Art Journal Pages

This one (above) is an office doodle, technically. After lunch, I had to be on a conference call, and it was kinda slow going for a bit, so... I got my markers out and started doodling.



Here's a page from my art journal that has mostly collages in it. The color is really washed out here. The green is a gouache, and the images are from magazines and catalogs.

I like this kind of collage. It is so relaxing to cut and paste, and it can be whatever! The image has no planning or preconceived idea guiding the process, it just emerges on it's own. As I cut out colors and pictures, images and shapes that appeal to me they end up together somehow, during the process. I might find connection between some of the images after I've already laid down half the page, and then I'll find something in the scrap pile that seems like it also belongs on the page! How cool is that? !

View to a Hill

(from vacation journal pages)
This is one I haven't wanted to post because it doesn't seem finished. I guess it is though... I would have liked to spend more time on it.
From our camp spot, our view of Prospect Mountain changed all day long. It would change from a dark blue in the morning to a dusty grey-tan in the afternoon...

The neighboring RV's changed avery couple of days also. I guess people either live in an RV park for weeks, or a couple of days. Yepp. It's either, or.

I just joined the flickr Art Journal Group. Now there's a place to share journal pages for folks who prefer to write and draw over typing and posting pictures. (I like doing both !)

Office Doodles

The one on the bottom, it was drawn during a meeting. The top one came to life during a phone call.

Drawing in Public

Fiona, of Leap-of-Faith (I love that blog name!) shared a poignant passage on the subject creating in public. The author, whom she quotes (Eric Maisels) talks about overcoming embarrassment and imagined criticism when writing in public, at a restaurant or on a sidewalk or whatever. I love that quote. It's about creating in public, in front of strangers, among eyes that may judge, mouths that will comment aloud, and brains that will mutter quietly to themselves.

I love Fiona's own words even more. She writes about drawing, how she thinks of drawing...

"...as a tool for being more creative. I can see the need to play and to use it to quiet that inner critic."

I love that! Nevermind the eyes and mouths of strangers in public. My biggest critic is me!

When I sat on the floor in that traffic class I noted with words some observations around me that I didn't draw. Just random visual images and quotes, moments in time. For example:

• The girl with the black pants, loose hanging pants, like a skirt, got her ticket on Dickson street. She's wearing an orange tank top with a gold sequined trim around the arm holes.
• The guy with the gallon jug of water is from New Jersey. He's never been to Tulsa. He asked someone where the fountain was so he could wash off his apple.
• A tall dude with big curly hair has a piercing below his bottom lip. He was going 20 mph over the limit.
• Black lace trims the neckline of a thin black tank top worn by a girl with long blond hair. She is talking to the person next to her about the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She loves Johnny Depp, "but not because he's aesthetic. He's such a good actor and chooses such interesting roles to play."
  
• There is a tattoo of some kind on the top of the foot of the woman sitting next to me on the floor. She has a cool bag. It's a white canvas bag with large round lime green spots.
  
• The instructor is telling us he used to play bass in a band during the 60's and 70's and how the loud speakers and amps caused his hearing loss.
• The girl who was talking about Johnny Depp earlier just asked me, "are you an artist." I answered, "I like to draw."
  

That question, "are you an artist?" is a curious one. Do people who are writing in public get asked, "are you a writer?"

I think everyone is an artist. Everyone. Some folks just haven't been practicing for a very long time.

Traffic Violators

Traffic Violators, originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

This morning I had to go to a driver safety class in order to avoid a higher insurance premium because of a speeding ticket I got a few weeks ago when I was caught going 11 miles per hour over the limit in a 25 mph zone.

The class was over capacity and several people had to sit on the floor. I was one of those who sat on the floor.

I brought my sketchbook with me even though the instructions said we only needed to bring an ink pen.

Snowmelt

Again a vacation sketch.

Sunset Quickie

One evening my hubby and I enjoyed a short hike together while the kids went to the Estes Park rodeo with the grandparents. We walked a couple of miles or so on the Wild Basin trail near Longs Peak, but since we hadn't brought our flashlights we turned around when it started to get kind of dusky.
As we headed back to Estes Park on Hwy 7 we noticed this gorgeouslicious sunset going at Lily Lake.
We pulled over and parked the car and got out to savour it. With not much more than a few minutes left I scrambled to paint an impression of this moment. Sitting on a rock by the waters edge, I dipped the paintbrush in the Lily Lake and sketched the sunset.
Quickly.

Update: If you are curious, you can see one of the photos I took of the sunset here... though no matter how I tried, my photography skills greatly lacking, I could not quite capture the intense red orange peachy tomato blush colors....

Sunset

The evenings are a little cooler now. The sunset was the color of a peach a couple of days ago.

Endovalley

There is a little park at the end of the valley in Rocky Mountain National Park where the Fall River Road begins. We stopped here one day after a day of tourist-driving, checking out places like the Lawn Lake alluvial fan at Horseshoe Park.

We spread a colorful red flower patterned cotton tablecloth over the picnic table and pulled out sandwiches and chips from a soft canvas cooler. There were a few mosquitoes. And just a few feet from the picnic table was the fall river, ice cold, rippling over rocks and stones, making music without ever tiring.

A Stellars Jay hung out with us while we were having our lunch. No doubt, he was waiting for a crumb or a chip to fall from our human munchie table. He was patient. While he sat perched in the young white birch near us, I sketched him, standing up with the sketchbook in one arm, the pen in the other. For something like ten minutes.

Thanks Mr. Blue.

On Drawing, On.

When I was young, I drew all the time, and there were no rules. I drew big, I drew small.

Between 1986 and 1991 (a lifetime ago) I spent time enrolled in art and design classes, eventually graduating with an "art degree." I was 'taught' a lot of rules in that time period, and some of them are good, others just make me squint my eyes and wrinkle my nose the way I might when I walk past a stinky garbage bin.

Then I got married, moved, and started working in a bank. Then came the kiddos, and everything that comes along and consumes a working married mother. Drawing and painting was that thing I 'didn't make time for.' Not because I didn't want to, because I did. When I opened a sketchbook, or set up a canvas, or laid out a large thick cold-press watercolor paper and poured water in an empty jelly jar, and opened a tin box of watercolor half-pans, closing my eyes as the scent of the colors brightened the air.... all that seemed like such a tease. Often the process of drawing and painting became meditative. It caused me to zone out.

The act of sketching - the process of looking and seeing and noticing details and putting this on paper - requires some amount of detachment. Focusing, on one thing. Not impossible to do, but an extremely rare event. Ideas were always streaming in, then sadly disappeared like a loved one, waving as he becomes smaller and smaller on a departing train.

It is still a kind of luxury for me to really indulge in drawing and sketching. The purpose is not to be really good or make stuff that could sell, or always tell a story. I draw because - I like to. When I am drawing or painting, a sensation of well-being comes over me. Freedom of thought. Freedom from rules. Freedom from judgment. NO 'have-to's.' No expectations.

As I mature (haha!) I realize that all things I care about and love must be nurtured, watered. Sometimes, when things seem a little wimpy, I like to add some (organic) fertilizer. Discipline is the fertilizer of art.

Drawing is the precision of thought.
-Henri Matisse

Campground Entertainment

Our camper was parked right by the playground and the adjacent activity center. We were 5 paces away from bingo night, pancake breakfast, and live entertainment.

One night a local estes park man played his gig of John Denver cover songs and a few of his own. While the boys played on the playground (or maybe they were fishing by the stocked pond) I sketched another picture in my sketchbook.

Summertime in the Rocky Mountains

This is the first sketch from my two weeks in the Colorado Mountains. It's my father in-law's coffee pot sitting on a little table outside the RV, plugged into to an outside outlet.

There's a coffee story that goes with this sketch. Long story, short: By the second day, each pot perked was twice as strong as the first pot, because each evening my father-in-law handed the coffee can and coffee scoop to me and asked me to prepare the pot for the morning. Black, coffee should be.

At Last. Vacation.

I'm looking forward to the next 13 or 14 hours riding in the car, listening to the kids ask questions and their always poignant conversations. There will be time to draw, read, and write, and just look out the window. We are going on a road trip. Vacation! VACATION!!!

Maybe some of all that will end up here when we return.

Office Doodles Enhanced

Some time ago when we were at a BigGiantElectronicsMegaStore, looking for some good speakers to plug into the PowerBook, I somehow scored a Wacom tablet that came with wireless mouse, a 'painter' software cd, and a $50 rebate.
It's taken me some time to get used to the tablet. I like it, because it's fun to experiment, but I can't get comfortable with the the control. Yet.

The doodle above was scanned in and then rendered and painted in Photoshop. I found these cool brushes online, I can't remember where, but I recall finding the link somewhere among Rene's flickr pictures.

There hasn't been much drawing going on lately (busy with summer, kids, garden, playing) - so when we finally go on vacation there will (theoretically) be more time for sketching a little more often - at least for longer stretches of time. I am mlooking forward to early early mornings, sitting outside the camper, way up the mountains, drinking a cup of fresh brew, feeling the sun on my face, drawing, thinking, relaxing.

MidSummer Solstice

Sunset, acrylic on masonite, 2004

It's officially summer. The longest day of the year for us here in the northern hemisphere. When we left the ballpark last night it was still dusky around 9:30 pm. On our way home we saw the large orange orb of the moon in the east, slowly rising above the silhouetted curves of the Madison County hills.

Earlier in the day I had been so inspired to do more collage work. So when the boys were in bed for the night I made myself comfortable in front of my work table and started cutting and pasting. Then I started went online to check on something and got inspired to play with iMovie. Oh, lord. IMovie. Freevlog. ATC cards with suns. Collages. Yepp, I was up real late.

*After I painted that small (about 15 cm x 15 cm) little painting last year, a co-worker asked me to trade him a large sized version for one of his handmade stained glass lamps. Of course I agreed! His large sized version was completed and delivered last fall. My lamp is almost finished. (He injured his hand shortly afterwards and his strength is just now returning and he has resumed work on my lamp.) I can't wait!

It's a....

It's a...., originally uploaded by Tifty's Art.

Last week I bought a new big sketchbook. It's a really versatile spiral bound book, large pages and pages thick enough for watercolor. Last year I filled two of these.

THIS drawing is not a recent drawing though. When I cleaned up the "hobby room" I found an old folder with some drawing and sketches tucked away in it.

After I scanned this one I played a little with it in photoshop, filling the spaces with colors and patterns. Then I reverted it to it's original for this post.

One thing I would like to figure out is how to apply some meaning to my pictures. Content. A story.

But then, really, each viewer applies their own meaning, usually, anyway.

former journal page

When I decided to nix the journal and make a collage book instead the cutting and the pasting became addictive. At veer are groovy patterns and images that can be printed out if a handy catalog isn't available.

The intent was to cover up the pages in the journal where I had written unimportant garble. I like the collage much better than the bla bla bla once legible on these pages.

Some old office doodles were also pasted onto the pages. I knew those saved old scraps of paper might come in handy one day.

Discovered: The Universe

An amazing image, wow. Annie Bissett.

Be Where You Are

...bloom where you are planted.

When I walked up the hill to pick up Kaye I noticed some lovely white flowers growing randomly here and there every few meters in the ditch.

Weeds, some might say.

So often weeds are ripped out of the ground by their roots before they ever have a chance to bloom.

Stealing Art

The new library has a used book shop room with books for sale cheap. Lots of books. Older ones, over-used ones, dorky ones, outdated ones...

Today I found a book called The Encyclopedia of Modern Art. It was a steal for $3.00. It's a heavy hard back, published 1961. On the inside flap it has the original price printed, $20.00. I wonder what that would be in today's dollars.

This book is in very good condition. The paper cover is not ripped or torn, hardly worn at all. A colorful image of Picasso's 'Pierrot and Harlequin,' adorns the front cover. Here is a sketch of part of the front cover:


I drew this as I was sitting in the back row of the library performance room, listening to a violin recital. And 'shusshing' the boys every now and then. The boys were losing their patience. I was stealing time to draw.

It's not possible to pay attention - to focus - on multiple things. The enjoyment of the violin song, the interaction with my boys, and the drawing all suffered at 2:45 pm this afternoon.
So stealing moments to draw... well, it happens. Though guilt, in some form, always follows. As well as some satisfaction. A drawing was drawn. The boys were exposed to culture and a lovely violin. And I did enjoy the violin, if only for a while.

Party

party
Originally uploaded by Tifty....

This evening after a PTO meeting I came home and decided to look through a box of old photos and see if anything would strike me as particularly creative or interesting.


I found this. As is, cut out and pasted on this painted card. Who cut it out? Why are those colors beaming from the tops of three of the people but not from the head of the handsome man looking into the camera? What kind of party is it? When was this taken?

Collages and More Cards

This Saturday my friend and I are going to an art yard sale. While there we will more than likely run into several local creative people and hopefully put the ATC bug in peoples ears.

For this latest batch of ATC's I tried doing some collage work. How could I resist with so much inspiration all over the web? Online at Veer there are some paperstock patterns that are really groovy and easily printed out in small samples. These patterns are fun to cut out and play with in art collages.

The small card format works great for me. With limited time and space around here, keeping it small increases the chance that I complete something. That's a big deal when my time is split ninety days to Sunday most everyday, it's nice to have found another way (besides photography) to be creative.

Collages

In the bottom drawer of the tall dresser is a box filled with old pictures and negatives that belonged to my mom. This box of pictures probably would have remained in the drawer until whoknowswhen except that now there is a plan and some creative ideas are coming to mind.



Claudine has a new book coming out and I can't wait to buy a copy. In the book she will share her ideas on creating creative collages using family photos, for example. Her style inspires me. Just the thought of creating something interesting with old photos is exciting!



Also, I have been making more ATC's. Hold your horses. I'll post a representative or two here later. I am gonna get a new scanner that will plug into my Powerbook today.



....just had a recollection. In high school Latin class our lovely teacher Ms. Price explained the expression "hold your horses" to us. Way back in ancient times, when people used latin, the latin for 'horses' also meant 'passions/ emotions' - hence the expression, 'hold (restrain) your emotions!'

Discovery

While in the check out line at the grocery store I paged through the latest issue of Home Companion. And I discovered collage artist claudine hellmuth.

Inspiration.

Wow.

I'm ATCing

ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) have been around a while. Now I am doing them also. I have five. They are at flickr. Click this one, the 4th one I made, to see the rest.

They fit perfectly into my son's plastic yu-gi-oh card protector sleeves.

Groovy!

Sketchbook

Almost a year ago I started sketching again on a regular basis. There were several folks posting their sketchbook pictures here on the web in their blogs and so on, and I was inspired to take up the pen a pad again after several years of "eh, don't have time to sit and diddle doodle - gotta do this or that..." But then I started to just carry the sketchbook around with me. I sketched whatever was in front of me.

I brought the sketchbook with me to work, to the ballgames, to the park, or just outside to the patio table in the back yard. I sketched pens, burritos, toilet paper rolls, and mint tins.


One time my friend Natalie brought me some herbs from her garden, and right there and right then I drew them as I sat in my work cube.

People I work with often compliment me on my drawings, and while it sure is nice to hear, I often reply with "You can also draw. All you need is a sketchbook and a pen you like." I would like it if people would believe me, and say, "Really? Do you think so? I would love to give it a try!" But instead most people say something like, "Oh, I couldn't draw a stick figure..."


When I drew and painted this half apple I remember how I completely zoned out. I was sitting outside at the patio table and it was evening, the late June sun was setting. The boys were playing in the yard and J was looking up some insects in the Peterson Field Guide.


This tomato slice - drawn and painted at my desk at work. After I finished the sketch, I ate the tomato along with fresh basil and fresh Mozzarella.

rainbow house

rainbowhouse, originally uploaded by tiftyart.

In a package from Morfar came a little art set for son Z. There was a little notepad shaped like a cluster of grapes with the art set.

Z brought the art set with him to soccer and later to his older brother's baseball practice.

This is a drawing of a little house Z did while sitting on the baseball bleechers while his brother was on the field practicing this morning.

idea starter

three interested, originally uploaded by tiftyart.

This illustrated blog is turning into a doodle depot.

This one was found on a page in one of my meeting note journals right under a bullet point list of things to do, or "next steps" as we call them here at the office.

(From December)

office doodle

office doodle, originally uploaded by tiftyart.

Yes, it's another office doodle, and this one will be used as the basic design for a painting.

Low Heeled Shoes

office doodle, originally uploaded by tiftyart.

This is another office doodle. There was no predetermined image in my mind when this little lady appeared on the sheet of paper under my pen.

After looking at her a while, the lyrics to the old TV commercial for a perfume came to mind:

"I can bring home the bacon, Fry it up in a pan....
...and never never let you forget you're a man...."