Almost done

Making Progress...

A new subject...

Dogs can capture our hearts in a way we can't explain.  By the time I'm done with this portrait, I have a feeling I'm going to be caught; hook, line and sinker!

He looks like a man but I'll always see the little boy behind his eyes. 

My Grandsons!

There is something about observing the face of someone I love for long periods of time that makes me feel connected to them in a way I could never imagine.  This piece was created from a photograph my son took of the two cousins looking out the window.  I knew from the moment I saw the image that I had to translate it into my own.  

Some Collected Thoughts

* The ability to fly comes from the struggle to get off the ground

*  Regrets are created by missing the experience of 'what is' by longing for 'what was' or worrying about 'what might be'

*  Wisdom comes from the honest reflections of failed experiences

*  It takes COURAGE to break what is not broken, HEART to pick up the pieces and LOVE to create something new

*  TIME is an ILLUSION that cannot be BORROWED, GIVEN AWAY, OWNED, LOST, or WASTED

*  You will receive what you believe you already have

*  Constant thinking of "what was" is to miss "what is" and the opportunity to change "what will be"

*  A true sense of PURPOSE comes from having a dream, the ability to focus, and the willingness to work hard to make it a reality

*  Create incredible realities by dreaming of audacious possibilities

*  To wonder is to try on possibilities for size

*  Everything we create is simply a collection of our previous experiences

*  The true MAGICIAN believes in the ability to turn any negative experience into a positive outcome

*  Transformation takes place when WILL meets INGENUITY and TENACITY joins hands with DESIRE

*  Joy is available to anyone who feels worthy enough to experience it

*  The longer pride is chewed on, the harder it is to swallow.

Practice, Practice

How did THAT emerge?

In case you can't tell, you're looking at sheet that's draped over a large canvas. This technique is new to me.  I'm used to drawing with graphite and adding layers upon layers of pencil to achieve what I'm looking for....usually going from light to shadow. This is charcoal and requires me to look at the subject matter in an entirely different way. I'm supposed to see large sections of shadow and highlight without focusing on the details.  It's SO hard to do!  It feels like I'm going nowhere as I work on it and then my teacher has me step back and voila ....it comes off the page like magic!  I'd like to take credit for this because I really like the outcome but unfortunately, I'm not sure how it happened so I'm going to just say that somewhere deep inside, I must be able to see like an artist - it just hasn't hit my conscious mind yet:)

You may wonder why I'm posting these drawing studies on this blog about talking heads. They are some of the first projects for the drawing class I'm taking with Catherine Johnson, a wonderful artist/teacher here in Kirkland, WA. 

I loved to draw when I was young but really never spent a lot of time perfecting the craft. I learned bits and pieces in art school but I was mainly there to focus on commercial art not "fine" art. 

I find the studies Catherine assigns intriguing; often I feel my brain knows exactly what to do but my hand just won't cooperate! I also love that it forces me to "see" in a different way. As I study the contrast, I feel as if I can see into the object which in turn accesses a part of my brain I can't get to on my own.

I've been asked what I'm going to "do" with this new found activity. "Explore", I say, "and watch creativity unfold". My favorite pastime!