overhear the conversations that are sparked by people getting into their doodling and mark making (centers of energy! bringing animals or creatures out of the chaos! finding meaning in the randomness!). I sincerely hope the few hours we spent painting and drawing encourage everyone in the group to continue.

Of course, the rest of the weekend was fantastic, too. It felt like we were just hours from full springtime, so the leafs had not yet covered the trees, but there were buds on the branches,  a few flowers, a few trees in bloom... The sunlight was invigorating! Sitting in the hot springs and watching the stars didn't hurt, either.

In the morning, the sun revealed the cliffs of the river valley slowly but brightly.

The blue sky was so deep. On a meander through the grounds, many contemplative Buddhas were discovered.

I feel so fortunate to have been a part of this remarkable group of women!

And Another

The third installment. Actually, I need to come up with another way of introduction, since there will be quite a few more.

Face Three. Pen and ink, Paint Marker, Sealing Wax on Bristol. 4"x4". 2015

My Boy

Another installment of my new project.

Face Two. Watercolor on Paper. 4'x4'. 2015

New Project

I'm so inspired right now, and am working on a new project! The first installment...

Face One. Acrylic ink and pen on Bristol. 4"x4". 2015

Kreatures

Kumomi Kreatures– another take on the Kumomi style. There are still some spots left for my Kumomi class on Tuesday evening at Fuller Lodge Art Center. 5:30-7:30, $20 plus $5 materials fee. Call 662-1632 to sign up!

Join Me for a Kumomi Class!

I am very excited to be teaching a Kumomi Class at Fuller Lodge Art Center next Tuesday, March 3rd, in the evening from 5:30-7:30! The cost is $20, plus a $5 materials fee (only $5! not $12 as stated in the flyer and online).

Creative meditation is a form of active meditation, in which the practitioner uses art materials to relax the mind or focus thoughts. Join us for an evening of Meditative Doodling, using your hands and eyes to get lost in the details while creating on paper. We will use colorful inks and pen doodling to relax and explore- and have fun! Materials and inspiration will be provided. This is a great class for everyone, even if you feel unfamiliar with drawing and painting because markmaking is good for the soul!

Call Fuller Lodge at 662-1635 or stop by to sign up. I look forward to seeing you Tuesday evening! And don't forget to check our the Art Center's many other class offerings!

 

Walking Meditation

Like many (all?) of us, there are some things I wish I had figured out a long time ago. But here I am just now getting around to learning new and life-changing habits. Walking, as both a physical and mental exercise, is one of those activities that has taken me what seems like forever to wrap my head around, but it finally is one of those indispensable things in my life. And still, it has taken me years to allow it to become a habit.

I've always liked being outdoors, but in previous lifetimes, my outdoor activities essentially boiled down to work: I have skied (in bounds and back country), backpacked, ice climbed, rock climbed, approach hiked, ran trails, mountain biked, mountain climbed and hiked, all with a destination or mileage in mind, and with the intention of "feeling it" at the end of the day. After having kids and staying at home, life slowed down, a different sort of exhaustion set in, and frankly, little kids make it damn hard to enjoy doing those things in the same way. Additionally, the dog has gotten a lot older; he's no longer able to keep up on longer, more intense outings. I've had to adjust.

As I said, it's taken me years, but I've finally reached a point when going for a simple walk is  fantastic use of my time. After these years of practice, I finally figured out that walking for me is more of a mental activity than a physical one, and thus I value it more and more. I am never plugged in (music, etc., and usually don't even carry my phone), and mostly walk with only the dog because conversation impedes my brain's ability to wander, muse, solve problems and relax. I often find it difficult to relax at home because there are so many tasks needing to be done, but out on a walk with the dog, I can leave all that behind and tackle the big conundrums.

My walking meditations are active, which is different than the more Zen Buddhist approach I've seen, in which a walking a meditation practitioner walks veeery s l o w l y and intentionally, and attempts to empty the mind. The dog and I walk on trails near my home, and my walking meditation practice is much faster (I might as well get some exercise while I'm out there), my mind full of thoughts and ideas. I've solved many of my most distressing problems while out on a walk. (And I'll be honest, I've solved a lot of problems for other people, too, but no matter how badly I sometimes want to, I won't be telling them I've got it all figured out; they need to do that on their own. Maybe they should start walking!)

There's also the obvious enjoyment of noticing and participating in the beautiful weather, the changing seasons, the amazing views where we live, the New Mexico sunshine, and discovering the little things like shadows and the footprints of other animals also out on a walk (bird, bunny, and dog above).

And if anyone needs another reason to walk... here are a few more:

See you soon– out on a walk!

Leaf Greeting

A while ago– I'm embarrassed to say I think it was 3 months ago– I got a card from a cousin who had gotten married. She and her new hubby eloped (to Hawaii, the lucky lovers) so I didn't miss the wedding, but it's taken me till now to get a card of congratulations back to them. It's not much, but since I don't like buying cards, my turn-around time can sometimes be rather slow.

 

And the matching envelope:

Congratulations, Katie and Mark!

 

OD

I drew this little 4-inch card a couple of days ago, thinking it would be a header for Opposite Day, concentrating on the simplicity of just black and white opposing shapes around the initials OD. Seemed pretty straightforward.

Until it wasn't.

As I worked, I realized that Over Dose might be a more applicable sign. Or Over Drive. My idea had been to make it simple looking so that I could complete it fairly quickly (who has the time for these sorts of things? I had other stuff to be working on!). But the more time I spent meditating on other meanings for the letters, the more I realized how backwards my original idea was. The spiraling craziness is not simple; maybe it's a bottomless vortex instead. And since when is drawing something I didn't have time for?

The recognition that I've got too much on my plate means I need to let go of some things, so out the door they go.

My favorite quote right now:




I took this directly from http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/2015/01/weekend-links-48.html because it is beautiful. Her enJOY blog has a lot of great ideas too, although I don't read all the personal stuff about the baby.

Opposite Day

Yesterday was opposite day at our house.

A had proposed it earlier in the week, and kept talking about it as if it were going to happen, so when I woke up yesterday morning, it seemed just natural to go with it. In an odd twist, my husband had to go to work for a deadline and then work on a wonky toilet at the rental house, so it was opposite for him, too, since he was working on a Sunday.

We had decided beforehand that Opposite Day would include things like eating dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner, and wearing pajamas all day instead of getting dressed. Thus, pad thai was our breakfast, and we had bacon, eggs, and pancakes for dinner. It's the little things that can thrill a 5-year old and an 8-year old! I feel slovenly if I wear pjs all day, so I did put on clothes, though not until 11 in the morning.

We ordinarily strive for Unplugged Sunday, but yesterday we plugged in, baby! The day before we made a big leap into the 21st century and bought ourselves a streaming Blu-ray player, so we watched a Netflix movie in the middle of the day– Spy Kids, if you're interested, because A is planning to become a spy when she grows up. I also worked on this blog post throughout the day, which meant I didn't have to do it all after the kids went to bed, since on Unplugged Sunday we usually play the honorable parents and keep to either sneakily checking email when the kids aren't around, or occasionally saying we're "working" if we have the computer on (what liars we sometimes are... I should add we actually do try to be unplugged mostly on Sundays).

It was interesting to observe that it seemed more special to watch a movie in the middle of a Sunday because we so rarely do. And I felt myself feeling a little like typing away on the laptop throughout the day was taking away from enjoying and doing all the other unplugged things I could have been doing. It's always good to shake up the routine every once in a while as a reminder that there are many choices we've made that are worth sticking to.

There were, of course, many things we did that weren't opposite, like creating. We often find ourselves making, drawing, painting and building in either my studio or the garage on those Unplugged Sundays. And that's how we spent many hours yesterday, too. As I worked on this blog and did some drawing of my own, I was watching the creativity flow across the studio as the kids made a coral reef out of junk building materials.

One task we had decided on a week ago was that the kids' rooms needed some deep cleaning this weekend. R proposed that since we had been planning to clean, perhaps since it was opposite day, we should not clean. We countered that since the state of their rooms is generally like a post-hurricane disaster, bringing their rooms up to a respectable level of organized cleanliness was what would be opposite of the usual. I was relieved that the cleaning wasn't that bad, either; we've worked hard to not be overstocked with kids' stuff, so picking up the rooms mostly involved putting things back in the bins where they belonged. And vacuuming.

In the end, I surprised myself by enjoying it. We did just enough to satisfy A that we were indeed doing things opposite of the usual, but not so many things that it was a pain for me to participate. We may do it again sometime!