Still crazy after all these years

Men have called me mad, but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence--whether much that is glorious--whether all that is profound--does not spring from disease of thought--from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect. Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night - Edgar Allen Poe

When you are insane, you are busy being insane - all the time... When I was crazy, that's all I was. - Sylvia Plath

In 1992 Dr. Arnold M. Ludwig, a psychiatrist at the University of Kentucky Medical Center, published an extensive biographical survey of 1,005 famous 20th-century artists and writers, comparing their mental health with those of individuals in other, more conventional, professionals. Ludwig discovered that artists and writers experienced two to three times the rate of psychosis, suicide attempts, mood disorders, and substance abuse than did comparably successful people in business, science, and public life. Ludwig went so far as to trace various types of mental illness to different creative professions: he found that if you're a poet you're more likely to suffer from mania and psychoses; a musician or actor, drug abuse; a composer, artist, or non-fiction writer, alcohol dependence. In Ludwig's analysis, those professions which rely on precision, reason, and logic have a much lower rate of mental illness than those that rely on emotive expression, personal experience, and vivid imagery as a source of inspiration.

In other words, it could always be worse--you could be a poet.

Are suffering and art inevitably linked? Carl Jung praised the artist as the one who "makes it possible for us to find our way back to the deepest springs of life." If that sounds like a big responsibility, it is. Jung's artist, forced to carry "the unconscious psychic life of mankind," might find himself with "so heavy a burden that he is fated to sacrifice happiness and everything that makes life worth living for the ordinary human being."

Are artists crazier than other folks? Read on and find out.

Creativity and Mental Illness, by Laura Gosselink has done more research into the subject.

...although it is certainly not the case that all creative individuals suffer from manic depression, it seems that characteristics of mania and depression aid the development and expression of creative thought and action. Mania combines new and heretofore unconnected ideas at a rapid pace and has even been shown to elevate IQ scores(8). Mania also imbues the individual with relentless drive and confidence that can, very often, lead to creative output. Balancing mania, depression not only can serve as a "reality-check" to manic excesses of thought and action, but also can itself provide fuel for creativity.

What does this mean for treatment? "I want to keep those sufferings," said artist Edvard Munch. When told he could end his cycle of psychiatric hospitalizations with available treatment, he replied that emotional torments "are part of me and my art. They are indistinguishable from me, and it would destroy my art"...

An article from The Guardian linking art and sex.

From Lord Byron to Dylan Thomas and beyond, the famous philanderers of the art world may have had a touch of mental illness to thank for their behaviour, psychologists report today.

So before insanity claims me entirely, I'll add my art for today then pour alcohol on the demons within (well, the study DOES expect it of me, doesn't it?). Well these are drawings from a couple of days really, plus another addition for Crack Skull Bob's Selfportrait Marathon. I have updated the image of the duck in the bucket that I did a couple of days ago. The scan didn't turn out well and this version is a digital photograph taken in natural light.



Technorati tags: art, artists, creativity & mental illness, drawing, self portrait

Fathers

Father's Day is a non-event at my house these days, except in thought. My father has been dead for 16 years, my husband's for 10 years. My daughters telephoned to say Happy Father's Day to my husband even if he isn't their biological father. This makes him feel awkward and anxious to get off the phone, so he hands them over to me as soon as possible. He's not good at dealing with younger people and hasn't had a lot of interaction I guess so that makes him feel uncomfortable around them.

However, my father was a kind man and I was more attuned to him than my mother. Perhaps that is just the way with opposite sexes - mothers and sons; fathers and daughters. Together the sexes clash, opposites seem to have more 'give' to them or maybe they see some of their youth in their children or what they wished their youth was. We never were a demonstrative family in terms of affection. It was an unsaid given that we cared for each other, but words and actions to follow up were not something I ever remember. I did a portrait of my father years ago, shortly before he died - or I started one. I must dig it out and see if I can finish it. It would be a good tribute for Father's Day.

The geese allowed us to get close enough to get some photos of them and the new babies - now about a week old. Angelo, the father goose, struts around shouting and charging at everything that moves within 20 feet of the babies, while the mother goose, Lucy, just lets him get on with it with a resigned look on her face.

The broiler chicks are growing rapidly and in another 6 weeks or so will be ready for processing. I had a photo taken of me holding one of the chicks when it was a day old in my hands in the barn. I used this image as one in the Wet Canvas drawing event this weekend so decided it was about time that I did a drawing with it too. It was done with a Pigma Micron pen .005 nib.

Technorati Tags: fathers, goslings, geese, art, drawing, pen and ink, broiler chick, chicken

Life and death

This morning, there was a loud thud against the dining room window and out of the corner of my eye I saw a bird hit the window then fall. I went outside to see if it was ok and found this beautiful, tiny yellow-rumped warbler on the ground, conscious but not moving. I picked it up and placed it on my flat palm where it stayed blinking and panting, but still didn't move. I put it in the grass in the shade and kept my distance, doing some gardening,one eye watching it. Within 20 minutes it died. Unfortunate, but it provided me with an opportunity to sketch it. Such a tiny perfect bird.

On a farm, life and death are as natural as breathing. People who buy their meat from a supermarket or butcher are often oblivious to the origins of their food and would likely be rather squeamish to know. I used to be like that too, but now I have a healthy respect for both life and death.

I worked on 'duck in a bucket' to expand the sketch from yesterday. I decided to use some black Mi-Tientes pastel paper and dug out some old pastels that I have had for years to see what I could do with them. I forgot just how messy pastels can be, but the effect is lovely as I tried to capture the highlights on the duck against the darkness of the background.

Today 17 Chinese geese were moved from the barn to an enclosure on the edge of the woods. Boy, they are noisy! It was a beautiful warm sunny day and the first time they had been outside their pen in the barn since they were born, about 8 weeks ago. There was a lot of herding but they seem to have settled in now. Catching geese is not an easy proposition as they flap a lot and are quite strong. Not something I'd want to do every day.

Technorati tags: warbler, sketch, art
, duck, pastel, geese

Groundwork and lists

I rarely start what I call a 'proper' drawing without doing a preliminary sketch first. Now the sketch can be loose and have inaccuracies or it can be detailed and precise. I like to have some idea of how the final drawing will turn out and if I even like constructing it.

A drawing is like many things that are started and not completed just because they don't feel right.

Here is such a sketch of one of the Pekin ducks whose overexuberance got her into trouble - getting stuck in a bucket. I've had the reference for this image since last summer, but only nowo am getting around to considering it as a drawing or painting.

This weekend I am hosting the weekend drawing event at Wet Canvas so have provided a variety of images for people to choose and create art pieces. The duck in the bucket is one of them. Bear in mind that this is a rough sketch, and started more as a doodle on some lined paper. I'm trying to decide the medium for this piece. Perhaps black paper and pastel or derwent pencils.

I've also been working on more self portraits. I completed one yesterday and another today. Yesterdays was done in graphite and today's in Derwent Drawing Pencils. I love the look and feel of these but haven't had a lot of practice with them yet. They are fat pencils that blunt easily so I'm learning as I go. But I love the rich,natural tones of them and how smoothly they go onto the the paper.

Here's today's efforts.

Loretta at Pomegranatesandpaper has unique List Friday going. Today the theme is What's Missing? List six things that you have lost and never found - youth and virginity not allowed..:o)

Here are some of my losses.

1. A gold bracelet from a very dear friend. I felt like I was confessing a sin when I said it was missing.
2. Forty pounds sterling that my tiny daughter took out of my bag, 'played' with and couldn't remember where she put it.
3. $100 stolen from my car while I showed the girls their first blueberries on the bush in Newfoundland (do you see a trend happening here??)
4. Too many single earrings and socks to mention. In vain, I keep the twin in the hopes the other will magically appear one day.
5. Baby teeth. At least three that I swallowed inadvertently. I felt cheated at the time as I thought the Tooth Fairy would fly over me without a second thought. She still arrived anyway. :o)
6. Two cats, both within a week of each other. Guinness and Murphy, both named after stout beer. Wonderful five-toed cats that I owned for years. They were great hunters, bringing home anything from rabbits to crows. I think they were outsmarted by a fox.

Technorati Tags: drawing, art, sketch, derwent drawing pencils, duck, self portrait

Parenting skills

Being around animals a lot, I see many of the same behaviours in them, both good and bad, that mirror human parenting skills. Or do I just want to see them to try to understand their actions and find a common ground for comparison?

Technically, there is a base of instinctive emotion that over rides all else in most humans and animals. There will always be exceptions to the rule due to internal and external factors. The difference perhaps being in how animals abandon or kill the weak or injured while humans continue to preserve life no matter what the quality or danger to the individual.

My own parenting skills were at zero when my daughter was born. I knew nothing about babies, had never held one or even seen one close up for that matter. They may as well have handed me a puppy for all I knew about what to do with it. There was an instinctive nature to protect and care for, but it took quite awhile for love to develop. It was not a 'love at first sight' affair. I think I took her to baby clinics weekly just for confirmation that I was doing something right. I was young (22), I had no relatives and few friends nearby, having just moved to the area, and my husband left for work in Madagascar when she was a week old. I spent a lot of sleepless nights, not only to tend to a crying baby, but worrying about her and me.

But she did survive and turned out well as did her sister, despite unorthodox lifestyles and parenting skills that were hit or miss or led by Dr. Spock.

What has made me think of this is the birth of a baby making someone a grandmother (no, not me). The discussion was of the practical skills in raising a baby. To bath the infant daily or not; to put it to sleep on stomach or back; to have natural feeding times or schedule them (that's what really floored me...would you really wake a sleeping baby to feed it??) It seems the art of child raising goes in circles with myths and discoveries being passed around. Through it all children survive and thrive no matter how helpless we feel or what a terrible job we think we are doing.

Children are resiliant. So are parents. Just as well, huh?

My drawing over the last 24 hours has been simple line drawings of more animals, plus another self portrait (yep, I'm on a roll) Here are a couple of the drawings, one of the Muscovy ducks. They are so unique and strange looking. It makes you realize how they create these amazing science fiction characters. No imagination needed, just look around yourself at the interesting animals.

The second is a Belgian hare. A large, sturdy looking animal. Hares and rabbits are always appealing to me. Their softness yet they have a manevolent stare sometimes...

Technorati tags: parenting, child raising, drawing, animals, muscovy duck, belgian hare

Older is better sometimes

Its funny how I am pulled back to older things in life. Its not a premature reminiscence of days gone by I don't think, but more a feeling that things of the past are more substantial and real than what I am offered currently.

That applies to art too. Yes, there is some beautiful work being created daily but I only have to look at some of the master artists' work from the 15 or 16th century to realize just what talent they possessed and how they plied their trade in the face of much more adversity.

With that in mind, I would like to recreate a painting done some time ago. The Art Renewal Centre is a site that I browse frequently for inspiration. William Bouguereau is one of my favourite artists and the simplicity of figures in his work appeals to be greatly. The work that I have started of his is called La Soif - translated as The Thirst.

Here is the initial line drawing. Its 11 x 14 and I will try it in coloured pencil. Don't hold your breath for updates quite yet as time is a real challenge for me at this time of year.

Animals, greenhouse and life take precedence many times, but I will always make room for drawing, it soothes the soul and keeps me sane.

Another challenge is the self portrait marathon from Crackskull Bob's site. A self portrait a week between June 8 and July 8th. I have found self portraits to be revealing as you never really know anything or anyone until you try to recreate them on paper or canvas. Each self portrait that I've done looks different than the last. I tried my hand at yet another today and find that, yes, its another version of me. A new day, a new me. Interesting. Self portraits show the world who you are or who you think you are. They are a unique record of the passage of time. Here is today's version of me. And to prove a point about each drawing being diffent, here are a couple for comparison, all done within the last six months.

Technorati Tags: William Bouguereau, drawing, masters, art, self portrait

Books

I have had three people in the last week tell me that I should be writing a children's book around some of my animal drawings (and no, they weren't relatives). The concept is an interesting one, but I know little about where to start or how to start or even if I should start.

I have been a little inspired by an article in this month's Artist's Magazine in which Geordie Millar's large-scale drawings of a female moose chronicle the animal's imagined responses to the gallery viewers. The responses of geese to any viewer?? I have enough drawing inspiration residing in the barn to last for years. The initial image that sparked the book idea was my adventures with Blizzard, the orphan gosling. Since then there have been plenty more goslings and chicks and geese to choose from along with rabbits and moose and foxes and coyotes and bears...the list goes on.

Drawing them would be a pleasure for me as animals are my favourite thing to draw. Creating a storyline around that would be secondary. Perhaps the illustrations would spawn the storyline.

That being said and supposing I were to accomplish this, then there is the question of having something published and printed. Never a cheap proposition or an easy one. I had a browse online and discovered several 'do it yourself' versions that will print and bind books for reasonable prices if I wanted to see myself in print.

Lulu.com Lulu is the web's premier independent publishing marketplace for digital do-it-yourselfers. What is a lulu? Well it's not your grandmother's kitty, that's for sure. Ever hear the phrase "Boy, that's a real lulu"? Well, even if you haven't, we think of the word lulu as an old-fashioned term for a remarkable person, object or idea.

Or you can turn your blog into a book. Might be the perfect way to keep a record of your writing and images. Blogbinders is one that I came across.

I'll have to experiment with the book idea and see what evolves. And for tonight, a sketch of Kit, the remaining horse. She's big and goofy, but loveable and will mug you in a second if she thinks you have treats!

Technorati Tags: publishing, book, illustration, animals, drawing

Muses and imagination

While browsing through other blogs and comments I started thinking about muses and what they are and how they affect imagination and creativity. We often think of them as a person and in mythology they were - if you believe mythology...in ancient Greek mythology muses were any of 9 daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; protector of an art or science

Not having any mythical daughters of Zeus living at my house I turn to more mundane muses.

Books: I live for books and get lost in them almost as deeply as I can become immersed in drawing or painting. In my mind, I paint images while I read. Its another reason why I feel disappointed in most cases when I see the film version of a book, as it doesn't reflect MY images.
I recall an interesting task in creativity that involved books. Go to your bookshelf and with your eyes closed, pick a book. Still with eyes closed, open the book randomly and trace through the page, stopping your finger at any point. At that point, open your eyes and read the paragraph that your finger points to. The challenge is to illustrate that paragraph. The book can be anything from a cookbook to a novel, historic or fictional. If you happen to open to a page of graphics, simply choose again til you hit text. Its a great inspiration when you're stuck for drawing fodder or inspiration.

Animals: Animals never lose their appeal to me. They have endles behaviour patterns, shapes, sizes, colours and personalities. From simple sketches, to full blown portraits of great details, animals always inspire me to test my abilities. I have access to endless domestic and wild animals to observe, photograph and sketch. Each day brings a new animal and a new composition.

Solitude: I need to be alone to create. If someone is in the same room, looking over my shoulder I can't draw or write. I am social, but I hate company when I create. Its a necessity, not a luxury for me. I have created a studio in a spare room in the house and can lose all sense of time while there but people always come looking for me, wanting practical things done, like cooking supper or knowing where a sock is or did I have the last muffin (with just two people living in the house, why does anyone need to ask??)

Water: I need an expanse of water to sooth my soul and help me feel at peace. I am lucky that I live within minutes of the ocean, so I can take myself there when I need to hear the water lap or roar. Both extremes are equally soothing and inspiring. That, combined with the scent of salt air and the wind whipping my hair do something to make me feel alive and real. Some days I feel as if I am dead and puraly a figment of my imagination. Ocean waves help bring me back to life.

Music: But not always. My choice changes with my mood. One of my current favourites is Billie Holiday. What a Little Moonlight Can Do is perfect drawing music...then again any of her songs are.

People: I have had and do have supporters of my art in real life. It started many years ago with someone very special who nurtured my ability and ensured I was inspired and inspiring. Now that first muse is no longer there, but others replace him in varying degrees. Never quite the same and that's just as well, he was unique and made me unique under his shadow. Current muses are friends and acquaintances from varying backgrounds who nuture in different ways, but who all help me achieve what it is I want and sometimes even help me know what it is I want when I don't.

I had a drawing to post here, but Blogger doesn't want to cooperate - AGAIN! This is becoming a problem when every second day it won't post images. Its making me consider other options for hosting my blog that are more reliable.

Update: My apologies to Blogger. I think the upload problem was an issue with my browser Internet Explorer. I changed over to Firefox and its far quicker and uploaded my image this morning with no problem.

The drawing is one I did some time ago now. The dogs, desperate to want out. I can almost hear the whimpers and see them scratching under the gate.

Technorati tags: muse, sketch, imagination,

Happiness is....

While searching for some art magazines from years ago, I found a photo of myself taken when I was about 13, late 1960's - the official confirmation photo I believe. I remember my mother taking me to have the photo done at probably one of the few professional photographers in town.

I remember having myhair set the night before and having to sleep with rollers in which I thought the worst indignity. Then the dress. I still remember the stiff organdy material and the even scratchier petticoat underneath. It was a one off dress for a one off occasion and that's about all I do remember of it. A rite of passage for the Anglican church.

For fun I drew the image of that photo. Done in a Canson sketchbook 8.5 x 5.5, mechanical pencil of assorted leads, ranging from hb to 2b.

I look at myself in it and see part of the past, part of the future. Thirty-nine years have passed since that moment was captured. So much has happened in thirty-nine years. And I had barely an inkling at 13 of how any of it would turn out.

I spent the afternoon wandering through garden centres looking for scented leaf geraniums and variegated leaf geraniums. I found both and will put them in pots. I wish I'd taken my camera and my sketchbook with me as I wandered. The colours and people and greenhouses would have made great compositions and sketching sites. Next time.

How do you make ducks and geese happy for $9.93? You buy them a paddling pool.

There is a pond on the property but it faces onto the road and I am wary of having the birds there as people do have a tendancy to think the world is theirs for the taking and I don't want them to end up on someone's dinner table or worse. So its the paddling pool for them. Yesterday the Pekins dived into a wheelbarrow liner filled with water and expected the same today. So off to the store to find one - or two or three. The sales guy kept giving me odd looks as I bought three paddling pools. He must have thought I had a lot of kids!

Technorati Tags: drawing, confirmation, ducks, paddling pool

Compromise

The Wikipedia definition of compromise is this:

A compromise is an agreement (or proposed agreement) to accept a situation
in which the parties allow variations from what they originally sought, to
achieve a compatible outcome. Is also something that any involved parties have
to concede in something for the common better good to be achieved in an
appeasing manner.

Compromise is something that I seem to do all my life. I well understand that compromise needs to be acheived to get through life without war happening at every level, but to be honest, I'm pretty sick of it. Maybe its my age, but the side of me where my needs come first is becoming stronger and stronger lately. I don't believe that makes me a bad person, more like one who wants more out of life on a personal level. I want to be able to eat cornflakes in bed at 2am. To have martinis for supper. To go to bed at 6pm or 6am without question. To come and go as I want without being questioned. Is that selfish? Yes and no. Time to myself is precious and rare and becomes something that I crave which is likely what causes me to kick against the traces of compromise.

The mother goose brought her two goslings out into the yard yesterday to meet everyone. They were introduced to the other geese who crowded around like nosy relatives, admiring the offspring. Then the Muscovy ducks, B.D. and Buddy were shown the babies (at a distance). With their penchant for swallowing mice whole like slurping spagetti, I was wary of them around the goslings, but they kept their distance and Momma made sure they knew just where the line was they were to tow.

They next visited the horse in the field who ignored them entirely and probably didn't even see them, then it was off to the Embden geese to parade the tykes there. These little goslings sure do a lot of walking!

I did a sketch of the second pair of geese sitting under a tree trying to avoid babysitting duties this morning. Done in my Moleskine with pen and ink, graphitint and wash.

Opportunity

I took Friday off from work to do some things that I wanted to do instead of working around what others want. Guess what? It didn't work. I still ended up doing everything EXCEPT what I wanted to do.

Well, not entirely. I did manage to get in a few hours of sketching, starting at 6am when I woke and couldn't go back to sleep. Early mornings are good for me for drawing. I enjoy the silence of that time of day when the world is just waking up. Living in the country, the sounds of morning are natural, until humans get involved.

A friend visited yesterday, another artist who works in different ways than me and is in the learning phase - aren't we all? She had completed a drawing course that didn't give her what she wanted in terms of skills and 'tricks of the trade'. We talked for awhile and discussed opportunities to sell work and the concept of me starting a life class locally. There is nothing close by and the life class that exists is on weekdays so useless to me. I am considering the option of a small class for drawing from life. A simple clothed model and artists paying on a drop in basis, perhaps weekly for 2.5 or 3 hour sessions. On top of that the coordination of a sketchcrawl to explore various sections of St. John's or local areas. I will look into this and see what enthusiasm there is for these ideas. It seems if there isn't an opportunity, you have to create it for yourself.

Today I will try to recreate what was in my mind yesterday in terms of doing what I set out to do -some sketching in public. Wish me luck! For now, here is a sketch from yesterday morning - my computer bag sitting by the fireplace. The perspective of the slate floor horizontally is off and I have straightened it since. Its a sketch. They are never 100% what you want them to me, so I'm content. Completed on Strathmore sketchbook 5.5 8.5 with a Micron .005, derwent graphitint pencils and wash.

Technorati Tags: art, sketch, drawing, class, pen & ink, graphitint

Natural

We live in a crazed, speed-driven world, forcefed information through endless emails and phone calls and an overload of internet and television. We expect instant results in everything from food, availability of services or websites. We are bombarding our senses and I feel as if I'm on overload.

I long for a time when life is slower and I don't have to compromise my drawing or my life to acheive results for someone else. I want a natural life that lets my body dictate sleeping and waking. I want to feel the seasons on my skin, not be artificially controlled in an airless building. I want to taste foods that still have earth clinging to them and the force of nature still pulsing through them as I hold them in my hand. I want time to spend with people I care about without interruption of techology or other people. I want time to live my life as it is intended to be lived. I want it to be natural.

Today a little piece of nature presented itself in the barn. One of the Chinese geese has been sitting on eggs and they hatched. Three small goslings who shelter under her wing to seek protection and warmth. There is no interference from humans to handle them or show them how to eat, except to simply provide food and water. Instinctive behaviour, natural reaction. It is how life should be for all of us.

I am taking a day off work tomorrow to catch up with myself and do some things that I want. One is a search for a new book Art and Fear. This is a book about what it feels like to sit in your studio or classroom, at your wheel or keyboard, easel or camera, trying to do the work you need to do. It is about committing your future to your own hands, placing Free Will above predestination, choice above chance. It is about finding your own work.

An excerpt:

Today, more than it was however many years ago, art is hard because you have to keep after it so consistently. On so many different fronts. For so little external reward. Artists become veteran artists only by making peace not just with themselves, but with a huge range of issues. You have to find your work...

Finally, a sketch to end my day. I sat wondering what to draw then ended up with a 20 minute sketch of some shelves leading into the kitchen. The perspective isn't perfect, but neither am I. Note: Blogger doesn't want to upload my sketch so it will have to wait til tomorrow.

Technorati Tags: natural, gosling, sketch, art

Biker Bunny

Last night the rabbit I fondly call "Biker Bunny" came calling again. I call him that as he has a chunk missing from one ear, his turf wars perhaps. Anyway he turns up regularly but doesn't eat the flowers - yet. He stays still for ages eating or freezing in position if he hears something, making the perfect candidate for sketching.

Tonight I got my Derwent Graphitint pencils so I tried them on on the rabbit. They may take a little getting used to but I like the effect of them, even if they made the rabbit look a little bald at this point!

This took about 25 minutes and I finished up a few details after he'd scampered off.

I need to effectively render fur texture with this medium and am tempted to go over it with more pencil or touches of pen to indicate fur.

Blogger was down last night so I had to do without my 'fix'. It becomes a routine, writing here, writing to friends, but never a chore, always pure pleasure.

Technorati Tags: watercolor, graphitint, drawing, sketching, art, rabbit

Captured moments

A quick sketch allows me to capture a moment in time, similar to the way a camera does, but with a longer exposure time. Sketching more quickly provides training in putting down lines economically and removes hesitation, allowing me to become more relaxed in how I draw.

This is the barn waking up. The horse was cranky as the ducks were in her way. I couldn't figure out if she was going to bite them or set them up for a drop kick. Neither happened and they resolved that early morning tetchiness without coming to blows.

Technorati tags: sketching, moleskine, sketchbook, barn

Sketching

There is a new Drawing 102 class at Wet Canvas on sketching, led by Katherine Tyrell

I have admired Katherine's work for a long time and view her blog on a daily basis, gleaning information constantly. Katherine's blog is linked to mine on the right hand side of this page or through the link in this paragraph.

I will be reading the text of the sketching class and participating whenever I can during the next two weeks. Sketching comes more easily the more you practice and the skill of drawing under the scrutiny of the public grows also.

I did a couple of sketches tonight, but not live ones so they won't go into the new sketching class thread. These were more loosening up exercises, having been out of the loop for a few days due to work demands.

Animals and people always appeal to me, so are my first choice in drawings.


Technorati Tags: sketching, molelskine, art

Solitude

I've spent the last 5 days in a whirlwind of activity related to work. It has been brutal at times in terms of workload and time consumed. It has eaten away at any semblance of private life and removed 99% of my drawing time and a similar amount of my time to write this blog.

I am a solitary person by nature and enjoy time to myself to think and draw and refocus my thoughts about life and work and people. The constant pace and unceasing numbers of people around me, demanding my attention, really wear me down. By yesterday, I could feel my mind and body reacting in a non positive way to the stress of constant demands. I found my ability to concentrate on people or conversations diminishing, along with my patience.

It didn't help that the weather has been miserable for a week and the one bright sunny day was the one that I was in 12 hour meetings so saw the sun only through a window and felt it briefly on my skin in a lunchtime quest for fresh air. Today, its the same dull grey sky. I can really see how being deprived of light depresses the mind and creates weight to the body. It will have to change eventually, just soon I hope!

I have dropped my friend at the airport at 6am this morning (it seems as if every day has started at 5am for the last week) and have come to work to make a start on the work coming out of these last few days while its quiet. I'll go home early and try to catch up on some drawing, some sleep and some solitude.


Technorati tags: solitude, art, drawing,

Pricing your work

This is a pen and ink stipple drawing that I started months ago but didn't get around to completing. Several people have seen it and were interested in it, asking what I would charge for it. I really don't know. I have ball park figures for art, and use a sort of size/medium formula, working on a per square inch in most instances. However, I always wonder if that is the correct way, if I'm charging enough or too much

What to charge for art is a constant question for many artists. You don't want to undersell yourself, but you also need to ensure that you don't price yourself out of the local market that you are targeting.

From The Painter's Keys a 'Ten Commandments of Pricing' caused a lot of discussion.

Artists young and old--particularly those who have the intention of staying in the game--ought to strategize for the big picture and honour their strategy with Biblical tenacity. Here are the Ten Commandments of art pricing:

Thou shalt start out cheap.
Thou shalt publish thy prices.
Thou shalt raise thy prices regularly and a little.
Thou shalt not lower thy prices.
Thou shalt not have one price for Sam and another for Joe.
Thou shalt not price by talent or time taken, but by size.
Thou shalt not easily discount thy prices.
Thou shalt lay control on thy agents and dealers.
Thou shalt deal with those who will honour thee.
Thou shalt end up expensive.

I did a little research and found a couple of links that are a good jumping off place for further reading and thinking.

From Self Representing Artists, another view on pricing.

Alan Bamburger's article on Pricing Art Realistically

There are as many articles and discussion on pricing as there are pieces of art.

Technorati Tags: pricing your art, drawing

Meetings

A while back I tried my hand at a miniature drawing. So many people were talking about ACEOs (art cards, editions and originals)that I thought I'd see if I could work on this scale and produce something recognizable. Here it is.

These days are filled with meetings, but never the ones that I want with the people that I want to meet. Instead I am confined to rooms discussing programming and marketing and processes and policy - all things that have their uses but my mind would rather float into the past or future of my memories or imagination.

A colleague is in town from Ottawa and is staying at my house. We get along well, almost too well at times, so work isn't the chore that it could be. We connect on a different level, that is rare, but when it does happen, it is to be treasured, either in life or work. The next few days will be a whirlwind of meetings and activity until Monday takes her away again and brings back a semblance of normality to life once more.

Blogger has been difficult the last couple of days and won't load images, so tonight's may have to wait for another time. However, I will try. There have been similar problems with Blogger in the past and it becomes frustrating when you're trying to update regularly. Perhaps its time to consider Plan 'B' - a back up blog site in case this one decides to take a nosedive.

Also, the ocnsideration of archiving all those posts, photos and drawings. I haven't really considered it til now. What do I do with them? I write as the mood takes me and I don't save copies so I am trusting the ether to ensure that my words are always there and available. I should not be so naieve and back them up I believe.

Technorati tags: meetings, friends, backup

Moving day

This week has been a time for geese to change over from winter to summer housing. First to go are the Embden geese. They've been moved to an enclosure in the old paddock and I watched them almost smile as they felt sun on their heads and soft grass at their feet. They soon discovered that if you pressed hard enough, you could squeeze through the livestock fencing - and squeeze back in again. Animals always teach me something. This time, to buy more chicken wire. I left them chuckling to themselves and preening. Now at dusk will be the challenge to see if they will go into their new goose pen for the night. Geese are usually big enough and ferocious enough to ward off predators, but there are some predators that are a challenge such as mink or coyotes that have killed birds in the past. So into their little house they'll go - with coaxing if necessary!

The Chinese brown geese sauntered past the Embden's pen, taunting them and exposing their own freedom. Little do they know that they'll be enclosed soon too. At last, no more battles with me pretending to be a large goose challenging their initial charges. Adult geese really can be horrible...lovely to look at, but horrible.

Lady, the quarter horse, has passed her probation at the riding stable with flying colours and will be purchased by the stable. She fitted in so well that she won first place in an event at the horse trials this past weekend. Lady responds so well to young people and not so well to adult males so she's in her element with little girls flocking around her, pampering her at every turn. The Princess has found a good place to live. Here she is, on mowing duty, in the front garden.

Now Kit remains. There is someone interested in her, or was. He'll be contacted and we'll see if that pans out. If not, she'll stay where she is and we'll find a companion animal for her, as horses really do need company.

Technorati Tags: animals, geese, horses, drawing, sketch

Grow your own pharmacy

I thought I'd share a little of how I became a herbalist and also a little knowledge of some simple herbs that are often overlooked as simply 'weeds'. The article is one I wrote several years ago for an Atlantic gardening magazine. I found the piece the other day and it brought back memories. Click on the image to enlarge it for reading.

Its quite likely that most people are doing this already without even knowing it. Even if you don't have a single plant growing in your garden, its pretty likely that you have a dandelion or two growing in your lawn. Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are the much maligned plant of gardens and people are hell bent on destroying them. Yes they multiply like rabbits at a puff of wind, but there are also many things about dandelions that should make you think twice before digging it up, poisoning it or chopping it to pieces with the lawnmower.

Dandelion root and leaf are extremely bitter and are effective in promoting liver function. Dandelion tincture or a salad with young dandelion leaves increase bile production, which in turn, assists with the digestive processing of fat.

If there was one herb that I could choose to take on a journey to the far flung planet of X, it would be dandelion. Its versatility and healing powers make it the king of medicinal and culinary herbs.

Plantain, that broad-leafed plant found in wasteland, fields and lawns, is the layman's antidote to insect stings. The leaves, when crushed or bruised and placed on the sting, will relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Plantain is also great for disinfecting and cleaning minor cuts and scrapes.

Chickweed grows rapidly, winding its way round plants in flowerbed and vegetable gardens. We pull it out by the handful and toss it on the compost heap. But chickweed is an extremely valuable plant. An infusion of chickweed will assist with bronchial coughs and acts as an effective skin wash for eczema and other skin disorders.

The flower bed provides another source of plant medicine. Calendula, that beautiful orange or yellow member of the marigold family is a disinfectant and wound healer. It can treat common cuts and scrapes, athlete's foot and ringworm with antibacterial and antifungal properties. Thyme is a strong antiseptic and expectorant and can help clear a congestive cough. One teaspoon of thyme in a cup of boiling water, drunk two or three times a day while you are sick or it can be used as part of a steam inhalant mix to help reduce congestion.

A good starter kit for herbal home remedies includes many common plants found in your own garden or easily obtained form a nursery or herbalist. Safe use of home remedies is assured by using only herbs that are recommended and never collecting or growing your own herbs unless you are certain of their identification. Always stick to recommended doses. Self-diagnosis and medication can be safe if simple rules are followed. More than 90 percent of all illnesses taken to doctors are simple conditions that can be treated at home - just look at the 'over the counter' drugs available at your local pharmacy to treat nearly any symptom you can present. Coughs, colds, indigestion, muscular aches and pains, headache, insomnia, insect bites, eczema and so on. All these can be treated with herbs.

Technorati tags: herbalist, medicinal herbs, dandelion, gardens

Ramblings and rabbits

I've had a very busy day at work with issues coming at me from all sides and never enough of me to go around. So tonight I'm a bit brain tired and there seems little energy left in me to write espressively. I drew a little throughout moments in my day as I find it relaxing. A little early morning with my coffee, a few minutes around lunchtime and tonight during a quiet moment. Then I tune out the television set that seems to be always in the background and lose myself in the world of pencil strokes.

I couldn't resist drawing the little (well rather large actually) rabbit that visited the garden yesterday. I'm still tinkering with rendering fur effectively. I envy those who can produce the soft likeness of fur through pencil, pen or paint. It is something I strive for. I do it in part, having more of an overall feeling of fur than a detailed view of each hair that makes up the coat. I think this is why I prefere drawing shorthaired animals.

From Chad Everett's Don't Back Down blog I found the following snippet of information:

"Stumbled across this link somewhere. It uses the Technorati API, and calculates the value of your blog, based on the value of links, according to the AOL purchase of Weblogs, Inc. in October of 2005."

Not able to resist pushing a button, I had to find out. Your blog, illustratedlife.blogspot.com, is worth $18,629.82, according to the script.

Offers anyone??

Technorati tags: art, drawing, graphite, moleskine, rabbit

Landscapes

Today I explored the boundaries of another 8 acres of land that was just purchased - bringing the total amount of land to 15.5 acres. I walked the periphery initally then found a cut line through the woods that was used to mark the boundary by the surveyor.

I had brought my camera with me and found some interesting fodder for drawing. Part of the land borders on bog so the trees in that area are shallow rooted and many dying. Its a natural part of life in the forest and always leaves remarkable landscapes in its wake. This old stump was covered with moss and lichen and fungi and the colours were just amazing, also the texture.

Fallen trees blocked the way and make walking very difficult (how do moose move so swiftly through even denser wooded areas??). I love their textures and forms and on a warmer day I will be back to capture some of these elements in my sketchbook.

Back at the house, I glanced out of the dining room window and there on the edge of the garden was a wild rabbit. I have a love/hate relationship with rabbits. They are beautiful creatures, but very destructive in the garden and greenhouse, eating bark off tress in winter and destroying young crops in the garden. I still couldn't resist a few photos of this one who sat stock still as if posing for me, probably he caught my movement and froze on the spot.

Technorati Tags: landscape, trees, rabbits

Chicks

Today 290 day old chicks arrived. One hundred and twenty are staying here, the rest were ordered in for other local people who raise their own chickens. These are broiler chicks that grow rapidly and are ready for processing at anywhere from 6 - 8 weeks, depending on how big the final chicken is wanted. I like a chicken to be a decent size. Unfortunately these days, the fast food industry (read Fast Food Nation for a realy eye opener)dictates the size of commercial chickens which is why you don't see many large roasting chickens in the stores.

The chickens that we raise dress out at between 7 - 9 pounds. An experiment last year to try to raise some of these broilers ourselves led to really large birds. Because they are genetically bred to grow quickly, their cardiovascular systems are strained and they often die suddenly with heart attacks.

We tried keeping the adult birds for breeding. Two roosters and a dozen hens. The roosters seemed to fare well but the hens got stressed easily and didn't move around well, preferring to sit most of the day. They also died frequently til we were left with just 6 hens and the rooster. It was decided that they would go to the processer with the other regular broilers that we were sending. They were about 24 weeks old then. The roosters came back from the processor weighing 16 pounds each! They were like turkeys!!

I am still a wuss when it comes to parting company with the chickens. I go into their pens and say goodbye to them. The knowledge that they have lived a good life in clean, dry surroundings, with natural light, freedom of movement, activity, good food and clean water means that they have lived for a purpose. Initially I couldn't eat my own chickens, but now I've come to terms with the fact that they are what they are and serve a purpose.

I have worked more on the sketch started last night of Blizzard, the gosling, and myself in his favourite spot. He's a little too large to fit in there now even if he wanted to! The memories of it make me smile.

Technorati tags: drawing, moleskine, chicks, fast food industry

Geese

In February this year, I became surrogate mother to a gosling who was named Blizzard as he/she hatched out in the midst of a severe blizzard. Unfortunately none of Blizzard's eggmates hatched, making him an orphan. What else could I do but adopt the little creature. I did learn the following from being a goose mother:

1. Geese don't make good indoor pets
2. Geese imprint strongly on their caregiver
3. Geese LOVE water baths in front of the fireplace
4. Geese love to snuggle.
5. Geese need paper towel diapers before they snuggle.
6. Geese are as demanding as a two year old.
7. Geese are very lovable as babies - not quite so when they grow up and assert themselves.

.I was looking through some photos of Blizzard and me tonight and decided to do a drawing of his favourite spot - snuggled under my fleece. He's go in there, snuggle down and go to sleep. Heat and dark does wonders for babies. This sketch is the start of a drawing

Blizzard, by the way, is now living with some friends and ducks and is thriving. He/she is a brown Chinese goose.


Technorati tags: geese, sketch, moleskine, Chinese goose

Fear and love

Fear and Love are two of the most basic and powerful human emotions. As they spread from person to person, they can inspire such extremes of behaviour as killing one another or dying for one another. Considering that the fundamental importance of love is so widely agreed upon, it is remarkable how many of us seem dedicated to promoting its opposite: fear.

"There is no fear in love: true love has no room for fear."

Fear is a natural response to danger that quickens the mind's efforts to anticipate and avoid potential peril or problems. However, stemming from the irrational part of the mind, it knows no logic and sometimes gets unhinged from its target. People whose lives have been filled with fear often continue to be afraid long after the potential danger has been removed, making up their own, irrational, reasons. Chronic fear is a debilitating state of mind that weakens body and soul, associated with heart conditions, nervous disorders, stress, depression and paranoia. This is especially dangerous when it affects the powerful, since it impacts the decision-making capabilities and distances people from the real consequences of their actions. Even worse, the natural result of fear is to act selfishly without regard for the wellbeing of others.

Love has many shades of meaning, but it is well understood as a selfless devotion to someone - a determination to do them right and to encourage and care for them. By focusing our attention away from dead matter such as money or material goods, onto the living beings on whom it rightly resides, love helps us to rediscover our humanity. Taking joy in relationships with others is a positive alternative to escapism, and it helps us overlook their failings, inspiring them to love us in return.

Art contains both love and fear in varying degrees and each artist feels both in creating and exposing her work to the eyes of others. Showing the creation from within lays heart and soul on the line and opens the artist to fear while they hope for love. The sketch here is even more so. A self portrait sketch that may or may not evolve into a drawing. The proportion isn't right, but the pose is interesting.

Technorati tags: art, moleskine, sketch, self portrait, love, fear

Adjustments

About 18 months ago, I bought a horse - Kit. A big bay mare. A few months later another mare arrived to keep Kit company. Lady is a sorrel quarter horse. Horses are a lot of work, enjoyable, but time consuming and I am rarely at home. My husband isn't physically able to look after the horses effectively anymore so they are in the process of being sold.

Lady is on a two week probation with a local riding school. The owner is well versed in horses and Lady responded to her extremely well. This is the 2nd week of her trial, so I hope it works out for all of us.

That of course means Kit is on her own right now. She's adapted quite well to the single life again, but does have moments of crankiness and pacing. I'm sure she misses the equine company. I try to spend time with her and amuse her but I'm not quite the same as the four legged variety - unless I'm carrying goodies of course!

The problem is that I can't let Kit go until I'm sure Lady has a home. Lady is an alpha mare and was taken away from her foal abruptly. When she came to us, she adopted Kit as the substitute 'foal' and is not a happy camper AT ALL if Kit is out of sight. Kit on the other hand, doesn't give toss where Lady is most of the time. So I don't want to be in the situation where Lady comes back on her own. I think she would be a real handful then.

It will be odd not to have them around, but sometimes life does that to you and you have to accept it. As long as I know they have very good homes to go to, I will be content. I am as strict with potential buyers as if I were sending a child there and if I get even a hint of hesitation or the wrong answer about their stabling, feeding or treatment, then the person hasn't a chance in hell of getting the horse. I think I have a good intuitive sense of people and can see how they interact with the animals and the animals with them so I make my judgement from there.

Meanwhile, I'm working on a portrait of my eldest daughter. I'm deciding on composition right now and poses so have done a few sketches to see what works adn what doesn't. Here is a sample. Hopefully this weekend I'll made the final decision and start the portrait in earnest.



Technorati Tags: horses, farm, portrait, drawing, sketch

Farm life

I wandered onto a farm blog this weekend and found it enchanting. Farmgirl Fare. Its not art related, but food related in origins. It gives a wonderful image of life on a working farm. I've found very few farm blogs but that's not surprising as full time farming demands long hours and leaves little time for sitting and writing.

My own farm is a small version hobby farm that ebbs and flows with animals, produce and ability from season to season. It was originally purchased to expand my growing (pardon the pun) medicinal herb collection. I trained as a Chartered Herbalist in late 1999 and obtained my diploma in January 2001 after a lot of studying. It was a challenge in later life to take on a course, especially while working. Each night was spent immersed in human anatomy, chanting the workings of the hepatic portal system or memorizing Latin names of herbs, their uses, and herbal formulas. The work paid off and I got 91 on the final exam. Not bad for an old person, as my daughter teased me.

I have about 60 varieties of medicinal and culinary herbs growing at the moment and finally have a small dryer that will help the process once harvesting is complete. This is elecampane which I grow from seed. It is a perennial and grows well in Newfoundland's climate. I use the root of this plant as the basis of a cough medicine. Another ingredient is mullein. This plant is biennial and can grow to 6 feet tall or more. The flowers and leaves are useful in coughs and make a great pain reliever in ear ache.

Technorati Tags: farm, herbalist, medicinal herbs

Victoria Day

Its a holiday Monday in Canada celebrating Victoria Day. Whoever's birthday it is, I'll take the time off happily.

I have concentrated much of my efforts on drawing today losing track of time and what is going on around me. I looked up just now and realized it was 2:30 and I had been drawing since 8am.

Here are the fruits of my work. Not Queen Victoria, but I think the girl, Jen, has a similarity in some ways.



Technorati Tags: Moleskine, drawing, sketch, Victoria Day