Graphite Drawing: Tess

Tess 3.5 x 4.5 Graphite on Canson plate bristol
My Aunt Tess was adored in our family. A cousin recently sent me a shoe box of photos that belonged to her - full of the stuff I love to draw and paint; documentation of a life lived well. Old images of family picnics, snapshots in the garden, weddings, people playing music together, gathered around a living room, laughing. Drawing family from the past is a sweet re-connection that's hard to explain, but I recommend it. While working, you dip into memories you haven't touched in years, and you wonder things - as an adult - that wouldn't have occurred to you as a child when elder generations were still a part of family events. Tess has been gone for many years, but I spent the evening with her by drawing this little portrait.

Collage Mixed Media: Chapter One with Tea

Chapter One with Tea 12.5 x 21.5 Collage Mixed Media (Graphite, Watercolor, Paper & Colored Pencil)
Reserved for exhibit Oct 18-Nov 13 at Boddy Carriage House Gallery, Descanso Gardens, La Canada, CA
Process shots begin at the bottom of this post

For a sense of scale, on the book shelf.

Close up of the torn paper and loose colored pencil scribble on top of the watercolor.

Tearing and laying down paper; this is a great exercise if you're trying to loosen up. The image has to be reduced to shapes of light & dark, with attention to the boundaries between the two, since they act as a map to guide your eye through the art. The top edge of the chair, her left arm, and her face & chin are repeated curves in a sequence that mirror her lower arm, her torso and the book to suggest a loose nautilus or spiral shape at the focal point.

Laying in watercolor washes to map my darks and lights.

This piece was on the left side of the work I posted yesterday, so I could work on them at the same time. Pencil sketched in loosely here, with a little creative license from my reference photo (adding a book, the right arm and tea).

Collage Mixed Media: Ernestina

Ernestina 18 x 24 Collage Mixed Media (conte, watercolor, paper & colored pencil)
Reserved for exhibit Oct 18-Nov 13 at Boddy Carriage House Gallery, Descanso Gardens, La Canada, CA
Process shots begin at the bottom of this post

While working on another figure at the same time on the left, I was playing with light and dark foils using the color of clothes, so by dressing both figures, it gave me more flexibility to adjust areas of contrast.

Tearing colored paper and gluing down the background with a mixture of methyl cellulose and elmer's glue blended with water.

Adding watercolors and gouache.

20 minute sketch in Conte on Strathmore drawing paper, taped down and ready for experimentation with other media.

Watercolor: Meyer on Evening Star

Meyer on Evening Star 5.75 x 7 graphite & watercolor on Fabriano Artistico paper

Available here.

Sketched on the plane coming home from Alaska, and painted yesterday in the studio. It's sort of a companion piece to this one , and I'm thinking about painting olive oil, basil and mozzarella to accompany them (caprese salad), or maybe I'm just hungry.

Watercolor: Reflected Light

Reflected Light 2.2 x 3.1 Watercolor on Strathmore Bristol
Sold

This was an impulsive grab for paper & pencil after seeing a friend's beautiful self portrait photo taken in a mirror. The light on her face - back lit by the outdoor sun - stopped me in my tracks, and I *had* to draw her. I grabbed a brush & glazed layers of watercolor over the sketch and lost all track of time. She doesn't look exactly like my model, but it sure was fun to brush the soft light around her lovely features. (Thanks, ML!)

Watercolor: Along Seward Highway (Alaska)

Along Seward Highway (Alaska) 6 x 8 watercolor on Fabriano Artistico paper
Available here.
Celebrating the arrival of our first Grandchild in Anchorage, and painting small studies while baby and new mommy and daddy (and assorted grandparents) are napping.

Graphite: Family Reunion (Self Portrait) 1982

Family Reunion (Self Portrait) 1982 3.75 x 4.3 Graphite on Arches paper
Posting from Alaska.... practicing tones, contour shading and value in a monochromatic study of the face (with liberal amounts of creative license taken from the source photo).

Watercolor: Study for Del Sol

Study for Del Sol 3.3 x 6 Watercolor on Canson paper
Sold
Posting will be intermittent for the next 10 days while I'm traveling. Keep your brushes and pencils moving in the meantime...

Life Drawing: Michael Pose #4 & #7

Michael #7, 20 minute sketch - charcoal on craft paper
Five hours of life drawing on Friday felt like a marathon. Poses aren't longer than 20 minutes, so capturing the subject's carriage, essence and expression is a lesson in speed sketching. I'm climbing the long steep hill of practice.

Michael #4, 5 minute gesture, charcoal on newsprint

Woodcut: Lily

Lily 6x8 woodcut with watercolor on Saunders Waterford paper (Edition of 25)
Available here.
A fleet of emails asking for relief print details sprouted in my inbox slow but steady over the summer, and I've been remiss in answering them. Pictorial replies start at the bottom.
Hanging prints to dry (printed on a variety of papers) as they're being printed.
Checking the print and the block to see if adjustments are needed in the carving or inking.
Pulling the block off the paper after a trip through the press.
Layers: A single felt blanket on the press bed for some cushion, one sheet of newsprint on top of the felt to protect from inky fingers, orange matboard & masking tape rails set to the height of the block, printmaking paper on the press bed in between the rails, inked block face down on the paper.
Black oil based relief ink (Daniel Smith) rolled out on a sheet of glass with a speedball brayer, and rolled onto the block.
Shallow contour carving, in the direction of the grain, ready to proof print.
Black marker and some watercolors to map the "dont cut here" sections. I usually seal the line work (Minwax Golden Pecan Wood Sealer, with a foam applicator). It smooths wood grain, and facilitates wiping ink after proof printing to get back to the drawing if more carving is needed. Flexcut knives are my favorite carving tools.
Small sketch doodled while making phone calls on the left, and the sketch expanded on a 6x8 shina block on the right.

Note: Molte Grazie to fellow printmaker Victor McCay for the use of his studio and press.

Watercolor: Granite Reef Shell

Granite Reef Shell 3.5 x 3.5 Watercolor on Pine Block
Private Collection

Watercolor: Raphaela

Raphaela 3.5 x 3.5 x .75 Watercolor on wood Process shots begin at the bottom of this post
Available here.
Playing with monochromatic studies of the face. I'll be exploring a lot more on this subject in the coming months.


First glazes of watercolor on top of the graphite.
Graphite powder and pencil on a prepared block.