Ho Ho Ho! I hope all have a Happy Christmas!!!

Busy Times

I have been working hard making Christmas ornaments (I made 50 of them using playing cards) and medium to small sized works for a couple holiday shows, one which we just attended this weekend (great turn out by the way!).

I have also been working on illustrations for a couple of children's books written by a local writer. I have just finished the images for one of the books, an ABC book featuring birds, and the dummy books, similar to a maquette for sculpture, has been sent to a handful of editors... fingers are crossed!

Now I'm thinking of taking a few days off from studio work to focus on work needing to be done around the house (leaves to rake! grass to cut!).

I hope all have a great Thanksgiving!

Doorway Warden

Hello! I thought to take some photos of the process of making Doorway Warden.

Hopefully I will think of a way to set up a camera, that's not in the way, and make a short film of the process of a future piece.

First I found an image in a magazine I liked. Instead of just cutting out the model, I envisioned her standing and so cut her out accordingly.

(I am working on illustration board)

After the clipping is glued and dried I applied Golden matte medium, let it dry, and started applying shadow to develop a light source.

I then start applying dark values blocking out the print from the magazine clipping.

After the dark values dry I start applying some light values.

A few glazes of color are applied to the highlights I applied on the dress.

Keep in mind I only envisioned her standing. From here I let intuition take over.

I painted out the pattern of the dress and added my own. I also decided the hair needed to be longer and drew in the hair adding highlights to give some form.

More highlights, adding the left arm and applying a glaze over the entire image to tie in what I have done so far. The skin of the model had become darker from the drawing and glazes of paint so I added white to lighten.

At this stage I draw in the arched doorway and other details (relying on intuition).

I again add highlights where I see fit.

I add glazes of color.

I also add my name and tone it down with glazes of color.

I continue applying glazes of color until I get to a point I like.

Index Drawings

A couple of weeks ago someone brought over a couple of boxes of old business index and business related books to the studio for me to use. The books date back to the 1970's, even further back, and are a mixture of hardback and paper back manuals. I have been thinking of what all I could do with the books, some will be altered books, some cut up for collage, and others I decided could be sketch books. So, my family and I went to Virginia to visit with my Grandmother and I took one of the index books along to just doodle and play. I wound up filling most of the book and saw a bit of a style change as I flipped through all the doodles.

Here is one: Index Drawings: Studious Lake Monster

Dreaming Nefertiti

Been very busy work on the Birds A to Z book and building inventory for upcoming fall arts and crafts events. One of the pieces I have been working on lately is one of Nefertiti, or a figure resembling her. It has been a challenge but I like how she turned out so far. Hopefully I will be finished soon.

Vader

Sad news to report. Our dog, Vader, passed away last night. He was only 3 years old but had suffered from seizures of which I am sure had a hand in his sudden passing. I often teased my wife and kids saying he was their dog but truly he was the family dog. Though short it was, I feel Vader had a good life filled with bacon, belly rubs and back scratches.

Good bye little black curly haired dog. You will be missed.

Edit:

Well we got the Little Guy in his resting place, a good bit of shade and a nice view of the yard where he would run and play. Placed with him a toy he loved, a bonus toy from a friend of ours, rosemary and lavender... And in just like in those films where there is a funeral it began to rain.

Rest well, Vader.

Worky Work

I've been busy working on a few book projects and building up an inventory for art festivals being held this Fall. For one of the book projects (possibly a series), the writer and I have not had any bites, maybe a nibble. We think an agency may pick us up but I am still awaiting word. In the meantime I have been working on an alphabet book with the same writer and plan to self publish. For my book "Fern", I had put it on the shelf concentrating on the illustrations with the said writer and I may try to work on it more in between all these other projects in progress.

Evaluating

There comes a time, sometimes several times, in one's "art life" where one stops and evaluates his or her work. That time has come, again, for me. I have been re-evaluating my artwork wondering at the validity of my "lesser" works, illustrations etc. It has been a goal of mine to be able to make a decent living with my artwork. Does this lessen the validity of my work?

Sketch book Project Atlanta

Friday, April 8th, my wife and I went to view the traveling Sketchbook Project 2011 show.

The Granite Room

Once in, we went to get our library cards

The crowd was small at first but then things picked up after awhile.

Once a pair of books were checked out you would wait a moment for the "librarians" to locate the pair of books and call your name. That's me (on the left) waiting for my name to be called.

Once we were finished viewing the pair of sketchbooks, we returned them and got back in line to check out more.

We had a good time. Saw some cool books and met some cool people!

Sketch Book Project, Atlanta, GA

April 8-9, 2011

Fr: 6:00-10:00pm
Sat: 12:00-5:00pm
Circulation stops at closing time.

Tour dates and Tour Diary

The Granite Room

211 Peters St
Atlanta, GA 30313

Rabbit Season

Lots of rabbits have been running through my head.

Arteest

(Blue) Rabbit

Spirit Guide: Rabbit

Book Cover Work

I recently finished this about a week or so ago. This is planned to be the cover for a book of poems by Amy Pence. The book will be printed by Nine Bark Press in Rome, GA and I think is scheduled to be out some time this Summer.

Storm Damage

We had some strong storms come through on Monday Feb 28th. By far we did not get the worst of the storm, I am sad and sorry for those who suffered worse, but still it was a strong storm and we got some damage (and it was scary). The building I am using as my studio space now has two new holes in the roof, a rounded dent in the roof ridge and some fractured rafters from a fallen tree. The impact must have shook the studio pretty well because I found debris and and fallen items throughout the studio floor. I can't imagine what it would have been like if I had been in there when the impact occurred (no doubt it was loud). I am still assessing any possible damages to artwork and other items in the studio.
Though we got some damage, I feel we are fortunate that it was not worse. It was a large weather system and many people were affected by it. I am interested in reading your experiences from the storm.
I hope all are well.

Chuck Close and Inspiration

"The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who'll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself. Things occur to you. If you're sitting around trying to dream up a great art idea, you can sit there a long time before anything happens. But if you just get to work, something will occur to you and something else will occur to you and something else that you reject will push you in another direction. Inspiration is absolutely unnecessary and somehow deceptive. You feel like you need this great idea before you can get down to work, and I find that's almost never the case."
— Chuck Close

Bird: As It Stands by *sesfitts on deviantART

Cat: Lit and Shadowed by *sesfitts on deviantART

Keeping Up

I told myself I would keep up with my blog more for 2011... Well, a month has gone by already and here is my first entry for the new year. I haven't been lax. Things are just very busy! Private commissions and illustration work trickle in but is enough to eat up my time and makes it a challenge to keep up.

Year of the Rabbit!

Hope all have a productive and prosperous year.