Princess Artemis

I can’t say I’m particularly happy with this one, and I apologize for the lousy photography–it was much too big to scan.  I wasn’t in a very good mood when I painted it, but I’m not sure if that carries through or not.  I suppose it depends on what you see.

12″ x 16″, watercolor, 3/2009

(By the way…is there a problem with legitimate people commenting?  I can’t really tell since no one appears to have tried.  I know I’ve had a few comments eaten by WordPress filters.  If you’re REAL and trying to comment, and not able to, feel free to e-mail me so I can try to sort it out.)

May 6th, 2009 | Tags: Art, monochromatic | Category: Art | Comments (3)

I recently learned about this not-entirely-new-but-entirely-too-broad law…

I have no plan to make much political talk here.  Still, I couldn’t in good conscience not mention this, especially as I have considered making dolls for children and I do make jewelry, though it’s not designed to be for children under 12.

Anyhow, yes, I have heard it enough that “you can’t believe everything you read on the Internet” and how this could all be an over-reaction, but…all things considered…it doesn’t really matter what I personally think.  It’s what might happen and what has happened.  It doesn’t take much work to find instances of people suing and winning over the most insane little thing, and this law is “FOR THE CHILDREN!”

Here’s a good link for information about it: Overlawyered’s CPSIA coverage.

I find it more than a little frightening that there is a law on record that is resulting in the closing down of thrift stores, hand-made clothes and toy makers’ shops, and the mass-destruction of children’s books printed before 1985.

February 14th, 2009 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Another monochromatic color whatsit.  I chose to use watercolors for this not because I am any good at watercolor, but because for what I’m doing, I can do it quite fast and inexpensively–I’ve already got several blocks of watercolor paper, brushes, and fifteen or so colors to use which I’ve had for quite a while.  I know watercolor is very unforgiving, but since I’m essentially playing, ‘doodling’ you could say, it’s not that big of a deal that I can’t erase anything.  I would like to try this with oil though.  My preferred medium is pencil, but my colored pencils are pretty decent quality which means they break constantly and cost more than a buck a piece…I think I’d wear one out too fast trying to use only one color and getting the range I can get out of paint, and I can’t work as quickly with colored pencils.

I do need to remember/relearn how to protect watercolors (other than putting them behind glass)–the parts that look black are really a lot of pigment built up, so it could be very easily damaged.

I planned to do more purple paintings, but while I was riding back from the doctor’s office today, one of my muses decided he wanted me to paint him.  OK, two of them did, but the other one isn’t obnoxious.  I might paint him in purple.  Anyhow, I don’t think there would be any point in telling you who the muse is, because he’s not recognizable in this form.  I did have a vague idea of what I would paint this time, but it’s still all playing, I didn’t sketch anything out first, I just painted.  Which will go a long way in explaining why his proportions are so utterly off.  No reference for it, so he doesn’t even look like the muse in question (which is pretty much OK, since he stopped looking quite like himself a long time ago anyway).

12″ x 16″, watercolor, 1/20/2009

A short note on muses–I think most creative people have them, whatever they choose to call them.  I personify mine when they ‘earn’ personification, but they are always an aspect of me, of this I am perfectly aware.  This one pretty clearly is based on how he wanted to be painted.

January 21st, 2009 | Tags: Art, monochromatic | Category: Art | Leave a comment

Someone suggested to me that I try monochromatic colored artwork rather than my preferred gray-scale.  Systematically go through the spectrum, starting with the darkest colors.  This person thought that I’d benefit from doing some exploration with color.  Maybe so, but what this person suggested more importantly, perhaps, is that I not worry about what it was that I made when I did these color ’studies’, that I have a hidden side that I don’t show anyone, and I should tap into that, not be afraid of what’s there.  That I’m limiting myself in some way.

She has a point.  One that, ironically, I now realize I’ve been trying to tell myself for close onto 15 years in various quiet and sometimes strange ways.  Kinda frustrating and embarrassing that I needed someone else to tell me something I’ve known for a long time.

It’s time to stop being afraid.

Anyhow, as this is unrestricted playing, without necessarily any idea beforehand of what I’ll do or make, it’s very freeing.  I don’t particularly care if this is good or bad.  It’s fun, and I need that right now to kick-start my getting back into actually making art again.

So here’s the first–purple watercolor.  I forget which shade in particular, since my watercolors are pretty old (fortunately they’re also fairly good quality so they’re still good).  4″ x 6″, painted about as fast as I usually paint (couple hours tops).  This was done maybe a week ago?  I just thought of posting it today.

Oh, and no matter what your monitor setting, it’s purpler than that.

January 21st, 2009 | Tags: Art, monochromatic | Category: Art | Leave a comment