I have 2 more titles and lots more photos to work from. Stay tuned. . .!
Rough & Tumble, Pencil Drawing of Water
Life Source, Pencil Drawing of Water
“Life Source” is the title of this pencil drawing of water. It is the base of the waterfall at Hospital Rock in Sequoia National Park.
A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from a friend that read, “Highest priority today should be looking at clouds. Any chance for a ride?”
I responded, “Forget clouds – let’s go find roaring water!”
So we went to Hospital Rock and took some photos and relished the sound, the fury, the constancy, the changing light, the power, and even the snow flurries that came down as we made our way back to the car.
Here is how the waterfall looked that afternoon. I also found plenty of inspiration for other water drawings.
Water in Mineral King
What water in Mineral King? Isn’t it all snow right now?
I’m glad you asked (all interviewees either say that or “Good question” in response to most questions).
This is a pencil drawing of water in Mineral King, on Franklin Creek. I discovered a great name for it in my own imagination, without resorting to a contest. Here it is before my middle-aged-mush-brain erases it.
The part about this drawing that thrills me the most is that I was able to recognize it as Franklin Creek from the photo. (Trail Guy was also able to recognize it, and I confirmed it by going through my 24,000 photos on the computer and finding it in context.)
I drew another pencil piece of Spring Creek, also in Mineral King. It was the one that began this water project, and it took about 2 years to complete. The name is “Hard Water”, because I found it to be difficult. And because my friend and drawing student Rosemary was so taken with this drawing, I continued with water pictures.
(The price is because Rosemary and I got a little silly one day and decided this was a good compromise for the 99er and the 95er schools of pricing.)
Artists’ Words
Once of the most dreaded tasks of an artist is having to write a biography. However, this is a piece of cake compared to an “Artist’s Statement”. I have no idea what this actually is, in spite of having read about them numerous times and having tried to wade through such things as written by other artists.
Look at the type of Artspeak that fills up Artists’ Statements.
I’m constructing a framework which functions as a kind of syntactical grid of shifting equivalences.
Or try to digest this one:
Imagine the possibility that painting might take root and find a place to press forward into fertile new terrain.
In reading a blog by artist Lori Woodward recently, I came across this sentence with which I agree completely. I have had this thought this many times:
Representational works need no explanation – they either resonate with the viewer’s life experience, or they don’t.
Here is a piece of art that I hope just speaks for itself:
And here is the link to Lori’s post: Lori Woodward
Distracted
I went back to work in the painting workshop. The main distraction disappeared out the door, so I was able to concentrate for brief periods of time.
There is a sense of urgency to get some things finished so I can get to Exeter and repair the faded mural.
All of these can be considered finished, except for drying and getting varnished.
But, when the sun comes out, I forget what I am supposed to be doing. Everything else is more interesting than oil painting or the business of art.
Weird Connection
In 1994 I was commissioned by a woman to do 2 pencil collage drawings as gifts for her sons. Their last name was Dalton, and the young men had started a company to sell a special recipe of BBQ sauce, capitalizing on their ancestors, the notorious Dalton Gang. The gang robbed a bank in Coffeyville, Kansas and died in the raid, along with 4 innocent citizens. This incident in history is a huge part of the identity of Coffeyville, 125 years later. (It happened in 1892 – did I do the math right?)
In the past handful of years, I have become friends with a woman who lives in Coffeyville. (Yea, internet!) She is a writer and blogger named Cheryl Barker and this is the link to her site. When I learned where she lives, I told her about the drawings and she was very surprised that I had heard of Coffeyville at all. (She had never heard of Three Rivers, duh.)
I told her if I ever found pictures of those drawings, I’d send them to her.
Last week I was procrastinating (quite productively, thank you for your concern), and decided to have another look.
Wow, in the last century I kept appallingly horrible visual records of my work. Here are the two pencil drawings, after scanning the horrid photos and working a bit of photoshop magic on them.
P.S. I googled Dalton Wild Times Enterprises and found nothing.
Rock and Roll, Water in Pencil Drawing
I first drew water for the Irrigation category of the Madera Ag Art show, back in the late 1990s. It was called “The Source” and was raging white water. It won first place, sold, and I didn’t save a copy.
My Dad suggested drawing Lake Kaweah and naming it “Storage” and then drawing the spillway and naming it “Release”. We had plans to visit a few dams for photography, inspiration, and just plan curiosity, but then he got a brain tumor and died in 2000 at age 67. Today would have been his 85th birthday.
I went ahead with “Storage” and “Release”. Both placed in Madera; “Storage” sold and I still have “Release”.
This year I began an absorbing project of drawing flowing water in pencil. It might be related to a sense of utter relief and gratitude for the end of the drought. (Or it could simply be the encouragement of a very dear drawing student named Rosemary.)
Last week I got stuck on a name for this picture, because the real name of the location on the Middle Fork of the Kaweah is truly dreadful.
A friend posted my naming contest to Facebook and then proceeded to email dozens of suggestions. If I’d have any foreknowledge that she would do this and that the response would be so overwhelming, I would have added the caveat that in order to participate, one must subscribe to my blog. Or at the very least, VISIT the blog and use the comment section!!
Sigh. (I’m sighing over my lack of foresight on contest details, not my friend’s reposting to Facebook.)
Anyway, the contest reminded me of a name I had thought of earlier and then forgotten for some stupid middle-aged mush-brain reason.
The winner is “Rock and Roll”!
Another suggestion sparked an idea, and then I got 2 additional name ideas on my own. So, the water drawings will continue, and some will lose their boring names (Franklin Creek, Base of Hospital Rock) and get new names. I’ll post them one at a time just in case any of the Facebook people show up. I don’t want to scare them away because of a too-long-didn’t-read type of blog post.
Don’t Feel Like Talking
Today is 17 years since my Dad died. I don’t feel like talking. You can look at Samson biting his way out of a paper bag, and then we’ll take a walk in Three Rivers. Maybe later I can draw some water from one of these rushing river photos.
Painting at Home
Happy Birthday, Ruthie! (Or is it on the 25th? Will I ask this question the rest of our lives?)
Isn’t “Painting at Home” a weird title for someone with a home-based studio?
My painting studio is cold and dark on a rainy day. Sometimes I paint there anyway, using an Ott light and a propane heater. It isn’t ideal, but it is what I have. I can color-correct things when the sun shows up. I am not and never will complain about the gift of precipitation!
Last Thursday and Friday I just couldn’t make myself want to be in the studio. There was a fire in the wood stove in the living room (that’s the way we heat our house), Michael was in the house listening to something interesting on the radio, and Samson was also in the house, behaving himself for a change.
So, I decided to paint in the house on the dining table. Suddenly, Samson was no longer content to sleep in my chair in the living room.
Why yes, yes indeedy I do have a couple of original Vermeer paintings in my dining area. How very observant you must be!
It wasn’t ideal, but it worked. On the 2nd day of painting in the house, I rotated everything around to the other end of the table. It wasn’t ideal either, but it certainly beat being alone in the relative dark and cold of the painting workshop.
By working upside down, I can get my shapes a bit more accurate. It is the photo and canvas that are upside down, not me. Never have figured out how to paint while standing on my head.
This last painting is my current Little-Bit-Too-Hard-For-Me piece. I have a theory that if I am always working on something a little bit too hard that maybe my painting will improve. It is the same idea as lifting weights that are almost too heavy to build muscle. (This is not real advice about physical activity. . . I was a PE disaster and know nothing.)
The other paintings are of Mineral King, because I always need to have that subject matter in my inventory.
Want to Title a Pencil Drawing of Water?
“Life Source” is the title of my latest pencil drawing of water. (It is spoken for, but thank you for your interest.) I borrowed the name from a company that sells water treatment machines. Since water is the source of life, (okay, I know God is the source, but you get my drift here, yes?) it seems like an appropriate title.
Are you confused? Do you think you have already seen this drawing? You might be getting it mixed up with the previous one that I didn’t name. Similar. Flowing, rushing water with rocks. Both on the Kaweah River.
Any ideas for the title on this one? If I choose your suggestion, you will get a prize, as of yet undetermined, just like the title of the drawing.
Welcome, new readers who learned of this blog post via a generous friend’s sharing it on Facebook! I am not on Facebook and don’t know how to reach you unless you EMAIL me via the contact button above (under About the Artist) or COMMENT right here on this post.