Beginning


I work very spontaneously most of the time, and I don't plan many things out or make sketches. I do explore ideas quite a bit in my journal and in smaller works giving me a lot of practice with images and technique. But I always want my work to be about discovering something.

Lately, I have been drawn to imagery that I first explored more than six years ago in my Excavation series. I have been fascinated with the geometric shapes radiating from a central point, and this concept is perfect for exploring as line work using black ink. I might even explore this idea as larger works and paintings.

Over the last two days I have been working on a new radiating piece similar to one that I shared a few days ago in this post. With that first drawing, I draw the entire thing with the pens, and though I like how it turned out overall, there are a few things that feel "off" about it. I wanted to minimize these "off" feeling parts, so for this new piece, I sketched a design in pencil first. I drew it completely freehand, no rulers and no compasses, and I purposefully made some parts a little "off". I've been slowly developing the line quality and the texture, and I'll share more when finished.

Interestingly, several people have mentioned Star Wars in connection to the first line drawing I did a few days ago. My wife and I did recently see The Force Awakens, and I have been a big fan since the original was released when I was a kid. So, maybe there's an unconscious nod to the films.

But beginning a new piece is always filled with such excitement and promise. I can't wait to see where this one goes.

Art and Soul - Portland



Dave and I are gearing up for Art and Soul - Portland, which is just one month away. It will be my first trip to Portland, and I'm looking forward to it. We will be presenting three workshops - one evening and two full-day workshops, and we still have spots available.

So, if you've been looking to come create with us, we would love to have you join us at Art and Soul. Click the links below for information and to register.

Art and Soul, Portland, OR, February 29 - March 6, 2016


We will also be at Art and Soul's other retreats in Minneapolis and Virginia Beach. Registration for those are open now as well.

Experimenting


I've been experimenting a lot lately, jumping from one idea to another. I am very much in the midst of an exploration phase. I haven't settled on one idea or one line of inquiry, so I've been playing and experimenting, trying out different images, different techniques, and different media. It's always good to try on different things, to mix things up, to push outside of my comfort zone.

Working


I've been slowly adding to this drawing that I started some time last week. I've been using the Faber Castell Pitt Pens again to embellish and embolden the work. Working on my art is a way for me to deal with the recent loss allowing me to keep busy and  focus on the present moment.

Goodbye Kyla


On a sad note today, we had to say goodbye to our little shih tzu girl, Kyla. Kyla first came to us back in July as a foster from our local shelter, and we quickly fell in love with her. I tried to resist adopting her knowing that such a sweet, lovely, and silly girl would be easily adopted, but once we found out the shelter felt like she would be difficult to place, we decided to adopt. Kyla was a 13 year old with arthritis and a large lump on her jaw, and these were issues that would have made adoption difficult.


But Kyla was so full of life and love, my wife and I just had to adopt her, but we didn't know how long she would have. We just knew that we would make her life as comfortable and full of love as possible. Shortly after adopting, Kyla's lump grew suddenly and quickly, and we had the lump removed along with part of her lower jaw. We discovered that the lump was a mast cell tumor, and we knew that she wouldn't be with us very long.


Despite having a portion of her lower jaw removed, Kyla never slowed down, and she stayed sweet and loving to the end. Unfortunately, another lump recently formed, and over the last two days, she quickly went down hill. We said goodbye to Kyla  this morning as she went to the rainbow bridge. We are saddened and heartbroken. Six months seems like such a short time, but we loved her very much. In the end, we were able to give her six months filled with love, and she was able to bring a sweetness and a silliness into our lives. We will cherish our memories of her.

Artistic Accomplices


Today was another snow day as the area continued to dig out from the blizzard that hit last week. Most roads are passable, and Dave was able to come down from Shepherdstown and hang out for the part of the day. It was like old times as we sat at the coffee table working in our journals.

When Dave first introduced me to the journal over 17 years ago, we used to get together on a regular basis and work in our journals figuring out techniques and media. So, it was very nice and nostalgic to sit for a few hours and make art together.

Having an accomplice all of these years has been a great motivator to make art. It's a gift having someone there to nudge, encourage, and inspire.

Pen Play


I've been enjoying exploring a set of Faber Castell Pitt Pens I got recently. This 8 pen set has a variety  of tip sizes and styles, and I've been using the medium, small, and extra small pens the most allowing me to create lines and patterns with a variety of thicknesses.


The biggest intent of these drawings has been simply trying to be present in the art making and trying to slow down and stay focused on the act of mark making. I'm not certain where these experiments are going, but I'm enjoying the graphic quality of the designs.


Mindful Mark Making


Today was a day of mindful mark making in the journal. Using my Faber Castell Pitt Pens, I explored a variety of shapes, designs, and patterns. Art making has always been a way for me to stay present and practice mindfulness, and the act of drawing simple shapes and patterns is a great way to focus on the act of making marks.


I've been thinking about ways to share my ideas and strategies with others. The techniques that I used in these doodles are nothing earth shaking, and they are straight forward and accessible to anyone. Perhaps an online workshop is in order.




Snowed In


The blizzard dropped nearly 30 inches of snow on Northern Virginia, and after much shoveling, I was able to spend some time working in the journal. I worked primarily with Derwent Inktense pencils and watercolor paint adding to a variety of pages, but I spent the most time on a monochromatic two-page spread.

I began by layering Ink Black Inktense pencil gradually darkening the value with each layer (see the detail above). I built up an overlapping structure similar to work I shared in this post. 


I then spent a lot of time refining the lines, shapes, and values with Derwent Black Coloursoft pencil (see the image above). The colored pencil allowed me to fine tunes edges and shadows. I'll share more when I finish the spread.

It was great to limit myself to a single color. I am a firm believer that creativity can be enhanced by setting limitations on ourselves.


I'll be certain to have more time to make art as the huge amount of snow has lead to the cancellation of school through at least Wednesday. It'll take a while for the county and schools to dig out. Luckily, I got most of my digging done yesterday, with just a little today.


I love snow days!

Blizzard - Day 2


The blizzard has completely buried us in Northern Virginia with around 30 inches, and between bouts of shoveling, I've found time to work in the journal. I've been bouncing around in the journal adding to a variety of pages and starting a few new ones.


The above page is an experiment with watercolor just trying to play around with texture and brushstrokes.


This spread was started using an Ink Black Derwent Inktense pencil to build up some layers. I have no idea where these pages will go, but that's all part of the fun.