Sketchbooks...and Time Management

Time is the enemy of many artists....creativity simply cannot be turned on and off like a faucet.  Each day, every day, my schedule is designed to provide a large chunk of time for painting.  When traveling, I have found that bringing along art supplies not only makes the trip more cumbersome, but interferes with the experiences that are ripe for the happening.  My sketchbook is my friend in these situations.  Most of these sketches were made during restful moments during a visit to North Carolina to visit family.  Situations present themselves, all of which provide further lessons for study and for contemplation.  Sketchbook sketches are so sweet to me....more spontaneous, less staged.  Foreshortening provided further and further observation and some surprises as well..all for the simple cost of a sketchbook and some pencils. 

While I'm in the neighborhood...

Cow (on yellow ground)   watercolor/mixed on paper   10.75 x 15

Rooster (on orange ground)  watercolor/mixed on paper   11.5 x 14

I thought I would try a couple more.  Actually, there was a pig as well that I attempted before a trip.  Alack and alas, I was far too distracted with details....tried to hurry....and, as we all know, ART can never be hurried!  Creative minds yearn for novelty...that is what keeps our engagement so focused.  Yet, there is nothing like the first attempt into the unknown, where disaster is at our heels each minute, to make the experience explosive.  I read somewhere sometime, that the death of all art forms comes from over-ornamentation...it becomes too perfect, too polished.  I am satisfied for now and will come home to my paintings with renewed energy.

My current read:  Rapt:  Attention and the Focused Life by Winifred Gallagher.  Wonderful!

Road Trip - Reduction Printing

Road trips are really good for everyone. Life in the studio can get pretty intense. The more you work, the more you immerse yourself and the more you don't want to leave. It is hard to separate yourself from the work. I am a painter. I am taking a road trip into reduction printing. I love the qualities that can only be achieved through printmaking....an ink quality that can only be achieved by such an indirect method. Printmaking is meticulous and must be planned carefully. I am excited. As a painter, I am largely driven by color. As I don't want to create many plates, I am going to use the reduction method whereby the block is gradually cut away for each subsequent color....in the end, the block is destroyed and cannot be used again. I am shooting for a limited run of 50 prints, so I am starting with 80 prints. Many will suffer from smudges, mistakes, and probably dissatisfaction as I wind my way through several colors and application techniques. My subject is the honey bee. On the first cut, I only cut away the parts that I wish to remain white, or the color of the paper. It was a solid application on which to build. Yes..............we are on our way.