Sunday, January 26, 2014

Illustration Friday - DISGUISE


My contribution for Illustration Friday -  5" x 7" oil painting that I did a while back.

I also have a little writing exercise that I did to go with it.  I guess I'm used to putting my artwork out there in the world to be viewed.  Its a little scarier putting out the things I write.

DISGUISE

     She accepts the inviting looks from the gentlemen gathered here tonight as she dances across the floor. “This is what it feels like to be beautiful,” she thinks. 
     Her dance card is filled with the names of men who have always requested turns on the floor with her sisters and friends.  Tonight, though, she has no equal. She is elegant and well poised.  She moves with grace.  She is an excellent conversationalist and this night . . . even flirtatious.  Men laugh and look at her appreciatively as they whirl her around the floor.  They don’t know with whom they dance.  That is the wonder of it.
    She adjusts the feathers in her hair and the heavy gold material that covers her too large nose, the mole under her left eye that her mother insists is a beauty mark, and her nearly non-existent eyelashes.  The material also covers the girl within her who can usually be found sitting against the wall in deep conversation with her Great Aunt Elizabeth, pretending not to be interested in the dancing and the laughter.  The mask covers her completely.  Tonight she is a princess.
     

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Ed's Cottage


This is an 18"x 24" oil painting on gesso board of a beautiful little cottage owned by my friend Ed.
I thought I'd include some of the stages.















Thursday, January 16, 2014

Illustration Friday - SEARCH


I was fortunate not to have a child that couldn't live without their pacifier, but my daughter put us through h@#$// a couple of times when we couldn't find her Cow-cow.  Cow-cow was a small stuffed nylon toy that I do believe looked like a cow at some point in its existence.  (It is now a gray rag stuffed into my drawer of sentimental things.)  She would not take a nap or go to bed without it.  I was nearly late for my first day at a new job because I forgot to pack Cow-cow for the babysitter and I did not want to put the babysitter through the horror of my screaming daughter at nap time. 
I think the frantic mother above will find the pacifier shortly.


Saturday, January 11, 2014

Caricature practice


I spent some time, a couple of winters ago, trying to learn to do caricatures.  I have always found them fascinating and after a failing miserably in the past, decided to buckle down and give it a good honest attempt.  I did a few that turned out fairly well back then.
It's been a while since I've done one, so I wanted to spend some time practicing again.  Do you know this celebrity?  If so, I'm not doing too badly.  If not, I still have a way to go.

Here are a few from the sketchbook I kept in 2012.

David Duchovny

Cameron Diaz

L.L. Cool J and Rooney Mara

Paul Rudd

And if you didn't know the top guy, it's supposed to be Harry Connick Jr.




Monday, January 6, 2014

Illustration Friday - TIME


     In my misspent youth, I thought I had plenty of time.  I had time to kill and sometimes even too much time on my hands.  As I grew older and (I hope I can safely assume) wiser, I realized that my elders had been correct in warning me that time flies.  There's never enough of it.  
     It does great things like healing all wounds, being a great equalizer, and of course it's money but, it's forever running out.
     Funny how, in my opinion, quality time comes from disregarding time entirely and being present.  Be present.

- Don't count every hour of the day.  Make every hour count. - Author unknown