Illustration Friday - Spring

What better harbinger of spring but a baby goose. This is a Chinese brown goose, one of 15 hatched two days ago.

Catching up

Travel and work and life have taken over most of the past week and I haven't had much time to devote to drawing or writing here. I did a little perspective practice while waiting in airports and hotel rooms, but it still doesn't inspire me too much. I really need that block of uninterrupted time to concentrate on it and do justice to the subject.

Here's part of a quick sketch done at Halifax airport while waiting for a delayed flight.

Then on to a hotel room view leading to the entrance. Will this perspective ever be useful to me?? Yes, likely so, but not being a landscape or architectural artist, it may be limited in practice.

Getting it in perspective

I'm doing a class in intermediate perspective. Now this is something that doesn't come easily to me as it involves careful measurement and technical knowledge. I prefer free flowing thoughts and marks. Robin, the instructor, has the patience of Job and the verbal skills to pass on her knowledge in a way that makes it easier to understand. However, I still don't know if I will 'get it'. Practice and time perhaps. Back to vanishing points, eye levels, horizon lines, etc., etc., etc.

I can see now why I prefer drawing people and animals to landscapes or street scenes. However, its good to be pushed outside my comfort zone at times. Its a learning experience.

While my brain is being tested in one area, I go back to comfort in drawing a dog for a friend. This is Bonnie, a bluetick beagle. Its a work in progress and should be complete by the end of the week.

Home remedy

This image was painted years ago from a memory of a Guy Fawkes night bonfire party that I had taken the children to when they were quite young. I still recall the sights, sounds, smells and tastes from that night. The girls likely do too.

This image also serves as a reminder of the ideas that art creates. They are bright and sparkle, they have heat and light and take shape quickly, and remain in our memory, just as the flames and fireworks do.

Reading Robert Genn's twice weekly letters provided some food for thought. Here is an exerpt. You can find the full letter here
http://www.painterskeys.com

Joe knows my interest in the neurology of art. He told me that while Dr. Sacks blurred science and art, he thought that his studies of isolated peoples had shed light on the actions of the creative mind. Current Art Therapy practice has certainly been affected by his writings--and his ideas have implications for active artists. Joe said that there was stuff going on around our studios that could be just what the doctor ordered.

We came up with a few:

Focusing the mind on a higher purpose.
Exercising skills for sensitivity and understanding.
Employing idiosyncrasies and weaknesses for enrichment.
Blurring the area between reality and imagination.
Enduring monotony as the keys to freedom and action.
Yielding to and articulating the condition of isolation.
Making a contribution to the greater community.
Satisfying the inborn need for creation itself.
Attaching oneself to the miracles of nature.
Building of self-esteem by consecutive jobs well done.
Exploiting the richness of the childlike dreaming world.
Activating the mind to delay potential dementia.
Exercising the body through thought-gathering travel.
Making and sustaining friendships with interesting people.
Exercising the brain with bicameral interaction.
Building purpose-filled activity for joy of achievement.
Enhancing life through praise and appreciation.
Feeling of well-being derived from taking control.
Pacing work periods to suit individual capacity.
Seeking perfection in an imperfect world.