Memories of a November GoodBye

The memory is from a day in 2004.

The gleaned, "Trust through times of change," remains.

There is more to a story than one page.

FUN

Paul Cumes is one of my favorite current artists. I am often amazed at his sense of balance and creative use of color.
I watched one of Paul's most recent YouTube uploads last Wednesday......

Skull & Flowers Oil Painting by Paul Cumes October 2010

.... and Wednesday night I dreamed of Disney's 1929 "The Skeleton Dance," except it was in color with lavender flowers falling from the sky. The skeletons were dancing to Ren & Stempie's, "Happy Happy Joy Joy" song. .....
Along with the work itself, Paul's video comment really stuck with me, "It is important to have fun when you make art."

With FUN in mind yesterday, I decided to relive this dream by refreshing my software skills in Adobe Illustrator.

I make no claim to fine are here. The image is a recreation of Disney's art, with color and flower influence from Paul, so I can't take credit for anything but exploration.
Just the same, the process was fun, which was the goal.

...Thinking about exploring flash now. For me, lavender begs to dance!

Show Me Your Light

Considering auras,

... and light shared.

Cinnabar...

... considering Matisse...

Nashville Arts Magazine October 2010

I caught my first look at this young publication, Nashville Arts Magazine, while looking for more info on "The Birth of Impressionism" exhibit coming to the Frist.
... I was impressed.
...First, by the product itself! Every facet, so well planned, even down to social networking and web presentation!
... Second, for launching a print publication during these economic times. (Last June was their first anniversary) ... I have been around start-up publications - scary, even in a good economy.

I'm wishing this group of talented people continued growth and success!! I think they're going to be around a long time!

Link to online magazine:
Nashville Arts Magazine October 2010

~~~~~~~~~~~

Morisot, Degas, Manet, Monet, Renoir and other masterpieces from the Musee d'Orsay to be exhibited at the Frist. ...I'm so there!
Information begins on page 30 of the Nashville Arts Magazine.



...and in the pages of Nashville Arts Magazine, Harry Underwood, an artist whose work captured my attention.

Article begins on page 72

Routine

"Authors and uncaptured criminals are the only people free from routine."
-Eric Robert Linklater,
 Poet's Pub

Feeling like an uncaptured criminal recently.
(An extreme statement, ...may be the author wannabe in me.)

Back to daily drawing/sketching.

Scott - sketch

Rebecca 14 - sketch

Here's to routine!!

Revisiting an older Journal - Breathe - 09-02-96

You heard my voice before you were born.
You heard my voice in the womb.
It was my voice you heard say divide now,
And my voice you heard say divide again.

You heard my voice say, grow a heart now, grow eyes now,
Grow fingers and toes.
It was my voice you heard say BREATHE
When you first saw the light of this world.

You heard my voice say, Laugh when you were happy,
Cry when you were hungry, Scream out when you were afraid.

You heard my voice before the words of this world covered it like a blanket.

You hear my voice.
It is my voice you hear say I CAN.

~KRG, 09-02-96, Journey, 2000

...When you first saw the light of this world.

~

Remembering the families and friends of Bruce and Daniel,
both taken this month under different circumstances.

Change in Plans

Just Let Go - Sketch Journal

Illustration - Past Work

Works created for LifeWay Christian Resources.

From an 8 page teaching project about forgiveness.

Created for a nursery door poster.

At the time I created these, I was more focused on meeting deadlines than archiving work. These are scanned prints left over from my own work-in-process evaluation.

Works in progress

This started out as a warm up sketch from a photo,
but I kinda liked the little guy.
I plan to take this one a little further,
thus posted as Work in Process.


Progress on The Tables.
It has been a while since I created a large pastel, so I am feeling my way through, and questioning myself through the phases more than I would like.
Seeing the work on screen helps.
I see things here that are less obvious at my work table.

From my sketch journal - A Gift

This is an excerpt from an old sketch journal (1999). "A Gift".
Feeling overwhelmed, and remembering scenes from the movie "Phenomenon," I took the few minutes of a work break to absorb the view of a bird enjoying flight.
It was a rich few minutes for me - the places my imagination went.

Nature can bring
such grace.....

Work in process, The Tables at The Narrows

Last week I sorted through some of my photos of the Narrows of the Harpeth, and pulled this pic as reference for my next painting.

...and began this work late last week with a
rough color sketch to study design and color.

The work is in process now, and will be 18x24 pastel on sanded "pastelbord."

I washed in a base color using distilled turpentine and magenta pastel. Most likely, none of the magenta will show after the pastel is layered over, but from past experience this base coat will add vibrancy to the finished work. *

* "...but Irish linen does something to their walk..." - Florenz Ziegfeld

Now the fun begins!!!!!

~

A couple of years ago I uploaded a slide show of pics taken at the Narrows (includes this source pic).
The slideshow is available at :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS3RN-bHFUw

Quotes about Art - Who Said It?

Can you guess who said what?

Quotes by these 10 people will follow
(NOTE: There are 12 images - 2 of these people will have 2 quotes)

Paul Gauguin, Hippocrates, Frank Lloyd Wright


Paul Klee, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso,

Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Adolf Hitler,

John F. Kennedy, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Bill Watterson

Can you match the above 10 people
with the following 12 quotes?

1) The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.

2) Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.

3) Art does not reproduce what is visible; it makes things visible.

4) Art is either plagiarism or revolution.

5) Art is long, life is short.

6) If you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.

7) As for the degenerate artists, I forbid them to force their so-called experiences upon the public. If they do see fields blue, they are deranged, and should go to an asylum. If they only pretend to see them blue, they are criminals, and should go to prison. I will purge the nation of them.
(Please note that I in no-way relate to or agree with this particular quote. The quote is offered purely as information or reflection for the reader)

8) Art is not a mirror to reflect the world, but a hammer with which to shape it.

9) Art is the great democrat, calling forth creative genius from every sector of society, disregarding race or religion or wealth or color.

10) It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to, the feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures.

11) As my artist's statement explains, my work is utterly incomprehensible and is therefore full of deep significance.

12) We all know that art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Answers:

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.
~Pablo Picasso

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.
~Vincent van Gogh

Art does not reproduce what is visible; it makes things visible.
~Paul Klee

Art is either plagiarism or revolution.
~Paul Gauguin

Art is long, life is short.
~Hippocrates

If you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.
~Frank Lloyd Wright

As for the degenerate artists, I forbid them to force their so-called experiences upon the public. If they do see fields blue, they are deranged, and should go to an asylum. If they only pretend to see them blue, they are criminals, and should go to prison. I will purge the nation of them.
~Adolf Hitler (Please note that I in no-way relate to or agree with this particular quote. The quote is offered purely as information or reflection for the reader)

Art is not a mirror to reflect the world,
but a hammer with which to shape it.
~Vladimir Mayakovsky

Art is the great democrat, calling forth creative genius from every sector of society, disregarding race or religion or wealth or color.
~John F. Kennedy

It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to, the feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures.
~Vincent van Gogh

As my artist's statement explains, my work is utterly incomprehensible and is therefore full of deep significance.
~Calvin and Hobbes Comic strip by Bill Watterson.

We all know that art is not truth.
Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.
~Pablo Picasso

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

...said the butterfly

Just living is not enough, ...
One must have sunshine,
freedom,
and a little flower.

~Hans Christian Anderson

Graciously Shared

Like many people, I am drawn to old weathered trees. There seems to be a wisdom about them, graciously shared through their size and life-mapped bark.

One such tree caught my eye during a trip to Montgomery Bell State Park last week, the base of the tree significantly swollen and scarred.

Circling around the tree, a glint of white seemed out of place in the dirty browns of the bark.


How odd to find that the glint of white was a mushroom settled into a weathered crack,
with another mushroom higher up in the bowl shaped scar.

A natural "Relief Sculpture"

I wasn't wearing my glasses when I took these pictures, so details weren't visible to me 'till viewing on my computer screen.


My first thought was, "Darn. Those gnats sure ruined that pic."

But thinking further, the circle of life came to mind,

Tree ~ Feeding Mushrooms ~ Feeding Gnats.

From the Sketch Journal ... She said,

"My feet look kinda like that,
all buggered up from years of flood(s)."

"Fortunately, no termites or spiders live in my scars."