Art stamps

In March 2007, Canada Post will issue two new stamps showing the art of Mary Pratt. Jelly Shelf, shown here is one of my favourites of hers. I love how the light shines through the glass and is reflected on the shelf. I visited Mary's exhibition Simple Bliss at the Rooms before Christmas and saw this image there. Her ability to create works of art from everyday things is amazing. From cakes under glass to basting a roasting turkey, the reality and colour of each piece is exquisite.

The second stamp will be both local and international and will feature an iceberg. I listened to an interview with Mary Pratt on CBC this morning talking about these paintings being turned into stamps and how the paintings were produced. She is so down to earth about it all and gives the impression that it isn't a big deal, in fact, quite the opposite. Its refreshing to find an artist whose career is established, accepting that art is art, and not a pretentious object to be revered, analyzed and solemnized.

More white

Its amazing what a snowstorm does for creativity. I spent more time yesterday working on the white dog, refining hair and trying to achieve that hairy, yet soft and appealing look. I can see that this drawing is going to take some time to get it where I want it to be. I'm a little worried about it becoming too dark, after all, it is a white dog. The animal has that 'I've done something wrong and I'm in big trouble' look on its face.

I used to have a West Highland Terrier many years ago. She was so full of energy it took all mine to keep up with her and keep her out of trouble. She was fearless, attacking any other dog that moved, true terrier style. I remember prising her jaws off the neck of a large German Shepard who she took a dislike to while I let her run off her energy in the corn field near my house. The GS dog was pretty unperturbed by this little hairy creature attached to its throat. Luckily no one got hurt - especially me.

In that field there was a badger sett still being used by a family of badgers. Badgers are fairly large animals and low slung with fierce jaws and claws. The sett was deep in the ground and had been there for many many years. Misty would occasionally head for the set when I let her off the lead and I remember lying flat on my stomach, arm down the badger hole dragging this dog, who was muttering under her breath out into the air again so I could clip her on. I lived in fear that my arm would become badger food one day and I so hated it if she tried to go down into the sett, so she was usually kept on her lead in that field.

Testing

I'm testing myself with a new dog portrait today.

Its a West Highland Terrier and they are so very hairy to draw. I've been inspired by Mike Sibley's book Drawing from Line to Life which I just received and want to make myself tackle more complex pieces. I've always shied away from long haired dogs and have found that it's a perceived notion of difficulty for the most part. Once I break the piece down into manageable sections, it doesn't become quite so horrific. So I'm drawing hair. White hair. I do like to test myself, don't I?

Meanwhile outside, another mini storm is hitting with horizontal snow falling. (Does it actually fall if its horizontal? More like pile up in a corner. ) Wind and snow go together here it seems. I rarely see it snow where the flakes fall straight down. We don't have fairytale snow here very often.

So I'm going to sit by the fire and draw white hair, drink coffee, eat cinnamon rolls while a home grown chicken roasts for supper. Winter demands comfort in whatever form it comes.

Waiting

I wandered into the All Media Event in WetCanvas today and found a group of images from Bejing, China which were there for individuals to draw. This gentleman looked so elegant that I had to draw him. It was done in a Strathmore sketchbook 9 x 12 with graphite and pastel pencil and took about an hour to complete.

The man is from one of the minority groups in China. His photo was taken in Xian, a southeastern city in China. He is Chinese but from a group that practices the Muslim tradition.

I have been so busy lately that I haven't had a lot of time to draw anything, so I'm taking this weekend to indulge myself and make sure I get back to speed on some projects. I'm also waiting for news on the impending birth of a new grandchild, sometime soon I hope! Each phone call makes me jump and want to see who it is. It will arrive when it is ready I'm sure. I just hope I am too!

Illustrated journals

There is something curious and fascinating about drawings enclosed with text. Its like a peek into someone's private life and I guess it is in many ways. Illustrated journals have always been around for a long time but are more in the forefront now since the reintroduction of Moleskine sketchbooks. Danny Gregory's lavish books and website feed ideas and generate more interest in creative journaling. Aleta Karstad has created some simply exquisite naturalist journals.

I want to challenge myself to create an illustrated journal for a month to start with and see if I can keep up the momentum. It will include aspects of life in writing and drawing. Nothing will be torn out or censored. Nothing will be erased or corrected. It will be truly illustrated life.

What if?

What if it truly doesn't matter what you do but how you do whatever you do?

How would this change what you choose to do with your life?

What if you could be more present and openhearted with each person you met if you were working as a cashier in a corner store, or as a parking lot attendant, than you could if you were doing a job you think is more important?

How would this change how you want to spend your precious time on this earth?

What if your contribution to the world and the fulfillment of your own happiness is not dependent upon discovering a better method of prayer or technique of meditation, not dependent upon reading the right book or attending the right seminar, but upon really seeing and deeply appreciating yourself and the world as they are right now?

How would this affect your search for spiritual development?

What if there is no need to change, no need to try to transform yourself into someone who is more compassionate, more present, more loving or wise?

How would this affect all the places in your life where you are endlessly trying to be better?

What if the task is simply to unfold, to become who you already are in your essential nature - gentle, compassionate, and capable of living fully and passionately present?

How would this affect how you feel when you wake up in the morning?

What if who you essentially are right now is all that you are ever going to be?

How would this affect how you feel about your future?

What if the essence of who you are and always have been is enough?

How would this affect how you see and feel about your past?

What if the question is not why am I so infrequently the person I really want to be, but why do I so infrequently want to be the person I really am?

How would this change what you think you have to learn?

What if becoming who and what we truly are happens not through striving and trying but by recognizing and receiving the people and places and practices that offer us the warmth of encouragement we need to unfold?

How would this shape the choices you make about how to spend today?

What if you knew that the impulse to move in a way that creates beauty in the world will arise from deep within and guide you every time you simply pay attention and wait?

How would this shape your stillness, your movement, your willingness to follow this impulse, to just let go and dance?

Source: Sense of Self

Drawing opportunities

I will be flying to Calgary in a couple of weeks to spend time with my daughters and a new baby that I'm expecting to make an appearance into the world any day now. That in itself is a drawing extravaganza. A new environment, people, some of them new and a city to explore too. I really do hope to spend some time drawing. I say that when I go away and end up getting caught up in schedules and work and seeing new places and drawing goes out the window a bit.

I do need some quiet time to be able to draw well. Yes I can do it on a crowded plane or airport, but there I can be more or less anonymous, interrupted occasionally by someone passing by who stops to see what I'm doing. But when with many other people around its difficult to get that time alone to draw.

I'm also planning a short side trip to Southern California to see some friends, find a few art supplies that I can't get in Canada and to fit in some drawing too. I haven't been in the US for many years and can't say I relish the thought of the travelling part of it. I'm not a great traveller. I do it, but can't say I truly enjoy it and delays and plane changes seem inevitable with rerouting and flight amalgamations happening constantly.

But the change of scene will be wonderful and hopefully a few days to relax before heading back to Calgary for the weekend, then home again. I will be travelling light, leaving room for goodies... So now I'm searching out good art supply stores, drawing and art opportunities in the Irvine/Anaheim/Laguna Beach area. Suggestions are more than welcome.

Winter's summer

Its bitterly cold today - at least to me. -15C with a wind chill of -27. Even with the fire blazing, I'm still chillly and have to keep getting cups of coffee to warm me. The snow that is down is blowing around and it looks distinctly winter like out there.

So I'm immersing myself in summer again. This time in the form of a shrimp shell. Not particularly a souvenir of summer but the colours are warm and soft and summer like. This was done in Derwent Graphitint pencils and Faber Castell water colour pencils, both dry on a small sketchbook.


I'm also rearranging my medicinal herbs. I keep a variety of herbs that I have grown, harvested and dried, rather like an emergency natural first aid kit that treats everything from coughs and colds to digestive disorders and aches and pains. A number of years ago I took a Chartered Herbalist course that I found very interesting and firmly believe that a large number of ills that are present these days can be treated effectively and much more cheaply by herbs than the current concoctions of over the counter drugs.

I make tinctures and salves, hand creams and teas. Its another part of the creative cycle as well as art in its own right. There is something satisfying about being able to produce and use something beneficial that once was no more than a tiny seed in my hand.

The photo above is of sweet cicely. This herb has a lovely aniseed like smell and sweet taste. Unfortunately, in the right environment it becomes a bit invasive. But it is a beautiful plant with soft leaves and that wonderful scent. The seed heads can be used fresh in salads or dried and ground like nutmeg. The leaves and seeds also make good wood polish. Its quite hardy. It has to be to grow here! But the seeds do need to overwinter out doors or in the cold of a fridge or freezer for them to successfully germinate in the spring.

Savage Creek

And so, as one smart bear once said..."If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you." - Winnie the Pooh.

This small cove exists in Outer Cove, about a 10 minute drive from my house. I drew this from life in the pouring rain, ducking into the car for shelter when it became too harsh to bear. Sea, rocks and sparse vegetation clinging to existence always interest me. Its the harshness of the landscape or the ancient feel which calls me. Savage Creek is a good name for it, even if the creek running to the sea wasn't too wild on this day and was spotted with wild ducks enjoying the rain.

Experimentation

Quite my accident I think I found a source of mylar or something similar. I was in a hardware store and walked down an aisle that had all the stuff for making scrapbooks - I am in the process of making a little book for the newest addition to be in the family. Among the hundreds of squares of fancy paper a translucent series of sheets caught my eye. I bought 4 or 5 sheets from white and neutral to pastel pink and blue, with the thought of using them as an overlay for some of the book.

When I got them home I looked at them more closely and thought that the surface might be good for coloured pencil so last night I tried it using a reference picture of me and it seems to work more or less as I've heard it described for Mylar. I can't get mylar locally - well I did get something that I believe was it but it is stiffer and used more for quilting templates. But this is finer and probably more a cross between parchment and rougher wax paper.

The scanned result doesn't do it justice as it looks much better in real life and changes again with a different coloured sheet behind it as a ground. This version has a plain white sheet behind it. The sketch took about 40 minutes using Prismacolor pencils. If it is mylar or similar, I rather like it and now that I have found a source, I can experiment without worrying where the next sheet will come from.

Head in the clouds

I've been playing with clouds and skies in a landscape class by Diane Wright. Landscapes have always been something I've tackled reluctantly but like most things, once you break it down into smaller, more manageable sections, it become doable.

This working drawing was done on Strathmore Windpower Drawing paper that, at least for this technique, didn't please me much. There was too much tooth on the paper to allow me to blend smoothly. As a result the sky and clouds have a grainy look that I'm not happy with.

I'm having a problem getting a reasonable image of this drawing as well, either with the scanner or through a digital photo. Seems the lack of light is against me day or night lately. I was even at the point of considering buying a new camera to see if that helps with the problem, then sanity returned, albeit briefly.

I'll let my head stay in the clouds a few days longer. Its often a nicer place to be than reality.

Random acts of kindness

I'm always amazed when someone goes out of their way to do something nice for me. We have become so desensitized to other people these days, we try to shut ourselves off from the world and concentrate on ourselves.

I talked about Colorfix paper in a thread in an art forum and a friend who I have met through that forum is sending me a piece to try. I can't access this paper in Canada (that I know of) so would have to mailorder from the USA. But before investing dollars in the paper, I'd like to try a piece first. This random act of kindness is truly appreciated. She didn't have to go out of her way to do this for a virtual stranger, but she did and I will wait for it to arrive impatiently and plan what I will draw on it with coloured pencil.

Today is my youngest daughter's birthday. This sketch was done when she was about two from a tiny reference image. It was an image that was taken at a preschool group that she attended. They had a photographer, perhaps the school photographer on loan, and young madam obviously did NOT want to participate. This expression was the result. It speaks volumes.

Winter

I truly dislike winter.

I hate being cold. I hate low light levels. I hate snow. I hate seeming to live in constant artificial light both at work and at home. I dislike driving in snow and ice and having to scrape it off my car, both in the morning and sometimes when I come out from work again in the evening. I dislike wearing heavy winter coats and scarves and mittens and boots.

So I've immersed myself in summer, at least visually. This road goes off into the woods from the bottom of my driveway. It is a rough road leading far into the country, branching off to Three Island Pond, Moon Pond and Half Moon Pond as well as some country cabins. Its a walkable road, if you wear boots for wet spots, and driving is only for all terrain vehicles or snowmobiles in winter. But each summer as I come home, I face this view as the last thing I see before I turn into my driveway. It always pleases me. And on days like the one this image was taken, heat and the smell of kicked up dust as I walk invites me to go further.

Technology

I've just finished booking a flight online. Its one of those experiences that makes me almost hold my breath until its completed. I never quite trust the electronic powers that make these things happen. I feel almost giddy with relief when they work and I get the result that I want.

Of course all that are available now are electronic tickets, though I do suppose they must have some of those multilayer, red-inked, smeary hard copy tickets left collecting dust in some drawer somewhere for those individuals who have not yet joined the world of the internet. I wonder how many departments you have to shuffle through to actually find someone who remembers how to process a real ticket? Its something I can tell my soon to be born grandchild. I remember when you used to get real ticket to get on the plane - along with pleasant attendants and food and drink for free.

Here is another sketch of Tripod, the cat who thinks he's a dog. His character is unique and I do wish I knew his background and why he talks so much. I think he has a story to tell. Coloured pencil in my Moleskine sketchbook.

Seeing

"These drawings were done for one reason only. To see before I die..."
Frederick Franck

If there is one thing that I could provide people from an artistic perspective, it would be the ability to see. Really see.

Many people start a drawing with an idea in their head that goes back to childhood, based on known shape, size and colour. The object that is in front of them is immaterial in how it presents itself. It can be foreshortened, the lighting can change its colour or set shadows, but the individual will see the object in their mind's eye in a particular way.

I wish I could explain what it is like to see. From my perspective it can be almost distracting as I see shapes and colours in everything around me. I am hosting a drawing class and trying to ensure that people really see what is before them and how to translate that onto paper. Proportion and measure, light and shade become keys to a secret world that few others can see into. Its like those moments as a child when you look into a Viewmaster and see the 3D scenes but can't describe them to others. You know the objects or people or views, but they are seen through new eyes.

It isn't until you draw an object or person that you really see them. You know intimately the details and shapes and colours. Showing how to see, really see what is before you is a wonderful ability and when I see the light bulb of recognition and knowledge come on, it fills me with pleasure. For the person who realizes what they can do and for me to have been a part of that process.

This drawing is one of those teaching tools, a quick sketch from class to guide people into how to line up major reference points for measurement.

Bears

"His fur is badly worn, there is a big bald spot on the back of his head, and his joints are very weak. Should I?...turning to go, I see how disappointed the bear is. 'Please,' he says, 'I won't be any trouble.'"
Jama Kim Rattingan

Portraits

I tackled this portrait using a pretty grainy image that was also very dark so most of the detail was in shadow. I didn't have any other images to assist me so its a bit like one of those moments of high stress where you shut your eyes, say a quick prayer to the gods of art and put down what you hope looks like the person. I'll find out tomorrow if I've offended someone or not...

There is something interesting about creating a portrait of an individual. You never really see the person until you have drawn them. The same is true for any object. We see a tree for instance and think tree, perhaps the species, and that's it. In the eyes of an artist we see a tree and think, trunk texture, sunlight reflecting on the right side, how the branches intertwine, the different colours of the leaves, where the skyholes are in the canopy, how the structure of the branches interact with the trunk, etc. etc.

The same happens with people. I see a person and study eye shape or colour; bone structure of the face, mouth, nose, hair. Some faces don't interest me to draw. There isn't enough shape there to hold my attention. Sure anyone can be drawn, but some faces are more interesting than others. Faces with character hold my interest or those in good contrasting light. But there isn't a person yet who I have not at least tried to draw.

I would like to try to draw a different person each day if I had time to do so, but I know it would be impossible for me to succeed due to time constraints, so I will just do them as I can and continue to be amazed by what I see and how it is interpreted.

Line drawings

I discovered this line drawing, done for a class 18 months ago or more when I was searching for an example for a portrait class I'm setting up. There is something about line drawings that appeals to me. The crisp, clean lines always look good on paper. Once I have completed the line drawing, I am always loathe to start the shading. Partially because I'm afraid I'll screw it up and partially because I like the simplicity of the lines without the distraction of values or colour.


I have a collection of line drawings that I secretly hoard. They are mostly people and animals which are my favoured things to draw. I am branching out more in 2007 as I want to push myself into drawing what I am not comfortable with.

I am taking a class in landscapes, beginning with drawing skies taught by Diane Wright, starting January 11th which should be very interesting. I've had dips into landscapes and I have analysed why I don't do them. Its laziness. There is all that expanse of paper to cover, whereas with a portrait or little still life, I can concentrate on a single item or a group of smaller objects. It is true that breaking it down into smaller sections does work and makes it manageable.

Many artists are intimidated at drawing landscapes. By breaking each component of a landscape down into smaller pieces, anything is possible! We will start by exploring skies. Then we will learn techniques on how to draw rocks, water, grass and trees. We'll finish up by combining all of these components into a complete landscape.

I am looking forward to this class and the somewhat daunting task of creating a landscape. Perhaps it will break down my barriers to landscapes and allow me more freedom.

Pear drops

I am sitting here eating British pear drops sent from my daughter in Calgary. There are a few British stores in Calgary and she sends back 'supplies' now and then. This time Jaffa cakes and pear drops in the Christmas parcel.

Pear drops were my favourite and make me recall some special times when I worked in the UK. Part of my job was to create new community programs that would provide training and employment for long term unemployed people. One spring I spent weeks travelling in Somerset and Dorset visiting homes for mentally handicapped individuals talking to the management there about various project. On the way to make my rounds each week, I would stop at a little store and buy some pear drops.

In one institution, the sweets were discovered in my pocket by some of the residents who demanded that I share them round. From then on it became a tradition and I ended up buying larger quantities of pear drops each week to take with me or my life wouldn't be worth living. At least I certainly wouldn't get past the front door of these places!

You're right, this post has nothing to do with art tonight, so I'll share a little sketch with you just to prove willing. It was part of an all media event done some time back. I liked the grouping and the history of the piece. It had an nostalic feel to it and I recall the doll the girl on the left is holding. I had one very similar to it many years ago.

Learning

I have done another update to the portrait of my cat. The white fur is challenging as I don't want to overpower it, but too little shading won't be right either. I will keep working on it and it will come together eventually.

I was invited to write a tutorial for Drawspace through the wonderful Brenda Hoddinott. Brenda is from Newfoundland as well and has made her mark in the art work first as a forensic artist with the RCMP then in the world of teaching. She now devotes her time to writing tutorials and books on drawing for beginners to advanced and I stumbled across her site a few months ago and have become more involved there recently.

The drawing portion of a tutorial is the easy part. Writing curriculum that effectively describes techniques in art tends to be a bit more difficult. I realize that I assume too much and need to explain terminology, technique and rationale for learners to absorb new material and be able to reproduce the work. Brenda has been a great support in this area and her background in publishing has helped steer me in the right direction. A few more tutorials under my belt and I just may get the idea of effective curriculum writing!

I enjoy the process of putting all the elements in place and the challenge of pushing myself to do something new. There is always something new to learn in life. I never tire of it.

The List

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential. ~Ellen Goodman

Like this little guy here, I am standing alone at the cusp of 2007, holding thoughts, not a tree, ready to venture forward into the year and the winter. This white ceramic snowman will be the last vestige of Christmas in my house even if it officially lasts until January 6th. I will take down the decorations and the lights and the tree and the festival of light will stop. Its always a little sad when that happens. The lights do brighten the dark winter nights. But now each day will edge out a little longer until the light returns again.

The season of Christmas is often said to be twelve days long, and ends for most people on "Old Christmas Day," January 6th. This date is liturgically the Feast of the Epiphany and signals the beginning of the third part of the church's Christmas season (Advent, Christmas proper and Epiphany). The comparatively recent name "Old Christmas" stems from the 1752 reorganization of the calendar when twelve days were dropped from the calendar; the following year, purists said that the "real" Christmas Day was not on December 25th, but January 6th, 365 days after the previous Christmas. The knowledge of the Old Style has led some Newfoundlanders to name "Old Old Christmas Day" (January 18th) as the "real" end of the season. Indeed mummering can sometimes be seen on the Southern Shore of the Avalon peninsula until the end of January.

I haven't checked, but I think I contributed in both drawing and writing most days once I got going on this rollercoaster of a blog in 2006. I consider the first year a learning experience where I found my style and created a little nest for myself in the blogosphere.

Now its time to take stock and renovate a little perhaps. There are several areas that I want to expand into for 2007. It may be brave or foolhardy of me to put them in writing at this point, however, doing so does make me accountable and pushes me to achieve at least some of them.

1. Offer more drawing classes for different levels
2. Start a art club locally
3. Complete a series of drawings or paintings
4. Enter at least 4 art competitions
5. Develop a web site
6. Market and sell my prints
7. Rediscover oil painting and do at least one small oil painting a month (I'll never make it into the Painting A Day category)
8. Go to a different art exhibition each month
9. Attend a class in a new medium
10. Develop my market for animal portraiture locally

That little list should keep me going for quite awhile I think. Now that I have written it, there is some sense of relief. Its as if what is secretly spinning around in my head has come out of the darkness. I can see it. I can achieve it. If I don't I won't beat myself up over it. I have the flexibility of adding things to my list if opportunity becomes available or reducing the load if it becomes too strenuous.

Dreams

This drawing started as a sketch of an eye. It was based on the photograph taken last week of Tripod lying on my Moleskine sketchbook and like some sketches, it has evolved and continues to do so, moving into a drawing now, given time.

This cat seems to lend himself to drawings, he has that kind of appeal about him. I have a few ideas of a series of mini portraits of him to play with in the future.

In the first day of the new year, I have lots of ideas spinning around in my head about what I want to achieve in 2007. In another post I will elaborate more on those goals and how achievable they are. This is part of a marketing newsletter that arrived in my mailbox today and the quote seems rather appropriate for today.

What are your dreams? I haven’t seen the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness,” but I’ve seen the scene in the trailers in which Will Smith talks to his son about his dreams. He says:

"Don't ever let somebody tell you you can't do something. Not even me. All right? You got a dream? You gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they want to tell you you can't do it. You want something, go get it. Period."

Copyright 2007 Alyson B. Stanfield. Alyson takes the mystery out of marketing your art and making more money as an artist. Visit http://www.ArtBizCoach.com to get articles just like this one delivered to your inbox.

New year, new direction

I've worked for a couple of days on a tutorial in how to draw water. This is outside my comfort zone, these inanimate objects. I include them in backgrounds for people or animals but rarely make them the focus point. Til now.

Its much more difficult than originally imagined to put into words what I do without thinking. Trying to describe with precision elements of shading, what pencils I use, what the points should look like, what pressure to use, construction, etc., etc., is a task in its own right. I'm in the final tweaking stage now and will then submit the tutorial for approval and see where it goes from there.

Its an hour and change from midnight on New Year's Eve. A quiet night at home and obviously some people either can't tell the time or perhaps have children who can't wait any longer so fireworks are exploding over the treeline. The pops in the distance are what attracted my eyes to the window rather than the showers of coloured light. I could go into St. John's and watch the formal fireworks, but at this point witha couple of drinks and a fire warming me, the thought of standing in the cold with thousands of people isn't that appealing to be honest. So I'll stick with my Plan A. Another drink and bed shortly after 2007 sails into port.

Newfoundland is the first place in North America to see the New Year. So to everyone who has visited my blog and contributed to making it a positive experience for me, Happy New Year. I hope that 2007 will be your best year artistically and brings you everything that you wish for.

Musings

On January 2nd, it will be my weblog's anniversary. It was a tentative step into the world of commitment and a bit of an experiment. It wasn't really until late February that I came into my stride and seriously started writing and sharing information and art.

I started the blog with completely selfish purposes. I wanted it to make me accountable. I wanted to increase my output in art, to increase my visibility as an artist to the world, become more knowledgeable about art and meet others who may be on similar journeys. I achieved most of these things in the last 12 months.

I have reflected on the past year and looked at some highlights in my blog. Some are happy, some silly, some groundbreaking. I also have thought about what I have learned in the past year of being involved in a blogging community and how it has changed me.

I have learned that I can make a change in my life, even at my age. I can move into new areas, even if its outside my comfort zone and grow from the experience.

I know that people who I seek out or who seek me out are on similar searches to learn and grow artistically and that we all learn from each other and support each other in varied ways.

I know that I have the ability to produce art on a regular basis as well as function in my life and work and make them all fit. I know that I can pluck words out of the air and make them - most of the time - seem coherent.

I forged new ground, met new people and improved my skills in art and writing. I made progress without really trying to do so. And that's what amazes me most of all. With some effort, the next year can be more productive and that is my aim, both personally and professionally.

This moose is one of a series of wild animals in Newfoundland and Labrador that I'm experimenting with. The drawing isn't complete yet. Its done in coloured pencil on Stonehenge paper 9 x 12.

I have an option of providing some drawings and prints to local downtown stores for the summer tourist season. Not being a local scene person, I've opted for local animals instead and will see how they are received. Black bears, caribou, wolves, mink, squirrels and lynx are some of the animals that I will be trying to render, along with a few of the dogs commonly associated with the province.

Portraits and photos

I finished a double portrait of my niece and nephew before Christmas and sent it on to where it belongs. I combined two separate photos for this portrait and they weren't the greatest photos to start with, so I looked at other images I had of these two and 'winged it' a bit to create the parts that were still misty to me.

It seems to be that way a lot of the time with commissioned work that is done from reference photos, which is why I always offer to take photographs. That way I know I will have some good images to work from.

People often assume that artists have some sort of special vision that allows them to see what isn't there. They produce dog eared photos taken with a terrible camera in full flash of a fuzzy featured animal some 20 feet away that they say is 'the best photo of Georgie' and then go on to back it up with even worse images.

I know that often a good clear image is not possible and I do work with what I am provided. But I live in hope that one day someone will provide me with a large, clear closeup so I don't have to play detective quite so much.

For those commissioning portraits, animal or person, bear in mind the following points:

1 Photos taken using a flash tend to flatten out features and don't provide enough lighting and contrast for a good drawing to be created.
2. An image taken with the subject's back to the sun will be, more or less, a silouette and won't have much in the way of defining features.
3. I cannot make your terrier look like a poodle, nor can I make you look like you are 21 again. I can tweak a little, but you are going to look like you.
4. A photo that is taken halfway across a field will not provide enough detail to produce more than a blob of colour. You won't be happy with the result and neither will I.
5. I will provide you with sketches of a couple of different poses to choose from. Once you have made your decision and I have developed the drawing or painting, its not wise to change your mind. You will be out of pocket and I will be out of patience.

To be very honest, the majority of people who I deal with are kind, responsive and enjoy the portraits that I produce. 1 in 500 is not. For that person, I do the best that I can and work with them to ensure that their needs are met. Then I readjust the fine print on the contract...

Progress

The drawing in this post was part of a Secret Santa thread in an art forum that I participate in. The concept of dreaming big is always appealing and having a cheetah for a pet isn't that farflung - at least not for the recipient of this drawing who was pleased with his virtual gift.

I had unsubscribed to Alyson Stanfield's art marketing newsletter a few months back, being on overload with too much mail and work and reading. Then the other day I read about Alyson's latest newsletter on Celebrate in Katherine Tyrrell's blog. It made me think about the past year and what I have accomplished. I am taking some time to go down through the list of questions and examine what I have done in 2006.

Alyson is right, it is amazing just what you find that you've accomplished.

It’s the time to take a good hard look at the steps you’ve taken toward reaching your goals. And I’ll bet you’ve made more progress than you know.

That’s why it’s important to do this exercise. If you don’t write down your achievements, you’ll just keep thinking about what’s left to do.

With that in mind, what did you do this year? Take into consideration:

* How many works did you create?
too many to count in the form of sketches - 3 sketchbooks at least and at least a dozen large works
* What trips (local or far away) did you make to nourish your art?
Mary Pratt's Simple Bliss exhibition, The Rooms
* How much money did you make from your art?
under $1,000
* What classes (business or creative) did you take?
coloured pencil, realistic drawing, composition, charcoal
* What did you invest in that will help you to run a more profitable or streamlined business?
Furniture to assist with drawing classes in house, a new printer,drafting table, replaced an old easel
* Whom did you hire so that you can spend more time on your creative career? (framer, virtual assistant, housekeeper, lawn mower, bookkeeper)
none
* Whom did you meet that has turned out to be a mentor?
Brenda Hoddinott
* What books did you read? What magazines?
Art & Fear, The Creative License; Artist's Magazine
* What movies did you see that inspired you?
I'm not a movie watcher
* How many names did you add to your mailing list? (Note the exact number so you can evaluate your progress this time next year.)
Fifteen people
* What habits or routines did you put into place?
daily drawing for at least an hour
* What habits or routines did you eliminate?
procrastination in drawing
* Where did your name or artwork appear in print? Where did it appear online?
Online in WetCanvas, Drawspace and my blog
* How did you improve your website or Web presence?
Creation of a blog in January and nearly daily posting of drawings and works in progress, signature line on emails, forum postings including blog and contact information
* What new marketing materials did you add or improve on?
Creation of a brochure and flyer for portraiture, information sheets for drawing classes
* Where did you speak about your work?
Beagle Paws, Pooches in the Park, pet stores
* What new materials or techniques did you experiment with?
Oil pastels, oil paints, drafting film
* What organizations did you join?
Application for Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador
* What projects did you initiate?
Offered drawing class for beginners, developed limited edition prints

On a more personal level:

* How did you care for your health and well-being?
Ate well, tried to get on the treadmill more regularly :o)
* How did you strengthen your personal relationships?
By concentrating on devoting time and patience to them.
* What vacations did you have?
A week with my daughters in Saskatchewan
* What parties did you attend?
Very few. None that were art-related
* What new hobby did you take up?
Jewelery making
* Where did you volunteer?
As a moderator for Drawspace

Recalling your accomplishments is a good habit to adopt. After you do, how will you celebrate?

(From "Celebrate" Alyson Stanfield's Art Marketing Action newsletter 18th December 2006)

Supplies

In addition to a number of gifts received for Christmas, this is one that should keep me going for awhile. Its a wooden box, filled with paints, graphite, coloured and watercolour pencils, soft and oil pastels, paper, canvas boards, brushes, a table easel,drawing board and a colour wheel. They are mostly student grade pigment, but are good to mix with my regular brand name mediums and give me lots to practice with.

I also received an Italian floor easel that is lovely and is in my studio now set up and ready to go. My original easel, which was around 25 years old, keep falling apart - rather frustrating when I had something on the easel! The new easel folds flat into a box shape, making it easy to transport if I want to paint plein air.

So now I have to stop touching the new things and looking at them and start using them. I have a few ideas for new pieces that I need to work with and set up some compositions. In 2007 I intend on concentrating on marketing and selling more work in addition to teaching both in reality and through the online course that I have agreed to mentor. There is a lot to do and a lot to prepare for. In a later post I will share some of the successes for 2006 and the plans for 2007.

Right now I'm off to my studio to play (and avoid eating another chocolate!)

The artist's cat

Here is why its sometimes difficult to draw when I don't confine myself to my studio. I seem to have a constant 'helper'. "Are you sure that's the right size pencil? Let me check."

Forever the critic. "My nose doesn't look that big..."


Just as well he doesn't drool on the Moleskine...

Christmas Eve

Christmas - that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance - a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved. ~Augusta E. Rundel

May your holiday, whatever it is, be peaceful and bring you joy.

Mummers

David Blackwood's image of three mummers is wonderful. It evokes images of rural Newfoundland in past and present.

Listen to a clip from Simini's Any Mummers 'Lowed In?' There is a love/hate relationship with this song in Newfoundland but it still lives on and is associated with Christmas and will be for years to come.

From the Mummering in Newfoundland page:

Sometime during the twelve days of Christmas, usually on the night of the "Old Twelfth", People would disguise themselves with old articles of clothing and visit the homes of their friends and neighbours. They would even cover their faces with a hood, scarf, mask or pillowcase to keep their identity hidden. Men would sometimes dress as women and women as men. They would go from house to house. They usually carried their own musical instruments to play, sing and dance in every house they visited. The host and hostess of these 'mummers parties' would serve a small lunch of Christmas cake with a glass of syrup or blueberry or dogberry wine. All mummers usually drink a Christmas "grog" before they leave each house. (A grog is a drink of an alcoholic beverage such as rum or whiskey.)

When mummers visit everyone in the house starts playing a guessing game. They try to guess the identity of each mummer. As each one is identified they uncover their faces, but if their true identity is not guessed they do not have to unmask.

For a time the old tradition of "Mummering", or "Jannying" as it is sometimes called, seemed to fade, especially in the larger centers of Newfoundland. But in recent years, thanks to the popular musical duo, Simini, who wrote and recorded "The Mummer's Song" in 1982, mummering has been revived. It is just as prevalent and popular as it was years ago and young and old look forward to dressing up this Christmas, knocking on a friend's door and calling out "ANY MUMMERS ALLOWED IN?"

The roots of mummering go back to England and the earliest recorded performance of it in Newfoundland was 1819. Its not as popular as it once was, with people more hesitant to open their doors to people, especially those who are in disguise. But it does continue in small pockets and lives in David Blackwood's prints.

Obligations

I've finally completed all the drawings that were required for Christmas deadlines and feel as if I can relax a little and draw what I like once again.

Commissions are always a little heart-in-mouth because no matter how well you draw or paint something, you always think you could do better. The moment of presenting a piece of art to a client is horrible. Every fear that you imagine comes into your mind. I have not had work returned for tweaking yet and almost hold my breath when the unveiling occurs, half expecting the client to say it doesn't look like the animal, person, etc. They don't and even then I still doubt, thinking 'they're being polite'. Only when I have the payment in hand and don't hear anything in a week or two, do I believe that they are content with the piece.

Why do we doubt our ability so much? The subjectivity of art is one reason as well as how we feel that we personally come under attack, not the result of our knowledge and technique. Either way, most artists cringe at the moment of release of their work to the world.

A sketch of a bear in my favourite chair may be the start of a painting. I still have not had a chance to play with the oils I bought a few months ago. With a week off work for the holidays, I hope I'll have a chance to experiment with it and with a new easel that I bought as well.

High flyers

Last Friday the turkeys went to the processor. We have had them for about 16 weeks at that point and they grow fast and eat a lot. And they learn to fly early. For large birds they are anything but graceful and crash around. Like most birds they want the highest vantage point - in this case, the top of the partition of their enclosure in the barn.

At 16 weeks old the average weight of a bird is about 17 lbs with the toms being heavier. This year the largest bird was 21 pounds. Most people these days don't want huge turkeys or have huge families to feed so 16 or 17 pounds is the average weight with some smaller ones at 12 or 13 pounds occasionally.

The average bird eats about 60 pounds of feed to 16 weeks and costs of buying the poult,heat, light, sawdust, water and processing all add up before they are ever sold. The profit isn't huge - about $10 per bird, more if it is a larger bird. But the fresh free range turkey is far superior than the usually processed frozen ones. Even after freezing, the bird will not have changed texture or flavour or be dry and tasteless. Simply because nothing is done to them to change, preserve or alter them further.

Yes, I always feel a little guilty when they go to the processor. But it is their purpose in life, or I've come to terms with it and can know that they have had the best life that can be provided. They have space, food, water, clean bedding and security - even music and entertainment - note their red ball in the photo...yes turkeys like to play with a ball.

Feeling festive yet?

Tripod, my three legged cat is pretty laid back for an intact tom cat. In fact, he's almost too laid back, liking to be held several times a day, lying on his back in my arms. At that point, he is oblivious to the rest of the world and you can do pretty much what you like to him and he accepts it.

The Santa hat was too close by and here is the result of the encounter. There is a certain mix of apprehension, resignation and disgust on his face. What a cat won't do for a tin of whitefish and tuna...

Technorati tags: drawing, art, cat, santa, festive, coloured pencil

Tough love

I had a conversation today that troubled me somewhat. It troubled me because I couldn't do anything about it and I couldn't make anything change for the individual. Although it seems the opposite at times, I am a fixer of things. I prefer the quiet life and don't enjoy confrontation or argument. BUT, there is a place for it in life sometimes when all other forms of communication fail.

Years ago I, like most parents of teenagers, complained to a colleague about my teen daughter's antics. Staying out late, wrong kinds of friends, arguing with me - all the usual antics of that age group. My colleague sat for a moment then, in a quiet voice, she started to tell me about her daughter. She was 15 years old and was involved with a wild crowd. She did hard drugs, smoked, drank and they had to make her leave their house because they were almost scared to be near her. Help finally came from the police. The girl stole her parents new car, took it on a joyride down the highway between Winnipeg and Brandon and crashed it. When the police called them and asked if they wanted to lay charges, without hesitation they said yes, arrest her. It was the only way that the girl would get the help she needed and the only way that the girl would realize the seriousness of her actions. It did work. It was a rocky road back to any form of communication or life for both sides but sometimes action needs to be taken that doesn't make you popular as a parent. No one said it was an easy ride. I'm a parent, not one of my children's best buddies. There is a real distinction there.

I read a book, about dealing with the problems and expectations of grown children and how to deal with them. It showed how to get my life back and not feel guilty about my adult children's lives.

So your adored son is nearing 30--or past it already--and still living at home, unable to hold onto a McJob for longer than six months running, relying on you to feed him and make his car payments. Your beautiful, brainy daughter is anorexic, or addicted to drugs, or unwilling to leave the man who hits her. Increasing numbers of baby boomers are finding that their grown children have fallen far short of their expectations. These parents are confused, angry, guilt-ridden, and ashamed. Jane Adams’s When Our Grown Kids Disappoint Us is for them. She reveals the kinds of disappointments that other parents are facing: kids who are unable or unwilling to support themselves, kids who are addicts or convicts, kids who’ve joined cults or seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. She stresses that these are real problems--but that they aren’t the parents’ problems. Adams reassures parents that they’ve done their jobs and that they don’t have to spend the rest of their lives picking up the pieces for their grown children, emotionally, financially, or otherwise. Continuing to prop up kids who’ve repeatedly fallen on their own teaches them nothing; it’s just a temporary fix. Beyond offering sympathy, reassurance, and wisdom, the book doesn’t lay out a plan for solving anyone’s problems, but reading it may help disappointed parents shuck some of their guilt and shame, gather the courage to take back their own lives, and let their grown children fend for themselves. --Jennifer Lindsay

These situations aren't all extremes, not all of these adult children are drug dealers or addicts, but sometimes are simply children who just don't grow up or aren't allowed to grow up because parents won't let them. We all like to be needed but it should not be to the extent that we cripple our children to satisfy our own needs.

I started colourizing an image of myself when I was 19 months old taken at Christmas. I am using a piece of Mylar for it and to photograph the drawing I put the image behind it so it would show up more clearly. Its a unique medium that doesn't take a lot of layers and is slightly grainy so rather unique. Its my experiment and if it works I'll mailorder some decent drafting film and try my hand with more coloured pencil on this support.

Christmas music

Spare a thought this yuletide for the deprived.
If the table was turned would you survive

Band Aid Trust 2004 lines, not in the original song.

Why is it that Christmas music can only be tolerated for a short window of time in December each year? At any other time of year it sounds so out of place and schmaltzy you drop it like it was hot or look embarassed and say you were 'testing the sound system and this just happened to be in there'.

I wandered through collections of Christmas music to let you know what I am listening to in this season. But it isn't a constant, this Christmas mixer CD can only be played at the following events:

1. Baking mince pies or decorating Christmas cakes or trees
2. Anytime on Christmas Eve
3. Dinner on Christmas Day
4. When drunk at Christmas parties and feeling nostalgic


Walking in the Air by Aled Jones

Aled was the boy wonder of the 80s in England who started life with the Bangor Choir.
In 1985, Aled's "Walking In The Air", which was originally sung by Peter Auty in the Raymond Briggs cartoon "The Snowman", was a massive hit.

Santa Baby by C. Basinet

Don't we all have a wish list like this?

*Last Christmas by Wham!

You knew there would be Wham! Go ahead and laugh. Next year, I'll give this to someone special.

Christmas in Prison by John Prine

"It was Christmas in prison, and the food was real good. We had turkey and pistols carved out of wood." Hands down, the most touching song about Christmas in prison, ever.

All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey

99% of the time Mariah Carey makes me want to throw up, but this song always has me singing along. I defy you to listen to this song and not start bouncing in your seat.

Let it Snow by Lena Horne.
That smoky voice would make the snow melt.

Jingle Bells by Diana Krall

Just because I love jazz and Diana Krall's style, even if I haven't forgiven her for marrying Elvis Costello. (What WERE you thinking girl??)

'Zat You Santy Claus by Louis Armstrong

I always want to give him cough drops...but I adore his voice at the same time.

Silver Bells by Johnny Mathis
Because his voice is hynotic and the song is classic.

So This is Christmas by John Lennon.

Can it be Christmas without this song?

Do They Know its Christmas by Band Aid

Because its my era and I remember the original Band Aid in London in the 1984 and Bob Geldof's who was then in the Boomtown Rats.

Jingle Bell Rock by Brenda Lee

My eldest daughter probably still has nightmares about it from that Christmas parade when she was a cheerleader and heard it forty thousand times in row.

Math and art

I was listening to CBC this morning and listened to an interview with a woman who teaches math and analyses math and how it relates to the arts. She asked a dancer to describe how the steps of a particular movement were created and in it found many similarities to algebraic formulas.

Mathematics are a very left brain function and, to me, something that always horrified me. I never excelled at them and stumbling blocks early in life set me up on a road to fear ever since. The right side functions of language and arts however, came without fear.

The interview about math and the arts made me wonder if there is a difference in the processes of creating dance, theatre and visual art. I can see the same crossover process in theatre when an actor assumes a role and 'becomes' the other person, losing themselves in the role. Perhaps the same happens in a dancer, but having known few, I can't comment. Sailing into 'the zone' when creating art is a common occurance and there is a mathematic element to drawing in perspective, measurement, angles and proportion.

The whole concept of putting something into writing that you do without thinking is becoming a reality for me. I have been asked to write tutorials in art on a number of subjects. It is more difficult than one would imagine. Its like verbalizing how you drink a cup of coffee or how you fall asleep. I do it without thinking. I know the process intimately. I can see it in my mind, I can visualize it effortlessly. But to put it into words is always a challenge. A good one, as it makes me carefully consider the steps and the processes behind the art.

This drawing was done as I waited for a cake to bake today. It is done in my Moleskine in conte crayon. I love the earth tones that the conte produces.

I'm drawing

A last minute flurry of commissions and drawing tasks keep me off the keyboard and onto the drawing board.

Normal service will resume soon. This little chap will amuse you while I'm off being industrious.

Circa 1955

I was looking through some old photos and found this image of a Christmas tree decoration that I had when I was a child. Its quite innocuous, just a simple plastic 1950's reindeer. I remember that the two halves split allowing access to the inner contents of little green and red candies - tiny little balls that filled it and made it a bit psychedelic perhaps 10 years before its time.

The second image is of me, taken at Christmas 1955, when I was 19 months old. I seem to be guarding my doll, an elf of some sort and setting a baleful gaze at someone else who may have had their eye on it too. The photo is the circa of the reindeer ornament and we've both survived the last 50 years, even if one of us has lost their centre core.

I don't know why it was saved from those years but it turned up in some decorations received from my mother's house years ago and it has decorated the tree ever since. My whole tree has animals on it. Not silly cartoon animals, but ones based as best as they can be on real animals. Bears, squirrels, moose, dogs, cats and birds all find their way into the branches amidst fragrant boughs and tiny white lights that make the silver icicles sparkle and turn the room at night into a different world.

No matter how old you are, there still is something magical about a Christmas tree lit at night in a darkened room. And something more magical still to find among the ornaments a memory.

Technorati tags: Christmas tree, ornament, 1950s, reindeer

Closer

The art store in Toronto rang today to say that they didn't have the Mylar drafting film in stock and didn't know when it would be in. They're sending the remainder of my order, but I REAAAAAAAALLLLLLLYYYYYYY wanted the Mylar. Now I will have to find another source. A week and a half before Christmas and finding drafting film in St. John's? Yeah, right. But you never know. I'll scour the phone book tomorrow in hopes.

I have s number of Secret Santa projects to work on before Dec 22nd, as well as a couple of portraits too. Deadlines do create pressure and sometimes that is a good thing as it pushes you to complete drawings and not let them slide. The portraits are near completion and the first secret santa drawing in on the drafting table - at least the outline of it. Two more to go...both needing research for images and time to draw them. I'll get there. Its like Christmas, you think you'll never finish all the preparation, but Christmas Eve arrives, all the stores are shut, the last people have gone home and you can sit and soak up the atmosphere of another season. And wait for it to start up all over again the next day.

Rooms with a view

The Rooms unites the Provincial Museum, the Provincial Art Gallery and the Provincial Archives under one roof. A place for people, The Rooms is a portal to the many stories our province has to tell.

This photo was taken with my little 2mb camera in my cell phone and shows the panoramic view from The Rooms overlooking St. John's harbour. I was there to see the newly opened Mary Pratt exhibit a few weeks ago Simple Bliss. It is only now that I've figured out how to transfer the photos from the little card in my phone to the computer - amazing what you can find out when you actually read the instructions!

I have ordered some Mylar matte drafting film after hearing nothing but praise for it from other artists when using it for coloured pencil work. I've ordered it and some other things (well I had to get up to a certain monetary value before they will let me order)so I'm waiting not so patiently for it to arrive so I can try it out. It has unique properties and takes limited layers of colour. You can erase back to nothing and add colour on both sides of the film. I anticipate some interesting experimentation with this new carrier for my colours.

Technorati tags: Tbe Rooms, art, St. John's, coloured pencil, Mylar drafting film

Procrastination

PMS or Panic Mode Syndrome is the worst form of stress for an artist to confront. Sometimes it enables a new unplanned concept to appear in the painting, but I'd much rather have an enlightened thought arrive effortlessly and out of love for the piece. (Dianne Middleton)

I had so much to do today that didn't get achieved. And now its Sunday night and my energy level is dropping along with my enthusiasm to complete any more tasks today.

My fall yesterday has manifested itself into some nice bruises and soreness all down one side, so that makes hauling around boxes of decorations or trying to put up Christmas lights an impossibility at the moment. I'll tackle it again tomorrow but think it will be on a diminished scale.

I have been working on two portraits at once today, flitting from one to the other and fitting in this little drawing in my Moleskine of one of the images from the Weekend Drawing Event at WetCanvas. I can't resist portraits of people and this one was no different. I look at a sketch like this as a coffee break between the other portraits. It lets my mind wander and allows me to play with colour and just see something new. I can then go back with fresh eyes to my other drawings again. I'm on track for timelines with the others which are needed before Christmas so they aren't causing stress - yet.

The Arts and Letters Competition deadline is February 16, 2007 and this year I want to have a couple of pieces ready to go. Open to the residents of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the aim of the awards is to stimulate creative activity, both amateur and professional, by the provision of cash prizes, adjudication, and the publication or exhibition of meritorious entries. I have several images that may be worth entering but there is enough time to complete a few more. I just need to make sure that procrastination doesn't enter into the picture or February will come and go and I will will not have brought the paintings to the gallery.

There are always ideas for drawings floating around in my head and they come to me in the strangest places. In the shower this morning, I watched the water come out of the showerhead and thought about colour in the water and on the head itself and how the light reflected on it. I spent a full five minutes analyzing water drops - how they lie on flat surfaces or how the weight of the water changes their shapes on curved areas. Nothing is sacred. The most mundane becomes art if you let it. The bathroom becomes a myriad of shapes and colours and light plays instead of a utilitarian space.

Technorati Tags: art, watercolour, pencils, Moleskine, Arts & Letters Competition,