Strange Tales From My Little Black Book #13

 This week's Moleskine sketch - another double page, approximately 8 x 10 inches:

Bored with War

I have created a flickr stream for all of the Strange Tales From My Little Black Book sketches, and they can now be seen together and with frequent updates if you click here.

I did not make it to the Baby Doll opening in Rahway yesterday due to car trouble.  So it goes...and I do look forward to seeing the show in the next couple of weeks (A big thank you to those who did make it to the opening!  Sorry that I was not there!). 

The Cumulative Effects

A new drawing:

"The Cumulative Effects"

This piece is made of six cut and layered pencil drawings on Arches paper; total image size 24 x 15 inches by 1 inch deep.

New Exhibit Opening Sunday

I have three drawings in a show that opens this weekend at the Arts Guild of New Jersey in Rahway:

I had a peek at the work during drop off and it is quite fabulous - a touch of the amusing, tinges of the feminist - overall a great selection of art!

Some new drawings are nearly complete - the images will be posted in the next few days...

Currently listening to:  Charlotte Gainsbourg IRM

Self-portrait in War Paint #2

A newly completed drawing:

This is the second drawing in the group that I have now titled the War Paint series.   Originally, I was going to call this series Conversations with Goya, but it seemed best to change the name because it is not easy to explain a visceral inspiration and people will inevitably ask "what does the title mean?".  I generally have no problem when it comes to talking about my drawings, but I have found it best to avoid too many explanations when I am dealing with fragile and nascent ideas, particularly while still right in the middle of working on a series of drawings.   My hope is to go with the flow of inspiration and not question the meaning too much or  it may become stifled.   I will formulate the words to explain it all later...in the meantime, I make the pictures.

This drawing is also 18  x 17 inches, graphite on Arches hot press watercolor paper.  I may embellish all of these when the third drawing is finished - I really won't know until I have them all completed, lined up against the wall in the studio, and I can stare at them for a few days.  For now, it is finished.

Some detail photos:

I am rather happy with the hand in this portrait.   I draw a lot of hands, and it can be frustrating to get the anatomy correct, but this one came out effortlessly and with near structural perfection which makes me a rather blitheful artist (as opposed to banging my head on the drawing board and cursing because of irritation with working and reworking anatomy - which happens more often than I care to admit).   I strive for the clarity of Zurbarán or Pontormo - or any other Mannerist that relishes in the histrionics of hand expressions.  So, it is nice when the drawing effortless pops out every now and then. 

A moment to contemplate Jacopo Pontormo, master of hands:

Beautiful!

I have taken a pause from the War Paint series, and I have another unrelated drawing nearly complete:  this one involves a three-dimensional space cut out within the center of the drawing - a bit like a tunnel book*** - and it requires careful planning and accurate construction so that all of the layers (which are separated by 1/8 inch acid free foam core) line up properly.  I have not tried this before, and am winging it a little plus making sure that everything is well attached, etc.  I have no idea how the whole thing will look until it is together (but it works quite nicely in my head!).  Hopefully I can have it assembled and photographed next week. 

***I would not know a tunnel book from a diorama if it were not for the fact that there is a magnificent local book arts group that has an annual exhibition at the Pierro gallery - so, once a year I go to their show and I am totally inspired - because I share their passsion for paper and what it can do - and for a few days I think that I want to make books, but this passes & I get back into my drawings.

So - onward in the studio - and, by the way, I am so glad it is Spring!  I am thanking the weather gods for the blissful sunshine over the Garden State that has allowed me to fling open the studio windows and breathe some fresh air  (although the garden itself can be quite a distraction from the studio...)

 

Strange Tales From My Little Black Book #12

This week's installment of the Moleskine sketchbook drawing in pencil, about 8 x 11 inches (I do need to measure these):

The Weight of the Carapace

I am thinking about framing these folded-page sketches with stitching/string in place just like they seen are in the sketchbook.  Perhaps stitching them to a piece of Arches and then linen tape on the back to keep the pages down, then a 1/4 inch border between the sketchbook drawing and the mat board, inside a 3 inch mat.  I believe it will work, but I have to trek off to the craft store to get thread in a color that matches the binding thread.   I have a stash of the 8-ply mat board (the good stuff that is archival) left over from framing some large scale drawings, so I will experiment before I make a decision.  I am also thinking that I will not be spraying these with fixative - the Moleskine paper is too slick to absorb the spray evenly (which I think will be fine since the pencil is stable and the pieces will be under glass).  

I have much to do and about 10 weeks until the studio tour...sketches, drawings, and cleaning, oh my!