Sketching is Valuable, Right?

I just told a couple of friends that I want to fill my sketch book before the end of the year.  WHAT WAS I THINKING?  That means, realistically, that I need to draw every day.  Which means that I don't get to fritter away hours on facebook (but who does that?  really?).  And it means that I have to be willing to have ugly pages, because that's just inevitable.  So, in between small commissions, and art sales, and the rest of life, I need to be drawing.  A lot.  And maybe I'll have some drawings to post here!

On a side note, it's really disturbing to be happily typing away, and to see movement out of the corner of your eye.  A spider was SAUNTERING across my desk.   Not nice.

From the Archives

I've been getting ready for my art sale, and have been updating my database ... that sounds so professional!  In reality, I have a list that desperately needed organizing, so I put it on my computer and tried to be tidy about it.  In the process, it dawned on me that I clearly love a gnarly tree trunk.  They appear over and over...

I painted this acrylic waaaay back before I knew if I even wanted to be serious about being an artist.  Then came a couple more...

... and even more! ... Surely there's a pixie or two living amongt these trunks!

Zingy

Lemons, anyone?  Just another little one, 6 inches square, painted with a 1/2" brush.  I now have 15 of these little canvas panels lined up in my house.  My dad is busily building frames for each of them, and within a couple of weeks they'll all be for sale!

I frequently wish I had more wall space, then I could just keep everything  I paint and have it all displayed.  But in order to do that I'd have to sacrifice a BUNCH of windows...and that's not happening!  I dearly love the sun shining in my house!  Clearly I love God's handiwork more than my own!

ART SALE!!!

This is the post card that we're mailing out for our 2nd Annual Art Sale!!  Do you want to come?!  Come one, come all!  There will be three artists there this year, along with lots of beautiful artwork.  I'm thinking you could find some fantastic, one-of-a-kind christmas  presents!

If you live too far away to come (like the moon? hahaha!), but there's been something you've had a hankering for, e-mail me at adinashane@yahoo.com!!  If your favorite is available, I'd love to sell it, pack it, and ship it to you!!

Oh, if you want more info on the other artists, you can check out their stuff here:

http://www.loisrosiosprague.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/kristensimons

Can You Hear It?

Can you hear the bell?  Bdling!  Bdling!  It makes your heart go back to some beautiful day when you were younger and all was well!  It just makes me smile!

Small Stuff

Today I met with a small group of friends...there are 4 of us.  We get together once a week and speak of the activity of God in our lives.  Sometimes we cry.  We always laugh.  And today I took my sketch book.  They are kind enough to not be offended if I'm drawing while we talk.  I see all sorts of drawing problems with this, but it really doesn't matter.  Just holding a pen or pencil is good.

The Final Three

I kept forgetting my camera, so this is the result of a couple weeks worth of work.  It was great fun!  Getting the reference pic for the "Follow Me" canvas was an adventure all it's own, simply because my models, though very cooperative, were a little slap happy.

I LOVE how gnarled the widow's hand turned out.  That's one of those delightful surprises that happen to me all the time.  Clearly the kindness of God!

So this set is done.  All the paint is now in the crawl space where it won't freeze.  My little scaffold is folded up and stashed in the garage.   Time to move on to some small stuff...!

Peace! Be Still!

I'm gettin' there!  Just a couple more to go!

I love this one.  I think because it soo speaks to me.  How often do I repeatedly whine to the Lord, "don't you care?!"  My accusations seem to multiply as whatever storm I'm in intensifies.  "Don't you care?  Don't you care? Don't you care?"  What an absurd question!

"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" I think that means He cares.

HOSANNA!!

Number 4, all done!

I had a lovely surprise while painting this one.  My parents and aunt and uncle came by just to say, "hey".  The came from the other side of the mountain, which was lovely!  It's like a breath of fresh air to have your personal cheer leaders come shout, "RAH! RAH! RAH!"

Four more to go!

#3 Done!

This really isn't yellow.  Honest.  It's just hanging back in a corner of the worship center at my church, and the lighting back there STINKS!  It's really black and white like the other two.  This is the image for the story of the lost coin.  Funny...I thoroughly enjoyed adding dirt to the floor!!  

Making Progress!

The first two canvases for my church are DONE!  Only 6 more to go!

It was such a strange thing, working with only tone and no color.  I kept thinking it was awful....and then I would step back and get a far off view...and, wow!  It wasn't awful, after all!

Artsy Fartsy

I am part of a small group of artists called the Artsy Fartsies.  That sounds almost official, but really we just named ourselves for the fun of it.  We live in the same small town, and share a love of all things creative as well as a love for our Savior, Jesus Christ.  This group is salve to me.  They're courage.  And joy.  And impetus.  We get together every so often and tell our art-life stories.  We show each other our work.  We ask for help.  We exult in victories and commiserate over failures.  And we remind each other of the truth that we are artists because God made us that way, and He is pleased when we revel in that.

From left to right is Lois ( http://www.loisrosiosprague.com/ ), a fabulous illustrator.  She is particularly gifted at drawing people.  She did a portrait of my grandpa that's uncanny.

Then Scotty ( http://www.scottstearman.com ), a sculptor.  His work always tells a beautiful story.  Poignancy just oozes from him.

Then yours truly, followed by Kristy ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/kristensimons ), a watercolor and ink artist.  She does stunning, richly colored paintings.  Tight, sometimes whimsical, always beautifully rendered.

I love these guys!

Just Hangin' Out

Some reference photos have a lot of  mileage in them!  I love this pic, taken by my friend Jen.

This is a card I made for a wedding.  Ink and colored pencil and a touch of whimsy.  My favorite part is the hint of blue on the back of the ladybug.

Testing, Testing, One, Two, Three

I decided I needed to practice putting an image on a black background...leaving the black in strategic places, and just adding greys and white.  It requires backwards thinking!

So, what did I learn?  That having the lettering in blue is fine, unless it's on a busy background.  So I need to double check all the images I've got drawn up and see what the backgrounds look like.

Also, does this communicate that it's a stack of black and white photographs?  Because if not, then it's a lot of work for no purpose.  Did you see overlapping black and white photos, or did you see some strange geometric design that made no sense?  If anyone's reading this, I'd love your feedback on this one!