If you looked over my shoulder...

I've darkened areas with more washes of color...it's better, but still is not quite right.  Maybe I'm trying to make two works that are too different combine into one, and they are stubbornly saying, "NO!"

This is the way I had them positioned beside each other in the last post. 

And now I kind of like them like this! ha! 

The third work that will be incorporated into this is about to get underway.  I think after that I'll be at a better place to start making judgement calls on this...hopefully! 

Enjoy the beautiful sunshine for me (if it's sunny where you are)!  The sun is taunting me as it comes through the window and onto my two slumbering assistants.  I'm sure I'll sneak out for a walk at some point.  Have a good day!



Photo of the Slumbering Assistants from 2010

From Doodle to Puzzle to Meditation

Charcoal on paper, 18x11", 2011

Detail of the above work

A week of exploration!  I have been working on the drawing above this past week and I finished it last night.  It's been a strange one full of fun compositional puzzles to figure out.  It began with just a goal of doodling bubbles one night.  I've been really attracted to circles in recent months...I blame the doodle of overlapping circles I drew on our drawing table for this obsession.  Though the pen marks have faded with cleaning, the circles remain present.  It's acting like some sort of strange reminder.

Soon the page was filled with the large circles connected by lines and I didn't quite know what was next.  It wasn't long before swirls of small circles began swooping down on the picture plane to add depth to the space.  I somewhat do not feel right in taking credit of the small circle placements - it was as if they just appeared, and I was only there to follow directions of what it wanted.  The paper texture guided my marks as well.  It was somewhat of a meditation to create this, and now I have begun a second drawing of this theme using the same materials, but on more of a close-up focus. 

I think the challenge that may be presenting itself is the illusion of space - or the ability to look into an area and feel as though the drawing goes beyond where my eyes can see.  I like that idea paired with areas of flatness.  This idea is not new to contemporary drawing, but it is a new venture to me.  It seems like an interesting direction to see what happens.  I'm still doing the layer studies as well, and perhaps these ideas will cross paths soon - or at least at some point during this year of exploration.

I also purchased a big piece of vellum-like paper for the pleasing price of 99 cents this week!  I have seen some artists use to overlay drawings and draw on the front side and back side to create more depth.  I will be experimenting with this to see if it will be a successful way to go forward.  I'm wondering if it will enhance that depth, or if it will just agitate the compositions by making it seem as though something is obstructing the view (and we'll all be looking at it while screaming in our heads, "Get that damn thing out of my way!").  ha!

Thanks for reading and love to all!  Have a great rest of the day and an excellent week!

The One Year Project

The layer studies that I've been working on lately have yet to be discussed or explained.  There are a lot of things that culminated to make me suddenly want to go this route and experiment in this way.

I recently was researching my father's ship he was on in Vietnam - the USS Higbee.  My father served as a cook on the ship and he has often told me of fun stories I adored when I was small about eggs running across the griddle while sailing the seas.  When I was older, he also would tell me about his ship being bombed by an air attack of a MIG-17.  Luckily no one was killed in this attack, though the pictures were absolutely amazing of how badly the ship was injured.  They were all truly lucky that day.  There are a lot of things that culminated to allow my father and his shipmates survive that day and be able to dock safely.

In my recent research I actually found a photo of the pilot who was flying the MIG-17 that day.  My jaw dropped, and I sent the image to my parents' email.  It was such a bizarre feeling looking at that man with a smile upon his face...the man that at one time tried to kill my father and his fellow service men back in 1972.  Upon seeing the image, my father was so intrigued to see a photo of the man that one of his friends was trying to shoot back at with a machine gun in a desperate attempt.   My father put it plainly, "He was doing his job, and we were doing ours."  My mother added to the man's defense of my confusion of seeing the pilot, "Well, it was war." 

We quickly began conversing about wondering if he was still alive.  Did he make it through the war like my father had?  Did he survive to have children?  Is he still thriving somewhere in the world today?  We would like to think so. 

The complexity of the roles we play in life and who we are in different situations for survival is so intriguing.  With time, we forgive ourselves and each other.  Old roles deteriorate like ships rusting away at the bottom of oceans. 

I began creating a drawing series based upon this event in my father's life, and the new photos I found online.  The following is the first drawing I did in this series...there are still problems with it that I need to remedy, but at the moment this is what I have so far. 

I was thinking that it would still lack something once it was in a more final, polished form. 

Then, I took a walk around Portland last week photographing texture/color/buildings.  I have been intrigued with the colors and textures of rust for a long time.  I thought that perhaps this is what was missing from this drawing.  The studies began.  I'm thinking that perhaps the studies could be a part of the piece - maybe along the sides of the drawing.  It will add a textural feel of the tangible along side the image.  I've also thought about a more direct application.  I think I will begin experimenting with that this week with an older drawing to see if it will work visually.

In addition, another idea went into the mix.  I have been researching graduate programs and actually visited one of the schools I was interested in.  The tour consisted of walking around the current students' studio spaces.  What I found to be true throughout the tour was the fact that exploration and experimentation were extremely encouraged.  Some students were gaining ground by working in a manner that they had previously ignored in their undergraduate work.  They were encouraged to stick with a certain manner of working for a year to grow in their practice and understanding of their own methods.  I left there thinking, why haven't I done more of that? 

So here it is.  I have given this much thought and have decided to explore the combination of drawing and these layer studies for one year.  I think I would have a lot to gain through this method and it would encourage me to grow in different ways.  Drawing skills would be improved, and creative problem solving would definitely be exercised in new ways. 

With that, I welcome you to my year long project of experimentation!  Are there any projects you would like to embark upon?  I would love to hear about your experiences with such projects that you have been through or ones you have in the works.  Thank you for reading!

New Little Studies

Recent studies:

I've been experiementing with color layers on 5x7" watercolor paper.  It's been interesting, and I've learned a lot from these paintings so far.  I've posted seven of them on Etsy today for $12 each with free shipping.  There are also more photos of these works above on the site as well in frames if you are interested.  I invite you to check them out at: 

 http://www.etsy.com/people/OnePebbleStudio?ref=si_pr

 I'm going to keep going with these studies...in fact I'll probably start some more of them tonight.  I'm interested in using these combined with drawings in a more formal sense...I'll keep you posted of my progress or blunders (not sure how well they will combine with the drawings yet).  Cheers to feeling like a bit of a mad scientist!  Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy my crazy little Etsy site if you check it out.  Sincere thanks!