Untitled
12″x9″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Block
Don’t Paint When Angry
Eclipse on Street
I took my home made camera obscura to the street. The street became the focal plane.
Eclipse on Pavenent
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Eclipse on Wood
Didn’t prepare much for the eclipse today. Just a pin hole in stiff cardboard; an improvised camera obscura.
Eclipse on Wood
This is the eclipse on our wooden porch.
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Hand Fantasy
Most of this past week, I have been fascinated with hands. My younger brother is an accomplished pianist, and I’ve been watching him intently as he played, during his visit. We talked quite a bit about music and the connection between hands and the brain with music as the intermediary. As a direct result of his actions on an instrument with an array of potential vibrations, his hands choose which ones will come to life, their duration and simultaneity.
I began my free form with hands in mind. However, I did not restrict myself to painting within the lines. If one of my pencil lines did not make sense, I painted through it for a more consonant design.
Hand Fantasy
12″x9″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Block
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Statue and Aura
I came across this little statue in a wonderful shop. They sold plants. Off a ritzy main drag of a well-to-do town, this shop took me back in time. The entryway was just like any other store. Once inside, it was a tunnel of greenery.
I saw this little figure on an out-of-the-way shelf, way back near the ’employees only’ section.
Statue and Aura
I caught a ghostly presence directly beside this little statue. Perhaps there is some religious significance here.
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Hands Sketch
Here’s a quick watercolor/charcoal/pencil sketch of my brother Dave’s hands. It is a wonderful experience watching his hands in action at the piano. I would love to do a series of detailed drawings and paintings of his hands frozen at different times during a performance.
Dave’s Hands
9″x12″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Block
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Bench Series, No. 14: Slatted Bench
It was just a walk in the park. This interesting bench only has vertical slats. I like the zig-zaggy shadows.
Slatted Bench, Series No. 14
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‘Or Else’ Icon
One sees icons everywhere. Although the word in a ‘Stop’ sign is in English, the eight-sided shape of the sign is the universal language for ‘cease from moving forward’. Any foreign word could be placed on this octagonal template, and all (who have passed a driver’s test) would know the correct meaning.
What about the consequences of not stopping. Until I saw the pair of signs pictured below, I never knew there could be an icon for ‘Or Else’. The meanings one could ascribe to the bottom sign are limited. The most common interpretation is: ‘If you don’t stop you will crash into a car (if you’re on a bicycle) or a bicycle (if you are in a car).’ Alternatively, it could mean: ‘A bicycle and a car are stopped, waiting for an explosion in the middle of the intersection.’
In the latter case, the logical conclusion would be: if you don’t see a car (if you’re on a bicycle) or don’t see a bicycle (if you’re in a car), there will be no explosion. Conceivably, if the bicycle or car driver didn’t see another car or a bicycle driver at the other corner, he or she could feel safe that an explosion would not occur within the intersection. I would imagine someone holding this view would not be inclined to stop and wait for another vehicle to show up.
I assume that most people would hold the common interpretation of the bottom sign: the consequences of failing to stop.
Or Else Icon
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Playing Piano
I did not sketch the study below from life. I watched my brother play the piano yesterday and tried to absorb the experience. Yesterday’s watercolor was meant to capture Dave’s graceful motions of his hands. Today, I reconstructed his posture from an angle that I had not observed.
Brother Playing Piano
9″x12″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Block
I think it shows stability and groundedness that a pianist must have to render music as he knows it in his mind. I could not reconstruct Dave’s graceful movements overtly, in this sketch. However, the incompleteness of his right arm leaves room to imagine that his hand has not quite reached the next note to play.
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Made-Up Art
There is art all around us. I’m always on the lookout for interesting visuals. The photograph below is another in my series of ‘street art’, pictures of the pavement adorned with paint. This one is more curb than street. Its scope is wider than just macadam and concrete. It includes dried leaves and a sprinkler head. Perhaps, after the gardner visits, the leaves will be blown away to reveal green grass underneath.
Curb, Leaves and Sprinkler Head
