11 Degrees of ?

Well the Gem show has started and we are running like crazy. More on that later.

The buyer came by and loved our stuff. The store is in Jackson Hole Wyo. Beautiful art in a beautiful place! We are going up there in the spring. Big trip! First ever for us! I'm not much on vacations and things. I enjoy working. A very " you get things done if you do them " mantra leads me through life's paths. We do take Sunday afternoons off to explore the desert and fossil hunt and of course fish.

Following is a series that I did some time ago. I decided that a portrait that was composed with the angle of the head at 11 degrees of tilt was absolutely perfik' (spelling from a BBC show, Loved that show) So I made this series and I as you can see I was so totally successful. They were all done with the under painting and then layers or washes on top. Bunches and bunches of washes. Well to make a long story short ( wife waiting to go spend the national debt at the gem show ) the lady from Jackson Hole loved them and wants to put them in her gallery. So they must be framed and sent out into the big world. They are all excited about this. When I did shows they, meaning the paintings , would all clamor for the best spot in the tent. That's why I did shows. It was because the paintings wanted to get all fancied up and show off. ( loose translation not much sales but great fun ) My art has been described by a gentleman at one of these shows as " the artist has some serious mental problems". He said this to me not knowing I was the artist. He was also a shrink. You should have seen the backpedalling on that one when I said ' I'm the artist"! I grinned for days!!!! I do what I want because I want to do it. I do not paint to fulfill some unknown expectation. I have done that and was always very miserable trying to reach the constantly moving bar.  But any way I'm Off to the gem show to find treasures of wonder and joy.

Love you all and you all love life! OK? OK!

Arizona Dreams

Indian Feathers

Past, Present and Future

Loosing her marbles

Vampire # 3

About a year or so ago, before the great flood of my studio and subsequent repairs, I had started the "Vampire Girl" I posted the beginnings in several earlier posts. Well the studio is back up and running and there was this day that.... I mean well..... anyway I pulled out the old picture and she said " it's time " and so it was. The last post showed the background and the base color for her face. I used blue to model the face. This sitting I worked over that color with more blue then burnt sienna and raw sienna. The darker areas was painted with a combination black. In this picture I combined blue, burnt sienna and crimson. After modeling the face I then started over this with a series of washes that were made of various amounts of yellow, red, white and raw sierra. Presto! Face. On top of all this there is a clear coat with a very light blue tint and gold glitter. Just a hint. The last coat shows up when the light is just right. OOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Coming along nicely I think.
She still has more to be done but I'm not sure when that will be. THE GEM SHOW IS COMING !!!
And this year we have a buyer that Cheri is selling to that wants to stop by and see what else we do. And that means I have to get busy putting together samples. Feel the pressure!!!! Ya right. I do a recycled tin flower ornament that people love and sells rather well and I have only once had them ready for the Christmas season. They do sell all year though. There are actually quite a few different styles and sizes of the recycled tin flowers. A big seller is a rusted series that I do. Now try getting something to rust in Arizona! There is no humidity at all. I make it work though. And then there is multitudes of other things that need to be touched up and readied. I feel really good about working on art again.
 I have a day job that pays the bills and helps us build what we need for the day art will be 24/7. I have taken off for a year or more several different times to do nothing but art. I learned a hell of a lot about the "art" business in those times. I decided that I needed to be prepared to do art full time on my terms and that I needed to become properly set up. So I work. Making a living doing art, as Cheri has done most her life, requires dedication, self discipline and a health dose of reality. Learn to love the art you do for sales! Learn to work as never before to produce those items that sell. I came to the realization that right now I was not going to be an instant, overnight world wide art sensation. Kind of like a rock star. There are very few of the rock star types but mostly there are a hole lot of garage bands. I may never be a "rock star" but I will be a damn good garage band. After all it is the small good bands that bring untold millions joy and a good time. I like that. After all to me it is all about the good times and passing it on to others. Rich is good, famous not so good, being who I am not terribly bad.
So off to the art mines to work work and laugh!

William Arrives

Arrive! William did that with a bang! Well I found " William was dressed to impress. Would she care? He thought so. " As we now know she did.( See previous post or close to it.) Some day I will tell you about William and his bride. They have a wonderful life together now.

This picture started with the eyes, as most of my faces do. Then the nose and smile. I use the a proportioning technique where the width of the eye is used to lay out the face. One eye width between the eyes. 3/4 or one eye width to the outside of the head from the out side corner of the eye. 1 1/2 from the center of the eyes to the end of the nose and so forth. I'm sure that a visual diagram would work better. The Internet probable has it. It has allot of good stuff and a lot that I really do not want. The point is that things work because they are done right. Which means that you learn and practice. William is a sketch that is the result, more or less, maybe, of literally thousands of sketches. I have books and books of sketches. I have always sketched. It does not matter what you use. Trust me on this. Any thing that will put a mark on something else or create a loose idea of a picture will work. I lived near an ocean once and would go to a section of beach, find a stick, and sketch 50' tall pictures. Now that is fun!!! The dirt, sidewalks, twigs, leaves, stones, old boards. It all works. It is about getting the pieces that you are trying to bring together into a semblance of order that conveys the idea or emotion that you are trying to express. I obviously have a broad definition of Sketching. Oh well. It's all practice to me. I have never completed a master piece. I have completed a large bunch of practice pieces. All of them lead me to the next adventure. All the parts of William are probably somewhere in the sketches that I have done.

Which brings me to the sketch that I really like because its so happy. I just had to bring her here.

"The Cap and Coveralls". Country folk again. Whats with that? But she is loving the fun in life!!

Ink, pencil, water colors and maybe other stuff. If you look closely the pencil is loose and fast. Then the rest was applied. She always makes me smile. Thank you lady of smiling days.

What have you seen to day? Did you sketch it? Remember the 5 second rule from a previous post? ( Nov. 27/09 Vampire Girl #2)Picasso used light to sketch. A wet finger on a desk or table. So tell me what did you sketch today?

"Once you start to sketch then you will start to "see" what you are looking at and it will be the beginning of beauty in your world". I'm sure that this was said by a very famous important artist, Or me. Still good and very true.

Zebinezer and stuff

These are old but ... wait a minute! I was slipping into "accept me Please". Kiss my paint brush!

These are friends that I am not embarrassed of. Rule- never have doubt its all good. Right? Soooooo right!

Way to much coffee.

This is a fellow that came out one day. Laid back and country. Got to wonder though. There was a lot going on with this gentle man of the chair. Well it seems that smile was telling because a bit latter, Alice, his wife appeared. They are a couple. I like them. Makes me wonder about those country folk. Think they know a secret about living life. Thats a good thing.

This one is called the bride. A bit of steam punk. Not sure who she is marrying? Wait a minute yea I do. Unreal! I will find the sketch. "William is dressed to impress" I believe is the name. I did it sitting in a parking lot this year waiting on a Dr. appointment. Seems William impressed! Three years and I have the answer. I have always felt some what sad that she was alone and going through the motions of a marriage but there really was no one. Not no more. Now wheres William!

Last one for today is a piece that I did playing with chalk. Also used ink and acrylics. I actually saw the wings many years ago (30+) on an angle in a grave yard. they must have impressed me. The lady is a development from a picture I did about 15 years ago called "all angles aren't always nice". That one was about the ravages of AIDS. Very loose and impressionistic. so here she is proud and strong. Now if your going to have a guardian angle one that can kick but would be nice.

I'm off to find William and some others. Oh and that vampire.

Keep on smiling she said its all good.

One year latter! WOW!

How time flies!!! It has been a year since my last post. A very busy year I might add. Priorities and all that.

I know that every one has been holding their breath waiting for the next post and pictures. Well Breath Now!

Weird that once I stopped the harder it was to restart. My son shamed me into starting again. Tell me how does that work?

I digress. The year has been about work. Lots of work but not art. Sad but true. I have not stopped the art in fact I will be posting some new stuff. Most of what I have done is small quick and done in the rare time where I am able to stop for a moment. Sketches and such. Ms. Mossie though has been working and selling like a mad woman. One of my work projects is a light box to take pictures of her work. The box works great and her art really shows very well now. I will be posting a bunch of her stuff to. And another bonus of wandering around the world is the unbelievable art I have seen. So much that has inspired me. So much to do.

Metal Clay! Took a class and am looking for a Kiln! Waaaaaaaaay coooooooooool ! Ideas are and have been running rampant.

Production will still be some what slow, a bit more to do on the house, but then......

To the artists: Practice practice practice and learn learn learn. Thats what I have been doing and hopefully it will show.

I will be posting on a regular basis, somewhat, maybe, some times, more or less.

I do want to share what I have been experiencing in the world of wonder that is called "ART"

Now where is that vampire?

On the Other Side of the Brain

These are what I call my Weirdies. This is Art Creation in it's purest form. ( Colored doodles gone wild). Over the years I have often had very little time to do my art or the space for that matter. Since art is what I love I quiet often make do with the time and constraints I am found with. Another artist told me " I paint on anything if I do not have a canvas available. ( We were poor at the time ). Just find a piece of wood in the trash and paint." I took that to heart and in the ensuing years it has stood me well. There is always an excuse for not doing something artistic. Materials, space, place, ideas the list is endless. The other part I have added to this is where my paintings and art quite often come from. A "true" piece of art requires planning, preparation, proper materials and time. Even if the idea comes from the great beyond it still requires the aforementioned considerations to make it all work to the highest level of art. Most of the art I do that I consider my best requires a long process. I love the process and I love the results. However As I said in another blog I work full time at a day job and drive an hour each way. I also have a whole bunch of other life things that demand my time. Therefore I developed the "Weirdies". I should say they developed me.

This is the "PROCEDURE" for Weirdies. First empty mind! NO Ideas!!! Stare at the end of the pencil and forget everything else! Now put the pencil on the paper! Move the pencil! Watch the graphite as it goes on the paper, canvas or what ever. Lets not even worry with the medium. What ever is at hand, in my case that's allot of stuff, just start putting it together! As the pencil moves the idea will come. Trust it no matter what it is. Hmmmmm that looks vaguely like a hand, face, space ship etc. etc. Let the pencil develop it. Stay out of the way! See where it goes. Mine are almost always people of course but anything is good.

Now the fun starts! Once the initial concept is sitting there grab additional media!

The one and only rule of Weirdness is there are no rules. You are allowed to tweak the concept but please refrain from changing it into what you feel if "others" see it. ( Def: Others- a judgemental group of unknowns that will send me and my self esteem straight to Hell if I do not meet their unknown expectations.) Most of the following are first drawn then inked and then colored.

Do not fall for any preconceived color theory or composition, proportion or what wine will go with this? The best advice is be a kid. OOOOOOooooo that color looks pretty lets put it there!

The Lady at the top was first met while on a flight from Dallas to Tucson. I stick the music in the ear and draw. Water color pencils are fantastic for mobility. After I got home I did her on a larger sheet of paper using ink, water colors, acrylics and chalk. 5" x 8" I think.

This one is an art card size. Now there is an ideal way to do quick weirdies. Art cards! Love them!!! This person needed the stars! why? Just seemed fun!

This wild women is ink, water color pencil and water colors. 5"x8"

Most often the proportions are exaggerated and not very "text book" correct. We are going for freedom here! Not perfection.

She is wild though Right? It's the feeling that we are trying to transmit. Abandon, power, a unpredictable devil may care person.

" What you'd say buddy?" "You ready for MY WORLD?"

Get the idea?

This lady is also 5" x 8" ink, acrylics and water colors.

She came out one day and speaks of her confidence and individuality. Proper and unconcerned in her environment. I also like to not finish the whole picture. I mean, do what you want or like and then it's done! Remember no rules.

Bob's Blast. This one is a very good example of just doing. What ever where ever. I like this one.

Not only are these great fun and fill the need to create when the world conspires to squash the urge, they are also mentally and creatively expanding. This is where all the ideas are played with. I "see" so many things that are used latter as parts and pieces of the more "completed" art pieces. You can never practice to much! I knew an artist that had worked on the same three pieces for years. That is no lie. They were trying to get it perfect and got lost. I saw those same pictures a year latter and they had changed a little and the gripe about perfection was still the same. This is fine for some but not for me . Exploring the unknown and then bringing it "in " to others, well that's just way......... fun!

Keep exploring

Tucson Gem show !

Well it has been a fast and furious week. We have been attending the Tucson Mineral and Gem Show. For those that are not aware what this is, well let me tell you. This is the worlds largest show of all items under the sun pertaining to anything closely related to the sale of beads, jewelry, tools, glass, fossils, minerals,art, artifacts and much more. All this stuff that you can't live with out comes from all over the world to this show. We have met people, all of them nice, from every corner of the earth. If, for some unknown reason, you wanted to walk the whole show, in the two weeks it is here, you simple could not do it. Football field sized tents abound. Hotels are completely filled with vendors. Smaller venues filled with show tents are to numerous to mention. The size and magnitude is beyond description. Traffic is also challenging but not impossible.
I have stood and stared at dinosaurs skeletons and dinosaur replica's in full size and color. Some fossils are thirty feet long or smaller than a quarter. T Rex? Seen him. There is even an alien skull! The real thing I'm sure. Piles of pearls and precious jewels filling hotel rooms. Minerals that I would swear are from a different planet and some are. Artifacts from Egypt, Rome, China, etc.etc. Metal jewelry art, Glass jewelry art, Fabric art, art, art, art. No paintings or large sculptures though. Totally unbelievable!
So far this year we have spent 6 days shopping. First the overview of the vendors. We have many that we have dealt with for years. Price and quality comparison. Then the purchases and carry, carry, carry. I am at least 2 inches shorter and 10 pounds lighter with legs of steel.
Now you may ask what does all this have to do with art? INSPIRATION !! Yes, Ladies and gentleman the mind is completely filled with all the wonderful colors, styles and endless possibilities. This little red doohickey will look so perfect with that other dark brass .... oh wait! look at that! what a color for a ....... my god! who ever would of thought those items would work.. The creative part of my brain goes into overdrive. All the old clutter is thrown out and a renewed feeling of "anything is possible and it will be GREAT!" is infused into my creative soul.
And then there is the entrepreneurial spirit. Big companies all over place but the mom and pop vendors are there in force. These people come here to sell and buy all sorts of unusual items. You get to see, meet and talk to these artists and vendors that are making it work. They are all a great bunch of people willing to take the time to talk about their love and how they make it work. This alone makes the long, long days worth it. The tricks of the trade are freely given. There is no class or book that can even begin to encompass the experience of what these people know.
Yes it has been a long week. I love going each year and maybe one year you will see us selling there. Stop by say hi. For now there's art to be done and we are preparing to start a store on ETSY. More on that latter. So much to do and so little time to ..... what the hell we will just do it all!
Stay motivated in what you love. Do not let anything stand in the way. After all, this is not a dress rehearsal. This "is" the time and you have it. Use It!