2010 Statewide Fine Arts Competition

My piece, "Canadian Cowgirl", in the 2010 Statewide Fine Arts Competition .

The Ella Sharp Museum in Jackson, Michigan, is currently exhibiting the 2010 Statewide Fine Arts Competition from January 16 to March 20, 2010.  The museum hosted a very well attended artists' reception on opening day, during which James Freeman's piece, "520 Cups: Here's Looking at You!", was awarded Best In Show.  This and some of James's other work can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/  or at http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com/ .

The sixty pieces by Michigan artists were chosen by exhibition juror, Richard Rubenfeld.  Mr. Rubenfeld did an exceptional job developing a cohesive yet diverse exhibit, which adequately balanced subject-matter and  technique, as well as both abstract and realism.

If you happen to be in the area - or simply are experiencing a little cabin fever - the exhibit is well worth a look.

Dean Rogers of Novi, Michigan,  fellow Colored Pencil Society member, and his engaging portrait titled "Forgiven".

Work-In-Progress: Wild Horses

I've recently resumed work on my drawing depicting a pair of wild horses.  Slowly but surely the fine detail layers are coming together, and I have next to move down the remainder of the mane, and across the neck and chest.  I'm anxious to complete the dark horse and move on to the one to the left, a beige-toned grey whose head is buried into the side of the dark horse's neck.  I will be working to complete another bird image for an upcoming show at the Hudson Gallery in Sylvania, Ohio, so will be alternating between the two pieces over the next few weeks.

Drawing Conclusions

"It is never too late to be what you might have been".  - George Eliot

I'm usually not one to make New Year's resolutions.  Regardless of the time of year, if I feel compelled to make a major change I simply do it.  When I decided I wanted to become a runner in my late thirties, I just started running.  Many years ago when I decided to quit smoking cigarettes, I quit three days later.  Just as simply however, if I don't really want to do something I seem practically incapable of doing it.  There are times in life though, and for me the arrival of the New Year this year seems to have provided one of several triggers, when factors converge and really cause one to.............take pause, so to speak.

Many years ago when fresh out of high school I attended a college commercial art program.  Though I did not realize it at the time, it was not my forte' (and those of you who knew me then would probably say that regardless of the curriculum it would have........er............interfered with my 'social life'.)  Following that I completely diverted, and absolutely enjoyed a lengthy career in social work -- however over a twenty-five year period I may have completed only three drawings.

Okay: what is my point?  Possibly that concerning my art, I became lost -- I abandoned it, ignored it, basically did nothing with it except take the ability for granted, and hadn't the foggiest notion of what I wanted to do with it.  Over the past four years I am slowly regaining, or possibly gaining for the first time in my life, a sense of who I am as an artist as well as who I want to be.  With this comes increased knowledge of what I need to do to get there.  I have longed to have a clearer understanding of what my own 'artistic voice' is, and have felt frustrated at times that this insight seemed to elude me.  That too, seems to be getting clearer.  Others have tried at times to tell me who and what I should be as an artist -- but this never really works, does it?? -- though I have learned just as much from my poor artistic decisions as my wise ones!

I have suffered from lack of focus, and have allowed other issues in my life to impact my work and my output.  I have allowed emotional and tangible distractions to put my art somewhere wayyyy down on the list of priorities.  In striving to find my artistic voice, I have tried techniques and subject matter that were more.........convenient.  I mean lets face it: this is southern Michigan.  There isn't exactly a cowboy standing on every street corner!  Yet that is what I feel drawn to portray -- images of western people and increasingly, horses.  I think some of you will 'get it' when I say that there are ways in which I have not been courageous, thus allowing my life to become small.  From this point on, I choose to strive not to do that. 

2010 is certain to bring some major changes to my life.  For one, my son will be off to college.  For another, in all liklihood I will be returning to social work on a part-time or full-time basis -- a fact that will effect my art to some degree.  However I look forward to these and other changes, though some will be certain to bring growing pains of sorts.  I am up for them..........I just have this feeling that 2010 is going to be a good year. 

And if you have made it through this reflective dessertation, congratulations and thankyou!

(The photograph at the top of the post was taken on Brockway Mountain on the Keweenaw Peninsula, of Michigan's upper peninsula.) 

                                                                                             

Young Barn Swallow

This graphite study of a juvenile barn swallow is a departure from my usual subject matter.  Upon request, it is one of two bird drawings I will complete for an upcoming exhibit in Ohio several months from now.  (If you saw the previous post of it as a work-in-progress, you may be wondering what happened to the brown paper -- but said color was simply the result of a poor photographer!)  The photo references for this were obtained when my son and I came upon this swallow and its two siblings on our horse fence.  They seemed quite unconcerned with us, and so we were able to get little more than arm's length from them with the camera.  This piece may warrant a little tweaking still:  for instance the background tones seem a little dark, so I may perform a little lift-and-blend operation.  As fresh-eyed onlookers, what do you think?  Too dark?

Barn swallows are an engaging and lovely little bird.  Their iridescent blue feathers are striking, and can go unappreciated unless one sees them up close.  The killing of barn swallows for their feathers was just one issue that prompted the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, thus protecting them as well as many other migratory species.  Each season after their offspring fledge, they congregate in groups on the edges of fields and forests prior to their long migration to Central or South America.

For many years I have watched and been fascinated by barn swallows as an observer at the northern-end of their yearly cycle.  Suddenly on a day every April,  two or three of them will arrive happily at the horse barn and I will know that it is about to occur -- and within several days the air is filled with dozens of swooping, diving, calling, seemingly joyous barn swallows.  Their singlemindedness of purpose is admirable, and they waste no time rebuilding a nest or occupying an already existing one.  Most will produce two broods by early August, and then by early September they are gone just as quickly as they came -- leaving the barn and the surrounding sky quiet and empty until the following spring.

In a way, they mark the passage of time with their abrupt arrival and departure each year -- and for me, more so than the arrival of each new year seems to. 

But 2010 fast approaches -- so a Happy New Year to you.

.........and to all a good night!

"Button", my son's long-outgrown and good-natured pony,  was good enough to tolerate the taking of this holiday-inspired photo of her.  Truth be told she was not thrilled with the hat: possibly any self-respecting pony would choose not to wear a Santa cap, given the option.  It proved to be a challenge getting more of her in the shot, as I found it necessary to hold the cap on her head with my left hand, while taking the photo with my right...........as each time I let go with my left, she dumped the Santa cap.  Bah humbug!

As Christmas Day fast approaches and I reflect over the past year, I am struck by how much my (usually well-ordered) life has become interspersed with change, emotional and spiritual growth, and milestones.  There have been first-time goals reached in relation to my art, such as the Hudson Gallery Exhibition and attaining signature status in the CPSA.  I have had the opportunity to develop tremendous bonds with people I cherish, and have also experienced agonizing losses.  Ever-present on my mind, whether at the edge or in full-awareness, is the fact that my son is a senior in high school and applying to colleges.  In many ways, life may never be the same.  The new year may bring many changes.

I began this blog in June of 2009 -- a mere six months ago -- feeling uncertain and self-conscious.  It had been many years since I had written much of anything for any reason.  However much to my surprise I have found that I actually enjoy blogging -- in fact, I enjoy it a great deal.  So what I originally planned as a year-long 'experiment' (which went something like, "I'm sure it is going to be a horrible experience, but I'll try it for a year............") will now go on indefinitely...........or until I have nothing further to say! 

I thank those of you who stop in and take a few minutes to read my blog, those who take the time to leave a comment, those who share their wonderful sense of humor or a bit of their own experience.  As is probably the case with many types of endeavors, I am finding that making serious pursuit of one's artwork (for the first time) in midde-age is not for the faint-hearted. Consequently, whether we be dear long-time friends or more recent acquaintances, I so appreciate your support and validation.  It is a pleasure for me to become acquainted with others in the blogging community, and I look forward to continuing to follow your careers and journeys.  Blogging has also warranted me the opportunity to correspond with persons in other countries - Canada, Australia, France, and Scotland, to name several - and what a joy it is to expand the perameters of my own world in this way. 

May your life be an inspiration to yourself and others.  Merry Christmas to you and yours.  As always, thankyou so much for reading.

Work-In-Progress: Close-up of Barn Swallow

It has been some time since I worked in graphite, and it is a pleasure to return to it.  Even more than that, it has been about three decades (yes, three decades) since my previous bird drawings.  It may have been one of those serendipitous events that I was recently asked to provide one or two bird drawings for an upcoming gallery exhibition............as I am thoroughly enjoying the subject matter, and may not have made the decision myself to revisit it.

I love birds.  LOVE birds.  Who would have thought?  I was raised by an avid bird watcher, who provided lengthy commentary on every purple-crested-what-cha-ma-call-it known to man.  My father made sure that I knew more bird species by age twelve than most persons learn in their entire lifetime.  And I in turn was a typical, rather contentious, and very bored young person, with much bigger fish to fry than learning bird species!

Or so I thought.  In spite of myself I learned, and through my adulthood I have become just as fascinated with birds as is my father.  Consequently I have gone on to bore my son even more than my father did me, and who knows?  Maybe someday my son and I will have a riveting conversation about the migration patterns of the elusive gray catbird................Okay, alright; I won't hold my breath on that one!  I'd settle for him not remembering his mom as the nut he discovered standing outside the kitchen window one frigid winter morning, unmoving, frozen in position with seed-filled hand raised high.  (And I'll have you know it only took two ten-minute 'statue sessions', on two consecutive days, to get those chickadees to feed out of my hand -- it was amazing!)  I was absolutely awestruck when I held a stunned American Kestral, who then took flight from my hands -- and I still try to save every fallen or seemingly abandoned baby bird who's path I cross.

Thankyou Dad.        

Work-In-Progress

My schedule over the past several weeks has not allowed me to make as much progress on my current work as I would have liked. Though the techniques I'm employing in this piece are proving to be very time-consuming, I am pleased with the sense of depth achieved in the finished areas.

In this drawing I am tending to work in numerous light layers of pencil, often blending colors in between the layers with a stiff oil painting brush. The base layer was laid in using indigo blue, cool grey 90%, and walnut brown: the detail layers are then built on top of that using these same colors in addition to black, black grape, burnt ochre, bronze, and several values of french grey.

I am reminded of (and amused by) something artist and instructor Linda Lucas Hardy said to me at the 2007 CPSA convention in Bethesda, Maryland. Observing my tendency to work in many ultra-light layers of color, she said (in her loving way, as everything Linda says sounds loving......and very Texas), "Lynda; you are laying down alot of wax, but not much pigment." It sure did not take her long to get my number! I've thought about her comment many times since then, and have come to realize that at times my tendency to layer so lightly is a reflection of my own lack of confidence. Ahhh..........yet one more issue to work on.

Over the next few weeks I will be alternating between this piece, as well as one or two graphite drawings of birds that I am starting. It has been some time since I have worked in graphite, and I am looking forward to the diversion and the challenge.

Thanks for stopping in.