PaperMoon

Sketchbook Project Finished!

2012-02-06T15:57:00.000-05:00

Last week I finished my book for the Sketchbook Project and sent it back to the Brooklyn Art Library. Here's my contribution: Left is a view thru an archway on Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay from a photograph I took back in 2007 when we were visiting on vacation. Right is an elephant. I've always wanted to draw one because they are so interesting with all the texture.

A couple of old sketches pulled from an old sketchbook.

Left is from a photograph I took at a bed and breakfast we stayed at in Blowing Rock, NC. Right is just an anonymous portrait.

Butterfly done with graphitint pencils and Micron pens and a Faber-Castell brush pen.

A couple of sketches of my cat on the left. You can see by the weird eyes on the bottom sketch that I got bored so moved onto the seed pod and seeds on the right.

Cellist done with Micron pens and a Faber-Castell brush pen.

Portraits of friends, Christina on the left and Michele on the right.

Dostoevsky on the left and myself on the right.

Feet are an interesting subject also.

More sketches pulled from an old sketchbook.

This was done from a photograph a friend of mine posted online. These are her horses coming to greet her one morning. A finished drawing will be made from this sketch.

More sketches pulled from an old sketchbook. The one on the right is my logo and on my business card.

Pearls.

Another friend on the left and a sketch of a woman sleeping.

Two people kissing. Was on a Toulouse-Lautrec kick for awhile there, so this was my tribute to him, but I didn't have time to add color.

And one more sketch pulled from an old sketchbook.

I was so excited to be a part of the SP for 2012, but right after I received my book, I lost my inspiration and did nothing for a good part of the year. Then, in the fall I was asked to do a couple of shows and got busy real fast. Too bad that when my muse finally returned, I HAD to draw instead of being able to take my time and put finished drawings in the sketchbook like I had planned. I crammed for two nights to finished the sketchbook and get it in on time. But, the good thing that came out of this experience is that I'm back into work mode. Stay tuned for some finished pieces that I did for a show at Wicked Gallery in Wilmington, NC.

Cover Art on my Sketchbook

2011-11-14T21:31:00.000-05:00

After many months of feeling lethargic, unmotivated and uninspired, my muse has finally returned. And a good thing, too, because I need to get this sketchbook finished to send in to the ArtHouse Co-op. This was done from a photograph that I took. It was done with Micron pens and Faber Castel brush pen.

Symphony in Black & White

2011-02-03T20:55:00.000-05:00

This is a little something I did for an upcoming exhibit at 1 Wicked Gallery in Wilmington, NC. They are having a velvet painting show and since I couldn't come up with anything kitzchy, I decided to do something closeup and high contrast. I haven't done a painting in years, but I busted out my pastels and bought some acid-free velour and turned out this little gem. It's 12 x 16 inches.

Smoky Moon Studio now has an Etsy Shop

2011-01-14T15:06:00.000-05:00

I've opened an Etsy shop under the name Smoky Moon Studio, same name as my fan page on Facebook. This should make it easier to purchase prints and cards. So, stop by and visit and let me know what you think.

Southern Comfort II

2010-12-18T13:52:00.001-05:00

Here is the second ink drawing of my front porch. I lightened up on the perspective a bit so it wasn't as severe as the first one which you can see below dated November 30th. I'm still not as happy with this one as I was with the original sketch which you can see here. Most likely the perfectionist in me talking. I think I need to use a different kind of shading for the ceiling, too. I like it better than the first ink drawing, so I'm making progress. It's really hard for me to not use a straight edge to make my lines! Micron pen on Stonehenge paper 3.75 x 6 inches.

Note Cards

2010-12-12T11:51:00.002-05:00

This is a set of professionally printed notecards that I'm offering for sale. The set contains 3 cards, 1 of each design shown, including envelopes for $3.50 + shipping. The cards are 4.25 x 5.5 inches and blank on the inside. If you would like to purchase a set, please send me an email (located in my profile) and I'll get them into the mail to you. From the top: Natural Sole, Praying Hands, and Seashells On the Seashore.

Southern Comfort

2010-11-30T13:44:00.001-05:00

I did this ink drawing from a pencil sketch that I did 3 years ago. You can see the original sketch here. The perspective is a bit different and I tried not to use a straight edge. BUT, when I went to ink it, I chickened out and used a straight edge for the longer lines. I like the look of this in ink. Micron pen on Stonehenge paper, 6 x 8.75 inches, $75.

Christkindlmarkt

2010-11-30T10:59:00.000-05:00

If you're going to be in the vicinity of Front Royal Virginia this weekend, you need to visit historic Front Royal for Christkindlmarkt. It's a day and half festival with lots of art for your viewing and buying pleasure, music and food, too. I will have a booth with my friend Michele Erickson-Sommers of Sommer's End Originals. We'll have prints and originals on display and for sale and we're both taking commissions. We've combined our names for this event, so look for Sommer's End Under a Smoky Moon and come say hello. The festival runs from 4-8pm on Friday evening and from 10am-8pm on Saturday. Hope to see you there!

Praying Hands

2010-11-08T18:45:00.001-05:00

This is a commission for a friend of mine in Texas. She had seen my drawing of the hands and the coffee cup which you can see here. This is the first draft, drawn literally from my reference which was a photo I took of my husband's hands. I did the sketch from life. I put a lot of detail into the fingers themselves because I wanted the wedding ring to stand out. The back of the hand I used quick, broad strokes and worked with values and shading instead of tight detail so that the eye would be drawn to the fingers.

This is the finished piece as specified by my friend. I added hints of fingers behind the forward hand and shading to the background. Size is 4 x 6 inches, 2B pencil, carbon and charcoal pencil on Stonehenge paper.

When the Raven Comes to Call

2010-10-30T08:54:00.001-04:00

This drawing was done specifically for a new gallery that is opening in Wilmington, NC. It caters to those artists who are darker and more edgy than myself. I did this one based on a photo that my friend, Julianne L took. You can see her original photo here. A little Hitchockesque. This was a difficult one for me, working from very little reference, but ever since I saw her photo, I had this idea in my head. So, when Christina invited me to show at 1 Wicked Gallery for the opening, I decided now was the time to do it. Thank you to Juli for giving me permission to use her photo. I hope she likes what I've done. 2B pencil, charcoal and carbon pencils on Stonehenge paper. 7.5 x 7.5 inches.

Pear, grapes and blueberries

2010-08-28T18:20:00.000-04:00

I finally finished this little still life that I started months ago. It's not a very good scan. I burnished it after I was done with it and the paper stretched, so I couldn't get it flat. Those shadows on the pear are from the waves in the paper. I would need a vacuum frame to get it flat. I won't be burnishing anymore. I liked it much better before burnishing. The writing on the left side of the paper is all the colors I used. Even though tedious, I am very satisfied with the result. There are more than 10 layers of color on the paper. I'd like to get my time down to a week when working on one of these pieces. I have about 27.5 hours into this, so finishing in a week's time should not be a problem. I'm not real happy with a couple of spots; the hard line of the shadow on the left side of the pear. I tried to softened it up to no avail. And the red grapes are too red against the purple grapes. I followed Ms. Steinberg's directions to a T, but I am a little heavy in the hand when laying down color. Must work on that. This is 5 x 7 inches on Strathmore paper done with Prismacolor pencils.

9th Annual Downtown Wilmington Artwalk 2010

2010-08-23T20:43:00.000-04:00

If you're going to be in the vicinity of Wilmington, North Carolina on September 11th, be sure to visit the Artwalk. I've been invited to participate with some awesome artists from the Feral Art Collective. So look me up and if you're interested in commissioning a piece, we can talk about it. The festival is from 10 am until 5 pm on September 11th. Hope to see you there!

WIP Muddy

2010-03-03T20:15:00.000-05:00

It's been slow going working on this drawing, but I'm enjoying the mud splatters which is basically just doodling inside the lines. I've gotten this far and I'm pretty pleased with how it's turning out even though the mud looks stylized. We'll see what happens when I approach my old nemesis the rear wheel. I'm using my old standby, 2B pencil but I'm also using the charcoal pencil and a carbon pencil that I bought. I'm really liking the look of the dark blacks without a shine.

Pearls

2010-02-24T22:51:00.000-05:00

I am rarely given to abstract subjects, but once in awhile an idea just flows from me and onto the paper. So it happened with this piece. This was done many years ago, but I was looking at it the other night and I still really like it after all these years. The simple lines with the varying thicknesses and graceful curves allow my eyes to wander around and through the figure viewing it almost as a landscape instead of a series of organic shapes. I apologize for the poor quality scan. I didn't want to take it out of the frame and the decision to post it was spontaneous. As usual, this is 2B pencil on Strathmore paper. 4 x 6.25 inches.

Shiny Things 2

2010-02-21T19:40:00.000-05:00

Sometimes no matter how much you like your subject or how you try to portray it, it just doesn't work out. I just don't like how this turned out because I wasn't as successful as I was with the first piece. Sometimes a good piece wasn't meant to be duplicated. I'm posting this anyway because when I started this blog I made a decision that I would post the bad along with the good. Actually, I like the clover leaf coin much better than the star. I should just photoshop the star out, but it seems a lot of work for something I'm just not feeling the love for. So, there it is. I'm done. Going to go work on my color WIP for a while. Charcoal, graphite and 2B pencil on Strathmore paper. 5.5 x 6.5 inches.

WIP IF Muddy

2010-02-14T13:07:00.000-05:00

As soon as I saw the concept word for Illustration Friday, I knew what I wanted to draw; my muddy mountain bike. But, I didn't realize just how difficult an endeavor it would be. It has taken me a whole week just to lay out the drawing. You can see all my erasure marks on the paper. I was doing well until I came to that back tire. The bike is positioned at such a slight angle that I couldn't get the ellipse right for the tire. It looked so bad in just the line drawing that I was thinking of scrapping the tire altogether and just showing the muddy frame of the bike. But, I'm stubborn and bullheaded and kept trying everything I knew how to do without just printing out the photo and tracing over it (that would've been too easy!)

I actually went so far as to make a grid and lay it over my monitor. That got it close, but then I realized the front of the bike was off. Argh! I didn't touch it for a day. I was actually thinking about giving up. Then I went back and turned it upside down. I could see where it was wrong, just couldn't correct it. Sigh. Then I got an idea. It was still cheating, but I figured, it was my photograph! When I was a little girl, I had received for Christmas one year a drawing set, and for the life of me I can't remember what it was called. It consisted of a piece of tinted plastic that you slid into a stand that held it upright. Whatever you wanted to draw went on one side of the plastic, what you were drawing on went on the other side. Then you copied your subject and the result was perfection! I had some plexi in the garage and took a small piece and fixed it with red tape, propped it up on my light table and went to work. By this time, I found that the outside diameter of the tire was really close to what I had drawn, but the inside of the tire and the negative space was what was giving me a headache. It is now right, and I think it's safe to go ahead and add shading and details.

All this frustration took away from the happiness of using my new graphite and charcoal pencils. I'm really enjoying putting in my dark areas with these pencils and having no shine from the lead. I'm also having fun drawing the mud splatters on the frame. The abstractness of these patterns on the traditional drawing is interesting.

I'm only writing out this whole sordid tale, because I especially want those newer members to EDM to know that even experienced, seasoned artists have troubles with subject matter. I have some very wonderful friends that help me out in situations like these. I sent my sketch and the photo reference to one such friend, thinking a fresh set of eyes would help. She was able to guide me and offered a few suggestions on how to resolve this issue. In the end, I got what I wanted, but with some misgivings as to what I did to achieve it. I will never tackle another drawing like this. Anymore wheels for me will be straight on circles or viewed as a straight line from the front.

This is the fifth WIP I have on my table. I have so many ideas and I feel like there is not enough time to do them all! I'm going to spend some time on my other WIPs and leave this sit for a little while. I feel the need to distance myself from it since we've had such a rocky beginning to our relationship. This is about 7 x 10 inches and done on Strathmore paper. Please share your own frustration stories that you've encountered in your art with me. It'll help me feel not so alone.

Shiny Things

2010-02-02T21:02:00.001-05:00

I was taking a break from my WIP color piece. I began this drawing while not feeling well and on pain meds. Needless to say, laying it out was an adventure and I had a really tough time with the perspective. Imagine that! I was not happy with it until today when I almost started over. But, I tweaked the shading and worked on the highlights and voila! I am feeling a little timid about using the charcoal pencil and stepping out of my comfort zone, but I will try to keep utilizing it and hopefully it will grow on me. I'm going to try another of the coins and use both the charcoal and the graphite, too. 2B pencil with charcoal pencil for the real dark areas. 4 x 4 inches on Strathmore paper. I picked up these little trinkets while I was in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia for a girl weekend a couple of years ago. We were doing the whole spa experience and we were so relaxed. The town is small and quaint with galleries and boutiques everywhere. I found these little coins in one of the shops and couldn't resist. They have little totems on one side and words on the back to describe them. The backside of the man in the moon with the star says DREAM, the music note says LISTEN and the heart says LOVE. I have about half a dozen of them that I keep in a little black satin pouch. Sometimes I put them in my pocket and just like feeling them there and rubbing them like a worry stone. Buying these little coins earned me the nickname Magpie from my friends.

WIP pears & grapes

2010-01-21T16:45:00.000-05:00

I finished putting on the third layer today. It was rainy and gloomy out, so a perfect day to concentrate on art. Looking at the scan now, tho, I see my line on the pear is pretty hard and needs to be softened a bit, so I'll go back and take care of that this evening. The book says that the first 3 layers are the most crucial and your strokes need to be very close together. After that you can loosen up a bit. This layer I used Black Cherry, Tuscan Red and Goldenrod. Once you start adding the color, you can really see it start to come together over the shadows that have already been laid out. I'm keeping track of my hours on this project and so far have almost 14 hours in. So, I may have more than 25 when I'm done. Seems daunting, but I think that anything that looks good is going to take time. I'm doing this on 5 x 7 inch Strathmore paper using Prismacolor pencils. Would love to get some Stonehenge paper to try this on, but will have to wait until I get to Raleigh.

3 new WIPs

2010-01-19T21:45:00.001-05:00

Here are 3 new pieces that I've started. The first one is another exercise out of Masterful Color. I just love this book and I'm beginning to really enjoy the actual application of the color. Where I once thought it would be tedious, it's now becoming a kind of meditation. I find I look forward to seeing what the color will do when I layer it. The second one is something I've had in mind for awhile now. An extreme close-up of the front tire on my Cannondale mountain bike. I think the knobbies on the tire just scream design. So we'll see how that's going to turn out. The last one is another sketch of my '66 Mustang. Y'all really didn't think you'd seen the last of my car, did you? I just love drawing shiny things and this one has lots of shine. The chrome wheels, the badges and then the reflection of the badges in the paint on the fender. I'm going to be trying that technique with the charcoal and graphite pencils that I talked about in a previous post. I don't know which of these 3 will win out and capture my sole attention to completion, but I have my work cut out for me for at least the next 3 weeks.

Back to Basics

2009-12-29T22:52:00.000-05:00

I have been working my way through Arlene Steinberg's Masterful Color for awhile now. The past two weeks have been spent on this little guy here. I have never been comfortable with color, but when I saw the cover of this book, I had to give it a shot. She layers colored pencils like paint and what you end up with is vibrant, rich color. I started the underpainting, and as I said, I'm not comfortable with color, so I balked. It looked like a tomato, but it was green and I was wondering exactly where this was going. I understand about using the opposite color on the wheel for shadows, but this was going farther than I had ever delved. My pallet is on the left, if you can read it. That was another thing that made me anxious; I had never used so many different colors before. It wasn't until I actually started adding the reds that I became excited when I saw how critical the underpainting had been. I learned that you can layer ALOT of color on paper. I didn't layer enough, because when I started burnishing, some of the color started to come up. I was a little heavy on the shadows; on the table and on the tomato, but all in all, it was a great exercise and I am happy with the results. I also learned a lot about color theory, which I slept through in art school. I will definitely continue with the book and I do believe I am hooked on color. I fell in love with my pencils again during this exercise, so I'm looking forward to beginning the next exercise and I'm already thinking about a project. This was done on 5 x 7 inch Strathmore paper. Criticism in all forms is appreciated.

Solo Show!

2009-12-07T20:45:00.000-05:00

Artist Reception

Open to the Public

Sherie Griffith, Fine Artist

Friday December 11, 2009

iCoffee

1011 Highway 150

(near the corner of Lake Brandt Rd. & Rt. 150)

Summerfield, NC

6-8pm

Come join us for some hot coffee/tea, hot chocolate or eggnog and

browse the gallery of pencil, colored pencil drawings and pastels

drawn by Sherie Griffith. Originals and prints available for purchase.

Live Celtic and Christmas themed music will be provided by

James Woodward & Kaitlin Bonner.

'66 Mustang Driver's Side Mirror

2009-11-30T23:02:00.003-05:00

More on the Mustang theme. I've decided to do a series on chrome and shiny things, which will come as no surprise to close friends. For this one I used extensive photo reference. I have no control over mother nature or the sun's path across the sky, so drawing from life was out of the question. At least until I get more familiar with the material and how it reflects the world around it. I spent most of my time studying the photographs and how the lines would bend and merge and how the many different values blended. The camera is a wonderful tool for artists. I will be experimenting with a new combination of tools in the drawings to come. I've been studying JD Hillberry's work and I like the contrast he gets from using graphite, charcoal and carbon pencils. Hopefully, this coming year I will be able to attend one of JD's workshops and learn directly from the master. This piece is 4 x 6 inches, 2B pencil on clayboard. I had a sample of this and decided to try something new, but I'm sad to say I just wasn't satisfied with it. I had to lay down many more layers than usual to get my darks and when it rained during the warmer weather and we had the windows open, the board seemed to absorb the moisture and then I had to wait days for it to dry out because the lead just seemed to slide around on top of it. Also it scratched easily. Seemed like if I breathed on it, it would scratch. Would love to hear if any of you have had experience with clayboard and what you've used on it and whether you liked it or not.

#37 Draw Some Keys

2009-09-21T22:11:00.005-04:00

Here are my keys for challenge 37. Keeping in theme with all things Mustang, my keys are on a key ring I bought after I brought my Mustang home. It's the same icon that Ford has used ever since the beginning, the running pony. I plopped it down on my drawing table and left it there for 3 days while I drew it, in between doing household chores and making meals. An improvement in my time management. My family laughs at me and they are always talking about how many keys I have on my ring, but really it's not that many. The key to my husband's Nissan Sentra, one to my daily driver which is my 13 year old Toyota station wagon (still going strong!), the house key, and the three to the Mustang; doors, ignition and trunk. The little clip I use to clip my keys to my purse strap so that I don't need to do any digging. Done in my moleskine with 2B pencil.

A Doodle & Migration

2009-09-18T14:45:00.004-04:00

Two more doodle exercises that I did. I really enjoy working on the doodles; they are so relaxing. The first one is just silhouettes of various household appliances. Forgive my typo at the top of the page. I was so focussed on the doodle itself and filling in the letters that I completely lost it on the spelling. The second one is of migration and I would like to do more of these. I kept thinking about MC Escher when I was doing this one. I don't remember how long ago, but I was actually able to attend an exhibit of MC Escher's work at York College in York, Pennsylvania where I lived at the time. He did amazing things with his artwork and lots of it was based on geometry. I would never be able to do the things Mr. Escher did, but my fish made me think about him. If you have time, you should browse through his works. You will be amazed.

Noses 16-18

2009-09-16T12:08:00.002-04:00

Here are 3 more nose studies that I did oh so long ago. I still have 13 more to post. So, as you will see, I tried to spice it up a bit by making my kids pose with their noses pressed against the window for something entirely different. The third one is my husband's nose which is very interesting and was fun to sketch. Even after all this time, the sketching really helped me to become familiar with the nose to the point that I can draw them really well again. Off to work on the piece I'm hoping to finish by Saturday!

Patrick Swayze Died today

2009-09-14T22:03:00.002-04:00

Patrick Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer today. I usually don't do portraits of celebrities, but, I will make an exception in this case. Because Patrick Swayze was more than a celebrity. He was an honest-to-goodness movie star in the most traditional sense. He wasn't flamboyant and wasn't constantly chasing the limelight like some bigger, but less talented actors. Now, that's just my opinion. He was married to his wife for 34 years! That says a lot about his character, especially from someone living the Hollywood life. Rest in peace, Patrick. May your spirit soar! I did this in 2B pencil in my moleskine.

Natural Science Center & misc. sketches

2009-09-14T14:10:00.003-04:00

Here are some more sketches I did over the past year. I was giving a friend's child art lessons in exchange for her teaching my son Japanese for his foreign language requirement. We spent one beautiful spring day at the Natural Science Center in Greensboro. This museum is really a great place to visit. Both of my sons have volunteered there for the past 4 years. My oldest son was even nominated for volunteer of the week and had an article written about him published in the local newspaper along with a picture of him feeding one of the wallabies. The NSC's small zoo is called Animal Discovery and they have smaller versions of the animals that are in the bigger zoos. Instead of Kangaroos, they have Wallabies, and they have Alpacas instead of Llamas. You get the idea. The centerpiece of AD is the tigers. They are young siblings, a male (Axel) and a female (Keisa) who were confiscated from a private citizen that had raised them from cubs and was keeping them as pets in an apartment. To feed the tigers, the owner would put raw meat in a baby stroller and pull it around the apartment, letting the tigers chase after it to catch their prey. The tigers are big now even though they are only about 6 years old. They play like little kittens and unfortunately they move too fast to get any good sketches of them. I need to catch them on a hot day when they are just lounging around. But, we sketched the Meerkats, which are one of my favorite animals. I had to be really quick with these guys, too, because they don't sit still very much. Sketched a little boy who was excited to see the Meerkats and I sketched my student, Kaleigh who was sketching the cute, little buggers. Next, we went into the Discovery House and sketched some of the more protected animals. There are 3 little Screech Owls who live here and all three have been injured in some way and are being cared for at the NSC. Pigwidgeon, the first one had a run-in with a car and the car won. His right wing had to be amputated. One has a detached retina and the other one has lost his left eye. All are given excellent care by the handlers at NSC. Box turtles are not endangered, but they are protected. You're not allowed to find one in the wild and take it home to keep as a pet. We see them all the time in our yard and even help them cross the road. The very light one is a domestic rabbit who is very shy. The statue of the little boy is a very moving story. It was built to honor Robert Marshall, a small boy who loved to visit the NSC. His mother took him often and everyone who worked or volunteered there knew him. One day while driving along rt. 29, they got a flat tire. His mother pulled off the highway onto the shoulder of the road as far as she could. She was standing outside the car getting ready to change the tire when a tractor trailer swerved off the highway and hit their car. Robert's mother was thrown clear and survived, but little Robert, strapped into his car seat in the car, where it was thought he would be safer, did not survive the crash. The monument to Robert began as a plaque, but snowballed into this statue and wishing pond. People can buy a brick and have a loved one's name engraved. There are lots of touching sayings and charming things engraved in the bricks surrounding the pond. And the next sketch is of a grouping of bird feeders that I was using to teach scale and measurement. The last two sketches are a couple of unfinished street scenes that I started while waiting for my youngest son to finish his Spanish lesson.

Floral Doodles

2009-09-12T21:44:00.002-04:00

I told y'all I'd be back. *smile* I really did scan the sketches I've accumulated while I've been away, and over the next week I'll post them all. Hopefully by the end of the week, I'll have a new finished piece for y'all to critique.

I feel I should tell you what I've been doing since I've been MIA from EDM. I will be participating fully now so you should see me popping up on your blogs and commenting on your work. It's not that I haven't been doing anything creative all this time, it's just that my focus has shifted. A little over a year ago a friend and I signed up for a class on writing children's picture books. I wrote four books and I'm shopping them around the publishing houses and working on the illustrations. I don't want to post the illustrations just yet. If I get any takers, then I'll show them off, but right now I have to keep them under wraps. But, trust me, they're cute! One of the assignments was to write a story about an urban legend or folk tale and update it. Well, that's the reason I've been gone so long. My assignment started out as a children's book and then snowballed into a short story for pre-teens. I'm over 24 pages and going strong. My wonderful husband calls it a book, but it's a short story, ok? *laughing* Calling it a book intimidates me. The storyline is great according to my fellow writers in our local group, so I hope they're right and that there is a publisher out there for it.

Another interest that has snowballed is my love of the classic Mustang. Some of you may recall that I started searching for one a while ago. Well, I found one, in very, very good condition for a very, very good price. *grin* It's about 90% restored, so there's not much left to do, but with a vintage car, there's always going to be something that needs to be fixed, tinkered or fiddled with. But, that's ok; that's why they call it a hobby. It's not exactly what I was looking for, but then, I found out that my original criteria turned out to be very, very expensive. I figured if it was supposed to happen, it would. I found an ad and went to look at it, not getting my hopes up, but when I started it, I was sold. It's a beautiful 1966 Ford Mustang with a rebuilt 289 (less than 10K miles when I bought it), cam and headers. She's white with black interior. I've got some sketches, so you'll be seeing her soon enough.

So, now that you know what I've been up to, back to art! These are some doodles I started from the Keys to Drawing With Imagination. I have others farther in my moleskine, but I'm posting them in the order I did them. So, these were just simple florals. Either tomorrow or the next day, I'll post some sketches from around town that I did.

Project 2996: 9/11 Tribute Harry Glenn

2009-09-10T21:43:00.003-04:00

The date of September 11 fills me with anxiety each year it comes around. I was watching CNN that morning and saw the planes hit the towers. As the first one crashed into the tower, I was surprised, dismayed and needless to say, shocked. I went into our bedroom where my husband was packing to go on a guy weekend with his best friend and said I thought planes weren't allowed to fly in NY. He didn't even look up, just said they're not. I told him what was happening and he followed me back into the living room where we were in time to see the next plane hit the other tower. Then dread filled my stomach as the realization dawned on me that this was a terrorist attack. You probably went through all those same emotions, too. I've heard some say that 9/11 is our generation's Pearl Harbor and that sentiment is most likely true. I haven't been able to watch any of the documentaries about it or read any books about it. It just hurts. Too. Much. I'm not a very social person; shy and uncomfortable in groups. But, I'm not anti-social either. The sights and sounds of that day will never leave me. I have searched each year for something to do that would make me feel better. This year I think I finally found it. Project 2996 They were looking for volunteers to write tributes for each of the victims of 9/11 to celebrate their lives and remember them. I didn't find their site until last week and wasn't notified until the beginning of this one, so I didn't get to do as much research as I would've liked to give Harry Glenn the tribute he deserves. I did a quick sketch (10 minutes) but I couldn't find a good clear picture and since I'm used to working from my own photographs or a live model, the sketch just doesn't do Mr. Glenn justice. But, next year will be different since I know where Project 2996 resides now. I would like to encourage everyone who reads this to please go to the Project 2996 site and please volunteer to write a tribute and post it on your blog next year. It's for a very good cause. And now, without further adieu, let me introduce Harry Glenn.

Harry Glenn

I did not know Harry Glenn personally, but after all my research, I wish I had. He seems to be a great guy. There are tribute pages all over the internet for Harry and I got lost reading the posts from people who obviously loved him and miss him terribly. But, this tribute is not about sadness or the loss of Harry. It's a celebration of his life and he lived it to the fullest.

Harry was a driven young man and I say that because he grew up in Harlem and lots of people didn't think he could come from there and go on to succeed in life as well as he did. His father, Roosevelt, tells the story of how Harry said he wanted to go to college and learn everything he could about computers, and he did. He set a goal and worked toward it and he achieved it.

Harry was the fourth of five boys and the pride of his family. He graduated from North Carolina Central University in Durham where he met his wife Sharon. Both of them graduated with degrees in business administration. After graduation, Harry and Sharon moved to Piscataway New Jersey and for the next 14 years he worked for AT&T earning senior management positions. He then took a position at Bankers Trust eventually moving on to consult for Sapient Corporation before working for Marsh & McLennan at the World Trade Center. He was assistant vice president in the global technology department.

But, Harry wasn't all work and no play. His wife, Sharon, says he wasn't just a good father to his own son, but a father figure to other children in the neighborhood.

This comment from Susan Burwell, who lived next to the Glenns for seven years is indicative of Harry's relationship with people. “He was a good person to everybody. He spoke to everybody, he was a very warm person.”

Harry Glenn cared about people, that's obvious. While at AT&T he volunteered in a black leadership mentoring program and participated in other mentoring programs throughout his career.

When I read that it took Harry's wife, Sharon, a week to tell their seven year old son, Jalen, that his father had passed away, it brought tears to my eyes. She had told him for several days that his father had been hurt very badly and that they needed to pray.

“God only takes angels,” she said of her 38 year old husband. “He was my hero and an angel... He was my best friend, my husband, my confidant, a great father.”

Because Harry was such a great father, Sharon knows that their son will have good memories for the rest of his life. She said Harry made sure that they did family things together.

Mr. Harry Glenn was survived by his parents, Birdie and Roosevelt Glenn Sr.; four brothers, James Glenn, Franklin Murray, Roosevelt Glenn Jr. and Donald Glenn; his paternal grandmother, Fannie Glenn Trapp of the Bronx, and his maternal grandmother, Bertha Murray. All of his family resides in NYC.

Harry had a full life, tragically cut short September 11, 2001. But, his family and friends will keep his memory alive. And so will some of us in the blogosphere, because Harry and all the other victims of September 11th should never be forgotten. We should remember them and celebrate their lives so their spirits will live on forever. God bless you, Harry, and keep you safe and warm.

Most of my information about Harry Glenn was gathered from previous tributes posted around the internet and the site Remember September 11, 2001, written by Alicia Grey.

Worldly Hands

2008-05-16T14:32:00.004-04:00

I picked up my artwork from the coffee shop yesterday so I was able to scan this last piece today. These are my husband's hands. Even though he is only as old as I am (and I'm not tellin'!) his hands seem to have been around the block once or twice more than he has. This was done fairly quickly; in about an hour, if I remember rightly. The person that bought this piece said her husband wanted it because it reminded him of his grandfather's hands. I hope they enjoy it. 2B pencil on Strathmore drawing paper. 4 X 4 inches.

2008-05-13T16:04:00.002-04:00

What Happens When Artists Play With Their Food

2008-05-13T15:44:00.006-04:00

Got these in an email from a friend today. I wish I could give credit to the artists that created these, but I don't know who they are. I think these are fascinating and just wanted to share them. Talk about creativity! Inspiring!

Coffee and Tea Themed Work

2008-04-22T21:07:00.020-04:00

First of all, I must apologize for MIA these last few months. A lot has been going on, but I'm not going to bore you with the details. Let's just say, life got in the way again. We were super heroes and helped out a friend, then we all got the flu at the same time (my grand Irish luck, lol!) and now I'm getting back into the groove. I have to thank my friend and fellow EDMer PennyWasmund for being the catalyst. If she hadn't wanted to have an exhibit as part of her grand opening, it might have been longer before I decided to do any art. She bought out her partner in the coffee shop and now it is completely and undeniably her's! Yay, Penny! She's redecorated and worked her little butt off painting and getting things ready for the big grand opening. I wasn't there, but I heard that the high school boys who played their jazz on Friday night to a packed house were awesome. Wish I could've been there. Saturday morning, there was a pet adoption fair which I missed. I just wanted to go pet and love up some cats and dogs. I was still framing up the last couple of pieces when I got a call from Penny saying one of my pieces had sold! Well, I was truly tickled at that news, I can tell you. Sarah Jane who owns the boutique in the next building bought the piece entitled "Tea Time" and I was told she's giving it to a friend as a gift. Then at the artist's reception that night, Susie Bellamy, the sculptor, bought the one titled "Worldly Hands" because her husband said it reminded him of his father. It was a great time with family and friends and new faces and I hope you like my interpretation of caffeine and tea leaves. These are all done on paper with colored pencil and 2B pencil. 4 inches square. All are priced at $25.00.

This one is called A Day In the Life of A Tea Drinker. These are actually the teas I drink in the course of a day.

This is my tea kettle drawn while sitting in the kitchen. It's called Back In the Day.

Just an idea I had while watching my cat, Toby, check out my tea cup. If I turn my back, he'll drink my tea! This one is called Catnip Brew.

This is Coffee, Tea or Hot Chocolate? This was actually inspired by the Bigelow logo on a tea wrapper.

This one I am not happy with and I chose not to hang it although I did show it to all the other artists that were there. They all had a good laugh, but I just didn't like the way it turned out, even though I still think the concept is a good one. I can do better. The hand is too big for the face and it looks like it was done in a hurry, which it was. I think now that the rush to get everything done is over with, I'll try it again. Titled Good To the Last Drop.

I am so pleased with how this one turned out. It gets lots of attention at the shop, but so far, no one has claimed it. I just pulled it completely out of my head and put it on paper. That doesn't happen too often with me. Usually I have to plan and make my kids model for me and play with colors, but this one came to me so easily. Hope you like it, too! It's called Kaffiena: Coffee Goddess.

This was inspired by an article I came across while searching for ideas. I was amazed at what the barristas can do with cream. Their works of art would be too beautiful to drink! I saw one that actually had Bruce Lee's face done with the cream. Amazing!

This is the one that sold! I really liked the way it turned out and I got the colors close to the original wrapper. I put the plate with the wrapper and used tea bag in front of me on my drawing table and went to work. I am anxiously awaiting a book on color that I ordered that talks about using the same technique of oil painting with colored pencils. I always have done some layering, but this artist's work is simply awesome. The book is called Mastering Color. I am going to do this subject over after I get the book and see the differences. Title is Tea Time.

Here's another one of Toby the tea drinking cat. Aptly titled Teacup Kitty.

I seem to have lost the scan of the other piece that sold. As soon as I can, I will post it also.

This show was a lot of fun to prepare for and I had so many ideas for artwork that I couldn't do them all. The other artists exhibiting also had some wonderful work. Lou Ann Peters did 10 small paintings all using coffee. Susie Bellamy's two sculptures were so wonderful and they looked like they belonged on the mantle in the coffee shop. We joked about taking up a collection so that Penny could buy them and they could keep their home on the fireplace mantle. And Karla Greene's healing touch paintings garnered lots of comments and attention. Even Penny had a few paintings hanging, even though she's been busy renovating. Benita VanWinkle's photographs graced the wall above the fireplace and were truly beautiful to study. I feel very fortunate to have found friends like I have in the Women's Art League. I look forward to doing many more shows with them.

#25 Draw a Glass

2007-12-05T22:37:00.000-05:00

Glass is really difficult. so I don't do it that often. There are so many shades of gray. The thing I really love about glass, though, is all the reflections and the way that lines are skewed and travel from thin to fat. The way the surface that the glass is sitting on becomes broken up and moved around like one of Picasso's cubist images. There are amazing shapes in glass, but I find it hard to slow my eyes down when I am doing glass. For this reason I allotted myself 10 minutes for this sketch and no more. I'd like to do more glass and do it well... it's on the list! 2B pencil in my small moleskine. This marks the halfway point in my sketchbook.

Days 7 thru 10

2007-12-05T22:31:00.000-05:00

I am becoming more familiar with noses. Almost to the point where I can do them from memory. Practice makes perfect after all. My kids are wonderful models. They will do anything I ask them to. Dave sat with his head tilted back for a good five minutes while I sketched the upward angle. I'm trying to sketch the negative space instead, but sometimes it's hard. I really want to draw a line instead of shade the background, but I can feel I'm becoming more confident. I can't scan these every day as we are way too busy here, so I will be scanning and posting every few days. My oldest son will be graduating in the spring, so we are working hard to make sure he has all his ducks in a row. I'm so proud of him! 2B Pencil in small moleskine.

Doodlin' Fool

2007-12-05T22:30:00.000-05:00

More doodles, not much else to say about it except that they are fun.

More noses

2007-11-30T11:25:00.000-05:00

Since I didn't post anything yesterday because I was not feeling very well, here's two. One is my youngest son David and the other is my older son Ian's nose. My kids are great. They have been my models since they were babies and I've never heard them complain. Thanks, guys, for helping me out!

#40--Draw Something With Folds

2007-11-28T22:05:00.000-05:00

This is one of my many scrunchies that are all over my house. I have them on the shifter of my car because I like to drive with the windows down and I usually leave the house without one. I pull my hair up a lot depending on what I am doing around the house. But, my husband loves it so I will not cut it. Yet. I thought about doing this in colored pencil because the color is a really nice shade of magenta. But, Teri's goose really got me thinking about plain old graphite, my standby, so here it is. 2B pencil in my small moleskine.

Another Nose

2007-11-28T21:57:00.001-05:00

This is Day 4 and this time I drew my youngest son's nose because it's just so cute. I can't say that to him since he is 15 and a mom just isn't supposed to say stuff like that! Anyway, a couple of things I noticed that I have observed before: children's nostrils are not as defined as an adult's. This makes it a challenge to define where the nose ends and the cheeks begin totally by tonal values. No lines here. Tomorrow I will have him sit for me so I do a side view. And when my husband returns, it will be fun to do his nose and he has a great nose! The other thing is that tip of the nose doesn't protrude as much as an adult nose does. Just some observations. 2B pencil in small moleskine.

IF--Emergency

2007-11-28T09:51:00.001-05:00

This is from so very long ago, but I'm catching up so here it is. I was doing this from out of my head and without the benefit of a model, as you can see by the foot that's searching for the rung. Could've been better if I'd had a model, but I decided to work outside of my comfort zone, so here it is. Not too shabby.

More Noses

2007-11-28T09:48:00.000-05:00

Here's Day 3. All 3 of these noses have been mine. Kind of hard to do anything other than straight forward. But, tonight at least one of my sons will be available to pose for me. After I'm done with them doing the straight, left, right, up and down poses I guess we'll have to resort to the pushed up against the window pose and the wrap the head with duct tape pose to make things bit more exciting. lol!

More Doodling

2007-11-28T09:44:00.000-05:00

Here are more doodles I did yesterday from the Keys to Drawing With Imagination Book. I started getting pretty goofy with them so I thought it was time to quit.

#17 Draw a Musical Instrument

2007-11-27T09:29:00.001-05:00

This is a drawing of my son's electric bass leaning against my piano. You don't know how hard it was for me stop here at a line drawing! There were beautiful shadows and highlights on the neck and bottom of the bass and I was so tempted to go ahead and do a full blown finished drawing, but I held back. These are sketches. If I want a finished drawing, I can go back and do that later. 2B pencil in my small moleskine.

Nose Study

2007-11-27T08:31:00.002-05:00

I was over at my friend Penny's house on Sunday for some drawing time and we got to talking and looking at artist's sites and painting videos. Inspired by Anita Davies, we are going to do 30 days of nose studies. I admire Anita's dedication and enthusiasm for her work and enjoy perusing her blogs and following her progress. Seeing her works is very motivating for me and I often wonder if I hadn't gone to art school, would I still feel the enthusiasm for drawing that I use to? Don't get me wrong, I learned immensely from my instructors! Especially Dave Leese who I admire greatly. The one thing I remember about Mr. Leese was that he was a very artistic person in soul. He lived artistically, if that makes sense. Robert Buchanan fueled my obsession with photo-realism. I could not paint to save my life, and I exasperated him and in turn he made me cry (I can laugh about that now!), but I was determined to "paint" with my pencils. Curtis Doll was a huge influence on my drawings also and I learned a lot from the critiques he held. So, I'm not discounting my education. But, art school tends to put many rules and restrictions on a young artist. I've broken some of those rules as in my portrait of the old man, but I look at Anita's work as see how free and vibrant it is. I also see where going back to basics for me is going to be beneficial. So, for 30 days (!) Penny and I are taking our cue from Anita and doing nose studies. And during this time I hope to manage my time better which is a huge hurdle for me. But, I've set goals for catching up on the challenges, doing the exercises in Keys to Drawing With Imagination and catching up on the IF challenges. Lofty goals for me, yes. But, time management and limited exposure to technology are my stepping stones. A big thanks to Anita for all the inspiration she gives me without even knowing it, and for inviting us into her studio to see her growth and her beautiful works. I'm grateful to the folks at EDM for all their support and encouragement as always. Hope this wasn't way too sappy! And now in the name of "time management" I am off to do some art! 2B pencil in my small moleskine.

Keys to Drawing With Imagination

2007-11-27T08:19:00.000-05:00

I had also started to read the book Keys to Drawing With Imagination and was really enjoying it. I did these four exercises before I let myself become distracted by other things in my life. I swear, if they tested me now, they would probably say I'm ADD. The inside of my brain is a messy, cluttered desk. But, I've redoubled my efforts to work my way through this book because I think it will be beneficial to me and I'm happy when I'm doing the exercises. Doing these exercises brought back some memories for me. When I was in elementary school, I distinctly remember my friends and I doodling like this. We would make words using block letters and then fill them in using those undulating lines. So, one of the doodles I did was of the word love. We would put these on our book covers and use a pen that had 4 different colored inks in it and each line would be a different color. Amazing what you can remember as you're drawing! Micron pens in my small moleskine.

#108 Draw a Lightbulb

2007-11-27T08:12:00.000-05:00

I drew this months ago and am now just getting around to posting it. I'm not happy with it. It's ugly, but I don't want to do it over again. Maybe at some point I will, but right now I'm just fulfilling a promise to myself to work through the challenges. 2B pencil in my small moleskine.

Chinese Leather Brush Painting

2007-11-09T21:10:00.002-05:00

The woman who I did these for sent me a personality description for her kids and I used characters that met those traits. Catie is strong and very peace loving, so I used the pandas and bamboo for her. Anything can be done with names!
This is something I've been working on for about a month now. Leather Brush painting comes from Chinese calligraphy. In ancient times people thought it was good luck to have their name painted. They were given at special events and occasions such as birthdays. It evolved into using symbols to make up the letters, each standing for a trait. Bamboo trees signified strength. Phoenixes stood for birth, and swans show gentleness and kindness. Dolphins are a purely American innovation. They didn't appear until the art showed up in the states. I first saw it at Busch Gardens when we went there a couple of months ago. I have a friend who is teaching my oldest son Japanese in exchange for me teaching her daughter art. We were walking along and passed a shop where they had a group of artists doing these paintings. My friend said her daughter wanted to learn how to do them. I went in and took a look around and thought, how hard could it be? lol! That was an understatement! I came home and searched the net to no avail. This must be the best kept secret. I ran across employment listings for the amusement parks looking for artists, but I couldn't find anywhere to learn it or for supplies. Finally, after looking around on WC, I found someone else who had been looking for the same info and someone had posted a couple of links. I got a kit, complete with books showing the technique and let me tell you, it takes some time to get it down. I'm still working on it. There is an event every year in our town called the ArtStock Studio Tour. The artists put out red balloons and maps are given out to people so they can find the studios, and all weekend long the artists work and people come to see them and sometimes buy a piece of work. I was sitting at a friend's coffee shop just playing with my new art form and people kept asking me if I could do their names. I had just gotten the kit 2 days before and I sadly had to tell them I wasn't ready yet. So, I'm not completely there yet, I still have a long way to go in perfecting these skills, but tomorrow I'm going to my friend's coffee shop again (at her suggestion) and we'll see if anyone wants their name painted. It's actually kind of fun. Can be done pretty quickly and with the holidays coming up, I thought they might make fun gifts. lol! Let me know what y'all think about this. I've mostly been doing individual letters, but I've been practicing with my oldest son's name because it's short. I can finally get the letters uniform in height and they don't slant upwards to the right anymore.

Heartwrenching Good-byes

2007-11-08T20:46:00.000-05:00

No art yet. I have some to post, just haven't gotten around to it because I have a project in the making that is taking all my time. And it's crunch time for my oldest son as he graduates in the spring. And since we homeschool, I'm in it just as much as he is. But, that's not what this post is about. I try to keep this blog for my art only, but I witnessed something today that ripped my heart out and I will be doing a drawing to capture what I saw. And so I never forget it. My husband and I and our oldest son went to the airport to pick up my husband's brother who was flying in from Wisconsin. It's guy weekend and a bunch of them are heading for the shore to go tuna fishing. We were early, so we sat down to wait and I love to people watch. I saw them as we were walking through the terminal but I didn't think anything about them at the time except that they were a family traveling. I did get the vibe that they were very sad. I'm very intuitive like that. A few minutes after we sat down they came walking up. A man, his wife and their daughter. The young girl was maybe 12 or 13. As soon as I saw them, I knew. He had close cropped hair and he was stocky. Probably late 20s or early 30s. Strapping young man. I could see his wife was anguished. He kissed her and held her for a long time. They said their I love yous and said good-bye. The little girl was trying really hard to hold back her tears, but when her daddy turned to her and wrapped her in his arms, she broke down completely, sobbing into his chest. It was heart wrenching to watch and I'm tearing up just writing about it. He held her for a long time, telling her he loved her and I couldn't hear what else he was saying to her. But, you could see it was tearing him apart to leave his family behind. He got her calmed down and they said good-bye and he walked into the security area and they turned and walked away down the terminal. I couldn't take my eyes off the little girl. She was wiping her tears with the sleeve of her jacket and her mom was walking with her arm around her. I could see her lean over and talk to her as they walked. I had been especially happy this week as my husband is home and may be taking a job locally which means he will be home more. I know how hard it was on us when he first began traveling for business. But, my husband comes home every weekend. Now I was sad for them because I knew that little girl would be worrying every day about wether her dad would be coming home alive. And it just reinforced my opinion that this war is just plain wrong. Families are being torn apart; fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters being killed for something I (and a lot of other people, too!) don't believe is a just war. It should have never happened. My heart aches for this family and all the other families that I haven't seen that go through this dance every day. I will hope for the end to this war and for them to bring our boys and young women home to their families. Kids should not have to worry about losing their parents. Maybe our president should have to witness a scene like I did today.

What's Yer Pirate Name?

2007-09-21T20:44:00.000-04:00

My pirate name is:

Mad Charity Flint

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

9/11 Tribute

2007-09-11T08:16:00.001-04:00

I did this right after 9/11 happened, thinking of all the kids that were left without a parent or other family member. Every year on this anniversary I want to include 9/11 in our homeschooling, but I can't. I can't watch the documentaries that have been made about it, or the news reports from that day because it hurts too much. All those innocent people who went to work one day and had their lives end there. Where the plane went down in Pennsylvania is not far from my hometown and I've been there several times. A senseless and horrific tragedy. Instead of focussing on the cowardly terrorists who brought this day about, I wanted to focus on the children.

IF Missing

2007-08-15T21:27:00.001-04:00

I may get bored with the EDM weekly challenges, but the Illustration Friday projects really challenge me, because coming up with an idea from one word is, simply put, challenging. As soon as I saw the theme for the week I immediately knew what I was going to do. This drawing could be interpreted in many ways, but I'd love to hear what you all see when you look at it. A big interest of mine is child abuse and stopping it. I was abused as a child, and I took some very drastic measures to insure that it would never happen to my kids. When I lived in PA, the one way I found I could help was to support a Crisis Nursery for children who were at risk of being abused or neglected. If a parent was so stressed out and they needed a break, they could drop their child off, no questions asked, and pick them up later after they had calmed down. I don't know how many lives the Lehman Center saved, but I do know the people working there were caring and supportive people, not only to the children, but to the parents as well. Intervention and anonymous support for stressed out parents and art therapy for the children. Every year they hold an art auction to raise money for the shelter and I would donate a piece of my art. When I drew this picture, I was thinking how a child would feel if they were missing love. Or encouragement. Or the simple things that each one of us needs to survive; food, shelter and clothing. Maybe something as simple as someone looking at them when they are talking so that they know they are being heard. IF you have kids, give them a hug and tell them you love them, every day, no matter what, no matter how old they are. My kids are teenagers and I make sure they hear it every day.

EDM #7 Draw a Jar

2007-08-15T21:19:00.000-04:00

I finally completed another challenge. And these are challenges to me. I always go into it excited, but I quickly become bored. That's what happened here and that's why it looks a little wonky. I did it in my small moleskine with a 2B pencil. Good thing it was sitting on the drawing table for so long, otherwise I would've felt compelled to draw all the condensation on the glass! I think the reason I am bored is because my motivation is back and there are other things I'm working on. So, I probably won't be pushing myself to do the challenges as often, but I'd still like to do them, because after all that's how I got my motivation back in the first place.

New Iris

2007-08-15T21:00:00.001-04:00

Here is my newest iris done completely in pencil. I had to do it in pencil because that's what I'm most comfortable with. This was done on a scrap piece of matboard from sketches I had done in the spring. I used photos for some of the details. 4 x 4.5 inches, 2B pencil.

2007-07-25T21:58:00.001-04:00

You Are 94% Creative

You are an incredibly creative person. For you, there are no bounds or limits to your creativity.
Your next creation could be something very great... Or at least very cool!

How Creative Are You?

7 of 7

2007-07-07T16:18:00.002-04:00

In keeping with the Mustang theme, I've also done the gas cap to one. I used to collect these when I was young and dumb. It was the closest I could get. Pretty pathetic, but, back then we were poor and you took what you could get. 2B pencil in my small moleskine.

Six of 7

2007-07-07T15:56:00.003-04:00

Most of you don't know this about me, but when I was a teenager growing up in the seventies, I wanted a Mustang. Not just any Mustang, either. My dad told me he would buy me a car for my 16th birthday, but it would not be a Mustang. He would buy me a Volkswagon Bug. !!! No way! Young and stupid you are, Yoda would say. If I had been smart, I would've taken my dad up on his offer, and then after a year, sold the Bug and bought my Rat, but this is what growing up is all about, right? I grew up surrounded by cousins who were mostly male, and I was quite the tomboy. I could play basketball and beat any of them one on one. I was the only girl they allowed to play baseball with them. And of the many names I was called, Camhead was one of them. My dad knew me too well. He wanted me to have something that I couldn't wrap around a phone pole. Needless to say, I never did get my Mustang. Until now. My husband is doing well in his business and he's decided that I should have my Mustang. So, I am on the look-out, but I have very specific specs. My dream car is a 1967 Mustang with a 351 Cleveland engine and that's just the beginning. Too many extras to list here. Dark blue paint. To be christened the Mad Rat II in honor of a guy in my hometown who had the baddest Mustang around. And no, my kids won't be allowed to drive it, because I know what I was like. Now that I'm older, I realize just how smart my dad was. Can you read the plate? 2B pencil in small moleskine.

Greed, Lies & Corruption

2007-06-26T14:01:00.000-04:00

I am not given to doing politically charged artwork or even controversial subjects, but the other day while driving I got this idea. I don't think it needs any elaboration. I'm not trying to get any discussion going on the subject either. It's just my opinion.

Day 4 of 7

2007-06-23T12:23:00.001-04:00

Last night my husband and I drove to Cary to check out a table tennis group that meets there. My husband works all the time and is looking for something to get him out and meet people and get a little exercise. He used to play in college and really enjoyed it. So, off we went and I took my sketchbook along. It is really difficult to draw people in motion, but even more so when people are playing ping pong. I did notice that all my faces, though of men, were coming out quite feminine looking. I would get the faces mostly done and then they would change partners. I just kept at it trying to get the limbs to look natural, but they were moving too fast for me to draw accurately. Then, I got bored and drew my foot and a window and then drew some people in the bleachers across from me. They were a bit easier because they weren't moving so fast. All in all I think it was great exercise and I will continue to sketch moving figures because I learned a lot about the body and how it moves. I am now one quarter of the way through my moleskine. 2B pencil in small moleskine.

Diggin' Up Up Holes, Dig it!

2007-06-22T13:16:00.000-04:00

When my kids were younger, they really enjoyed the movie Holes, and the book of the same name. Every once in a while they will still listen to the music, too. This was done while my oldest son, Ian, was doing some yard work for me. The shovel across his shoulders reminded me of the movie and I said something to him about it. He grinned and suggested I sketch him. So, I did! I am not completely happy with it for a few reasons. Number one was I was working so small, and usually when doing figures, I work a lot larger. I didn't realize just how hard it is to work so small on the human figure. Secondly, I think his head is too small. It was around noon, so I have good shadows on the shoulders and arms, but not on the rest of the body. It was hot out when I tried to do this, so that figured in with my discomfiture. I feel like I didn't have enough time to really work on the shadows, so I outlined them which I don't normally do, then when I actually tried to shade them, the lines worked against me. The figure itself is too big for the page. I have had this idea for a drawing for a long time now. I may use this sketch as a guide and do that drawing now. I would like to use a large piece of paper, place the figure in the upper left corner with the outstretched arm running along the top of the paper so that there is negative space to the right and underneath the figure. There would be no background except for the cast shadow under his feet. I will need to wait for the sun to be in a different position, tho, so the shadows on his body will be better defined. I think I like studio work for the figure better because you have more control over your light source. I am happy with my progress on the hands, tho. Me and hands (and feet!) have a love/hate relationship. But, even though these hands still need work to look natural and relaxed, they are probably the best hands I have ever done. 2B pencil in small moleskine.

Day 2 of 7

2007-06-21T11:14:00.000-04:00

Ok, this is day 2 and I've succeeded in actually following through. This is my front porch, drawn from my favorite chair at the end of it. This took longer than I thought it would. All those lines and I screwed up the perspective in places, but it's ok. It's just a sketch after all. I didn't put in the plant stand at the the far end with all the plants on it, because after fussing with the porch lines, I just wanted to get it done! lol! You can't see our neighbor's house in the summer time, it's wonderful. So many trees and shrubs. Feels like we're the only ones here during the day when everyone else has gone off to work. And I have at least 6 windchimes hanging on the porch. All have a different tone and the one is a huge bamboo chime that I really love to hear when the wind blows. If I ever get my studio built I will call it Windchime Studio. Hope you like this. 4 x 6 inches. Pencil in my small moleskine. 3 hours.

7 & 7 ?

2007-06-20T10:55:00.001-04:00

I was inspired by Anita Davies to do a 7 day mini challenge. I think I need it. I did not participate in the EDiM challenge because I do know my limitations and I knew that 31 days would be too much of a challenge with my full schedule. But, I thought 7 days might be workable. It's summer, and even though we will be doing schoolwork straight through, there is no pressure to have anything done on time. So, in an effort to improve my time management, I have decided to do seven sketches in seven days. So, here is my first, done last night. It is my youngest son playing a favorite video game. Video games are a thorn in my side. It was my husband years ago who bought the first game system for the kids against my better wishes. If I did not nag, encourage and push, my kids would do nothing but watch tv, play video games, and chat with friends on the Freelancer forums all day. So, we have a simple kitchen timer in our house that we live by. They get 1 hour of video game play per day, and only after all schoolwork and chores are done. They also have a half hour time limit when they are on the computer, and they cannot go straight from the computer to the tv. The hope being they will get interested in something else instead of being stimulated by technology all the time. So, this was also a timed sketch for me as Dave only had about 15 minutes left on his timer when I started to sketch him. I'm happy with how it turned out. It does look like him, and if the hands hadn't been in the crease, they would have looked pretty good, too. 2B pencil in moleskine.

Black & White Savannah Iris

2007-06-20T10:49:00.001-04:00

This is another in my iris series. It's not how I envisioned it, but it's been about 20 years since I did any pen work. Tell me what you think about the black and white balance, cross-hatching, and how do you know how much pen to use and how much is too much? 4 X 4 inches, Micron pen on Bristol board.

MANY THANKS!

2007-06-10T19:09:00.000-04:00

I'd like to thank everyone who voted for me in the Best of Artists contest. The voting was closed on the last day of May. I did not win, but I am not sad because of all the wonderful comments from people regarding my work. Congratulations to Mike of EDM fame who won first place! Many wishes for success to Mike and his career.

Thank you also to everyone who visits here each week leaving kind words and encouraging messages. You are very much appreciated.

Iris Bloom

2007-06-10T18:44:00.001-04:00

This is a Savannah Iris from my garden. This is the bud that I had sketched so long ago. I took someone's suggestion of using matboard to do colored pencils on and I did like it. I loved the way to pencils took to the matboard, very smooth and mixing on it was easy. The only problem I had was, and I thought I had a piece that was pretty smooth, there were horizontal ridges running through the matboard. And in some places the colored pencil really built up on a ridge and then it was really difficult to smooth it out. You can see where that happened in the drawing. The little swatches of color were my attempt to find the perfect color for the very center of the iris. I worked from both sketches and photos that I had taken. Sketches for the overall drawing and photos for the color. I loved that luminous color of red and was having trouble finding the right colors to capture it. Turned out all I had to do was put hot pink under pale and red vermillion and crimson lake and there it was. I also applied the old standby of using complimentary colors for my darks and shadows. I'm very happy with how this turned out and will continue to experiment with papers and media. This piece is a housewarming gift for friends of ours that just bought their first house. Savannah Iris, 4 X 4 inches Prismacolor and Verithin pencils on matboard.

The drawing on the right side is the updated one after my friend J from art school critiqued it for me. She is so wonderful with color and really understands it. She worked hard at learning so I am very grateful for her thoughts and advice on this piece. Below is her critique if you'd like to read what she wrote to me.

I'm pretty impressed with the Savannah Iris! I think that your choice of colors was right on. The detail that you always achieve is remarkable. These are my suggestions:
When I squint, the values or tones are pretty similar. Shadowed areas don't recede like they could. This would really POP the highlights more. Get more of that background depth and color into the foreground shadows. Not everywhere mind you, but just a bit more. Here and there. I like that you are using the tertiary group green, orangeyyellow and violet. One of the more interesting groups and easiest to work with! One other thing, get more interest into your background. I like the colors that you used to create the overall background color, but suggest a little more rawness in the process. Let me see a little more of the individaul colors used. Think of an unfocused photogragh background. Suggestive imagery; shadowy, blurry . You've done it with some of your other pencil drawings. Photographers call it bokeh.
Fear not! I'm glad that you are working with no expectations of great masterpieces. You'll learn and grow soooo much more. It always took the burden off my shoulders. I think working as a designer for so many years got me used to doing things over and over and over again. I was given ALOT of criticism and I learned a great deal from it all.

What's in YOUR wallet?

2007-05-21T09:32:00.001-04:00

I started this drawing more than a month ago, and I just couldn't bering myself to finish it. I wanted a finished drawing because at the time, others were posting finished work and I felt compelled to do the same, but what happened was I found myself bored with the subject. And because of my personal rule about finishing what I've started before going on to something else, I inadvertently paralyzed myself. I couldn't finish this one, therefore I couldn't move on. So, I decided to just not finish it and a huge burden lifted from my shoulders. Now I am free to draw what I really want to, my iris'! This isn't a very good scan. In order to make the file small enough to be manageable, I lost some detail. The original really does look pretty good.

I'm it!

2007-05-14T11:12:00.000-04:00

I've been tagged by Anita http://artbyanita.blogspot.com/2007/05/tagyoure-it.html of Art by Anita fame. I'm supposed to list 7 things about myself that no one knows about me. Hmmmm, this was hard for me to do, but I think I've succeeded. So following is a list of things about myself, followed by the 7 other blogs that I've tagged. :-) This is too much fun! Thanks, Anita, for tagging me and allowing me to play.

1. I have a habit of twisting my hair. I hate it, but it is a compulsion that I cannot stop. My mom did it, and my brother, too, so it must be genetic. My dad told me the story that when I was a baby, before I had hair, I would lay in the bassinette and twirl my finger next to my head like people do when they motion that someone is crazy. My oldest son does not do it, but my youngest does. We fortunately do not do this in public, only at home where everyone loves us and accepts us with all our eccentricities.

2. I have a small scar above my left eye in my eyebrow where my cousin hit me with a rock when we were young and dumb. We were bored one day at the bold age of 8 and decided a rock battle would be a good idea. I needed 3 stitches to close the skin.

3. When my then boyfriend and I decided to get married 21 years ago this August, the priest from our Catholic church refused to come to my parent's house to marry us, even though I had gone there all my life, been baptized and took first communion and been confirmed there also. (Since then I have refused to go to their house to worship ) My dream had always been an outside wedding in the garden. My dad, always prepared, had a back-up plan and invited a very good friend of his to perform the ceremony. The friend was a wonderful man that looked as old as the earth he walked upon. He was a Baptist minister and ours was only the second wedding he had ever presided over. He was very nervous and ended up marrying me to Bil twice, but never married Bil to me! So, it's a running joke within our families that we are living in sin. And since we are not considered married in the eyes of the Catholic church anyway, it's an even bigger hoot. But, both PA and NC are common-law states, so he's stuck with me. *smile*

4. I love snakes. I think all reptiles are beautiful. I've passed this love of reptiles on to my sons who now volunteer at a local science center and are educating children on the benefits of reptiles in the environment and teaching them not fear, but to respect snakes. We are also a cat loving family!

5. When I was in elementary school I took ballet. Quitting is one of the few regrets I have of my life. I resigned the year I was supposed to get my pointe shoes. I also took classical piano lessons for 10 years as a child and recently I bought a piano and am now getting familiar with it all over again.

6. My maternal great grandmother was a full blood Black Foot Indian. There was also Indian blood on my father's side of the family, but when my brother was trying to get information from relatives to trace our genealogy, the old timers were too embarrassed and would not talk about the subject. Clammed up tight. We kids thought it was the coolest thing to have Indian blood. My 3 cousins, who I spend a large amount of time with, were of Italian decent on their father's side, but they told everyone they were Indian and they looked the part with their dark skin and long black hair. My other decendants were primarily Irish and Scottish, so I always have an internal struggle going on about my background even though I refer to myself as an American, not a hypennated one. Our family has been here much too long for that. My first relative immigrated to the US in 1781. They were a farming family.

7. I am a huge procrastinator which is why there hasn't been any new art posted to my blog lately. lol!

Here are the blogs that I've tagged:

Parson's Daughter Studio
Painted Daisies
Fire Star Arts
Painted Cats
Omphaloskepsis
Dibujosybocetos
A Creative Journey

If anyone's been tagged before this, let me know and I'll make adjustments.

VOTE FOR MY ART!

2007-04-24T08:28:00.000-04:00

Three of my pieces were accepted into an online exhibition at www.bestofartists.com. This is fun and exciting. I actually entered one of their shows a couple of years ago (2005) and made it into a book that they publish. If I can win the first place People's Choice Award, that would really make it exciting! People that visit the web site of Kennedy Promotions can vote for their favorite artist. Whoever has the most votes wins the grand prize of having their artwork published in a 32 page full color book. The ongoing books that they publish are the Best of Artist book for each state. So, supporting the web site because Rene Kennedy supports artists is a good idea in and of itself. She is working to get artists the exposure they need. You can see my work at this link. I am the sixth entry from the top. You can vote there, too. Once a day, every day until voting ends at the end of May. A friend put the link to the voting on her desktop so she can vote and won't forget. You can only vote once a day because they track the IP addresses for the computers. Thank you to those who vote for me because your support is very much appreciated!

Sad day

2007-04-16T20:12:00.000-04:00

Today is a very sad day and I was going to draw tonight but can't find it in my heart to do so. When my husband told me about the shootings on the VA Tech campus this morning, my heart went cold. And then I got mad. I'm so sick of the miserable people who populate this world that think they are justified in killing innocent people and making other families miserable, too. I believe that life is the most precious thing we have and it sickens me that there are others who do not share this belief. I am not religious in the way that some people go to church and pray or practice any number of religions. I was born Catholic, but I do not practice the faith. I am spiritual, but my church is the mountains and streams and remote areas where the animals are free to hunt and wander without human intervention. I am most comfortable in that setting. I would never take another's life because I was in so much pain or filled with so much rage. And I have been both. Other people have set out to hurt me maliciously, and even though I have been angry, I have never once thought of killing them. Revenge yes, but not murder. I have also been the target for people who are so miserable that they are not happy unless everyone around them is miserable, too. I have no tolerance for these people. They are not victims, they are just people who refuse to take the steps to change their miserable lives into something better. There has to be a special hell for people like this to spend eternity in. I feel so sad for the families of the students killed, they will have so many questions and a long road ahead of them with no closure. I homeschool my kids. In the beginning I did it because of the lack of academic quality in the public schools where we lived. Then I did it because I just love spending time with my kids. I never chose to do it out of fear, but I felt grateful for the opportunity to homeschool and keep my children safe every time I heard about a shooting at a school. I felt thankful that my kids weren't harmed. Now, my children are nearing college age and I have something new to fear. What would those innocent young adults have contributed to society had they lived? We will never know because some selfish, self-centered, miserable excuse for a human being ended their lives needlessly. Some things should not be forgiven. Some of these familes will forgive this guy so that they can move on with their lives. I will not begrudge them that. They have to do what they need to to get through this traumatic time in their lives. But, that's not in my personality. I will spit on his grave and hope hell is too hot for his sorry ass. I don't care what prompted this, what his reasons were, because there is no excuse for what he did. There will be experts trying to justify what he did in this politically correct climate, but I say he was wrong, plain and simple. And then there will be the gun control advocates screaming for more laws. Well, when they start enforcing the ones they have now, we can talk about new ones. The fact remains that if the guy didn't have guns, he would've used something else. A knife, a machete (Red Lion, PA), a bomb. The real issue here is that he WANTED to kill. Keeping guns away from everyone, even responsible owners is not the answer. And the liberal left is going to have to accept that other people live differently from them and that maybe hunting is not for them, but for some people it is a way to put food on the table. The answer is raising up our children to be personally responsible for their actions.

Iris buds

2007-04-15T21:57:00.000-04:00

I haven't been sketching the iris' because they didn't seem to be doing much. Then I came back from vacation to find buds! So, I decided this time I'd sketch them in colored pencil, and I don't know what happened. They haven't turned out the way I saw them in my head. If anyone has any advice for me, please don't hesitate to tell me. I've never considered myself good with color, and this is my first time at trying plants. It's a pretty bad scan, too, but you can get an idea of what I'm talking about. Off to check the blogs of others and comment. Cya.

Vacation Sketches

2007-04-11T10:18:00.000-04:00

Last week we went on a much needed vacation to Topsail Beach, NC. We haven't had a vacation in 10 years, so this was special. We found a house, for all intents and purposes, beach front. There was actually a road between us and the sea wall, but I'm not complaining. The house was beautiful, the price was right. I haven't been everywhere, but of the places I have been, I think NC has the most beautiful beaches. Topsail Island is pretty much a family area, so there were no spring breakers to keep me up at night. I got there, took out my sketch stuff and realized I had left my pastel paper at home. Heavy drears! But, I had my pencils with me, so voila! It's very difficult to sketch with the wind blowing around, so I did the best I could. The first sketch is from the park after you cross the bridge onto the island. A really nice park with pavilions and tables and a playground for the smaller kids. This view is down the intracoastal waterway from near the bridge. The bridge which instead of raising up to let the boats through, pivots to the left. The whole operation takes less than 5 minutes and was pretty cool to watch. The scond sketch is of the clouds the greeted me one morning after we had had a tremendous wind storm the night before. And the last sketch is the view from the deck. I spent most of my time here, in a rocking chair reading. We did go on the beach, but towards the end of the week it got really cold, so I was content with the view and the sound of the waves. We watched the dolphins migrating all week. The first one I saw was so amazing because all the way up the coast he was jumping out of the water and diving. The others never jumped out of the water, but played in the waves and fed on the fish. When were in the water on the 2nd day, there was a dolphin not more than 20 feet away from us. I wanted to go out and swim with it, but the water was so cold I was only in it up to my thighs. Legs are one thing, but we all know that the only way to do it is to just dive in, and I wasn't up for that! All in all it was a wonderful week, but it's also good to be home again.

Springtime in the south

2007-03-29T16:05:00.000-04:00

These are some pics of my yard in the springtime. The people who lived here planted all kinds of flowering shrubs and plants so it's beautiful in the spring. I'm sad, tho, because we are leaving for the beach for a much needed vacation and I'm afraid everything will be done blooming while we are away. I hope my iris' don't do anything until we get back. The first pic is a small tree and you can't tell by the picture, but the grass underneath is carpeted with little purple flowers. I'd like to do this scene in pastel, so that's why I took the pics. My son was cutting the grass yesterday and he left this part of the yard untouched so I could enjoy the violets. He's a great kid! The next 2 pics are of the backyard from our deck. I have big plans for the grove of trees. Shade shrubs and a small private sitting area with ivy and ground flowers. It will be my oasis from the world. The last pic is of a tulip tree. This is a most unusual tree and I'd love to do a pastel of it also. Happy springtime to all!

Another CL sketch

2007-03-29T15:25:00.000-04:00

I had forgotten to draw the table! I was reading more of Danny's book and there it was, staring me in the face and I don't know how I missed it. So, I sat down to sketch one of our end tables. These tables are something to see. When we moved into this house, we were coming from a little starter home that we bought in the mid 1980s. It was only a small cape cod, but it was in a good eighborhood and it served us well. When we moved into it, we were coming from an efficiency apartment in the city and we never dreamed we'd be buying a home. But, at that time the monthly rents and mortgages were running about the same, so we thought why waste our money? Anyway, I raised two teenaged boys in that little house, but we were becoming quite crowded, so we bought this rancher that we live in now. Our old house could fit inside the great room of this house! It's only about 400 more sq. ft., but in our cape we had 3 floors and this is all one floor with a garage where I have the frame shop for now. Anyway, we got a deal on this house. It had been on the market for over a year and the man selling it was going through a divorce. Not that I'm happy about benefitting from someone else's unfortunate circumstances. He was moving into a much smaller place and was going to have to put the furniture in storage and he didn't want to do that. So, he worked out a deal with my husband for us to buy the furniture, too. Which was good, because our furniture from our tiny cape would not have looked right in this huge room. We live near the furniture market area of NC and it is everywhere. I never dreamed of owning furniture like this, at least until after my kids were grown and on their own. Boys are rough on furniture. Anyway, he sold us an entertainment center, custom made dining table and chairs, and this coffee table, end tables and a welcome table. All are solid wood, no particle board. The tables are carved with inlaid, beveled amber glass. They were the most beautiful tables I'd ever seen. So, our furniture is placed exactly like his was in the great room because I lack any creativity when it comes to interior design. This is the leg of one of the tables. It's not done well at all because even though I am sketching, it has not become a habit for me yet. I still have to force myself to complete the assignments. I was sitting on the floor with the top of the table at eye level, and as you can see, my sketch looks like I was above the table instead. Oh, well. I did it, right? That's the goal.

Meryl (Last name removed per request)

2007-03-25T23:47:00.000-04:00

Some more sketches of Meryl Pikett who performed at Moby's Coffee Shop on Friday night. Awesome voice and great songs.

Life According to Danny Gregory

2007-03-25T22:54:00.000-04:00

These past few weeks have been really tough. At the beginning of March I had to go to my hometown where my mother still lives to go with her for cataract surgery. I had told her months ago that I would come up and go with her because she was so anxious about it. Well, without going into all the gory details, let's just say that there is a lot of history between me, my mother and my hometown. I don't go there often, and when I do, no matter how good I have been doing, I always find myself reverting to the hurt, little child that grew up there. Even though the rational part of my brain knows that I am a grown up now and completely in control of my life, the inner child still throws a good tantrum. *sigh* So, when I come back home, where I live now with my wonderful, supportive family, I always go through a period of depression. I am paralyzed and can't bring myself to draw. It's awful. So, anyway, before I left on this trip I had gotten Danny's book and I needed to do some sketches and it wasn't happening. My friend Penny invited me out to the coffee shop on Friday night to hear this girl sing. She said she was wonderful and she thought I would like her. I took my sketchbook and magic happened! This girl has a wonderful voice. She reminded me of Michelle Branch. I did some sketches, talked with her a bit and traded compliments. Her dad was all over my work which is displayed in the coffee shop, but sadly no commissions were requested and no sales. But, I did do the sketches for the book. Yay! Progress. Now back to living and art. Adios!

My First Attempt at Pastels

2007-03-08T22:59:00.000-05:00

My first attempt at something representational in pastel. I don't like it. I can't seem to get that luminosity of the glass. I do like the shadow of the glass, tho. I kept squinting at it trying to see the colors that I thought were in there. It just looks so flat to me. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Challenge 1 & 2 and Iris shoots

2007-03-07T14:24:00.000-05:00

I've been busy this week, trying to get tax stuff together (blah!) and doing a small commission for one of my students. I wasn't getting anything done but thinking about it, so I decided I wouldn't check my mail until I finished a weekly challenge because every time I heard the little ping from my 'puter, I'd amble on over there and I was using it as a distraction. So, I sat down and spent about an hour and a half doing the sketch. I combined challenges 1 & 2 for a very good reason. This lamp is one heavy industrial deal. It doesn't look like much except a regular desk lamp, but when you pick it up, if you're not ready, gravity takes over quick! Anywayz, when I was still working at the printing company, one of the guys and I became fast friends. We had a lot of things in common; odd family members, we both enjoyed biking (he was more of a roadie), and we both loved bananas. The desk lamp was his and before he would peel his banana, he would take the sticker off of it and place it on the lamp. So, that's what all the little ovals and circles are in the sketch. Sometimes we'd have apples instead, but being into biking, bananas were good because of the potassium in them. I got laid off first, and then lost touch with my friend, so I don't know where he is anymore or how he's doing. I hope he's healthy and still riding. The shoes in the sketch under the lamp are my clipless riding shoes. They are a bit banged up. I didn't notice until I was scanning this that I never put the shadow under the second shoe, but I kinda like that unfinished look. I've always wanted to do this lamp as a close up in color pencil so I can show the stickers in all their colorful glory. Maybe this is the beginning of the finished piece, I don't know. But, that's why it's called Ode to Steve. Everytime I look at that lamp, I think of him.

I couldn't draw my iris sprouts last week because of the rain, but I got out there on Monday morning and sketched them. I almost forgot about sketching them, and when I did I was going to blow it off, but I made a promise to myself I would do this, and so I am going to follow through. Draw something every week I'm hoping will grow into draw something every day. I'm learning to manage my time better, so we'll see. And now, I have other things to do, so I'm going! Au Revoir!

Bad Attitude

2007-03-01T11:55:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking a lot that last few days about my attitude. In all honesty, I don't have a very good one. But, trying to be positive all the time seems to stress me out. I think some people are just naturally positive. Maybe there's a gene for that, too, there's one for everything else. A few weeks ago I saw the movie The Secret. It really made me think about my bad attitude. If you haven't seen it or heard about it yet, the premise is the law of attraction. I've heard about this from time to time throughout my life, but not to this depth. Anyway, so I've been trying to be positive so that I can attract positive things and people to me. I have had contact with too many negative people in the last few years, and my family has been affected by them, too. My oldest son has lost his best friend because of negativity. Not ours, but the friend's mother's. So, I thought about what I don't like about my life, and what I would like for my future. The only one that can change my life is me, so, that's what I'm trying to do. I know what I don't want to be. I don't want to be overweight and bitchy, always talking about what I was like 10 years ago; how active and athletic I was. I want to BE that way now. I love mountainbiking, but I haven't been on my bike in over a year. I've been sick, thinking I was getting old physically, and being sad about it because in my mind I still feel pretty young. Come to find out, there's a medical reason for my fatigue, depression and mood swings. And no it isn't menopause yet! Actually it's my thyroid. So, now I'm on a regimen of vitmains, minerals and Armour thyroid. I'm getting better, but now that I know I still have some kick left in me, I'm impatient to be healthy and active again. So, there's something to look up about. So, where's the rest of my bad attitude coming from? It's one of those things that can 't be controlled. I feel like I'm being crowded and that I don't have enough space. I feel like people are always invading my personal space. Noise is the worst culprit. When we moved from PA, we decided to live in the country. We're not as far out as I would like to be, but this is where we are for now. I like my house, just wish we were more rural than we are. I grew up kind of in the country, but lived for years in the city when I was going to school. There's something to be said for city life. You can walk to most places and you're close to shopping and conveniences and work. But, I don't want to live in the city anymore. I'm tired of the loud stereos and especially the awful thumping of the bass lines. I don't know what makes people think I want to listen to their music when I have my own going in my own car. Or my own house. There's a SUV that drives past my house every day, and you can hear him coming for at least a full 40 seconds before you see him. I can't hear my own tv when he goes by. If it's that loud that I can hear it before I see him, what must it be like inside that vehicle? Now, I'm libertarian by nature, so I really don't care what anyone does, that is, until it affects me. And this does affect me. I moved out here for the peace and quiet, and most of the time it is quiet, so I have to live with that. I can't control what other people do. They'll all go deaf and then they'll have to FEEL the bass because they won't be able to hear it. The other reason I want to be way out on the edge of the earth is because I don't think people know how to be good neighbors anymore. I'm tired of parties where the stereo is brought out onto the deck so that the whole neighborhood can hear the music all night long. I wasn't invited, so I don't want to be a part of it from afar. Especially at three in the morning and this has happened to us. I'm very grateful that those people moved away. To get to the point of my bitchfest here, it is hard living in a society when you don't feel a part of it. I'm very comfortable being alone. But, I also realize the benefits of being with people. The best decription I have ever found of myself in print came from Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' The Yearling. It comes in chapter two where she is describing why the father went to live deep in the forest instead of in the village. "He had grown from under the the sternness of his father into a world less direct, less honest, in its harshness, and therefore more disturbing... The peace of the the vast aloff scrub had drawn him with the beneficence of its silence. Something in him was raw and tender. The touch of men was hurtful upon it, but the touch of the pines was healing... The wild animals seemed less predatory to him than people he had known. The forays of bear and wolf and wild-cat and panther on stock were understandable, which was more than he could say of human cruelties." I feel like that. Developers are putting in cookie-cutter housing developments out here full of trophy homes. The city people move out here and then complain about the smell of cow manure, the roosters, the coyotes, etc. I wonder why they come out here? They obviously don't see it the same way I do. I love the coyotes! I think if you don't want your little dog eaten by one, then you should keep it on a leash. But, anyway, that's how I'm feeling these days. We had decided to stay here for at least 10 years, and then maybe look for something in the mountains, with more land to seclude myself. Ok, now since I complained enought this morning, I need to go have some lunch and work on a drawing. On a positive note.... Have a wonderful day!

sketch crazy

2007-03-01T11:34:00.000-05:00

These are just some sketches I've done in the last few days. I find myself wanting to draw now and leaving other things to go to pot. I realize I'm a bit obsessive. When something new comes along, I throw myself into it fully, and that's what this feels like again. Something new. Excitement has been a long time in coming. The first one of Toby (again) is just a quick sketch. He is by far my best model. I turned from the computer the other day and there he was! All stretched out in the sun coming through the deck doors. My moleskine was right next to the computer so I grabbed it and quickly drew him before he moved. The next one started from a doodle. It's been a long time since I doodled or drew anything out of my head. I felt so pressured to draw realistically that I was constantly using reference material. I have a huge box of photos of all sorts of things; clouds, trees, mountains. I even keep photos that didn't turn out because they might come in handy. Anyway, we were at our homeschool co-op and I was talking to someone and just started doodling without even thinking about it. Once our conversation was finished, I looked down and just SAW the picture. So, I began shaping it and this is what I ended up with. I might go back and finish it, I don't know. This was so spontaneous, I'd hate to ruin that feeling by planning. I did the last sketch at co-op also. One of our members got her church to let us have have our classes there. This is the view from the table where we sit waiting for the kids. I wasn't in a very good mood that day so I'm really surprised I was able to draw at all. But, sketching kept me from making everyone else miserable by talking. At least something positive came out of the day. Hope you all have a very positive day, too!

The Great Mouser at Rest

2007-02-25T22:15:00.000-05:00

These are some quick sketches of our cat Toby. He came to us one day 2 years ago with his mother and two siblings. Someone had dumped the mother out here in the country, possibly because she was pregnant. She showed up at our door "one dark, stormy night" meowing for food. I fed her, and off she went. I told the boys she probably had kittens, and sure enough, the next day she returned with her young. For the next couple weeks as we tried to find homes for them, it was quite chaotic with feral kittens running around the yard. The mother, whom my youngest son named Tammy, may have been domesticated, but the kittens were feral and very fearful of us. Before we went anywhere we had to check under the hood of the cars because the kittens would crawl up in the engine compartment. We would lift the hood and 3 kittens went in 3 different directions so fast it made us jump! We eventually found a home for the mama, but in the meantime 2 of the kittens disappeared. We didn't know what happened, coyotes, hawks.... so all that was left was the last little male. I fed him and sat on the porch and talked to him until he gained enough courage to walk by me, eat and then stay and play a little. My youngest son finally pleaded with his dad to let us keep him. And here he is. He is our mouser. He tore up the house last night while we were sleeping chasing a mouse and he caught it because he showed us very proudly while I was fixing breakfast. So this is the great mouser at rest after a long night of working.

Where I Get My News #107

2007-02-25T17:24:00.000-05:00

The question was where do you get your news? Truthfully, I try not to watch, listen or read the news because I just get upset. And there's nothing I can do, so I try to limit my exposure. The news I do get is from the Times-News out of Burlington, NC. The newspaper is owned by Freedom Communications which is owned by a libertarian family. In this day of such extremes (left & right) it is hard to find a good balance and I feel the libertarian sources provide that balance. It still can't stop the murders and horrible things that happen to people, so that's why I limit myself. I know there are bad things and people in the world and that's enough for me. This wasn't really an interesting scene, so I just did a line drawing for this one. My head really wasn't in it. This is my corner of the world; the corner of the kitchen counter where my mac lives. I can see the livingroom and dining room (where my husband usually is with his laptop working), so I can see what the kids are doing on the family pc.

It was ugly here today because of the rain and grayness. So, I didn't get to sketch my bearded iris shoots. Maybe tomorrow. It's been beautiful and apparently we need the rain rather badly because I overheard some of the tv news my husband was watching last night and there were reports of wildfires across the state due to the dryness. And some of the bad news I don't like to hear: a bunch of people lost there homes (an apartment building) when some people smoking outside tossed a lit cigarette on the ground and it ignited. Sad. Hope your weekend was a good one and that your coming week is full of light and warmth and art!

Something Sour #106

2007-02-21T22:27:00.000-05:00

I have to thank my husband for the idea for this drawing. I was going to do these candies that my kids love, Warheads, they're called. But, then my husband suggested drawing our son's face after he tasted something sour. Now, my youngest son is notorious for making faces. In almost every picture that he's ever been in, at the last moment, he pulls a face. We have group soccer pics with him in the back row with his tongue sticking out and his face all screwed up. We've had to warn him before picture taking time, and stand there and glare at him to make him behave. So, it was just natural to ask Dave to pose for me. He's the ultimate poser. I wanted to do this drawing from life, but Dave couldn't hold his face like this for long, so I snapped a pic of him. I did the drawing sitting in front of the computer and just sketching quickly so I wouldn't be tempted by the details again. I put in more than I wanted to, but I was afraid if I didn't shade it, it would look too flat. I'm happy with it! What do y'all think?

Autumn House print on Ebay

2007-02-19T17:32:00.000-05:00

I've decided to sell some of my prints on Ebay as some other friends have chosen to do. This is the first piece I've posted. If you'd like to see it, you can find it here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250086381220 or go directly to my website: www.sheriekgriffith.com.

2007-02-18T19:07:00.000-05:00

These are my iris' busting up through the ground and it's only February! I just love the south! I'm a transplant from the north, but I've always felt my heart belonged to the south. When I was a kid, my family would travel down here to visit my brother who is 16 years older than I. I would always go back with a southern accent after only 2 weeks of hanging out with my nieces. Now I'm actually here and I am just tickled with how things are turning out. It was a bit chilly today. Very warm on the deck which is southern facing, but when I got down into the yard, it was much colder. So, this was done quickly. It was very windy today, but it seemed so much like spring with all the birds singing and chirping, and the woodpecker squawking for more peanuts. This is only one clump of shoots. They are in a raised bed and there are a whole bunch. I can't wait to see the blooms. A friend gave all these to me after they had bloomed in her garden. I planted them, but then we moved before spring that year and I wasn't able to get them until we went back to ready the house for sale. I planted them last year, so this will be ther first time I see their wonderful falls and colors. I'm going to try a sketch them every week until they bloom and then I want to paint them in pastel.

EDM #105 Scissors

2007-02-17T15:05:00.000-05:00

I started this on the 15th and finished it last night. I was way out of my comfort zone and it shows. But, my goal was to stay away from too much detail and I think I reached it. Usually when I draw, I take out my contacts (because my eyes are very, very bad) and my nose is 2 cm from the paper. Ok, I exaggerate (but not much, tho). I also sat away from the composition so I would only do a simple line drawing. I wasn't even going to shade, but sometimes I can't help myself. I originally had the tablecloth sketched in there, but erased it because I was afraid I would get caught up in the detail and it would then never get finished! It's a beautiful autumn patterned one. Maybe I should draw the tablecloth? Not! Anywayz, I was ok for about the first half hour and then I lost my focus. I got up and straigtened up the kitchen, threw in a load of laundry, played my piano, and kept going back to it, but couldn't get my concentration back. So, I walked away from it. Yesterday morning we went to a friend's house. She teaches my oldest Japanese and I teach her daughter art. The exercise for the day was to draw something from the kitchen so we chose a wisk. I had forgotten how hard it is to draw a wisk! But, I was able to show her how to measure her distance from one wire to the next and how to use the negative space also. I drew with her and from that moment on I couldn't wait to get home and finish the scissors. We came home, I cooked dinner (nothing special) and then we did a few chores and I sat down and had this drawing done in under half an hour! I do think that going back to the basics is a the key for me. So, now I have a frame job to finish and then I'm going to sit down with my pastels and books and play instead of trying to produce a finished piece. The music I used to draw this by was Brett Rosenberg's Half Light soundtrack, The Secret Garden soundtrack (I've used this one for many years), Once In a Red Moon by the band Secret Garden, and the Cowboy Junkies Platinum & Gold Collection.

The Last Drawing

2007-02-15T17:44:00.000-05:00

This was the last finished drawing I did and that was over a year ago. The only reason it got finished at all was because I had been invited to show my work with 5 other artists at the local artist's league. Otherwise it probably would have sat on my drawing table for another year. I should mention that this was done with pencil and Prismacolor pencils.

Fear

2007-02-15T14:47:00.000-05:00

Ok, I've been thinking about fear a lot since I joined the EDM group. Trying to figure out what I am so afraid of. And to tell the truth, I'm not really sure I want to say it out loud. My style is photorealism, something that I just happened to fall into. The art that I like when I'm looking to buy is impressionistic. But, I fell into the photorealism because it comes easy to me. I'm detail oriented. But, what tends to happen is I get lost in the detail. I always begin thinking that this time I'll loosen up. Maybe I won't fill in the whole sketch, maybe I'll leave this corner clean, undrawn. But, good intentions, I always end up drawing every little fiber of rope, every little hair on the face, every grain in the wood door. *sigh* So, what I'm afraid of is creating something so completley different from what I do now? No. Because when I sat down to do the pastel last night, that's not what happened. I was critical because it didn't look realistic enough! Catch 22. Why do I want to loosen up if photorealism comes to me so easily? Because of the comments I've heard. And believe me when I say I don't really care what people say about me. I know I'm a good person and all that psychobabble, but to some extent there is a point to the comment, why not just take a photograph? I've thought about it myself. I feel like if I didn't have that point of the pencil to work with, I would loosen up. I want to do rough pastels that turn out looking like a Monet. I like my colored pencils because even though I do the same photorealism, they come out looking entirely different than my black & whites. Sometimes even a little more stylized. But, this is the plan for today... take my son to his driver's ed class (yeah, I know! YIKES! and this is the youngest one, too! Not feeling old yet, tho) then come back here and spend a good hour working on the scissors drawing. And if there is time, I'm going outside and sketch my raised bed where my iris' are coming up. I want to sketch them every week as they progress to the final flowering. Then maybe I'll do a series, never did one of those before. Changing is hard, but exciting, too. I'm wondering now if the excitement will conquer the fear enough so that I can create without anxiety. We'll see what the outcome is tomorrow. Abayo

2007-02-15T11:44:00.000-05:00

Took this picture early one morning after dropping my son off at the community college for his class. The drive is such a pretty one and this morning I wasn't so tired that I forgot my camera.

Happy Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T21:02:00.000-05:00

Hope yours was exceptional because mine was. I usually don't get all teary eyed over holidays, but this year my husband was on the west coast and I hadn't seen him for a week and a half. I sent him a box of chocolate bars from all over the world. I'm sure he'll love it. I got a package from him today in a very humorous box. It was one of those bears from Vermont, complete with smelly stuff and chocolate. Oh, yeah, it was a good day!

I actually started this blog as a way to post my art studies for my Every Day Matters group. So, a lot of things on here will be ramblings with no set destination. And as I'm now done for today, cao!