Snurrhuvud

maisie dobbs

2011-06-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

Book club notes. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear.

repeating patterns

2011-03-10T19:34:00.000-08:00

First Thursday on the Third Thursday

2011-02-19T09:50:00.000-08:00

Drew Gentle's resume is impressive, but his expressive and dynamic works of fine art and paintings are fantastic!

The bold color schemes and the intense expression of his portraits are magnetic.

I really couldn't stop looking at these. Love the juxtapose here, with the lightweight pastels and the delicate face - and then the hint of an inner monster up there in her head. I choose to assume she's in her 40's.

Drew Gentle was there, but when I went back to snap a photo I couldn't find him.

These works are simply breathtaking. The energy and intrigue pull you in.

They remind me of a mix of Rorschach blots, Willem de Kooning, and cubism.

I may have to go back to see if any of his smaller pieces are affordable.
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Edie

2011-01-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

This morning's notes from a talk given by futurist Edie Weiner.

For 2011

2011-01-02T05:40:00.000-08:00

Book Portrait

2010-09-05T07:11:00.001-07:00

Now and then I do paint a picture. This is a book cover 'portrait' that I made for a friend of mine. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is one of her favorite books. I finally read it myself and I can see why this book lands at the top of so many people's favorite books lists.

This portrait is customized with the silhouette of my friend's daughter.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

2010-09-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

The last book club discussion focused on the first Stieg Larsson book in the Millenium trilogy. I read the book in Swedish, and have just started reading the second in the series.

Oh When the Saints Go Marching In...

2010-06-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

I really like working with this dark craft paper.

These are paintings from the old family photo album.

I Like

2010-06-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

In progress.

Eisenhower.

Abe the 16th

2010-04-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

The Underground

2010-04-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

At the Fayetteville Underground Gallery - First Thursday February 2010.

I can't remember who painted this... I need to find out!

It was cool though.

I love the effect the 3d glasses had on the image,

There's Dede beyond the poppy.

Michele Maule's work there on the bottom left.

ddp gallery...

February 4th, 2010

What am I waiting for?

2009-11-15T19:19:00.001-08:00

blue bird
mixed media on canvas
5 inches x 5 inches
2005

Fayetteville Underground Nov 5

2009-11-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

ddp gallery and Project Feed Local

phantom let-down

2009-10-29T11:59:00.001-07:00

Oh, the O

2009-09-10T09:31:00.001-07:00

Connected

2009-08-28T13:54:00.001-07:00

I take my sketchbook and pen and go off somewhere and draw for 15 minutes or so...

I have to.

If there is no sketch fix, I start to twitch.

Connecting to the part of my head that doesn't think within the rules and confined walls of protocol or structure keeps me balanced.

Escape

2009-08-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking up ideas for an art project.

Hints:

Moss
Wood
Fur
Water
Fruit

interim

2009-08-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

This is the interim. Let's be glad and enjoy it to the fullest. Sometimes, happiness in the interim is in the form of letting the lines go where they want to go.

Art Walkin'

2009-08-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

The first Thursday of every month the galleries around town open up in the evening to showcase new work and exhibits. Many artists are also out meeting and greeting. One of the main draws is the Fayetteville Underground Studios and Galleries. All are open to visitors during this event.
----
Here are a few snapshots from August.
----

First we stopped in and said hello to Dede Peters at the ddp gallery. This month she is showing paperworks.

Steven Wise's colorful abstracts were eye catching.

Sometimes a 10 1/2 year old can dig the art scene. Sometimes, not so much. Or maybe it's X-Box withdrawal... So, instead, he kind of becomes part of the exhibit.

It only takes one gallerist to change a light bulb.

It takes a lot of vodka and mint leaves to make a good opening night cocktail bowl.

---
After a while at ddp's, we wandered over across the street to the Underground. The Underground is located in the basement of a former bank building. There are several gallery spaces, each one with a different collection of work.

In this photo (above) we are in the Vault gallery. Inside this echoing chamber various resident artists' works are hanging in what once was the underground bank vault.

To me, seeing art hung in a concrete room with no windows and only one door invokes a strange sort of feeling... makes me want to philosophize.

Maggie Ivy was the main artist this evening (this month.) Her current love is pencil and charcoal drawings. (You can see the door into the Vault on the back wall of the gallery where her show is hanging.)

Maggie Ivy's studio space.

Maggie is heading to Göteborg, Sweden this fall to study at the Florence Academy of Art.

---
Finally, we moseyed into Megan's studio - also at the Underground.

I love visiting other artists' studios.

I also love seeing work in progress. This is a photo project Megan's named "100 Flashes of Memory," which I find especially intriguing. She has affixed dreamlike images, photographic images, on small blocks (about 4 inches square I estimate) and I can't wait to see the final results.

Notes on Megan's bulletin board.

Megan Chapman
Megan's blog

There are many other artists who have studios where they work at the Underground. Read more on the Fayetteville Underground blog.

Think

2009-08-07T10:35:00.001-07:00

Oh, hello

2009-07-14T10:55:00.001-07:00

Where to?

2009-01-28T19:42:00.001-08:00

Now I am about as uncomfortable as I've ever been in my life.
Tomorrow is Thursday.
I could begin to feel more comfortable tomorrow. I could postpone the comfort.
But I don't want to wait. I'm going to take a shower now. That is a good start to feeling more comfortable. Now.

Nom Nom Nom

2008-09-22T10:16:00.000-07:00

On the horizon

2008-09-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

On October 25 there will be another Sketchcrawl. I'm going to organize a group in my town to participate.

For awhile now I'll post sketches from my sketch journals over the last couple of years. They are telling me they need to see the light of day.

I've been testing out, playing around with, a set of new pencils. Not sure yet what the verdict is, whether I like them or not. I guess it depends on how I figure out to utilize them.

Resurrection

2008-09-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

After a long time away, I return. So glad to be back!

Because...

2008-02-15T07:50:00.001-08:00

...I said so.

Art Gallery Thing

2007-11-11T14:51:00.000-08:00

The Art Gallery Thing.

Two Meatheads and a Cheesehead

2007-01-19T14:21:00.000-08:00

Having some fun with images in a recent Veer catalog that came in the mail.

Bottle Neck

2007-01-18T16:54:00.000-08:00

What happens when I have a little too much time around the house, with a pair of scissors, a gluestick, and a Sundance catalog.

Cheers To the New Year

2006-12-31T13:05:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. It's been a while.

I hope to post more in 2007. My goodness.

On Giving Thanks

2006-11-19T09:14:00.000-08:00

When the boys have trouble falling asleep at night we suggest they go to bed, close their eyes, and start counting thanks. Think of all the things you are thankful for. The list would never end.

Framed

2006-11-16T21:15:00.000-08:00

Click on the image to see it bigger, if you want to.

Moi

2006-11-05T15:29:00.000-08:00

Since it rained all day today we stayed home and puttered around the house. Cookies and muffins were baked, house slippers were worn, and much football on TV was watched.

Last Sunday, however, we went out to the colorful spot on the globe I've named The Rusty Sun. I snapped loads of photos and then I sat down and painted a little sketch of my shadow. My shadow was surrounded my rusty red oak leaves.

It's a rough life.

Shooting Acorns

2006-10-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

W. shooting acorns with his slingshot into the pond this afternoon.

I wish there was a way to bottle up days like this and then keep them handy for those other days when the air is stagnant and pungent.

Cold winds blowing straight through the soul and out again, like some kind of detox elixir.

Bright copper oak leaves. Gem-like deep burgundy sumak leaves. Cheery red sasafrass leaves.

Brillant blue sky.

Land. Hills, trails, draws, a pond, clearings, the creek, a little frog, a big rock with a frizzy sort of moss all over it.

Sunshine.

Feeling so good tired at the end of the day.

Portrait

2006-10-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here is a drawing Z did about three years ago. He was 4, almost 5. It was December 2003. This was before Z started drawing everything in stick figures... back then he drew what he saw. As you can plainly see, this is a portrait of his mom and dad. We are in the living room. I'm in the chair cozied up in a green throw blanket and J's kicked back on the couch. We are watching the movie Seabiscuit on TV. I was knitting also, and if you look closely you can sort of see the knitting needles.
I don't know why Z stopped drawing like this. He would really get in the zone. This one took about 25 minutes or so.

I am showing this because I found it the other day when I was going through a box of old papers and letters. Finding it made my day.

waiting

2006-10-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

waiting, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

Something didn't seem right. The light was not the same as before.

Both my headlights were burned out.
I'd been driving around with my fog lights on...

Funny how that is both a literal and allegorical description for the last couple of weeks of my life.

The Storyteller

2006-09-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

My younger son is a storyteller. He's a narrator of real and imaginary events and any combination of the two. He is also an illustrator. When he was four he drew an amazing portrait of me and his dad by following the classic method of simply drawing what he saw. I'm going to see if I can find that one and show it to you.

Nowadays my son draws more symbolically and has gone to drawing stick figures in order to quickly create a visual scene for the story he wrote.

If you want to see this drawing a little bigger, click HERE.

Pappa's sketchbook 1964

2006-09-09T07:13:00.000-07:00

Pappa's sketchbook 1964, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

With some math problems!
He's a civil engineer.

phone call

2006-09-06T04:54:00.000-07:00

phone call, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

September 1.

clearing my mind

2006-08-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

avoiding, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

chill

2006-07-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

chill, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

[GARGANTUAN]
a page of notes I doodled during a presentation by an invited lunch guest speaker at work

just wondering

2006-07-27T06:15:00.000-07:00

collage red, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

church notes

2006-07-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

...partial page in my moleskine with notes that I took while in church back in March...

Midsommar

2006-07-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

Summertime

city hall

2006-07-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

city hall, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

After work one day last week I stopped by city hall for the City Planning meeting and , along with about 15 other neighbors, opposed the rezoning proposal of an adjacent field from Residential to Commercial.

After some discussion the motion to rezone was voted upon and without a majority Yes votes, the motion failed. Yay!

splasher

2006-06-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

There are few things that top great childhood summer memories. For my boys, those memories will include splashing around in the backyard pool under the big cedar tree.

"Hey, Mom, watch this one! Watch! This is a new one, a never before attempted trick turn splash!"
[click images for actual size]

swirly sanctuary

2006-05-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

Santa Fe, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

at the batting cages

2006-05-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

sketchbook, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

the palace

2006-05-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

one of three, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

Santa Fe's plaza is the home of the Palace of the Governors.

This is a hasty sketch of part of the famous palace, where native american craftspeople have been setting up their wares for sale since the 1930's (?)

Next time I go on vacation I'm making much more time for drawing and painting.

Reality

2006-05-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago (time flies) I went on a 5 day vacation with my friend Kaye. We went to New Mexico and spent time in Santa Fe and Taos, mostly.

The trip was a much needed break form real life and was supposed to be a groovy trip into a sort of surreality. It was surreal, as anyone who has been to New Mexico can attest (they don't call it the Land of Enchantment for nothing) but graciously, the trip also reminded me of the sweet reality that we sometimes get way wound up over stuff that doesn't matter. Everyone we encountered were the most laid back, easy-going, take it easy kind of people I'd ever met. Chilled out. Smiling. Relaxed.

Spending just five days without TV or internet and spending lots of time outside in the sun and wind and high altitude inspired me inside and out. Walking around old pueblos during the day and then beholding the worlds most amazing sunsets each evening is reality. I didn't get to sketch as much as I'd hoped, though I took lots of pictures (627!) I can't wait to go back. I'll sketch and paint more next time.

On the last day in Santa Fe, we had a few hours in the morning to kick around before we had to drive to Albuquerque to catch our flight back home. I found a spot in front of the San Miguel Mission and sketched the front of it.

The San Miguel Mission is said to be the oldest church in America.

"overheard"

2006-04-14T06:45:00.000-07:00

Drawing at the coffee shop

2006-04-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

The day I drew this, during a long lunch at a café down the road from where I work, I ran into one person I hadn't seen in years, chatted with two random co-workers while standing in line waiting to place my order, and I noticed a local celebrity who was sitting at the other end of the café reading the newspaper having a cup of tea.

hat and coat on hook

2006-04-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

hat and coat on hook, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

While we waitied for our order, I sketched this coat hanging on a hook in a local family restaurant. It was the first time I had ever pulled out my sketchbook in a restaurant. I was in a nother world while I was sketching, and I'm not sure if that was a good thing. I was cool. But what was everyone else thinking?

Not Blogging

2006-04-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

park bench, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

When I was hanging out at the park with my two boys I sketched these two women sitting on a park bench on the other side of the pond from where I was. They were chatting, I was drawing, no one was blogging.

Elsewhere

2006-03-29T06:34:00.000-08:00

One of my collages has been featured on the IKEA fan blog, Positive Fanatics. Groovy.

not a video game

2006-03-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

After a long Spring Break week of dreary weather and mostly staying at home (filled with a lot of cartoon network and video games, and not as much shooting hoops, bike riding, or outside play as everyone would have liked,) we all welcomed the brief fair and sunny days this past weekend.

Sometime in the middle of Sunday afternoon the boys' bikes were loaded onto the bike rack attached to the truck and we all headed over to the bike-track and skate-pit park where they could ride a while. The place was packed. Turns out there are dirt bike races every Sunday afternoon and kids and adults come from all over the state to race. We found a spot to sit on the knoll between the bike-track and the skate-pit and watched the kids in action. I tried to draw some of the skateboarders - not so easy since they don't exactly want to stay still and pose...

The boys rode their bikes around the park some while we hung out and watched. Everyone agreed it was way more fun than anything on a TV or a computer screen ever could be.

old rusty

2006-03-23T18:15:00.000-08:00

old rusty, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

The sun was low in the west one evening last weekend and instead of holing up inside the house after dinner and all that I brought the sketchbook and watercolors out the the backyard patio table. Old rusty was parked right there in the grass, smilin, "Draw me! Draw me!" My boys had been pushing each other around in the yard in it earlier, laughing and making all kinds of noise. Raaawwwwwrrr!

Soon old rusty (and squeaky) will help move compost and bags of home improvement store garden soil to the garden spots.

FEET

2006-03-21T18:34:00.000-08:00

IF FEET, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.
This one can be seen full size.

Handy Tracker

2006-03-18T20:26:00.000-08:00

This is my Handy Tracker for making some sense of myself during the month. This is handy not just for me, but if my hubby would check it out as well, it might clue him in as to why I'm especially sweet, or "unusually" withdrawn.

(click here to see it bigger)

Disclaimer: There is at least one small error in wording... I didn't notice it until after it was scanned and uploaded. It's "pre-menstrual," not "pre-menopausal..." although, really- the symptoms are quite similar.

And while this chart is based on information found all over the internet, I am not a medical professional and claim no expertise, other than saying that the general "flow" of this chart has generally been acurate in my case.

Oh, and one more thing: Yes, I designed this one, and yes, you may use it for personal use if you wish - Free! If you decide to publish it (on the internet or elsewhere) please just note where you found it, thanks!

Here's how it works:
There's a line for each month... just begin at the top with the next time you "start," by writing in the month and the date you begin under the "0" and then just list the dates across from there.
You'll run out of room but that's okay, because you'll just begin at the beginning again under "0" when the next cycle starts.
Ovulation normally occurs around 7 or 10 days after the last day of the period - this is an estimate, but it's safe to say that it happens around mid-cycle.
You should be able to take it from there,

the land of enchantment

2006-03-15T20:56:00.000-08:00

New Mexico landscapes, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

This is a page from a sketchbook I brought on our 2004 car-trip vacation to Durango, Colorado. While riding in the car looking out at the amazing New Mexico landscape I sketched a few of the scenes. Talk about 'gesture' drawing. I can't wait to return.

Sunday News, more or less crafty in nature.

2006-03-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

Today feels like a good Sunday. The rain fell all night and this morning the sun has been shining on the wet spring green grass and dark umber garden dirt. The wet concrete patio feels cold under my bare feet when I stand on it facing the warm sun to the south. Our black scruffy little dog has been yipping at the squirrels and birds playing up along the skinny leafless branches of the elm and sassafrass trees by the back fence.

While I drank cup of earl grey green tea (it's okay, not my favorite flavor... earl grey is better with black tea) I read the Sunday paper headlines, eventually finding the weekly ad for Hobby Lobby. This week crochet hooks are on sale for 1/2 price, which is good. I only have two and that just won't be enough if I'm to try to knit the cute little bear (by Camilla) in my new book The Happy Hooker.

I confess: I have forgotten how to follow crochet patterns. I used to know how... in college... Now I'll have to re-learn. My son has already seen the pictures and he is in love. "Mom, please, can you 'sew' one tonight?" Gees.
Maybe this will help...

It's out of an old issue of Martha Stewart Baby (Winter 2000) and the pointed hat seems to have the same idea as the pointy faces of the bears. We'll see...

The weekly ad also shows that modeling clay is on sale this week. Maybe I'll restock my trashed-out-by-clay-monsters supply and make something funny.

(trashed out by clay monsters supply of modeling clay)

Now, all this writing and photo upoading has made me want to go back outside to the grass, birds and sunlight and so I'm off. I think I'll bring my sketchbook with me. And go barefoot. Going barefoot is so underrated.

recently

2006-03-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

This is a drawing that started out as a headless body with lots of arms and just two legs. A few days later the egg-shaped thing appeared under the legs, and then the lines connecting the hands sort of happened. Then the drawing just rested for several days between the pages in the sketchbook.
Lately, I've not sketched much, not even during office meetings... Even though I bring my sketchbook with me to work, thinking I may steal a moment to draw, it just ends up staying in my bag underneath my desk all day until it's time to go home again.
The other day I brought the sketchbook with me to the boys' soccer games and tried to draw while watching them play from the sidelines.

When I do take the time to draw the drawing doesn't seem to get finished. Like this one. It's been building over time.

So, then one day I drew the head on this many-armed body and also added the journaling above it. And then the rest just fell into place.

recently, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

IF Tea

2006-02-24T17:29:00.000-08:00

Oh, the cozy of a Friday evening with nowhere to be and nothing to do except to have a cup of tea while watching the speed skaters race.

Inked the tea bag during my Friday lunch break. Color added later in the evening at home.

By the way - this is the tea that came as part of a goodie package from the wonderful Maria in Sweden. Tack Maria! Jag blev så glad av allt som du skickade :)

Purpose

2006-02-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

When we write and draw, we have the unique first in line opportunity of seeing, reading - learning - that which we are trying to express. There may be desire to understand a drawing when there is not a clear purpose or title.

Why is there a large black round spot in the middle of the figure's body? What kind of hat is the figure wearing - is it a helmet?

Is he (or she) angry, or stoic, or bored? What does it mean?

Hunger?
Hate?
Sadness?
Promise?
Opportunity?

Nothing?

coffee all day

2006-02-22T10:44:00.000-08:00

coffee all day, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

IF Song

2006-02-18T16:58:00.000-08:00

When I think of song, what came to mind is a simple song I remember from my childhood. The lyrics go something like this:

Vem kan segla förutan vind
Vem kan ro utan åror
Vem kan skiljas från vännen sin
Utan att fälla tårar

Jag kan segla förutan vind
Jag kan ro utan åror
Men ej skiljas från vännen min
Utan att fälla tårar

Translated into English, it goes sort of like this,
Who can sail without winds
Who can row without oars
Who can part from a friend
Without shedding a tear

I can sail without winds
I can row without oars
But I can't part from my friend
Without shedding a tear

I do not know who wrote this melancholy song.

Update Feb 23: Check it out! My Dad just emailed me this link. You can hear a sample of this song, as sung by Nina Lizell and Lee Hazelwood (cica 1970) - It is number 11 in the sample song list....

IF - Chair

2006-02-04T21:26:00.000-08:00

The chair is a happy model for the artist. The chair won't move or change positions. The chair accomodates the artist. The chair poses patiently.
One evening last July the western sky was the color of a peach. The lawn grass was greener than a crayon. The temperature of the air was a backyard perfect 75 degrees Farenheit. Together they cooked up a dish called Gorgeous Summer Evening with Kick Back and Relax, garnished with little Sketch A While.

This one... ah, yes. The TV - it was on one of the Kerry - Bush debates last October. W sat in the IKEA recliner and looked at an I Spy book, and I was on the couch with my sketchbook. Our scruffy cute dog found her way into these sketches too!

And here is one of our old green metal patio chairs. They were uncomfortable until I bought the perfect seat pads for them on sale at Target. They look good now, those green metal chairs, with these new red-orange striped seat pads, and they are a lot more comfrortable to sit in.

Pull up a chair. Have a seat. What's on your mind?

Weaving

2006-02-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

Right now the hobby table is cleaned off. There are several odd sized boxes in the hallway. The boxes are filled with things like cheap plastic tumblers - bright blue, orange and pink tumblers - an electric juicer, a plastic mandoline, some old candle sticks and tea light cups, and lots of art supplies. It's that time of year. Time to clear out the clutter. The only thing on the "art room" floor now is the hobby table, the bookshelves, and two guitars.

The woven paper collage above was done back in December. Collage making relaxes my mind so it often wanders off somewhere make-believe, somewhere silly, or playful, or adventurous. I never know what will end up on the page before I start. It's purely creative - spontaneous. That is what my art is, I think. Spontaneous.
Maybe the spontaneity of my creations is what makes it is a healthy challenge for me to do more "assigned" art. Concept art. Art with intent. Disciplined art. Maybe.

mome rath

2006-02-01T20:03:00.000-08:00

mome rath, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

Right now this one is in a pretty good mood. The tea is only lukewarm, however, and some other thing is yawning loudly behind him.

learning to play

2006-01-29T21:08:00.000-08:00

learning to play, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

oo de lally
oo de lally
golly what a day

Patterns

2006-01-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

Having a tendency to doodle during office meetings it only makes sense to bring an actual sketchbook with me instead of a lined notebook. It tooka awhile for this to happen because there is a little courage involved... maybe the same kind of courage it takes to sketch in public.

Amazingly, the sketchbook hasn't created any stir at all. And that's nice.

In this sketch I noticed a lot of patterns, and maybe that's the left side of the brain having some fun. The cool thing about office doodles (drawings) is they have no pre-determined concept and the entire time the pen is moving across the page there is the opportunity for anything to emerge.

IF katten

2006-01-20T22:04:00.000-08:00

katten, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

A smile Lewis Carroll might have appreciated.

...turns out Friday evenings while waiting as my son takes guitar lessons is a good time to sketch...

guitar lessons

2006-01-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

blue moon music, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

My son is taking guitar lessons. I am taking time to sketch.

IF E is for...

2006-01-17T03:53:00.000-08:00

When I saw the topic "E is for..." I was initially disappointed... The topic immediately brought to mind the Dr. Seuss ABC book, again, and didn't my illustration for Sea kind of play on the Dr. Seuss ABC theme?

So I thought about "E is for..." and frustratingly all kinds of great "E" words came to mind, all kinds of English and Swedish words. Maybe I could pick a Swedish word for E, I thought.

IFeisfor, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

There are so many things E is for and my illustration is a sketch where E-words are randomly listed inside a big E.
Maybe this sketch could grow up to be a big illustration someday, but for now, E is for the 5th letter in the alphabet, and really so much more.

Update: Feb. 2, 2006

The "E" has been to the spa, and look how refreshed it seems to be now.

collage with office doodle and a lunch receipt

2006-01-14T15:49:00.000-08:00

collage with office doodle and a lunch receipt, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

This year I decided to save as many shopping/ purchase receipts as possible and to make it worthwhile the receipts are ending up in collages.

My little project may not be on the scale of Kate's, but I'm already having a little fun with it.

This page includes the receipt from my lunch on January 4th. During the few minutes while I waited for the order I sketched this.

Sea

2006-01-06T19:41:00.000-08:00

This one can be viewed larger - just click the image.

Lunchsketch

2006-01-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

While I was waiting for my order at lunch yesterday I noticed a handsome converse sneaker, attached to a young man, underneath the table across from me. The sneaker looked back at me, and then it winked and mouthed, "sketch me."
How could I not?

Illustration Friday: Flavor

2006-01-03T13:35:00.000-08:00

IF Flavor, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

Hurling "Hate" arrows to the Valentines's day candy may seem a little violent... but I really don't (want to) like the flavor(s) and this little visual imagery has been successful because when I pass the (disgusting) valentines day aisle in the stores I have been flinging quiver loads of Hate Arrows toward the (awful) sweets and chocolates.

It's my defense strategy. Muahahaha.

office phone

2005-12-30T17:39:00.000-08:00

office phone, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

It was quiet at the office this week with lots of people out during the holidays. Good thing I brought my new sketchbook with me to work... and a loaded *new* iPod (!)

A co-worker of mine stopped by and, like so many times previously, he shook his head and said "Why are you here? You should be illustrating childrens' books."
But this time I said something like, "Okay, why don't you write the story, and I'll illustrate it."

Fifteen minutes later he brought over a sheet of paper with a story printed on it. It's enough story for at least 20 illustrated pages, maybe more. Gosh.

Why not? It'll be fun, and good practice. I love looking at childrens book illustrations, there are so many illustrators I admire, there are so many styles. We'll see where this goes, this little challenge placed before me. Who knows?

Illustration Friday - Holiday

2005-12-26T19:35:00.000-08:00

Guest artist: My Dad. From a series he drew in 1964.

Wallpaper Collages

2005-12-18T10:28:00.000-08:00

A while back I was shopping at the home improvement store when on a clearance rack I noticed a stack of sample packs of wallpaper for $1.00. The added scraps of office doodles seem to balance out the collages...

Magazine clippings and wallpaper samples make great collage material.

Not all my collages have wallpaper samples.
Other collages are made entirely with wallpaper samples.

I think I like the simplicity of these recent collages. Maybe it is a respons to the otherwise very hectic and stressful pre-holiday weeks?

Illustration Friday - Imagine

2005-12-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

The other day while doodling at the office, this little coffee pot suddenly appeared on the page under my pen. I imagine it could be a creamer, or a syrup dispenser... or maybe a brain could be put into it, which is what my imaginative son suggested.

Open For Business

2005-12-17T18:53:00.000-08:00

Annelito has opened her SHOP!
Check her out, don'cha know.
She has a groovy style I like, and now her art is available for purchase. Hurry, because those cool brooches, rings, vases and magnets will go fast!

Beatles Songs

2005-12-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

Here's a thing I found on Susanne's Ventil, and hey, what a day to sing a few Beatles songs.

Choose an artist (or band) and answer only in song TITLES by that artist: The Beatles
Are you male or female: She's a Woman
Describe yourself: Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da
How do some people feel about you: Day Tripper
How do you feel about yourself: Think For Yourself
Describe your ex boyfriend: Dear Prudence
Describe where you want to be: Norwegian Wood
Describe what you want to be: Good Day Sunshine
Describe what you want: Money
Describe how you live: Too Much Monkey Business
Describe how you love: Act Naturally
Share a few words of wisdom: All You Need Is Love
- - - - -
Check out Laura's sketches form her trip to Sweden.
- - - - -

Ilustration Friday - Blue

2005-12-06T18:26:00.000-08:00

Blue, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

Blue - An office doodle from today.

Two things happened today:

... I recommended a co-worker, a peer, for a leadership position.

... J supported me as I made a huge decision.

Illustration Friday - Small

2005-12-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

When I think of "small" I think about the size of me and my selfish ego in relation to the universe. And it makes me feel free, and light and happy and not angry and not hateful and not judgemental.

(This is my first ever Illustration Friday topic/participation! And it's already time for a new topic, Blue, and I hope to submit a drawing for that also.)

Time Goes By

2005-11-19T09:49:00.000-08:00

Diagram of my average weekday.

Clay Day

2005-11-15T21:30:00.000-08:00

Played with my son's clay today.
This guy had a body, made of clay. It was smooshed. The head was spared. So the new body was drawn.

This is temporary art. Not made to last, not meant to last, not gonna last.
Sometimes, a liberating creative burst happens when the creation is less important than the creating itself. And every now and then, that freedom yields really fun stuff!

I look at this clay head and I just smile. It's CLAY. It's smooshable.

A little book

2005-11-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

The other day when I found PocketMod.com (via Susanne) I printed out some of these Food Diary sheets for a handmade book I made. So practical.

On the page above are a few quotes, and the one that says "Don't make rules, just follow them." is a reminder to myself to do the things I am always declaring I shall do. In other words, when I make a personal declaration like, 'get up early and practice yoga,' it's better to just get p early and practice yoga than to declare it.

The pin in the head is just one of those doodles gone wild. It started out being a pin in a pin cushion, and suddenly the pin cushion became a head!

You can view the series here.

2005-10-30T11:48:00.000-08:00

Here's a doodle from a meeting at the office. The meeting was a big overview on Sherman Anti-trust compliance.
I've really played around with this doodle in photoshop, using some neat brushes I found at rebel-heart. Miss M can make some groovy cool brushes!

It was twenty years ago today

2005-10-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

Today I called work and left a message for my boss that I would not be coming in because I had to take care of a family situation. Since I did not elaborate it may have sounded strange, and tomorrow I will have to explain, I suppose.

The long version or the short and for-good-company version?
How about this: Marriage enrichment. My hubby and I both needed to spend a day together just the two of us, no kids, a whole day, at least until we had to go pick up the boys from school :)

We had a really nice time, relaxed, and stress free, and we were able to carry on conversations without interruptions or trying to give one another a status update or instructions or "constructive criticism!"

Today, I just realized, marks twenty years since our first ever date, when we were 18. We went to a high school football game. It started to rain. We had to sit pretty close together on the bleacher under my umbrella. I have no idea who won that game.

Against the Wind

2005-10-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

"Only a fool wishes for what he wants. A wise man works for it."
-Peter van Winkle

Doing My Work

2005-10-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

What is holding me back from doing my creative work? What is holding you back from doing yours?
Sometimes I wonder if all the surfing around and finding "inspiration" in the so many wonderful and beautiful, and brilliant and clever designs, creations, and images among all the internet bookmarks is getting in the way of my own creating. The inspiration is so big, so great, and so much fun to find that I choose 'finding inspiration' over doing my own creative work.
Does this make any sense?

Maybe all this inspiration is really building up a kind of resistance in me.
Maybe not.
I don't think the idea is to always come up with something new and different. As if.
There is nothing new under the sun.
I think the idea is to do creative work. No matter what. Now. Today!

"The highest treason a crab can commit is to make a leap for the rim of the bucket."
"The awakening artist must be ruthless, not only with herself but with others. Once you make a break, you can't turn around for your buddy who catches his trousers on the barbed wire. The best thing you can do for that friend (and he'd tell you this himself, if he really is your friend) is to get over the wall and keep moating."
"The best thing and only thing that the artist can do for another is to serve s an example and an inspiration."

-The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield,
who writes from the hip about breaking
through blocks and winning inner creative battles.
Cool.

On a Day Off...

2005-10-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

When I take a day of vacation to stay home with the boys because they are out of school I always think I'll have all this extra time to "catch up" on all my little projects, errands, housekeeping, and maybe even get something creative done too.

I was off on Monday and today this week and so far the most 'creative' thing I have done is videotape the hairstylist while she was cutting my hair. Oh, and I embroidered a little too.

Tonight I'm cutting and gluing. I want to fill up my sketchbooks so I can buy more.

This is the challenge: Fill Up The Sketchbooks. By January 1, 2006.
How hard can it be?

Polaroided

2005-10-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

Polaroided, originally uploaded by Tifty.

Since it's been a while since I scanned anything to upload here I thought a neat polaroided picture would be about right here. It's a Flickr Toy, found here.

I'll have a little time to update tomorrow, I hope. Fresh doodles coming soon!

Art Studio

2005-10-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

There is a new group at flickr. It is called Art Studio. The idea is for people to post pictures of their art studios, or creative spaces, or art nooks, craft corners, or hole in the closets where they usually spend time creating.

Every February the magazine Home Companion will feature well-known artists' studio spaces, and this is my favorite issue, sometimes the only issue, I buy all year. I love seeing artist studios.

Several years ago, on one of my visits to Sweden, we visited the (now a museum) home of the famous Swedish artist Carl Larsson. It is a home where every wall is a work of art, painted and decorated by Carl and his wife Karin. If you ever get a chance, go there! Carl Larsson also drew and painted his own home and studio interior many times. So inspiring!
We also visited the museum home of another Swedish painter, Anders Zorn. On the property it is possible to peer into his log cabin art studio, or ateljé, I imagine what it was like to paint by the light from a lantern at night, or from the light of the sun streaming in the small windows.

My "studio" is the top of an IKEA hobby table, in a spare bedroom. It used to be the space on the kitchen counter before we moved the boys into a room together, after we bought the solid oak bunk beds at SAMs. I like my space. Sometimes it's a mess. Sometimes it's tidy.

Autumn Apples

2005-10-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

Just the other day when I was cleaning up my hobby table, I found a box of water soluable crayons amid the mess. They were bought a while back and I guess I sort of forgot I had them.

Of course this little discovery warranted immediate cease-clean-up, and a full engagement into Operation Explore Potential Fun While Using Watercolor Crayons! An old magazine was laying open on the hobby table, where a picture of a box of apples smiled at me.
There was my subject.

Some of the outlines were drawn with terra coloured PITT artist pens, but this drawing (click to view larger) is basically all done with the watercolor crayons.

An Old Abstract

2005-09-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

Found a stack of old photos of some of the paintings I did my last year in school, 1992. The photographs were taken outside in the sun, using a 35mm point an shoot camera, and the white balance was way off. In photoshop I just let the automatic color adjuster do it's magic, and here is a result I think is as close to the real colors that I can remember.

This watercolor was the result of trying to make something out of an accidental spill from the brush water jar. (There was no way i was going to waste a $13.00 sheet of heavy coldpress) Turned into something that has since reminded me of other artists' abstracts along the way. Maybe they were also creating something new from a spill?!

Today this large (24x36 inch) watercolor painting is hanging framed at pappa's house in Sweden.

Out

2005-09-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

It's official. This evening it occurred to me, and now it's there, looking at me, asking me, "now what?"

I am an artist.

Having denied this all my life, perhaps embarrassed by the haughty aire the word seemed to have, I now see there is no use in trying to hide from the truth.

I am an artist.

It is what it is. It doesn't mean this or that, it doesn't change anything, because it always has been. The only difference is that I can say it now.

I am an artist.

This is a preliminary sketch - a concept idea really - for a card design I've been asked to make.

This is a page from my art journal. When I look at it I see a big influence of the styles of some of my favorite artists who post their art online. There's a bit of Camilla in the side-ways drop-shaped bubble, I see some of Kim's style in the stick legs of the bird, the bird itself is reminiscent of many artists, because the bird motif is rather popular.

I think artists find inspiration in each others art, and often the influence shows up in their creations. Though unique, they recall faintly a kind of common spirit. When I page through a magazine like Somerset, for example, or when I'm browsing the flickr art pictures, I always notice trends. Maybe it's the trading card trend, or collage trend, or art journal trend, or the trend to illustrate something based on a word each Friday, or a technique each Tuesday. I love this awesome art community online! What an amazing way we can, via the internet, communicate, share, influence and inspire... how cool to want to try to sew a sketch (sketch-sewing!) after seeing Fiona's wonderful work, and how exciting to participate in an Art Challenge when a package of supplies arrive from Joleen?

Now, I am not going to quit my day job. What I am going to do is answer "Yes! Yes, I am." the next time someone asks me, "Are you an artist?"

2005 5x5

2005-09-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for the Art Center of the Ozarks annual 5x5 show.
The deadline for turning in our contributions was actually last week, on the 15th, and I hadn't had a chance to complete mine. I had started a painting of a road disappearing into the horizon, with a blue sky and white fluffy clouds, but I really didn't now where it was going, the painting I mean... so it just sat there on my work table, going nowhere.

Today I found out from my friend (who is also contributing to the show) that they would accept late contributions through Monday (tomorrow.) So, after dinner and while the big boys went fishing and the little one played outside in the yard, the painting I had started began a new journey.

In less than an hour the canvas was coated with a new layer of paint, covering the original image, and had dried enough for me to add a little bird, using pastels and pencil to begin with.

Eventually the 5x5 was completed. It will need to hang in a lit location for the colors to really show, the overall is much darker than I normally paint. The scan makes it look a bit darker than it is really as well.

Here is the photo that inspired me.