Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts..., painting, Photography | Tags: art, artist, drawing, Fitchburg Art Museum, Georgia O'Keeffe, museum, painting, still life, visual art
I know…I know…it’s been TWO WEEKS since I last posted. Sigh. Things are just so busy. Hopefully, to make up for missing the past two Fridays, this post is an image-filled extravaganza, so hang onto your triple espresso…(and get me one while you’re at it! Make it a decaf though…I have plenty of self-induced stress, so I don’t need to rely on caffeine to put me in a state of hysterics…)
So, my big news is that the group show that I’m participating in (Still Life Lives!) opened last week at the Fitchburg Art Museum. WOO HOO! I was thrilled to see some of you come out to see it. Thank you!!! I totally appreciate the time and energy it took to head out there. I hope that everyone found it worthwhile, as I think it’s a very interesting show.
Elizabeth Kostojohn, Nameless Problem #2 & #1, 2013
Here are two drawings from my new series! (Yes, that’s food.) I think that they looked pretty good. It’s hard not to panic when your work is on the wall. But, as I wasn’t wearing a name tag, I managed to calm down a bit…
Elizabeth Kostojohn, 6 drawings from Hurt & Damage series
These are more of my drawings! I’m happy to see them up. This show is kind of a big deal for me, as I’ve got two bodies of work up…never mind being amongst the super talented people that are also participating. I kind of wish that we had name tags, as I would have liked to have met some of the uber talented artists!
But enough about me…here is some of the AMAZING work that is up…
Emily Eveleth, Snake Eyes, 2000, Oil on Canvas
I wish I had a wall in my house big enough for this painting. It is stunningly beautiful. Eveleth’s mastery of oil painting captures the soft and sticky essence of her subject in an intense gaze. This painting alone is reason enough to come to the show. This painting is breathtaking and mesmerizing. It’s gorgeous even on this lousy computer screen. It will blow your mind in real life…
Mary Kocol, White Crabapple Blooming Branch, 2011, photograph
Kocol had several photographs from her Ice Garden series. These are AMAZING. In spite of being frozen, there is something very dynamic about these images. I think that’s particularly true of the images where you can clearly see the sky beyond. I keep thinking, “POW!” in my head. (Please don’t ask me to explain myself…I am neither a writer, nor an art critic…) So beautiful. I love it.
Georgia O’Keeffe, Untitled (Pink Camellia), 1935, Pastel
Oh yes…I forgot to mention that this show also features work from FAM’s permanent collection! Amazing, right? This work by O’Keeffe is in the same room as the Kocol photos…brilliant! It’s like rubbing elbows with celebrities!
Elisa H. Hamilton, An Apple a Day, 2013, Mixed media on paper
Hamilton has an amazing talent with color. Each of these drawings really pop with vitality. Please take a look at her website!!! I also love her drawings of domestic interiors and objects, especially “Vermont Studio Portrait.” Very impressive.
Cynthia Greig, Nature Morte no. 18, 2010, chromogenic development photograph
Okay. This is a PHOTOGRAPH. I kid you not. I believe that the artist paints everything white, and then actually outlines the objects with charcoal…THEN photographs it. My brain still can’t wrap itself around this. It’s so clean and beautiful! I’m amazed at her analog virtuosity.
Victor Schrager, Untitled #7 and #472, 2011, Pigment print
These gorgeous, saturated, soft focus still life photos are the work of Victor Schrager. I love the vivid colors and in focus/out of focus combinations. Amazing, right?
Kathleen Volp, Wan-Li RUMBLE and Still Life with Impostor and Wan-li, 2008, Mixed media, oil and aluminum on panel.
These pieces are enormous, glossy, and embossed METAL. No joke. Volp’s work always amazes me…it is always compelling, masterful in technique, and truly impressive. Please take a look at her website so that you can appreciate the range of work that she does. Mind-boggling…
Evelyn Rydz, Gulf Pile I, 2012, Pencil and Colored Pencil on Drafting Film
This is an AMAZING and delicate drawing. Rydz is my “drafting film god.” She and I both use pencil/colored pencil on drafting film. I bask in her drawing brilliance. Her work is so delicate and GORGEOUS. She often draws piles of objects that have washed ashore. I’m sorry that this is not a good photo…it does not do her work justice. I just checked her website, and it says that she is having a SOLO show at the MFA in 2014. So impressive!!! That is MUST SEE show. (I’m not kidding. Check her website. Mark your calendar.)
Mary O’Malley, Altar #4, 2010, Gold Metallic Ink on Paper
Ahhh…this drawing is SO beautiful. I am in such awe of O’Malley’s work. I was lucky enough to meet her at the reception. She is a lovely person. I hope I conveyed to her how much I love what she does. Her work is so timeless…it feels both historic and yet so contemporary.
Shelley Reed, Ribboned Flowers, Ribboned Fruit (after Mignon), 2010, Oil on Canvas
These paintings were really breathtaking. I love how dark and intense they are. I believe that she looks at historic works and then interprets them in her own artwork. Please check out her website. I pretty much want to own all of her work. Maybe if I eat ramen noodles exclusively for a year, I could swing it? Hmm. I’ll still need that fantasy house with enough wallspace, though…more noodles for me, I guess…
Janet Rickus, A Bird Painting, 2012, oil on canvas
Yes, that’s a painting…not a photo. Rickus’s work is hyper-real and beautiful. Beautiful composition…color…light…realism…I love it. Her work will definitely make your jaw drop. I feel almost like they are views into a gorgeous world that I WISH I could be a part of. The elements in the images are unpretentious, yet they are so perfect that they are still awe inspiring. I might have to get this for my house so that I can meditate upon it, and somehow be inspired to make my disaster-area home be marginally more lovely.
On this note, my son (5 yr old) has decided that we should make our house a museum. He doesn’t seem daunted by the fact that we have nothing museum-like in our house. I’ve told him that no one is going to want to come to see our “junk.” We joke about this. He’s still determined to do it, somehow. In fact, he’s trying to entice passersby with this “advertising” at the front of our house:
Yes. That says, “MUSEUMOPNEG TADAY.” Yes, I allow him to do this to our house. Yes, those are little purple flowers stuck to the tape for aesthetic effect. Oh but wait…there’s more:
He wants to make sure people understand that they are “WALCAM” to come in. And:
Just in case there was any doubt that we were “OPEN” or not…
If you do stop by to check out our “Museum”…please note that the mess inside is what this museum is actually all about. Imagine taking a Joseph Cornell box and shaking it vigorously…it kind of looks like that, but with more Lego. Just try not to trip on it all whilst taking the tour. Currently, we’re working out the “gift shop.” Brace yourself…
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: art, drawing, Jim Dine, Pencil, still life
Well, I think that I’ve made all of the preparations that I can for my upcoming portfolio review on April 1. This is where esteemed people in the Boston art world (curators…gallery owners…etc.) will come to the Arlington Center for the Arts and take a look at artists’ portflios. I’ve got my drawings…my box…I just ordered some postcards…and I have even updated my website: www.elizabethkostojohn.com. Also…I took some photographs of how my work looks when pinned up:
and here I am looking at it:
close up:
Kind of interesting, right? It’s very minimal. My advisor, Adria Arch, was kind enough to let me use her studio space to pin these up. The idea is that these drawings are a single work of art…not individual pieces. Adria showed me an example of a work by Jim Dine that has that same attitude…forty drawings comprise a single work of art: The Glyptotek Drawings. Yes, his ability to draw is stunning! Here is one of the drawings:
Jim Dine
Amazing! I love the smudgy areas and the scratchy areas combined…there is so much depth…sigh.
That image is a good segue onto wonky people that my son continues to draw…here is one:
Look at those mesmerizing eyes! Maybe that’s actually supposed to be me in the morning, before I’ve had my cup of tea. I’m concerned about the bald spot on my head above my left eye…but no matter. I’ll just part my hair differently.
My son is obsessed with building blocks. Typically…we are making imaginary structures. This week, however, he decided to do something else:
I asked him what it was…a skyscraper? A tower? He said that he was making a shoe store. So funny! Can’t you see that kind of thing at Urban Outfitters or Anthropologie??? Okay, so maybe his future is in retail…not construction.
I finished another drawing for the series:
I’m feeling that I need to “regroup” now. Do I want to do more of these? Do I want to shift and continue in a different way? I know. I’m the only one who can answer that. I have to do some pondering. I also have to do some housekeeping! I spend more time drawing mangled fruit than I do straightening up around here. I’m going to get a little zen…you know, chop wood…carry water…while I put this series and where it’s going into the backburner of my subconscious. Hopefully, the fumes of Windex, Murphy’s Oil Soap, and scented Swiffer sheets will be enlightening, and hopefully the direction that I am looking for will come to me…much like the way static-charged dust and crumbs are drawn to the bottom of one’s socks…or, is that only in my house?
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: art, artist, drawing, In Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust, Pencil, still life
Yes, this week is a hodgepodge of stuff. No, there will be no coherent theme to this post, so don’t bother looking for one.
I’m going to start with something that will prove how…shall I say…weird, I am. So, I think that we’re all familiar with Marcel Proust’s yammering about his madeleines, right? I recently got a photocopy of the passage from A la Recherche du Temps Perdu, and it started me thinking…(always a recipe for disaster). Here’s the quote:
And so it is with our past. It is a labor in vain to recapture it: all the efforts of our intellect must prove futile. The past is hidden somewhere outside the realm beyond the reach of intellect, in some material object (in the sensation which that material object will give us) which we do not suspect. And as for the object, it depends on chance whether or not we come upon it or now before we ourselves must die. – [Marcel Proust]
So, I pondered this quote, and wondered what my “material object” would be that would bring me back to the past. Not surprisingly, I couldn’t think of anything profound, as Proust does. BUT, I thought about something ridiculous. When I was little, I had a rather sizeable collection of Tomy Pocket Games. Does anyone else remember these????? I loved them. I think that I have always been a “micro” person. This may be attributed to my rather acute nearsightedness…but perhaps not. Anyway, these little games were a micro world to me. Each had it’s own character, difficulty, and fun. They were small enough to fit in one’s pocket, hence the name. ANYWAY, (this is going somewhere, albeit slowly) I thought back to the ONE of these little games that I loved the most. It was a tiny obstacle course for a little silver ball. TEENY TINY! I remember the one that I had was slightly damaged, as my dad tried to get the price tag off with lighter fluid and slightly “melted” the plastic on that spot. SO, on a whim, I decided to look on ebay to see if anyone was selling one. Well…I kid you not. There was one in exquisite condition. As per usual, ebay stresses me out. I only buy things that I can “buy it now”, without an auction. Unfortunately, this had an auction. Days went by…on the evening of the final bidding, I placed my bid…and left to put my son to bed. I let go and just hoped that I would win it…
And I did:
BEHOLD! MY MADELEINE!
I know. I *truly* have a problem. Nonetheless, I am thrilled to have this little thing back in my life. I am clearly not of the buddhist school of thought where I relinquish attachment to all worldly possessions. No, I’m just about the complete opposite. Proust randomly stumbled upon his madeleine…whereas I sought out and bought mine on Ebay. Same difference.
I wonder what my son’s “madeleine” would be? We actually have a set of wooden blocks that was my husband’s grandfather’s blocks when he was a kid. Amazing, right? Anyway, my husband says that the smell of these wood blocks brings him back to his childhood…
That’s a skyscraper that he built “with” my son. Cool, right? Sorry about the mess. I was too lazy to photoshop out the general disaster in the house. I needed some kind of “de-crap” filter, but I don’t think that my version has that kind of thing…
The other cool project with my son is trying to grow something in a pot. Our bird feeder project was a complete fail, as I somehow managed to buy a suet block that is completely unappealing to our furry and feathered friends outside….but I digress. So, we’re trying to grow either beans, or peas. I can’t remember what we stuck in the pot, and I’m too lazy to get up and find the seed packet. I was very skeptical about this project, as I am really bad with plants. I mean, REAAAALLY bad. BUT! Take a look!!!!:
LOOKIT! There are some tiny GREEN THINGS coming up in the plant pot!!!!! YES!!!! I can restore my son’s faith in the order of the natural world! I was concerned that he was skeptical because of the bird feeder fail. See??? Add sun and water and stuff actually GROWS! Ah, I’m such a simpleton…
For those of you interested in art, you’ve probably already stopped reading by now. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if I lost most readers by this point. SORRY! If you wanted exciting, I’m sure that Kim Kardashian has a blog that you can check on. Just tell her that I sent you.
So, for my friend’s 40th bday, I made her a little book. Here it is:
and the inside:
Fun, right? I called it her “Forever 40” book. She can just maintain that same age from now on, and reject the signs of getting older. Blue hair? Senior discount? Not when you’re only 40! I may join her in this delusion when I turn 40.
I’m horrified at how little drawing I got done this week. This is it:
Just ONE drawing? Ugh. My husband was away this week, so my excuse is that I had less free time than usual. Or, I’m just slacking off. I’ll choose the former.
Has anyone seen any good art exhibits in the Boston area? I took my son to the MFA this week to meet a friend and her son. Yes, we did not manage to do the visit without a guard reprimanding me about my son trying to touch the two-story tall Chihuly sculpture. Sigh. Here I am…trying to be the good mom with my kid at the MFA, and we get called out as delinquents. Anyway, if you can think of a show in the area worth seeing…let me know…sans enfants next time…
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)
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…
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: art, artist, cake, drawing, Pencil, still life
We all managed to survive the birthdaypalooza for my son this past weekend. I think that I aged a year just in that day alone. Basically, from the moment I woke up that morning, I was busy getting stuff together. Maybe I missed it, but I do NOT remember my mom having to do so much work for a kid’s party. WHAT IS IT WITH THESE KIDS TODAY???? (imagine me scowling as I look over my reading glasses, which I don’t own).
The cake…took forever. As soon as I started to make it, I told my husband that we’re buying one next year. Did I mention that the frosting alone had two pounds of chocolate in it? TWO POUNDS. I probably gained two pounds just licking the spatula afterwards. I gave up on really making it 3D, and just settled for 3D tires…
Hey, I think for someone who had to buy a pastry bag for the first time, I did a pretty good job. I must confess, I did have my son’s name on the cake, but somehow in order to shield him from the folly of his mom’s blogging, I photoshopped it out. Not bad as well, right?
I thought that this was going to be a VERY productive week. I guess that it has been, a little. I have been sidetracked slightly, as I am making a dress for my friend’s daughter. Here it is:
It’s cute, right? Looks very straightforward and easy, right? The sort of thing that someone on Project Runway could do in ten minutes with a Holly Hobby sewing machine and a broken needle, right? It’s sad how long it’s taking me to do this. I have sewn clothes for myself…but I have no shame in wearing my own wonky creations. THIS dress, however, is not for me…so I’m TRYING to channel Christian Siriano whilst I stitch this thing together. My biggest fear: that it doesn’t FIT and I’ll have to REMAKE it. Maybe I should call the mom up and suggest that her daughter only eat lettuce until I finish this thing.
My own work is always taking a turn for the weird. Some of my latest drawings:
and:
Someone else’s trash is another person’s treasure! Yes, I pulled that keyboard out of a trash can. It was in our own trash can here at home, so I figure that makes it slightly less gross. You can agree with me now. I’m wondering if these B&W drawings are less exciting than the bright, colorful stuff that I’ve done in the past. I mean…have you yawned yet while reading this? Be honest.
I hope that everyone is having, or will have, a nice holiday. I’m asking Santa for more sleep next year. And fewer dust bunnies. I have more than my fair share, really. They’re doing some kind of “Occupy My Living Room” right now. As long as they clean up after themselves, maybe that’s ok.
It just dawned on me that my son and husband are both home all of next week. This is called a “vacation”. Hmm…
Filed under: Drawing, painting, travel | Tags: art, artist, Museum of Modern Art, New York City, Robert Rauschenberg, still life, Willem de Kooning, Wyeth
The birthday planning for my son’s 4th birthday party has given me several more gray hairs. Today, during his bathtime, he was mad at me and told me that I was NOT to come to the party. I was to stay home and feel awful. Sheesh. Who taught him such nasty mind games? Do I say stuff like that? I hope not…I might have been more subtle and not stipulated that the other person “feel bad”. He’ll learn such subtlety in time…
I am attempting to keep this a fairly DIY party. No, I’m not hand-making artisanal balloons or anything. BUT, I’m making the cake, have baked cookies to go with the favors, and have scribbled together the decor. The theme: construction site. A week after deciding this theme, my son decided it should be pirates. Too bad, I said. That brought on another barrage of vitrol from him.
So, here is one of my scribbly signs for the party:
Isn’t it cute? Just say it is to humor me. Actually, you’re probably wondering when I’m going to stop blabbering about this party, and talk about de Kooning instead. All in good time…
This is probably the last year that I can do anything DIY for a party. Next year, he’ll want lazer tag with spiderman and Doc Octopus. Ummm…yeah, I can’t do that with cardboard and markers. I’d have to be some kind of hybrid between Martha Stewart and Stan Lee. Hmm…disturbing.
The ornament situation in our house has gotten worse:
I have completely given up.
Okay, enough about my preschool-centric universe. So, this past Saturday…I had the WHOLE day to myself. No, I don’t just mean from around 11 am when my husband is done with his marathon bike ride, until 5 pm, when I’m needed to relieve him from being “on duty” with our son. I mean the ENTIRE day. What did I do? I went to NYC for several hours! Okay…for my friends who are in NY…PLEASE DON’T BE MAD. I had to do a tactical strike. I was on a mission to go to MOMA and see the de Kooning exhibit, which is only open until January 9. I can do a social visit another time.
It was AMAZING. So brilliant. That man just oozes talent. Or, I guess that would be oozed. Seriously. I loved his lines, his enormous swaths of color, his manipulation of the human form…
and this:
de Kooning, Untitled – 1961
and this:
Sigh. You must see this show, if possible. You won’t believe the scale of some of these pieces…their textures…their energy…so amazing.
When I was rushing through the rest of MOMA, I saw a crowd gathered around something. Naturally…I was curious. WHAT was it?
Really! So interesting. I am not a fan of Dali, but it was really fascinating to see what was a “celebrity”. I just like other stuff…I nearly plowed through several people when my eyes locked with THIS from across the room:
Rauschenberg, Bed – 1955
Yes, I nearly became a linebacker in order to look at this old quilt with paint on it. LOVE IT. As the old adage goes…it was smaller in real life. (no, not that it tastes like chicken…pay attention). Really. If I hadn’t spent so much time mooning over de Kooning (!), I may have had more time to see everything else. One other piece struck me:
Wyeth, Christina’s World – 1948
Okay. This is a VERY familiar painting. Right? I’m not savvy in the least, but this has to be one of Wyeth’s most famous paintings. Anyway…it always seemed to me a very “romantic” picture…I mean the romance of the agrarian. WELL. I had a VERY different feeling when I was actually looking at the painting firsthand (which, by the way, was stuck in a corner next to an elevator vestible and a cafe). First of all…her hair is not the lustrous brunette of youth…but actually a harried mix of grey and brown. This is not a young woman at all! She’s probably in her late 30s / early 40s…you know…way over the hill, like me. In addition…her body is neither youthful, nor supple. She actually appears frail…weak…half-starved. If you look more carefully, her bent arm in the foreground is very thin…(and not in a Marie Claire sort of way). She seems to be struggling to raise herself. In addtion, her dress and shoes are not fresh and new…her shoes in particular struck me as very worn and old. So ultimately, this painting had a desperate, bleak air to it. WELL, if my art history class in college had covered anything within the past 300 years, then I MIGHT have known that:
Okay..am I the only person in the world who had an entirely different impression of this painting than is actually the case??? This long-winded story is basically remarking on how important it is to actually SEE artwork in person…not on a screen…not in a magazine…not on some crazy person’s blog…(are you still reading? amazing!)
As a result of all of this art viewing / party planning…I have not gotten much work done. Sigh. I have one drawing to show:
closer:
No, I’m not done with this “line of exploration” yet. If you get tired of my subject matter, please bear with me. I’m trying to focus and stay on a path, and not flit around from project to project.
Wish me luck with the party extravaganza on Saturday! I’m sure that I’ll be crying with frustration and relief at the end of it, and will be sent home in order to have a nap.
Filed under: Drawing, Fleeting thoughts... | Tags: advent calendar, art, artist, cactus, drawing, still life
Okay. I have gotten much more into the holiday spirit. I think that having a four-year old makes it so. Just to add to his frenzied excitement about both his upcoming birthday AND Christmas…I bought an advent calendar.
I know. All my architect friends will fall off their chairs in horror. Look at that pitched roof! Whatever. I always loved advent calendars as a kid. This is even better because I can put stuff in it! My son loves it. However, he keeps asking me about what’s behind the big door. I am now feeling that the silly little christmas ornaments that are behind that door will be a big disappointment. Hmmm. What to do.
I did alter this thing a bit…notice the colors within the boxes, and the colors on the back of the doors. Yes, I added those. Laundry is not being done…chores not completed, yet I persist in “improving” this thing. A true sign of neurosis. Actually, the true sign of neurosis is this:
These are some of the ornaments that I had in the advent calendar. My son is hanging them up on this garland (with my assistance, of course). The neurosis is that I DESPERATELY want to separate those two ornaments from being on the same link. See the two together in the middle? It is taking all of my willpower not to change the way that my son has hung it. This is a real period of growth…not leaping in to “fix” what he does. Leave it be.
Our Christmas cactus is looking good this year!
Try to ignore the filthy window. This lovely plant on the left was a gift from my husband’s aunt and uncle when they came by to visit my newborn son. So, I associate it with his birth. I am relieved that it is still alive, as I am terrible with plants. I either over-water them, or leave them to shrivel and die…not intentionally, of course. I hope that this plant will be around next year…
Not as much art done this week. Too much holiday stuff to do. It’s kind of non stop. Part of me will be glad when the holiday craziness is over…the other part will be horrified that we will be in the bleak winter.
See how dark this winter light is? I just went outside to take this photo, and this is how it turned out. Yikes. Notice the phone message scrawled in the upper right. All famous artists do stuff like that. It makes it more “authentic”. This is what the scanner did to that picture:
Really not good. Shoddy equipment. The scanner basically washed out the whole thing and made it all look more “scratchy”. Sigh. Maybe winter photography is beyond me.
That’s all for now…I hope to have something even MORE brilliant to post next week… let’s hope that I’ve done something more than drawing a digger for my son…
slightly wonky 