More Book Art

For this post I chose some of my favorites from the book plus the ones with similarities in style.
With the exception of the second picture, they all feature the odd figures that I've been drawing/painting for about the last ten years.  I'm not sure where they come from, but they happen on pots when I glaze,  in sketchbooks and sometimes in paintings.  To me they're universal symbols--part of the collective unconscious I guess.  I feel they represent a sense of joy or lightness.

The lefthand side of the  second picture is a dream image--my house was on fire with a moon overhead.  (On the right hand side, I was just drawing legs!)

oil paint, oil pastel, fabric, old peterson field guide, pencil, colored pencil, thread

Book Art

As I said in the previous post, this book began as a place to wipe my brushes while I painted.  I picked up this idea from another artist who will use her sketchbooks in this fashion, which I've been doing for a few years now. For me having color already on the page is a good starting point for sketching into and lends itself to playfulness and a lack of inhibition.
The book making was an organic, intuitive process.  Each page grew on its own and at first there wasn't a relationship between the pages. I'd just open a page and start working on what moved me, either the brush marks I'd made or the text in the book.
These are pages 2,  3 and 4.

watercolor, string, photographs, photocopies, oil pastel, assorted paper

Portraits

Recently I taught a unit on portraits to my AP Studio Art class. It's fun when I get the chance to work alongside the kids. It's a symbiotic experience, they love to see their teacher create and I love creating with them. These are a few of the sketches I did, they're colored pencil on backing board.


This student is a highly expressive, messy artist. She produces works that use many media and are textural with phenomonal points of view. I envy her compositional sensibility that is incredibly strong.


This student is a lover of poetry,(e.e. cummings) music and LIFE. She looks older than 18 yrs old here. Her hair is thick and curly, and she has a strong beautiful nose. She works in oil pastel and has them mastered. Her concentration portfolio for the AP Exam is all self portrait. I'm intriqued with how she has nailed herSELF. Each piece she does truly speaks of her inner self.


Last we have this lovely student. She loves to paint flowers. She works wonderfully in pastels and she's getting a nice handle on oils. She recently finished a self portrait that is excellent. Below is her hand, she was holding a palette as she was painting a still life.


I hope to attend some portaiture sessions this summer. I want to do more!!