Anniversary

Artquiltmaker Has her Creative Prompt Project up and running again.  One of her prompts for this year is 'Anniversary'.  This one rang a bell with me because in August The Big Guy and I will celebrate our twentieth!  Quite an accomplishment for us and indeed for many in this day and age of easy divorce and failure of commitment.

So, in keeping with my Zentangle drawing theme to which I am currently addicted, I submit this drawing.

An interesting thing happened when I photographed the first iteration of the drawing, photographed it, and looked at it on screen.  I could tell it needed work!

Can you see the difference?

One thing that I often forget but that is important in critically viewing my work is to look at it in another format - in this case a photo onscreen.  Years ago, when I was in art school and before Al Gore invented the internet (just a little joke - LOL)  I was taught to stand up and step away from my work and look at it.  Then to turn it upside down and look at it.  An lastly, to hold it in front of a mirror and look at it.  These are all good ways to check for design flaws, contrast or lack thereof, and generally whether I needed to do more or to take away something in my drawing.

Give it a try.  It is a simple thing which can only improve your work.

Speaking of art, the grandchild gave me his art portfolio.  It contains his work from second through eighth grade.  I was thrilled.  Look for a future post with photos of all his work.

I have to go now and slap the Big Guy silly as he is whistling Christmas Carols aaarrrgggghhhh!!!!

Visiting Galleries

I'M MELTINGGGGGG!!!  And I'm not even a witch (good or bad)! First day of summer came in like a blast furnace.  And to think I wanted it to stop raining! What was I thinking? 101 degrees today in lovely Lathrop.

But that isn't what I want to blog about, just a little complaint while I drip on my computer.

As I mentioned in my last blog a couple of days ago, I went to the Madrone gallery on Saturday to see the 2011 Sketchbook tour.  For inspiration, there is nothing like looking at actual pieces of art.  Very different from seeing the same pieces in a book or online.  No matter how well the copy is, it is never the same as the original.

I remember visiting the Smithsonian when the grandson was a tiny, portable child.  one of the exhibits I saw as Mary Cassatt's work.  Her early work realistic portraits.  One of the paintings, done before her Impressionist style developed was of two women.  It was quite detailed and when  I got close to it I could see that all of her amazing DETAIL was done with a two inch brush! I had seen that painting in books and on slides before but had never been able to see the actual brushstrokes until I saw it in person.

So, as soon as you can, go look at paintings.

The Red Sketchbook (last entry on this subject - I promise!)

Yesterday I went to San Francisco to the Madrone Gallery to see the 2011 Sketchbook Tour.  I checked out several, including my own and artquiltmakers .  It was so great to have my sketchbook in my hands!

I remember from an art history class I took in college a story about the modern artist, Clyfford Still.  He disliked having his art on display and out of his control.  He would paint over works that had been viewed because he said he felt as tho the work had been 'raped'.

I now understand the part about disliking one's art being out of one's direct control.  I really miss my sketchbook.  Wanted to add to it and subtract from it when I had it again in my hands but of course I couldn't!

Other than that, it was a good feeling to know my work is in a gallery.  The show was very well attended and there was a line of people waiting to get in.  Once inside getting a 'library' card and checking out the books went very smoothly.

I tried to find a link so you could go directly to the digitized images of my sketchbook.  However the Library is still building the website so in order to find my work one has to just slog through it.  I looked through the first 14 pages and gave up.  Maybe in a few weeks they will have finished with the website and it will be easier to navigate.  In the meantime.  It is fun to look at other sketchbooks. Go to this link www.arthousecoop.com/users? to see the sketchbooks.

I wish I were able to do the project again this year even though I agonized over the project last year.