Daily Still Life Drawings

Hand stitching is a slow process....a very slow process.  I've spent a fair amount of time since I last wrote here on two of the pieces I've got going, but it hasn't made enough of a difference and I won't bore you with all the interim shots. I've run out of thread on the third piece, so that's a bit of a delay....I can't just dash off to the store to get more....it's about a 45 minute trip and one must have a list of other needs to make a trip to Sioux City with the price of gas these days.  I'll be getting some more this week though, because it turns out, now I do have a list!!!

But, here's what I do have to show you....the development of the daily drawings.  I liked what was happening with the teabag on teabag still life theme, but it all really depended on the strength of color in the teabags and sometimes things were invisible....so it occurred to me that the teabag could actually take a bit of paint since it was sealed, having been adhered to the bristol board with gel medium. I've been continuing to experiment with still life compositions in the daily drawings.  Okay, I have to admit that I did cheat a bit.  Since I was gone last week and my time in the studio was all thrown off, I had a couple of days with no drawings to represent them, which I just couldn't bear, so I made 2 or 3 of these pieces in one day and slotted them in. Their dates are in brackets underneath, so I know they weren't actually done on that day.  Of course, no one would have known this if I hadn't felt compelled to confess!!  Anyway,  here is a selection of some recent daily drawings.

1-23-12

1-22-12

1-21-12

1-20-12

1-18-12

I'm not sure why the notion of the still life is so close to my heart and my hand these days, but it is.  There is something silent and timeless about a still life....the notion of a moment in time held in the hand, fixed by the eye....a moment that contains all other moments....that's what it is. It's about a slowing down and the illusion of stillness, because there is never any stillness, not really....if so, we'd all perish.

Perhaps you can tell who my hero is in terms of painting and still life....it's Giorgio Morandi....the master of simple composition, silence and stillness.  So elegant.

Natural Morta I by Giorgio Morandi

I'm thinking about the daily drawings having their own Etsy shop. I have a few from the fall over at MissouriBendStudio, but there is so much work in my shop now, it's probably a bit overwhelming.  I think a second shop filled with just daily drawings all in the same price range might be a refreshing change.  Any of you wonderful readers who are Etsy sellers want to weigh in on the question? 

In the meantime, I keep forgetting to mention that I am having a sale in my shop through January, so it goes for just another week....15% everything in MissouriBendStudio!  Plenty of artwork there that would love to have a good home....the pieces are happy to travel anywhere on the globe!  See you later in the week....have a great one!

A Walk Through The Universe: White, week 1

Welcome to A Walk Through The Universe for 2011!  We are starting anew, on a different day of the week and on an adjacent path....following the larger topic of color throughout the year, looking at a different hue each month.  Week by week, we'll see that color through a changing lens...perhaps art, or history, or nature...it'll be a surprise, even to me, as we saunter along on a path of discovery!  It's winter here in South Dakota, which naturally makes me think of white as the perfect starting point. 

I find myself gathering images of white on white among my etsy favorites, as I am so attracted to the subtle play of "color" that happens in arrangements of various mixes of white.  Here is a selection of some beauties among my favorite items and shops.  It occurred to me, as I began the actual selection process for this post, that I was gathering images of the still life.  I am attracted to these photographs because of the composition, the way the light and shadows dance and for the simple beauty of these forms.  Each is a reflection of history...of the passage of time captured in simple objects...moments distilled.  Each photo has a link to the shop, where you'll find more beautiful pieces...Enjoy!

annaandroy

blackcatsupply

f2images

KnickofTime

lacklusterco

lucysnowephotography

allthingswhite