Palo Verde

The name means "green stick". These trees have olive green bark and bright yellow blossoms in the spring. I obviously haven't done it justice by my drawing, but trees always facinate me. I'm primarily interested in the way the limbs relate from a graphic point of view. I liked the way this one looked.

Still alive

For those who've visited here in the last 6 months or so, you will have noticed I haven't posted. I lost intertest in doing so but will eventually put some newer drawings up soon. More later.

Innocence

The look in this young boy's eyes grabbed me so I had to try and capture it in a drawing. It's from a National Geographic photo.

A Minor Photo







I've always been a frustrated photographer. Out of the thousands of pictures I've taken, there are only a half dozen or so that I really like. The rest don't measure up to the quality of the pro's. I took a fine arts photo class in school way back when. The guys to emulate then were Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Minor White. I couldn't figure out what they were doing to get the quality they achieved so I dropped the class. It wasn't until years later that the light went on. (Pun intended). But by then I'd lost interest and I've never had the patience to stand around in a darkroom for long periods of time.

 

The objects d'art back then were mostly junk yards, old buildings and stuff with lots of texture. I remember seeing a photo of just grass, but the tonal depth and range made it look pretty good. So in an effort to create an artistic piece of the times of yesteryear, I found an old photo I took that I wasn't able to get up to the class standard then. I scanned and tweaked it in Photoshop to make it look similar to those I used to see. No more of this though. I'd rather draw.

 

Ah Portland

 

It's been said that the heat in Phoenix is a dry heat. Yeah, well, not in the Summer. It rains. So with a relative humidity at 60 percent and a temperature of 100 degrees, you end up feeling about 130 degrees warm. I suppose I shouldn't complain though about being in the desert. God ploppled His Chosen People in the middle of a desert climate. I should be grateful.  We're also not supposed to grumble here in Phoenix. The Israelites had to wander around for 40 years in the heat because of whining.

 

I took the photo at a fountain located at the Portland waterfront. I wish I was there. But I'm not complaining.

Anna

This didn't copy well, it's better in the real. The hat was what attracted me to this pretty girl. I asked if she'd pose and this was the best.

Bleah

 

Not much to say here. Kind of lost interest in blogging but thought I'd post something to let the world know I'm still around. I'm working on another drawing but the process is slow. I'm holed up in the house because of the weather so I really have no excuse for not working on it. 108 outside with three digit degree days as far as the eye can see. Oh well, no sweat, I have AC.

Cynthia

Shannon

 

 

A fully Irish friend. I struggled with getting the smile right. It still doesn't show the way her whole face lights up, but it's close. I also can't seem to get my camera and Photoshop to show the drawing correctly. It's better in the real. Perfectionism syndrome again.

Here Again

 

 

I came into my studio a few hours ago with the intention of starting a drawing for a show I want to enter. I sat down at my board and leaned back and stared. I have a couple of ideas but don't have the drive to begin. I moved to my computer opened Pandora and my blog and looked at my previous work. I'm done viewing and now I'm writing and still listening. My mind is foggy. I feel heavy.

 

I started a project in my shop three months ago. I did the same as I'd done for so many years in my career and found myself  anxious and uncomfortable but felt I needed to complete it just because I started. I think I starved my soul. Too much left brain logic and figuring. I've had nightmares in the past of being trapped in a machine shop and unable to escape. I must be there now.

 

What I want is to visit a forest, dark and deep and breath in some fresh ambiance, feel the rain, see the green. What I really need is to just start. Generally, when I do, the flow starts. Until I do and pick up a pencil and put down a line to my feed sensitive side, I'll be malnourished.