Thinking Out Loud

Art school (short for going to school for art), is a trying experience. Some days I just want to keep doodling in my own naive, un-teacher-influenced way. Other days I get excited about the new stuff I am learning.
I think having a teacher who grades you based on the work of others makes things a little difficult. Because to achieve an A, you have to be more like the artist who is getting an 'A'. I prefer a teacher who grades you based on your performance compared to your own skills.
If I am ever an art teacher, I will praise and push and appreciate each artist for who they are. My goal would be to encourage each student to expand on what they are expressing and to do it in a way they love.
Creating art can be a vulnerable experience. When we are feeling vulnerable, I think we need support and encouragement. This is the gift I like to share with anyone brave enough to express themselves in any sort of creative way.

School - Time management

Have I mentioned I have a little problem with time management and I can only seem to focus on one thing at a time? School has my complete attention. Just ask when the last time was that I pulled out the lawn mower or went for a long bike ride. And as for my blog, I am sad to say it too, has been neglected by my inability to multitask.
I am posting a photo I just used in a project for my Digital Media class. The assignment was - create a 10 page website documenting something out of your ordinary world. I decided to be like a bug and to record what a bug might see in the garden.
Here is my favorite photo from that assignment. And the whole project, though it could use some more love, is here.

A theme is forming

Another boat/paddle/stressful water scenario thing going on....

"Stress"

Pigma pen, prismacolor markers
10/7/08

Eye

"Eye"
Pigma pen, Prismacolor markers
10/10/08

Up A Creek...

Up a creek without a paddle.
Sure, it's a cliche but when looking at this drawing, I can't get that phrase out of my head.
Got ideas for a better title? I'm open.

"Up a Creek"

Pigma pen, Prismacolor markers
10/08/08

Unconditional Love

This elephant isn't perfect. It is disproportionate and half-colored. I guess that makes it imperfect. But I love it, even with its flaws. Perhaps, I just love what it represents.

"Unconditional Love"
Pigma pen, Prismacolor markers, Photoshop.
10/7/2008

Farewell to Bush

This is a first on my blog. Never, have I posted another person's work. Being at San Jose State in the art program allows me the opportunity to see different approaches to different projects on a daily basis. I want to show you some of the talent.
This screen print is titled "Farewell to Bush." The artist, Chantrelle, is majoring in illustration. I just love the concept and her execution drew me right in.

Tshirts are rolling out

I mentioned them weeks back and they are starting to hit my Etsy store. I am designing and printing tshirts between school work and life work.

Art School

I took this photo yesterday while attending my first day at San Jose State Univ. I am going for a degree in art so why not take an "Art"sy photo.

Sculpture outside of the art building at SJSU.

New Medium

I am on to a new medium. Prismacolor markers. I love the saturation and rich colors.
I think of this doodle as a rising above.

Rainbow

I just returned from a weather-filled weekend in Colorado. Sun, rain, snow, sun, clouds, wind, rainbow, sun. The annual Folks Fest in Lyons Colorado was a bit messier this year than last but the music and the company were great.
This trip winds up summer 2008. I start school Aug 26th. I hope the routine school brings will also get me into the groove of posting to my blog.
I hope you all had a fabulous summer -

Rainbow seen from the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, Colorado.

Hard Work

I am working on tshirt designs which I plan to rollout very soon. It is much harder than I expected. I should be screen printing at least one of the designs this week. Clearly, this is exhausting my support group.

Emmy sleeps on my sketchbooks.

Livestrong

I participated in my first Livestrong event this weekend. Livestrong, a non-profit organization started by Lance Armstrong, is on a mission to raise as much money as is needed to win the battle we are all fighting - Cancer. It has, directly or indirectly, touched just about every American and Livestrong is working hard to do their part to win this fight.
I signed up late - a couple of weeks before the ride. I had my doubts about being able to raise the required $250 to ride, but my friends and family showed up big time and supported the cause in a way that has both inspired and motivated me. I rode 50 miles with two names on my back, which belong to friends who are surviving the battle. I pushed hard, harder than I have ever ridden, for these fighters and for everyone who is working so hard to overcome the challenges cancer unfairly forces on them. Thank you to my friends, family, the riders, Livestrong and the Livestrong volunteers for caring. Thank you for reminding me what it really means to live on this earth and to share all things good.

Lance Armstrong waits to speak to the crowd
after the San Jose, CA Livestrong ride.

Riders wait for the start of the Livestrong ride in San Jose, CA.

Disconnect

As I mentioned in my previous post, I think of my blog often. I want to update it and add new creative pieces but the truth is, I have lost the flow. I guess I am experiencing a creative block. This drawing portrays why the pens, pencils, pastels and paints have been collecting dust. I am feeling disconnected.

Summer

I guess I needed a break from life since school ended. I am still here. I still think about my blog. And now that I have had some time to do whatever, whenever I am ready to get back into some sort of a routine which will include my blog.
Stay tuned.

Finals!

No more classes - just finals. I am looking forward to wrapping up this semester and enjoying my summer. I expect to post to my blog more frequently in the next couple of months. Until then -

Wrentit

(Edited: It has come to my attention that these birds are actually bushtits, not wrentits. As with anything, the more you look the better you become at deciphering differences. In this case the bushtit is smaller and more grey than a wrentit which has more brown on it.)

A couple of months ago I uploaded a photo of a nest which, a little bird had meticulously crafted in a Parrot's Beak (a hanging plant) on my patio. I thought at the time, in all my bird ignorance, that it must have belonged to the House Finches who were eating from the feeder on the patio. Since then, I have learned a few things about this nest and the craftsmen or craftsbirds. The little abode belongs to a pair of Wrentits. I see them several times a day scattering to and from the nest. In fact, they have recently been going in and out much more frequently.
I had some friends over Saturday and one of them said - "listen to the baby birds!" That was the first time I heard them. We have babies!! I was so excited. I didn't see any but I heard the little babies chattering away. Presumably talking to mom and dad who sent instructions from the Abutilon just outside the nest. I figured babies were on the way but I didn't realize, until that moment, that the little fluff balls had already been born.
Here is a couple of photos of mom or dad or as we just learned, helper birds, delivering food to the waiting babies. According to Audubon, the babies diet consists solely of insects. I know there are a lot of bugs in this world but I cannot believe the success these little insect hunters have. Every few minutes a wrinkled up, gnarled insect or worm is carried to the nest.
I also added a little sound bite I recorded today, which may take a while to load. You can hear the little baby squeaks and the louder, more dominant commands from the parents.

Whales

Some days aren't so great, some are good, and some days are just magical! I have had a few magical days recently and today was one of them. I arranged for a group of friends to go on a whale watching trip out of Moss Landing. I didn't know it would be 75 degrees (perfection in this area), nor did I know we would see so many whales that the captain would later say "if this is your first whale watching trip, don't do another one!" We were blessed with the majesty you only see in the open waters. What a treat!

Humpback whale

Killer whales

Killer whale

Killer whale

Branch with Nest

This was an intermediate drawing class exercise in rendering skills.

Graphite on bristol paper

My Bedroom

Another painting assignment. The mission here was to paint an interior with exit views. This is my bedroom with a little morning light shining through.

Acrylic on canvas board

Broken Mannequin

It has been a while since I posted anything. I am just trying not to fall too far behind in school. I am constantly doing school work or at least thinking about it.
Anyway - I plan to post a few pieces, in the next few days, that I have recently completed.
Here is one from my painting class. I set up this wacky little still life at school and finished it at home.

Acrylic on canvas board

Out of Shape

It seems, for me, photography is like exercise. If I don't do it regularly I get out of shape quickly. My photos are lacking the spark I had found when I was doing it daily. I guess there is only one way to get back in shape....

Quick Watercolor from Mendocino

In addition to carrying my point and shoot and snapping a few photos in Mendocino, I also toted the pencils, watercolors and a little notebook. I, for my first time ever, sat at a restaurant and did a sketch which, I painted when I got back to our room. It's a little scary drawing in public because what if people want to see what you are doing and your kind of a beginner and what if they think your art is terrible. I was brave. It was fun!

A Few Days in Mendocino

I spent the last few days of my spring break in Mendocino, CA. I love Mendocino. It is beautiful and small and cozy and sweet and for me, the list goes on and on. Here are a few shots from my weekend in this special, little coastal town.

PMS

It is difficult to practice balance on a conscious level when your hormones go into wild swirls of imbalance on a subconscious level.
The title of this drawing is "PMS with Chicken Legs". Because that is what I see when I look at it. :-)

Balance

A life-long lesson.

Life's Wonders

This may very well be one of those photos that is better left on my hard drive or memory card but I am just so excited about the nest, I want to show/tell everyone about it. I have a Lotus vine (also known as parrots beak) that is quite happy after the winter rains, growing as a hanging plant on my patio. A few days ago I noticed some stuff was coagulating in the leaves - I checked it out and figured it was probably an abandoned nest with engineering malfunctions. But I left it alone. I went out again today to look closer after watching a bird poking around at it. It is a full blown, beautifully built nest. Not the sit-on-top type. It is more like a sac. A perfectly round hole, aka doorway, was built right into the top third of the little palace. It is so cool! It is made of feathers, reindeer moss, leaves, fur and all kinds of other stuff. I guess I should take a macro shot so you can see the mastery weaving. It's truly amazing. I believe it is a house finch nest mainly because that is what I see feasting most often on a feeder I have on the other side of my patio. I am so excited to see what comes of it - maybe there are already little eggs in there. I am not sure, I can't see down through the hole and I don't want to upset my new house mates.

House Morph

I have been so busy with school. I think I am learning more about time management than the topics I signed up for. Crazy. I'll get through it but time for art - even the art classes I am registered in - is limited.
Here is a morph series I did in ink for my intermediate drawing class. It is a house morphing into a barn. It looks better when the drawings are side by side but space is tight here on Blogger.

Waves

We had some ginormous waves pass through beautiful Santa Cruz this week. When the winter storms blow through this area, the Monterey Bay crashes into the receding cliffs, sprays salt into the air, and inevitably brings pent up Santa Cruzans out in hords to experience the energy and see the beauty Mother Nature left in her path. It is a magical time for all.

Etsy Store

I decided to try something new. I have created a new store called Lofty Mornings. It is located within the walls of Etsy. You can check my little widget on the right of this page. It is a fun new adventure and a good way to get feedback on my drawings.
I will be creating and listing teeshirts soon too. Check back often to see what's happening.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5569373

Tints, tones and shades

I am taking a painting class. Our first assignment was to mix primary colors to make secondary colors. Then mix the secondary colors with white, grey and black to make tints, tones and shades. Also, mix the primaries with their compliments. Apply the mixed - aka muted - colors to paper or canvas. This is when we were allowed to be creative if we wanted - go abstract, he said, if you want. I did - it was fun - this is what I got.

acrylic on watercolor paper. 12x17

Sunglasses

I tried for three mornings to get this to look like what I wanted it to look like but I just couldn't get it. If I had been using acrylic paints I could have painted over it until I got the look I wanted. Not the case with colored pencils. "Painting" over it with the pencils would have made it look more and more muddy. So it's done. Oh well. Lessons learned.
By the way - Blogger.com really drags these colored drawings and photos out. They suck the colors out. I try to over-saturate the colors in photoshop but still the colors appear flat. Not sure how to fix that yet.

Silly Guy

He makes me smile.

Fox

My friend and I went for a walk in Quail Hollow Ranch today. For the first time in my life I saw a fox in its natural habitat. I got a few shots of it with my new point and shoot. They are from very far away so the photos aren't great. We watched as the fox hunted down a gopher. I have pictures of the fox with the gopher but I will spare you the realities of natural selection.

Hanging Shapes

I usually begin and finish a drawing in one morning. I spent three mornings on this one. I just liked playing with it and didn't want it to end.

Emmy Paints, Sort of

This is my helper, Emmy. Well, actually, I think I am her helper. I am to play with her and entertain her when she wants. Painting happens to be very fun for her. A little peek-a-boo, tag and jungle gym acrobats all on the easel while mom paints.

Hawk in the Evening Sun

I was stepping outside to grab some firewood when a hawk sitting on my neighbor's chimney caught my attention. There he was taking in the last warmth of the day's sun. It was business as usual for him/her - looking around, presumably for vulnerable gophers or other delicasies. The golden light on his strong body and his majestic style inspired me to pull out the "big" camera. It isn't a fantastic photo but you get the idea of the beauty I saw before me.

Ball Splat

This painting came out relatively quickly. Relative to the time it normally takes me to finish a painting. I haven't done many of them but when I do paint it seems like I drag it out - sometimes for months on end.

Acrylic on canvas board

Swimmer

It is a beautiful day here in Santa Cruz - it must be about 68 degrees - clear skies. In a word - Gorgeous!

Acrylic painting on canvas board.

New Year

Welcome to 2008. May it be full of happiness, good health, creativity, peace and positive energy for all.