Turkey Time

Turkey
8.5X8.5"
Marker and colored pencil

Yep, it's that time of year again. Cooler temps, leaves falling, Christmas advertising, and my favorite thing of all...turkey time!

I haven't been doing too much artwork in the last couple of weeks. My focus for this month is actually novel writing. Yeah, you read that right. I am writing a novel. It's National Novel Writing Month, and I've decided to participate in this crazy fall ritual. Rather than explain it in detail here, I'll send you to their website for more information (http://www.nanowrimo.org/). Click on the "About" tab to learn what it's all about.

Okay, so if I'm writing a novel this month, where did this turkey illustration come from? Well, as much as I'd like to take a month off from work to write, it's just not possible. I still have to do my job. As part of my job, I was recruited to do a bulletin board display on food safety. I needed a really cool color graphic to put with my display, so I decided to draw (and color) my own turkey. He looks so friendly and beautiful that I may just have to go vegetarian this Thanksgiving. Who could eat such a delightful-looking bird? Besides, my husband and I need to finish off last year's Thanksgiving leftovers that we froze before we attempt to cook another bird.

So, while I'm on a holiday and novel writing hiatus, I hope you enjoy the turkey...both the one pictured here and the one that you will probalby be eating in a couple of weeks. Happy Thanksgiving!

Meteor Shower

"Meteor Shower"--sketch
8X6"
Pencil

Sometimes a painting sits around in my brain for a long time before I get around to executing it. This sketch is an example of one such idea.

I went with a friend to see a meteor shower about five years ago. Since we were living in a major city at the time, we had to drive to a park outside of the city in order to see anything. The sky was very clear that night, and there was a slight breeze through the trees. It was late September, so a few of the trees had lost their leaves. It was an amazing experience, something that I have always treasured.

I wanted to paint or draw something to capture my memory of the event right after it happened. But every time I sat down to do something, I just couldn't get the picture to look the way I wanted. Well, within the last couple of weeks, I started thinking about this painting again. I realized that now I have more artistic tools at my disposal than when I first had the idea for this painting. So I sat down and drew this sketch. The scene has changed slightly from my original idea, but I like it better this way. Sometimes a good idea just needs to ferment in the brain for awhile before it's put down on paper.

Ladies in Waiting

"Lady in Waiting"--four drafts
8X10"
Pen, ink, and watercolor

My husband and I went out to a little shopping area near our town recently. It is a beautiful place that is full of inspiration for paintings and drawings. We didn't realize, however, that a huge festival taking place there during the very weekend we decided to go.

The place was packed, and there were so many people milling about that I couldn't even find a spot to sit and sketch. As we were walking around, though, a woman sitting on a bench caught my eye. She had a parasol and the way she was seated created an interesting shape in my mind. So when I got home, I drew a pen-and-ink sketch of what I could remember. Then I added a tree and added some decoration to her parasol. I wanted to add some watercolor, but I wasn't sure which colors to use.

Thank goodness for the marvels of modern technology. I made some copies of the sketch onto recycled paper, so I could experiment with some color combinations before I made the final painting. Above are the four ideas I came up with--it was so much fun! #1 was actually the last one I painted, but I think it comes from another painting idea of mine. #3 was interesting and left me with a lot of green paint, so I splashed the extra paint onto #2. I was going to come back and add more to #2, but I liked the minimalist effect of the color. #4 came from just trying something different. I have my favorites, and I think I know what I'm going to do now. But it might be interesting to see if anyone else has an opinion first.

Alligators, Crocodiles, Caimans

"Charlie"
8X10"
Watercolor

This is the time that I wish Steve Irwin, the crazy crocodile hunter guy, was still around. I know that I've heard explanations before on the difference between alligators, crocodiles, and caimans, but I can't remember a darn thing. I can tell you that I got the idea for this painting after I watched an interesting program on a particular species of cayman. The question of whether what I painted accurately depicts a caiman or not will have to be debated by reptilian experts. I just happened to like the scene of an alligator/crocodile/caiman floating along in the water with his eyes and snout just peeking out above the surface.

I decided to title the painting "Charlie" after a story that my husband told me. He had mentioned hearing about some kids that were swimming in some kind of pond or waterway in Florida. An adult saw that there was an alligator in the water and started yelling at the kids to get out. The kids seemed unconcerned with the giant reptile. Their casual response to the frantic adult? "Oh, that's Charlie. He's here all the time."

This Charlie has been with me for a few weeks now. I've been painting him slowly and carefully, letting the paint dry between the various layers. I'm usually not so patient in my painting, but Charlie helped me to see the benefits in it. Below, you can see Charlie in his early stage as a pen-and-ink sketch:

Sleeping Dog

"Let Sleeping Dogs Lie #1"
16X20"
Acrylic

Abstract art hasn't really been my thing, but there's one kind of abstract sketch that I keep using. I call him "Sleeping Dog", and he was inspired by a former roommate's Labrador retriever.

In one of my drawing classes, the teacher had us draw with a piece of charcoal taped to the end of a 3 ft. stick. I guess this is a common tool to help students learn perspective, but I noticed that it also helped to create some interesting drawings. Not only did we have to draw in class, but we were encouraged to draw at home. The subject matter could be anything you found lying around the house.

During one of my drawing sessions in the living room, the dog came in, plopped down on the couch, and promptly began napping. Caught up in the creative moment, I decided to sketch him with the stick. I liked how the shape turned out, and after the drawing class ended, I decided to do the painting pictured at the top here. Since my roommate had moved into another apartment by this time, I gave the painting to her as a housewarming gift.

But that wasn't the end of Sleeping Dog. He resurfaced last year when I decided to participate in a patriotic-themed show. I altered the drawing slightly, and you can view him below in his transformed state. I'm sure he will reappear in many other forms, as the inspiration strikes.


"Sleeping Dog Does America"
24X12"
Acrylic on Masonite

Revisitng Old Friends

Untitled
9X12"
Pastel

I took a rather long hiatus from visual art to pursue my musical interests. When I started to get back into visual art again, I decided to take a pastel class at the local art museum. It was a little scary at first--I had never worked with pastels before, and I hadn't been in an art class since 7th grade. I wasn't sure what to expect.

The teacher was excellent, and the students were friendly. I got over my fears fairly quickly and really enjoyed the class. The painting featured in this picture comes from one of the assignments we were given. We had to make a black-and-white copy of a picture we liked, and then we had to recreate the picture using color. I found a picture from the movie Sense and Sensibility, and I wanted to paint it for a friend of mine whose favorite actress was featured in the scene. I didn't get the resemblance that I wanted, but I was still very happy with how the picture turned out.

There was an older woman living in my apartment building at the time. I would try to visit with her whenever I could. She enjoyed looking at my art work, and she would always tell me that someday I was going to be a famous artist in New York City. What artist doesn't want to hear those kind of predictions being made about themselves? I may not be famous yet or in New York City, but I think of this time in my life--and the neighbor lady--very fondly. I ended up giving this painting to her, since she was such a fan. I really loved learning about pastels in the class, and I still enjoy the medium very much.

Scowling Owls

"Unamused"
8X10"
Pen, ink, & colored pencil

A colleague sent me some pictures of an owl awhile back, hoping to inspire me to paint it. The owl had built a nest in a drainage area near her husband's place of work. It was seen and photographed regularly, and I believe that it was even being fed tamales, which it apparently liked.

One of the pictures did inspire me, mainly because of the expression on the owl's face. For some reason, owls always appear to be scowling. Is it because they're nocturnal and don't appreciate being disturbed by us daytime creatures? Maybe this one is upset because she's not getting enough tamales. I don't know. I just decided to do a quick pen & ink sketch of this one to capture the expression. Make of it what you will.