Peace on a Sunny Day

 

YES.       on this sun filled day.  easy to breathe peace.

peace

it doesn't mean to be in a place

where there is no noise, trouble or

hard work.  it means to be in the midst

of those things and still

be calm in your heart.----unknown

(unfortunately i don't remember the name of the artist who made the awesome hand, but her work was innovative, expressive and spoke to me.  the hand sits in front of my studio.  love her work!)

Twenty Minute Challenge

While visiting Arting Around in SOVA I read about The Twenty Minute Challenge that Katharine A. Cartwright has set up.  I found the concept intriquing, enough that I sat for 20 minutes in two different art classes and produced these sketches.  The students were busily engrossed with monoprinting, so I let them fly while I sat and worked.  It was great fun to do this.  My students were intriqued, they love to see their teacher draw and paint.  Also it was a great exercise.

I plan to enter the The Twenty Minute Challenge in the near future,  tomorrow if there is time in class, I'll paint a few acrylics.

Beginnings

the show in tremont this fall  led to a commission work.  the buyer is interested in a large work.  i started with some sketches, the first sketch was done this summer while sitting on the beach on Lake Erie.  i didn't choose the sketch for the commission piece but i plan to use the sketch in for a painting in the future.  i settled on the sketches done at a local park in here in geauga county.  i toned the canvas in purples, usually i tone in reds.  i thought this might lend an interesting effect.  i sketched the basic shapes in reds.  colors were then added in a broad, general way.  next week i'll work into the paintings further, softening the brushwork. 

the funny thing is, i don't intend to sell the buyer this painting; i don't think it's going in the direction she would like (weird how a painting assumes its' own identity)  i have another one started, which i'll post soon, that i think will suit her tastes.  right now its a poor sketch on canvas, i got so involved in this diptych that my art energy went solely into it, neglecting the other. often i work on two things or more simultaneously, in this case, the energy went where it needed to go!

Shadows, Monuments and Pillars

On Friday, my AP Studio Art students and I took a field trip to some great Cleveland locales. I took these shots at Lakeview Cemetary.

Here's a few pics, I like the juxtaposition of the tree and the massive grave obelisk (I guess it is an obelisk or a huge grave marker.) 

I had some fun with shadows inside the Garfield Monument.

Birds. It always comes back to birds.

So, there isn't a title for this collage yet.

There is an Art show sponsored by our local park district using the theme "discARTed" as its basis for all entries.
The show was a motivation to finish what was started some time ago. I pulled out all of my collage stuff (lots and lots, eek...!)and was able to wrap this piece up.

It is about birds. The background uses part of a 1955 National Geographic article about a trip some ornithologists took to Papua, New Guinea, which turned out to be dangerous when they encountered the native people. Along with the danger, they were educated about a people who were a 'dying culture' The imagery features birds.
I'm seeking a parallel between dying cultures and species loss. But also, noting where we (the human race)have contributed to these losses.
I've got a couple of other collages/assemblages happening, with the same themes. It'll be tough to decide what to enter, since I can only enter two works.

The Barn got in the Way

These poor Yellow Rumped Warblers flew into our barn/studio sometime overnight. We found them on the floor near the sliding glass doors this morning. There is a large barn door entrance on the front of the barn where they flew in. We covered the entrance so this doesn't happen again.

As I laid them to rest in a bed of pine needles and covering them in maple leaves, I could hear and see Yellow Rumped Warblers flitting in the tree branches above.

The Eternal Collage

An eternal collage and I think I like it............
This piece (12 x 12 masonite panel) was started at least two years ago. Over time it has gone through several changes some subtle, some drastic.
It started as a demo piece for one of my AP Studio Art classes. I was messin' around with surface textures by using gesso in various ways; along with incorporating fabric and plastic wrap to show ways to build up a surface. From there we began collaging.
There was a point when I absolutely loved this piece, then I decided to make some changes. Ha. It went downhill.
I set it aside for a long while.
Picked it up a few months ago, worked back into it. Kept it around the studio, stared at it.
A few nights ago I added color and pattern. Its brighter than it was and I think I like it.