Filed under: Uncategorized
Sorry again to all of you subscribers! I keep doing some combination of keys that accidentally publishes the post while I am in the middle of writing it. I’ll work on my typing skills in the meantime…but revisit www.slightlywonky.com for the actual post.
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: art, artist, drawing. pencil, graphite, home depot, preschool, still life
Why that title, you ask?
Recently…I went to Home Depot to look at more “tools” for my drawings. In some ways…I dislike going to the Depot, or any hardware store, when I am looking for things NOT for construction, but for art. So, here I was…in the Depot…choosing some items PURELY based upon their appearance. I managed to deflect a “Can I help you find what you’re looking for?” by saying “yes”, and asking where there might be some wheeled carts (I’d love to get one from my little etching press). The guy brought me to the carts, and we started to talk about what the cart was for. So, he found out that I do “art”, and asked, “what kind of art?”. This is the start of a conversation that I typically like to avoid. I told him, “drawing”…hoping that this was good enough. But no. “What do you draw?”, he asked. Okay. NOW what? I hummed and hawed…trying to think of something to say…but then I just gave up and told the truth…”I draw still-lifes with tools and fruit, specifically, pears.” He agreed that I am indeed a nutcase. Luckily, his brother is an artist, so he was somewhat open to the idiosyncracies of art. Part of the reason that I avoid this subject is not only because I’ll be judged as koo-koo for buying stuff for art, not construction…but also because I do NOT want to be judged as the “silly” female with my “artsy” pursuits. Dislike.
THEN, I get to the checkout line. I happen to be buying a band saw blade, a bunch of screws, and wooden coat hangers. When the checkout guy started to ring up the blade, he said, “I see that the wives are shopping for the husbands today!”
No. Really? You’re joking, right? Don’t they teach you anything in employee training????
“Noooo…ALL of these items are for ME.”, I responded. He was really a nice guy, so I gently berated him for such a sexist remark. Why couldn’t he have just said, “Did you find everything that you needed today?”??? It turns out that he had an 18 yr old daughter. I wonder what kind of stuff he tells her at home?
In the world of architecture…the balance between men and women feels quite even. (There is an unfortunate imbalance when you get into the world of “interiors”, as this often tips towards women.) But, in engineering and construction…it is still mostly a man’s world. Not always…but mostly. This obviously saddens me…but I hope that someday those fields will be more diverse. I have been in meetings where the head of facilities at a university will make some joke about “wives”, and I sit there…as the project architect…and just smile. Great. I am likely to be the only “wife” at that ten person meeting…so, does that make me “one of the boys”, or one of the silly “wives”? Who knows.
Anyone who tells you that sexism is a thing of the past is probably part of the problem.
Sorry about that rant! Because I haven’t been working as an architect for the past year and a half…I’ve forgotten about things like this. I just got a reminder this week…
So, my son has brought home another priceless creation from preschool:
Isn’t that GREAT? WHAT IS IT????
[OMG…I have AGAIN accidentally posted when I wasn’t done….SORRY!!!]
I asked him what it was, and it’s some kind of nozzle. I forgot the adjectives that go with the “nozzle” that he described…but I love it. I love these toilet paper tube creations. Priceless. I will be sad when they stop. Perhaps he’ll be like his mom, and they’ll never stop.
VERY slow week for my own work. Latest drawing:
So, here’s the bandsaw blade. See? I rarely use my Home Depot purchases for their intended purpose. So be it.
Now, I have to run off to the grocery store to make dinner for a friend who just had a baby. I have no idea what to make. Such pressure!!!!! What if the kids hate it? What if the whole family hates it? Sigh. Perhaps ordering pizza for them is not really very thoughtful…rats. I’ll have to concoct something NON-VEGAN that will hopefully dazzle them with my culinary skills…
I don’t tend to put pressure on myself much.
(kidding)
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Hello to my blog subscribers! I accidentally published my last post before it was finished! So, if you’d like to read the ENTIRE post…please go to www.slightlywonky.wordpress.com Sorry for the technical difficulties!
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: art, artist, drawing, Pencil, realism, sketch, still life
Each week, I wonder what the heck I’m going to write about on Friday. Luckily, each week SOMETHING happens that I can ramble on about. Yes, it’s mundane…but I’m no Kim Kardashian. For me, that kind of craziness lives in the checkout line at Walgreens.
It has finally snowed…and this snow may last more than a day:
Don’t ask my why that deck chair is over in the corner. Some weird arrangement by my son, likely. At least it hasn’t been toppled over.
A friend recently commented that an email I sent could almost be a poem, if one were to adjust the punctuation. This inspired me to create my own, domestic haiku:
Silence is broken.
My son yells that I am trash.
“Good morning”, I say.
I know. What sheer brilliance. You would likely say that I shouldn’t quit my day job, but it’s too late for that.
My son has two creations this week. The first:
The ubiquitous pasta necklace. Seriously, though…don’t you think that this could be sold at Anthropologie for $50? Don’t get me wrong…I love that store. Perhaps it’s the artistic way in which I’ve slung it on the wood surface? Perhaps not.
His other creation:
YES. NON-VEGAN CONTRABAND. I let him eat once of the squares after dinner. Poor kid. It’s always tough to have crazy parents.
One of my son’s friends (she’s 6) spent her entire free time at school making him a book. ISN’T THAT AWESOME? I love it. Here it is:
[PLEASE NOTE…to those who subscribe to this blog…I just did some ODD combination of keys that POSTED this incomplete rambling. Sorry about that.]
I know. I hope that this paper is archival. Next:
and:
and:
and:
I have boots just like those. Next:
and:
So, pick your favorite monster. Brilliant! Next:
This is the little girl and my son together with ice cream at the end of the book. Really. Is this not the best present ever??? I’m sure that the mom was disappointed that she didn’t get to keep it! Well…I’M, I mean, WE’RE thrilled.
And now for something completely different:
That’s my latest drawing. I’m amazed at how unproductive I’ve been this week. Or, for some reason, these drawings are taking me longer and longer to do. Detail:
I’m working on trying to really capture the dripping, etc. of the pear. I think that it’s getting better. I have to work from a photograph for those parts, as the pear starts to decompose rather quickly. This is why our basement smells like rotting pear. Sorry, honey! My husband had to take back one of his tools yesterday from my “art” area. I’m sure that this still life worried him further.
So, does anyone out there have any comment about this series of drawings? My mentor feels that I should show them to someone to get feedback. I’m not sure who, though. Hmmm. Any volunteers? Is anyone out there at all? It’s okay. I work alone for most of the week, so I’m used to talking to myself. It’s when the tofu starts answering back, THEN I’ll start to worry…
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: Antonio Lopez Garcia, art, artist, drawing, Pencil, still life, Veganism
Do you think that starting a blog post with, “this was not the most productive week”, is a bad idea, i.e. will cause people to move on quickly to something else more exciting, like laundry? Possibly.
While I did not get much drawing done this week…I have done a lot of…cooking. Yes, my husband “forced” me to watch the documentary, “Forks Over Knives”, and now…we’re 95% vegan. Let me say that again, as I would not in 1,000 bagillion years ever thought it…but, we’re VEGAN (mostly). I know. What kind of plant based koolaid did I drink? Who knows. If you value eating bacon, you might want to skip this film…and get an ice cream.
mmm…ice cream….
FOCUS! Yes, it’s been a busy time, experimenting with various recipes and odd ingredients. I recently bought nutritional yeast this week. I kid you not. NUTRITIONAL YEAST. (why am I yelling so much?) Now, I’m starting to freak myself out. When I start wearing all hemp clothes, call the local insane asylum.
In general…I like the foods that are a pleasant “medley” of vegetables. I am not fond of fake soy “cheese”, fake soy “sausages”, fake soy “meatballs”. Forget it. Those are scary. They also tend to use a lot of mushrooms…which I hate. Did I mention that mushrooms are SOOO good for you? Well, they are. Eat two for me.
So, it’s been an unusual week of buying and eating unusual things. My son has perfected his skeptical scowl of all of my cooking. His new favorite question when I’m cooking is, “are you making something that I like?”. Poor kid. Kiss those hot dogs goodbye.
If you are all curious to why this latte slugging, hot dog munching person could possibly consider this…then watch the documentary. It makes you feel like you’re chomping on an early death sandwich. Pass the butter.
Beyond my food coup d’etat…I’m dragging along with my drawings. Here is a new one:
My husband just occasionally looks over my shoulder when I’m drawing and says nothing. I’m sure that he’s slightly concerned. Perhaps I need some more flax seed?
I met with a local artist, who recommended that I look at the work of Antonio Lopez Garcia. Here is one of his drawings:
Antonio Lopez Garcia
Amazing, right? So much atmosphere. Sigh. I know…don’t feel defeated. Just keep drawing (and erasing!). I aspire to someday be as good as one of his lousy drawings. A girl’s gotta have goals right?
Two questions:
1. Is anyone else out there vegan? How’s it goin’? (this counts as one question, because I make up the rules here)
2. Any other artists that I should take a look at, who are doing work in a similar vein to mine? Bueller? (this is also one question)
Grazie!!!
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: art, artbook, artist, drawing, Pencil, realism, still life
Okay, so it was 8 DEGREES one morning this week. ech. I’ve resigned myself to wrapping in a blanket while I draw. You’ll know that I’m desperate when I start to wear gloves. I’ll have to throw out the realism at that point and pursue abstract expressionism with my mittened hands.
I really attempted to focus this week on my drawings. I did. I also went to an exhibit at the Monroe Center for the Arts in Lexington, MA. They had an exhibit (today’s the last day!) called, “Beyond the Book – An exhibition of book as art”. I LOVED it. I wish that there were MORE books to look at. The nice thing was that the books were not in a case, even though you couldn’t touch them, so you could see them quite well. Julia Talcott did a really interesting reduction print book. You can see it here in her own website. She prints the whole book on a flat piece of paper, then she cuts and folds the paper to make the little book.
Here is a ridiculous example of one of my early forays into bookmaking. My mother recently found this in the attic, and gave it to me. (I have no idea how she had it, one of those things that was supposedly lost forever). Anyway, here it is:
Yes, I kid you not. This was a middle school creation with my friend. We had these hideous creatures that we’d draw everywhere. So, we decided to make a book with them. Inside:
SCARY! Okay, this is a FAR cry from what was on exhibit in Lexington. It’s truly ridiculous that I should even include this, but too bad.
Anyway, I got all fired up about bookmaking, so I made this book for a friend:
Now, I don’t believe that this person ever reads my blog posts. If she does, she doesn’t let on. This is supposed to be a birthday present, so I’m taking a risk here showing it. BUT, I truly don’t think that she ever looks here, so I hope that I am not ruining the surprise. Actually, I ended up making a little tie to hold the book together, but I forgot to take a picture after I added that. The inside:
Isn’t it adorable? The cover is around 5.5″ tall, and 4.25″ wide. I am now feeling kind of addicted to the idea of making these. You can put ANYTHING inside! It does make me a little sad about my doodling skills. Those need work.
I may venture forth into further unfamiliar territory by trying out silverpoint drawing:
Now, I have actually done this before, but it’s been ages. Also, this Silverpoint/Drawing Ground from Golden is totally unfamiliar to me. Hmm. We’ll see how it goes. Silverpoint is basically drawing with a silver nib onto paper coated with a chalky ground. It makes super fine lines (which you can’t erase). The lines actually tarnish and change color over time, so it’s kind of an interesting medium. We’ll see if I do anything with it, as I am a slave to my eraser, and can’t imagine doing without it.
I reworked a bunch of my previous drawings, and have a couple of new ones…this is one of them:
Sorry, I think that it’s blurry. I took it outside, but there’s hardly any sunlight lately. I FEEL LIKE I’M LIVING IN A CAVE. Okay, that’s a major exaggeration, but there is such a thing as S.A.D., so perhaps I’m not alone in that thought. I think that spending hours drawing in a dimly lit basement doesn’t help either. I may have to stick my head under my Ott light to help improve my mood.
Does anyone out there have any good vegan recipes that their kids like? We’re eating more vegan lately, but my son gives everything a skeptical look. I read a recipe recently of black bean brownies. Now, I’d be giving THAT a skeptical look. I really don’t want to eat a black bean brownie…no thank you. Give me the real thing, with swirly cream cheese on top…mmmm…
slightly wonky 