Strangers

This is Andrew Blandy, otherwise known as treemade. He is an artist on the flickr.com group "Julia Kay's Portrait Party". The entire collection of artists portraits of treemade can be found here.

This is an incredibly active group of artist from around the world. I am just getting started participating in this group, but so far I am loving it! Loads of off shoots of ideas are coming from being involved with these artists. They are dedicated, talented and prolific. Perhaps I could learn a thing or two as well!

Would you like me to draw you? Do you think portaits of strangers are interesting? Or do you only prefer seeing famous people, or only people you know? Tell me what you think...

Too much TV?

Watching television can be fun, if not brain numbing. I am constantly wishing I could press the pause button on many many many different scenes (something I do quite frequently when dh isn't around) and sketch to my hearts content. Gonna get one of Brian Williams one of these days.

But, until then, it will be random scenes I run across which inspire. I have no recollection where I found this beautiful face, but I was able to pause and capture a bit of her expression before going on with whatever that glowing box offered.

Do you ever have this feeling? Kind of like life will pass you buy and you didn't jump on the opportunity to stop, capture it, before the fleeting muse floats off?

Portrait Party

Over on Flickr.com there is a party going on! I am a bit shy, and like to hang back and check out who is at a party before I go in full time, but I think I am about to introduce myself a bit!

The simple premise is this. I post a picture of me and you make a portrait, and you post a picture of you and I do a portrait of you! Basically artists drawing each other, and posting these at the "Julia Kay's Portrait Party" group site.

So this is my first pic of fellow party-mate Wally Torta, an amazingly talented artist who I am in awe of. So I decided to start with him, and hopefully more to come!

Pogie Pie

This week my sister and her family lost a very special part of themselves. Their beloved Pogie passed away. She was only 5 years old, way way way not enough time for her to be with her people. But in that short time, she taught two boys how to care and love for another, creating compassion and empathy in them which will be a part of their personalities for a very long time. She was a very cool dog, and will be deeply missed.

I am so sorry for my sisters loss, and this has made our family really appreciate our own dog. My boys are learing through her family about what it is like to loose a dog, and how much that can hurt.

Here's to Pogie, February 2006 - January 2011. Thanks for sharing your love with us.

Full Wolf Moon

Last night was the first full moon of the year. Also known as the Wolf Moon.

From the always handy Farmer's Almanac: “Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States,” the almanac explains, noting that “tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon.”

The Farmer's Almanac also notes that January’s full moon was named a Full Wolf, because “Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages.”

42 Sketches

Boy oh boy how I love to start things! Finishing things....yeah, not so good. But this year will be different, yeah, right.

Anyway, fellow facebook friend Michaela Eaves started a habit last year, a very good one. For the first 6 weeks of the year, she sketches one picture.

Now, let's be honest here, I am doing more than just sketching on a daily basis. Sure there are the days when the laundry keeps me from my studio, but I try to get into my studio as regularly as possible. I try. I really do. Ugh.

Anyway, the thing about a sketch is that it is risk free. You don't have to finish it in any particular state, you don't even have to have a prepared substrate or fancy art materials. You just have to sit your tookas down and draw.

So I have two, (already falling behind, as today is the 3rd) and I am willing to share them here. Not loving them, but keeping myself honest here.

So, lest you be judged, this might be all I get out of this challenge, so don't you go crankin' at me about how I only got &^* out of 43 done! I am going to try anyway. And if I don't get a finished sketch done (whatever that may be) I will try and get a something uploaded of some of my artist habits here.

If you wish to see more, hop over to flickr to check out the group pool. There are not a ton of us, but there are a few, and it is fun to see a group doing things together right? Even if it is only virtually!

Friday Fill-Ins, December 10

Happy Friday! Here we go with some Friday Fill-in fun!

1. I wish for more peace, magic and financial freedom, yes, all at the same time!.

2. Man, those LED Christmas lights sure look blue!...that's what I'm thinking.

3. Please bring rum for our hot buttered needs tonight.

4. My new studio space is so amazing.

5. One of my fondest hopes is that I can sustain my creating, on all levels!

6. My landlord has been wonderful to rent from, but now our time is over, it is moving day, and I just wanted to say thank you.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to having the dh home, with the work week behind us, tomorrow my plans include Santa Train and Sunday, I want to bake!

One Word

I am trying to keep up with blogging, perhaps participating in a December blog challenge might help. Over at #reverb10 Gwen Bell has set up a daily prompt to help reflect on this year, and manifest what is next. Sounds good right?

So here goes, prompt 1: December 1 One Word.

• Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? (Author: Gwen Bell)

Candor: can·dor Noun /ˈkandər/

The quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness

a man of refreshing candor

My one word for this year? Candor. I am not sure I succeeded in this, but I do know that I was filled with more this year of my life, 40 years of being on this earth, real life, real time, real love, real sadness. My candor with most things around me seems to be growing. Perhaps I should say 2010's word is "trying", but I think candor speaks to my world better, yeah that and it just ain't so negative!

My word for next year, transcension, to surpass, pass over. Many aspects of my life would benefit from a little transcension I believe, well hey, duh, who wouldn't. Sounds so much more mystical and focused (can you be both?) than just saying "resolutions". Lets see if life becomes so, transcendent that is. (hrumph, I suppose I would have to work at that eh? -hows that for a little candor?)

5th Grade Camp

I was so fortunate to be able to go off to my son's 5th grade camp this year. What a fun time. Of course, I was not able to "bunk" with him, I was assigned a girls cabin, which was just perfet. I had 10 daughters for 3 days and 2 nights, so I got a lot of girlie time. Mostly good, but in the end I was totally missing my low maintinance boys. Lots less drama!

The days were spent dissecting squid, holding snakes, climbing real climbing walls, singing songs, cheering, making up skits. You know, total camp stuff. I had an absolute blast!

Occasionally when I wasn't needed to heard the cats, I got a few minutes to sketch away. This is a little ditty from the reptile house.

Good to be home, but super tired now, so I am off to shower and clean up!

TGIF

Friday Fill-ins

Seems like everywhere on the internet there are lists and organizational helps to get your creative juices flowing. I am not sure that I am a writer, but I do enjoy scratching my brain a bit to see what pops out, and not just visually, if you know what I mean. So, this week, it is Friday Fill-ins. Someone over the net sends out suggestions and me/we/they are supposed to fill in the blanks. So, here goes. This week is #199. Seems I am a bit late to the party, but at least I got there before the 200th post right?

1. When pigs fly those wings have gotta be strong!

2. Sarah Palin with a reality show, seriously?!

3. Call me if you want to go out sketching today...really, cuz it is beautiful, and I would love to have a friend with me.

4. Stop being a hater if you know what I mean.

5. The most entertaining person in my life is my dog because he has no problem licking his butt in public.

6. So the local art store is closing, who's next?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to movie night with youngest, tomorrow my plans include soccer and a hike and Sunday, I want to create more art!

Looking Forward

Studio tours went great (yeah yeah), but alas, not monetarily successful. Times are hard and its time for this "head in the clouds" cinderella to realize this.

Bad news came in the form of my landlord telling me the lease won't be renewed again. UGH. Okay, time to look up old friends and see if they can help me out.

Suffice it to say, the times, they are -a-changing! Might be a good thing right, always have to look on the bright side and view challenges as opportunities. Still, this whole "glass half full" crap ain't always an easy pill to swallow.

So, here's a dude, looking forward. Hope the future bodes well....for all of us.

Tacoma Studio Tours

I wanted to work on something that I could come back to now and again between talking to visitors to my studio this weekend as it was Tacoma's Studio Tours. This is part of Tacoma's Art at Work month, a monthlong "celebration" of arts in my little town.

Got out a few different inks, and pens, and went at this rendition of a "steampunk" lady.

Political Profile

This is a sketch of Laurie Jinkins, our new Rep in the 27th. I am so impressed with the way she thinks and speaks, I am glad she is going to represent us in Olympia! She is good friends with a neighbor of ours and I was fortunate enough to talk a bit with her at a pumpkin carving party right before the election. This is a sketch I did of her, I am liking these political sketches....fun!

Sketching other artists Sketching...

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited to a group of artists who gather together to paint/draw/sketch from a live model. Great. Except, that, it wasn't. Traffic snarled, I didn't get set up in a great spot and so I was stuck drawing some guy in a very static non-exciting pose. Nice. Except that there was this other guy, across the way and boy was he interesting to watch. Big feller, and my eye just kept going over there, so I just had to go and draw him. And then, during the part when everyone gets up and wanders around to look at your work, I got really embarrassed and just put it away. I mean hey, I am new here right, not my comfort zone, don't know these artists right? What if they all rallied around big rotund artist and chastised me for not following the rules. So I wimped out and called the kid.

"How'd you like the apple pie?"

"fine, when are you going to get home, and can you get me some money?"

Yes, we are transitioning out of cute little boy into big stinky sullen teen who only needs things like cash and freedom from his folks.

Well, that was my evening...what'cha think?

Murray wins?

Still no official word on who won the race between Murray and Rossi in our States election. This is a quick sketch I did in the sketchbook of Patty Murray. I then uploaded it into the ol'puter and fiddled around with it. Not sure it looks at all like her, but the point is to get better at portraits. Even if everyone whom I draw tends to look at them and say "is that supposed to be me?" Perhaps I will do one of Rossi next. Something like a consolation prize for him.

Election Day is now over and we still don't have all the votes in! Bummed about many issues I was hoping would go through (or not go through as the case may be!) Now with Jinkins, Darneille, Dicks and (hopefully) Murray, good decisions can be made on our behalf and for our neighborhoods!

Why talk politics if you can just talk about wine instead?

Trying out social media posting. . .

Beautiful weather today, but a bit chilly. The trees are showing their personality! I hope to make this a common event, uploading many pics of my pieces. I am finding longer painting pieces get hung up on too much seriousness, is that even a word? Well, anyway, looking to stay loose and proficient!

Link rider

This is what happens when I get papers, glue and a random drawing I did of a link rider....

Go boy go!

Washington State Chess Championship!