Daily Drawing

'Apple' - pigma pen and prismacolor pencil in 8x6 gamma

pigma pen and inktense pencil in 8x6 gamma

I am pretty much all set to hang my exhibit tomorrow at the museum, and excited to do so.  Always a new perspective to see work out in the world away from the studio.  I will post pictures...

Autum Colors and Lou Reed

The day was cool and crisp, perfect for the afternoon walk.

 Our summer of sunshine has yielded a brilliant palette of color to the leaves this autumn.  I walked up the 40,000 Road with Flossy and my camera.   

Thiis little fern makes me think of a ladder (of course).

 The sun is lower and lower in the sky as we slide toward the end of another year.

The days and days of rain have left diamonds on the tiny plants by the side of the logging road.

Early this morning, our Daughter texted me the news that Lou Reed has died.  The Velvet Underground was the soundtrack of my life at one period.  I mourn the passing of this poet of Punk. 

 'there are problems in these times, but none of them are mine'

'Beginning to See the Light' - Lou Reed
1942 - 2013

See you in the Light, Lou.

Melissa Bolton's Archetype Test

Recently, Denise at Grrl+Dog had a good post about archetypes, along with a link to a little self-test created by Melissa Bolton which one can take to determine ones own archetype. 

I love a good self-test and Monday evening, gave the branding archetype thing a go.

detail: work in progress, acrylic collage on 130 lb watercolor paper

 I was not surprised by the outcome of my test.  Turns out my top archetypes are:

THE CREATOR; THE PASSIONATE; and THE NURTURER.

view from the End of the Road on Friday

Melissa Bolton's branding archetype test is fascinating, and I have only scratched the surface of exploring the uses of this new-found lens for viewing my work and my world.  

Off to the town and the MMDJ.  Happy Wednesday, All!

DC - Pattern

In the midst of actual and impending big huge changes, I have been acutely aware of how much I value the anchor of daily routines.

Pattern is the theme Barbara Bee set for this week's Drawing Challenge.  I attempt to capture a few of my daily patterns here:

'Pattern' - pigma pen and Inktense pencils with water brush in 8x6 gamma daily drawing book

I hope you can stop over at Barbara's enticing and collage-filled blog to see the patterns developed by lots of other talented artists.  

Are you keeping to a routine these days?

quiet

moonrise last evening

the eating kind

the pretty kind

pigma pen and prismacolor pencil in 8x6 sketchbook

pigma pen and prismacolor pencil in 8x6 sketchbook

Hope your week is going swimmingly.

DC: Homage

The challenge was indeed a challenge this week, as time got away from me and I was down to the wire this evening, not an idea in my head for whom pay homage.  UNTIL...

My eyes wandered to this book:

Pablo Picasso was one of the earliest Gods in my Art Pantheon, right next to Michelangelo.  He may have been a womanizer and an egomaniac, but the man could really draw.

So in homage (which originally meant pledging fealty to a Lord) to the Great Man, an Art God still to me, I give you this humble tribute:

'Homage' -  graphite and prismacolor in 8x6 gamma

Thank you to the amazing Kristen for this week's drawing challenge.  I will be around to pay homage the other players tomorrow.  Hope you will do the same.

Pingo Ergo Sum

The top line of my To-Do list for last week: 

paint paint paint

Here, have a little peak at the progress:

detail, top left, acrylic collage on 60"x44" canvas

detail, bottom right, acrylic collage on 60"x44" canvas

I hope to finish this work (which will be a part of my solo exhibit next month at the Clausen Museum) tomorrow and Friday, then move back on to the silk project for the new Library here.  

Professor Michael Spafford, my beloved painting teacher and adviser at University of Washington, always made a distinction between a painting being 'complete' and being 'finished'. What do you think?

Spafford also had a sweat shirt emblazoned with the phrase:

Pingo Ergo Sum

which he translated:
I paint therefore I am.

Now that's the TRUTH for this day anyway!

DC: Cup(s)

Our theme this time is dear to me, a object that has been an important symbol in my personal artistic lexicon: the cup.

detail from one of my paintings from last year, acrylic collage on canvas

For me, cups represent abundance, blessing, nurture and sustenance.

pigma pen and inktense pencil in 8x6 sketchbook

cup on my studio window ledge

My tarot suit is the Cups.

I have carried the Waite deck with me for fourty-plus years now.

As a young woman, I identified with the Page card of my suit.

My best friend in High School made me a cap like the Page wears.

Now that I am a woman of some considerable years, my card has become the Queen of Cups.

If you come to visit Flossy and I in my studio, you will be offered to drink tea from the cup on the left.

pigma pen and prismacolor pencil in 8x6 sketchbook

Many thanks to Stefanie, our hostess for this challenge.  Please visit her enchanting place for a full measure of more cups from marvelous artists from around the world.

Detour

So I stopped in Seattle on my return from Denver.  Daughter picked me up at Seatac and we drove down to the Sailor’s ship which had arrived at the Port of Tacoma early that morning, just like we planned.  

We got to have lunch on board of there and took the grand tour, had a cup of coffee and a piece of chocolate...

The Sailor in his safety jumpsuit

... and said good bye.   

There was a big storm coming and they had to leave to get across the Columbia River bar in time.  

 And then it was Saturday kicking around Seattle (too numb and jagged to take pix, sorry), and then Sunday morning I got on the jet to come home.   

When we arrived in Wrangell, an all-too-typical thing occurred: FOG on the runway in Petersburg – everyone going there get off the plane NOW.

Wrangell, Alaska

So I enjoyed a lovely, if unplanned for, afternoon in Wrangell, our neighbor 40 miles to the south on another island...

the totem park in downtown Wrangell

...waiting for the ferry to arrive and deliver me and the other refugees safely to Petersburg.

the weather was chilly and a fine mist was in the wood-smokey air

perfect for visiting these watchers of the forest

I ran into a couple of boys hanging out on their front stoop

and one of them took offense at my interest.

 

The fireweed is shot for the year, autumn is truly upon us here in Southeast.

Right on schedule, the noble State Ferry arrived and took us HOME!

Alaska State Ferry arriving at the Wrangell terminal

See you this weekend for the Drawing Challenge at Stefanie's place. 

 (There is no place like home).