In 1990, I drew the Exeter Woman’s Club. (Yes, that is the correct name—I just work here.) It was part of a set of notecards called Tulare County Landmarks. No one can find the original drawing. All I have is this scan of a notecard with a hole punched in the corner. The club asked […]
Thinking About Water and Feeling Reckless
Because it is raining while I write this, I am thinking about water. A few years ago, we had a very wet winter after several dry ones, and I became obsessed with watching flowing water. Here are some of the results. I was quite pleased with the drawings and pretty proud of the titles too. […]
A Little Help From My Friend
It is important that we are kind and complimentary to one another in drawing lessons. It is equally important that we are honest. AH is my friend and also one of my drawing students. Since she owns dogs, she saw something a little wrong in my drawing on the dog with the black head. I […]
The Emerging Drawing Continues
While I was waiting to hear if JM approved the house, I began one of the dogs. Just like on the itty-bitty-face drawing, I am leaving a gap between the different subjects to fill in later. (This picture is overexposed on the left side of the house because my giant magnifying light is washing it […]
A Drawing Slowly Emerges
Many years ago, there was a fabulous little place in Lemon Cove called Foothill Fruit. The owner was a terrific baker and sandwich maker, and some mornings I woke up just ravenous for one of her scones and French Roast coffee. I worked there for a few brief months (it used to be necesary to […]
One Dubious Improvement and Two Beginnings
This painting seemed too bright. After studying it awhile, I decided to only tone down the brilliant green in the distance to push it farther away. (“Push it” visually, not warp the canvas.) This is after: Hmmm, that’s a pretty subtle difference, perhaps even dubious*. Might want to try that again later. In addition, the […]
My Favorite Things (as in Subject Matter)
When I started my art business, I named it “Cabin Art”, or perhaps “Cabinart*”, because my favorite subject matter was architecture, mostly cabins. As my skill and confidence grew, my favorite subject to draw (and eventually paint) was the Oak Grove Bridge. During a particularly wet winter after several dry ones, I became enamored with […]
About Pencil Drawing
Here are a few thoughts about drawing with pencils. First, have you noticed that when galleries tell the medium used in making a piece of art, they say things like “oil”, “watercolor”, “acrylic”, or “pencil”? “Pencil”???? Isn’t that actually graphite? In a sense, calling a pencil drawing “pencil” is somewhat like calling a painting “brush”. […]
Finished.
I DID IT! For the first time in many years, I kept track of how long this took. Getting these little people to be themselves took a very very long time. (Don’t ask—not telling). It is probably (past) time to raise my prices.
Drawing With a Friend
A long time drawing student who has become a friend hit a metaphorical speed-bump in life. Her body has betrayed her; one of the symptoms is weakness and a tremor in her dominant hand. We’re not going to talk about diagnosis or the emotional wallop, only about our time together drawing. She is without a […]