It is difficult to draw a free-form design without a preconceived image. I started the pattern below with just a couple of ideas in my mind: curves that open up to the edge of the page; wavy curves. The raw pattern sketched in pencil enclosed many areas of varying size. However, for the most part, […]
The study I painted the other day reminded me of the brain. I used the same diagonal strokes in the composition below. This time, a solid sphere coalesced. The streaks imply motion. Thus the abstract nature of this painting dissolves into representationalism.
Today’s watercolor is a departure from my recent spate of abstracts. The other day, as I was coming up the walk, something caught my eye. It was the color and arrangement of shapes on the ground. Two leaves were partially entwined. There were some interesting and subtle colors and shadows that I thought I could […]
Now and then I paint representations of my work area (Desk, Clean Desk). It has been particularly messy these days. I’m not sure what motivated me to revisit my desk in its current condition. Perhaps it is the easiest subject, since it is right there in front of me. The thought of filling up the […]
Today was a really bad day… not something I want to get in to. Suffice it to say that the picture below reflects how crummy I feel. This was the grungiest photo I could find. I remember that when I took it I was intrigued by the topological checkerboard pattern. Now all I can see are […]
Today’s vintage watercolor is mostly a pen and ink sketch. I used to spend hours trying to draw the fig tree in the back yard. You can see that this one was drawn at the end of fall. (Yes, autumn does come to California.) I remember being relieved that there weren’t many leaves to draw. […]
I have been thinking about New York City lately. Joy and I will be visiting in February for my mother’s 90th birthday party. She checked with me to see if we would be coming. When I said yes, she said, “Good, I’ll hold on until then.” That’s my Mom. I have mixed feelings about […]
I just finished reading about Egon Schiele in Eric Kandel’s book (The Age of Insight, The Quest to Understand the Unconscious in Art, Mind and Brain). Looking at his portraits, many which were portraits of himself, I can see why he is called the Franz Kafka of modern painting. Kandel said, “… Schiele, more than any […]
Advice For today’s experiment, I took some advice from Camilo (castiblanc.wordpress.com). His comments have been helpful in my quest to find ways to express myself in a more abstract way. Here is his process: “I draw lines in a paper. Just lines without sense. Then i begin to watch the relations between the lines and […]
