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Wednesday, October 31, 2007

 

ArtPact #35

(Also published on "Unchain My Art")

Busy times call for lack of painting. The couple of months have been crazy, and last week I decided that in order to keep my ability to ever paint again, I have to keep exercise my eye, hand and brush, just so to not lose it altogether.

WackieM's blog keeps me going, big time. I try to find the time to follow the drawing and painting challenges she comes up with, and they then yield new fun ideas, opening new doors and setting me off on new journeys. Very short journeys, for now, but one day...

Recently, I found that I can no longer sit still and watch TV. Whenever a great face, a compelling expression or a wonderful light pattern appears on the screen, I grab whatever I have in hand, and start drawing/sketching it. Just can't resist the urge. Poor The JohnnyB, he is getting used to coming home and then gaze for an hour at a frozen picture on the screen. So, to be fair to him, I do try to do it mostly during the day, in between the trillion things that need to be done. 10 minutes here, and hour there - and I actually manage to produce some art. On a small scale, not at the quality of an actual painting done when you have the time and mental bandwidth to really do it, but - it helps to get the stress away.

Well, most of the time...

Yesterday I was trying to use the Elegant Writer pen, that has ink that gorgeously separates when you touch a wet brush to it. At least when WackieM touches it. I took my highest quality sketchbook, took one of these pens, and did a loose drawing, intending to dissolve some of the lines. I then took a brush, wetted it, touched the drawing, and waited for the magic to happen.

Nothin'.

"Must be the color. I'll try the black, which is more responsive", I heartened myself.

Again - nothing.

The lines stood still, as if they are Californians during an earthquake that has not proven yet to be serious. The drawing stared at me, crude and coarse-lined.

Needless to say, I was not at all relaxed.

I called WackieM with wrath, and made an S.O.S. plea. She was surprised, and advised me to try it on different papers. Nothing worked, until I remembered a Bristol Smooth Surface drawing block that I once bought at the art store, not quite sure why.

I decided to give it one more try...

(click to enlarge)


...and then proceeded to a couple of hours of pure fun. I love it!!!

These are done from paused scenes of the British movie "Enchanted April", which offered a wealth of great faces and expressions. And no, the one in the middle is not a broken-nosed female wrestler. I just did not have the time to go back and fix it...

On a different note, I was watching the Van Gogh episode of Simon Schama's Power of Art.

The actor playing Van Gogh was very convincing (two ears, though...), and one scene had the most irresistible light pattern, which yielded a very long TiVo pause, and four bozzettos. I took the artistic license to not show the fourth one, which turned out pathetic! (Hey, it's my blog - I can cheat...).



The JohnnyB claims the color scheme I chose is weird and haunting. Duh! color is one way to convey mood. "weird and haunting", Eh? Well, so was Van Gogh.

And so, on this cheery note:


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!


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Tuesday, October 30, 2007

 

5.6


That's what they say the magnitude was.

Around 8pm this evening, we were walking the aisles in Safeway, looking for cool candy (ended up with lots, including 2 bags of body parts candy - I think we're gonna be very popular with the little costumed candy bandits tomorrow night).

There we were, hunting for fun sugary stuff, when The JohnnyB stopped in his tracks and started to look over and yonder, at directions that had clearly nothing to do with candy. I followed his eyes, looked up and saw the signs above the cashiers, swaying in the wind.

Only, there was no wind.

"It's shakin'", said the woman next to us, looking significantly concerned.

I, in my blessed oblivion, just gazed at her, totally clueless as for what it's all about. And yet, her wide open eyes made me very alert. I felt a cold hand gripping my heart, as everyone now stopped and just stood there, waiting. For what?

And then it hit me. Earthquake!

I wanted to rush and find a solid and safe place to stand under, I wanted to run outside, anywhere but next to heaps of candy and shelves and high ceilings and animated "Express Line - 15 items" signs...

...but everyone just kept standing still, as if it was a moment of silence. As if time froze. Why aren't they moving? Why isn't anyone going anywhere?? It was all so surreal!

And then it was over.

Everyone proceeded with their shopping, the signs started to slowly come to a halt, and I - I was a vision in different shades of white.

With shaken legs and melting knees, I followed The JohnnyB along the aisles, walking very close to him, chanting,
"Why did we not go out? What were we supposed to do? When is the right time to run? Where should we have gone? Whom should I have followed? wh - - - ".

"Relax",
said the man, "It was nothing".

5.6!! nothing? NOTHING??

On the way home, he gave me a thorough review on earthquakes, what to do if and when. "If you can get outside quickly, do it", he enlightened the uninitiated
. "Otherwise, find a strong beam or a doorway to stand under".

"So, why not always just run outside, if that's the best thing?", I inquired, using my common sense.

"Because you may not have time. When it hits, it's going very quickly", he patiently explained.

"So why didn't we go out immediately when it started?", I wondered.

"'cause we waited to see if it's a big one", came the self-assured reply.

"But you said that when it hits, it's quick!!?!??!",
I insisted.

"Well...",
said The JohnnyB, looking at me with the patronizing disdain of he who experienced the
Loma Prieta '89 earthquake, "you just know".

I remained quiet, taking the time to fully appreciate and absorb the highly educational value of that profound bit of information. I am so glad I asked.

In fact, The JohnnyB is quite surprised at me. Y'see, I grew up and lived in a city that had its share of being the ultimate target for terror attacks and exploding busses and cafes. (Some of you may have heard of it: Jerusalem). Several years later, we were the target for Saddam's Scad missiles and the US Patriots missiles that added to the damage and fear. You just got used to it and went on with your life. Some people here even insist that I could kill a man with my hands. And after all that, I get all freaked out by a little tiny itsy bitsy earthquake?

Well, yes, I do!

I'm going to bed now, and shall do my best to follow the helpful advice my concerned loving sister gave me over the phone:
"be careful".

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Thursday, October 25, 2007

 

Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth?

(Also published on "Unchain My Art")

Not in this case.

Got this link from NancyBJ (THANK YOU for sharing!!!), and was stunned.

Click on a mosaic mural, then click on parts of them to see the paintings that make that part.

Apparently, one artist, Lewis Lavoie, decides what the mural is going to be. He then has the panel painted by different artists who have no idea what the completed mural will look like. He organizes these murals, sells prints for fund-raisers, and then eventually, they auction off pieces of the mural.It's truly mind blowing.

This movie demonstrates how the United Nations mural mosaic was created.


And this explains how he is getting these incredible results.

I think I'll go explore this website for a day. Or Two.

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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

 

A Thousand Words - And Then Some #13

(Also published on "Unchain My Art")

I'm back from the insanely-busy state of being, just raising my head above the water to get a quick gulp of air, so I can dive back in and on to the next thing!

Our Annual Show Reception took place on Sunday. A gorgeous, sunny day, which I dreaded, as I was supposed to hold a speech to the nation (well, to the part of the nation that came to the reception).

Like, on the stage!

- - - With a microphone!!

- - - - - - - - - - - In English!!!

So many people told me I did very well, and that I did not look nervous at all.

Well, that's why they invented cameras... The JohnnyB commemorated the event with LumiB, using the continuous/burst mode.


These photos are from right after I was done and handed off to LambieL. They were taken within a time frame of 10 seconds or so... Can you hear the roar of relief?

After that, came the award announcement, which was pure fun.

And the First Place Award (out of 100 incredible paintings!) went to

-

- -

- - -

WackieM!!!!!

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Tuesday, October 16, 2007

 

ArtPact #34

(Also published on "Unchain My Art")

"So, am I really not going to draw or paint for the next 3 weeks?", I whined.

Our annual show reception is coming up on Sunday, then a board meeting, then our Annual Meeting - - - Whoa!!

When you are a painter, and do not have the proper time to do it, or your head is too busy with other stuff, it starts to get to you at some point. You really Really REALLY want to paint, but you simply can't dedicate the appropriate bandwidth for it.

In that case, to relieve the urge, you grab whatever you have nearby, do a quick drawing, sketch or doodle. It's a bit like going for fast-food when you are extremely hungry but don't have time for a decent meal.

Luckily, WackieM had yet another challenge on her blog: Phonebook drawing. You take an old phonebook, and draw with ink on its pages. As she says. "This is such a liberating surface because you really aren't worried about messing up an expensive piece of paper...and...look how many pages you have to work with! "

To be honest, I wasn't thrilled about it at all, as I thought it's just like drawing on any paper, so what's the big deal about it?

Still, today I got so sick and tired of doing all the stuff for the reception, that I decided to put everything aside for an hour or two. After dealing with an endless ToDo list that seems to keep getting longer, I wanted to just do careless drawing, not work on a future painting or anything that will feel like yet another commitment. Y'know, some artistic fast-food.

I turned the TV on, and chose a British crime drama ("Waking The Dead" - GREAT series, by the way!) that features some incredible faces. Grabbed a phonebook, different kinds of ink, some bamboo brushes and twigs, and set myself in front of the TV in the living room (yes, The JohnnyB, of course I laid a protective sheet over the new laminate floor - what do you take me for?). Whenever I saw an interesting and expressive face, I paused and drew it (TiVo is a wonderful thing!).

And then I understood.

IT IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COOL!!!

I think it really does have a lot to do with the fact I was not working on precious drawing paper.

Like, pfffffffffrrrrrrrrr, it's a phonebook, who cares? If it doesn't come out right, just toss it, and do another, get very loose and experimental. Of course, I cannot just follow instructions - I have to explore what's beyond... so I also used some of The JohnnyB's old beer-brewing magazines, which have this neat sleek paper that makes a very fun surface to work on.

I experimented with Sumi Ink, Shellac-Based Ink and my all-time favorite: Walnut Ink, alternating between bamboo brushes, twigs (yes, twigs), and the eye-dropper-like lid of the shellac ink jar.

I'll probably do more and more such sketches, but I am posting these now, before the week gets even busier.



(Click to enlarge)

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Monday, October 15, 2007

 

Sleepless


It's 1:56am.

Practically tomorrow.

I am beyond tired, but can't sleep.

And it's so damn annoying!

I don't even know why!

Yes, the adrenaline level got high these past days.

We hung 100 paintings last Saturday.

Then had a loooooooooooooong Friday, which started at 11am with a briefing to the gallery sitters, followed by walking around the gallery and having the artists who attended talk about their paintings. W'all then awaited the torrential rain to cease, while looking at the leaking ceiling (yup!) with increased concern. At some point, even the most patient and rain-fearing ones got tired of waiting, and swam to their cars. Everybody except the three of us, who stayed and waited for the brave (and very wet) Dean of Fine Arts Department who actually showed up in that insane weather and spent 2 hours judging the show and selecting the paintings that got awards (while eyeing the still-leaking ceiling!). After she left, we did the final touches, making sure everything is ready for the show opening. We left there at 6pm, wishing to not see the gallery for at least a month.

Well, so much for that... I was the one who went back the morning after to do the very first shift of the gallery sitting, chat with visitors, listen to their comments about the show and subtly check if they are potential collectors (nope!).

I love gallery sitting. It's fun, but quite exhausting at some point. As side by side with the occasional interesting conversationalists, there are always those who come and just annoy the hell out of you. Like the visitor who stopped by a painting, exclaiming, "Oh, that painting is cute!", which is the worst thing that can be said. I got into a violent mode each time I heard that, but kept my courteous smile intact. As Shakespeare said (OK,
Neil Shakespeare, but it's close enough!), "...you let in the barbarians and get to overhear their caustic comments". How excruciatingly true!


When you are gallery sitting, you are often asked which is your painting. For obvious reasons, nobody made the "cute" comment about
my painting. I got some obligatory "Oh, that's nice!", side by side with some true appreciations. One iPod-armed teenager kept twisting his neck, trying to read the text in my painting (until I decided to spare him and announced it's written in Hebrew...), and there was one person who came in, looked at my painting lengthily, again and again, kept coming back to it (always a compliment!), and eventually turned to me and said, "You know, I am an artist myself. I work with ink, and now I am starting a new series about despair. I really need to study your painting, to see how you managed to capture this feeling so well". I chose to take it as a compliment. And yet... it's always nice to know I am a role model for agony, eh?

Our reception is next weekend. I still have a lot to do towards it, including a speech to write and say in a trembling voice (yup, I am dreading that part! you try standing in front of a crowd and blabber in a language your mouth is not quite used to!).

Maybe that's why I can't quite fall asleep.

But hey - this post is becoming so boring, I think it's done its service... G'night!

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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

 

ArtPact #33

(Also published on "Unchain My Art")

WackieM, in her incredible new blog, is now giving a drawing challenge every Friday.

The first one - wire drawing - was really fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed the
results.

The second one, well... is closer to a test of courage: hold a magnifying mirror to your face, and draw yourself.
Magnified. Sounds cool, but it makes you really look at yourself and examine each and every wrinkle, mole and flaw.

As the days went by, I thought I would just pretend I'm too busy and forget about it. Y'know, we've been hanging our show, I had to write stuff for our newsletter, I had to maintain my vanity and self-esteem! But after MembieK informed me today that she went for the challenge and sent her results to WackieM for posting on her blog - - - Aha! All of a sudden, the competitive voice in me urged me: "Go for it!".

I went into my studio, and still thought I could cleverly avoid this daunting task by painting something other than myself. For that, I needed some reference photos, but the computer was occupied by The JohnnyB, who got his KVM thingy today (Keyboard-Video-Mouse switch), and was busy failing to hook it up to the desktop. Which means the printer was out of order and out of the question. "Gimme half an hour", he grumbled.

Deprived of technology, I grabbed the Mary Kay mirror w'all got from WackieM months ago, when we embarked on the journey of self-portraits. I pulled out an ink pen (so I am not tempted to correct by erasing) and started to gaze at my magnified-self.

Typically, when you draw yourself while looking at a mirror, you appear very worried and sad. It's mostly because you concentrate so hard. My first attempt indeed obediently follows this rule. I was also trying with all my might to keep still and not move, while holding the pen between my lips. Hence the highly concerned, almost constipated expression.


Yes, I know, I do need to work more on my hand drawing skills. Still, 30 minutes later, I was quite pleased with the result.

But, y'know, I am a bit tired of all these melancholic self-portraits of mine. Mood, emotion, dark depths and the tortured artist soul do "enhance with beautiful darkness" (as Michael Bains so kindly pointed out). And yet, all of a sudden, I got fed up with the gloomy me. Those who know me keep saying, "But you are always smiling!! What's with the woe?".

Bleak is not my only side.

I wanted something else.

So, I went for a different pose.

Mature, impressively glamorous and ever so dignified - that's me!

It was such a fun exercise, and it forced me to really, REALLY look at myself. I discovered some interesting things about the inside of my eyes, found new chins I never knew I had (thank you very much for that, WackieM!), and - in the fish-face version - I worked hard on trying to render the smile I had in my eyes. It was fascinating to see how the little wrinkles and puffs below the eyes make the smile, even when the lips are so distorted!

On the other hand, holding my face in this fishy pose for 30 minutes(!!!) was not the most brilliant thing I ever did... it still hurts like hell! See, I do suffer for my art!

Looking at the result, somewhat horrified, I asked The JohnnyB, "Do I really have that many chins?".

"No", he assured me, "Just the three".

Time to make the sofa for him, I presume.

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Sunday, October 07, 2007

 

The Hanging at the Museum's Backyard

(Also published on "Unchain My Art")

...there we were again, almost the same team, hanging a show, Again.

This time, it's the show of the art organization of which I am president, so it's much more thrilling.

Just under 100 artworks were entered, all in watermedia. which made the hanging process easier, as it did not require a mix 'n match of oils with sculptures, canvases with framed watercolors, apples with oranges.

Still, it was exhausting.

It was my very first time to assemble the pro-panels, and while not complicated, it's just a highly annoying job. Now I know why nobody else wanted to do it. We were done around 4pm, and it looks glorious! It seems like the quality of the overall show keeps improving from one year to the other, which is truly exciting. I can't wait for my gallery-sitting shift, which will be on the first day the show opens.

My painting for this show is one of my self-portrait series. I have posted it as an ArtPact in its unfinished state. I love it, The JohnnyB really doesn't. So be it. I am done trying to please everyone with my art. That's pretty much mission impossible, and will only result in frustration and compromise.

I have to say I really lived on the edge with this painting. A day before the hanging, it still wasn't framed yet, and I knew there must be a reason, as usually I am not that bad about it.

There was.

On Friday afternoon, after hesitating to do so for 2 days, I grabbed several pencils and scribbled the words of one of my favorite songs throughout the painting. A brave - and at the same time, very stupid - thing to do a day before hanging it in a show. And yet, I just had to. Once I was done, I knew it was the right thing to do. The painting was finally finished.

I then spent a while contemplating the fact that nobody will be able to read the words. It's not a cheery song, y'see. It's quite exposed, and as long as it was just in the painting, in Hebrew, I was safe... a big coward chicken, but safe.

Eventually, I decided to take it one step further, and translated the words to English. I figured that not doing that would mean I am not really walking the extra emotional mile. It was quite amusing to have the JohnnyB help me translate a song he doesn't know from Hebrew to English, but he was incredibly helpful, and got my utter gratefulness and admiration.

So, here it is. The song was written by Nurit Glaron, a wonderful Israeli singer. It's much more beautiful and touching in Hebrew, but there's a limit to what I can do, I guess...





“Within the storms,
between breathing and suffocating
within me.
Doors closed,
latches locked.
Slowly.
Quietly.


Do not follow me
to that place.
Where the sky is foreboding,
where no children play,
where the silence oppresses -
and does not let go. “

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Friday, October 05, 2007

 

AshKara!


OK, this brilliant pun in the title of this post is totally lost on the non Hebrew-slang-speakers among you. Well, just couldn't find a better title, so there.

Got this from the
Fresh Internet Juice blog. This guy has not posted anything for, well, forever - but has just made a comeback with this glorious post, that compensates for the long disappearance.

Apparently, for a modest fee,
this website will create a special ink from - - -

- - - no, wait! I simply cannot make it sound better, so here it is, straight from the horse's mouth:

"Welcome to Inkafterlife.com. We make custom photo memorials by creating a custom ink formulation using ashes from a loved one or pet and our ink. We then print a beautiful memorial photo using that blended in".

How does it work?

You fill in your order, they send a you a vial "for you to fill with ashes of your loved one or pet", as they gracefully put it. They even assure you that "Any unused ash is returned to you with your completed order." Then they mail you the "Inkafterlife Memorial Photo".

Takes 4-6 weeks.


Grayscale for $49.99, full color $79.00.

Plus shipping, I presume.

Now, that's different!

I used to joke with The JohnnyB that when I die, I want to become a watercolor pigment. (Hey, there's a color called Navajo Red. Why not Nava Purple?). Hmm... so much for that joke, eh?

I betcha that even WackieM, who uses anything and everything to create texture, did not think of that.

Among the many questions this is provoking, I, as a cautious artist who puts quality first, cannot help wondering: is the print going to be archival?

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Monday, October 01, 2007

 

ArtPact #32


There I was, trapped in a vicious circle. I had this incredible photo I took at the cafe, of the lady with the hat, trying obediently follow what I was taught: study the shapes and values, make a value plan - and I got stuck.
I know it's supposed to be the right way to go, but every time I do this, it somehow drains the fun out of it. All of a sudden, creating a painting turns into a list of chores, of do's and don't-do's, which frustrates me beyond belief.

At times like this, I wonder whether I should just delve into careless painting, throwing all the rules aside, and get the first version out of my system. Perhaps then I can go back and work on it more methodically? Or, perhaps I am not quite the methodical painter? Could it be that value plans work for some artists, while others have other ways to get to a painting? Or, maybe there is no right and wrong? Why do birds sing? Do angels exist? What's the time?

And then, as I was getting into this destructive over-pondering mood, WackieM launched her online "class", which is what made her start a blog in the first place. As she puts it: "My blogger plan was to create challenges for myself and to encourage others to join in". She posted the first
drawing challenge on Friday, and pretty much threw me a life vest. Now I had a distraction, an excuse to get out of my over-analysis whirlpool and follow her challenge, which was all about line. No values, no existential questions.

And so, I cheerfully dropped the hat and the lady, and took the gauntlet dropped by WackieM. Reverting to my comfort zone, I tried doing my self-portrait in that wire-drawing technique that she demonstrated. You basically draw as if you are creating a wire sculpture, allowing the wire to twist and wrap and bend. the only rule: all lines need to connect.

I am a line painter - to me, line is the best and most glorious design element. I love lines! and I mostly love open lines and lost edges that leave room for imagination. So, I thought it's going to be a trivial little exercise, but then I realized the challenge in it: wire drawing forces to connect all lines, and think of the necessity of each and every line. Working on a face, it also forced me into thinking of the planes of the face, rather than the features.



It was a wonderful exercise. I did a first drawing, loved the result, and decided to try and make it more minimal, getting just the essence.

Hmm... I got totally carried away, forgetting the goal of the exercise and just enjoying the process.
So much for minimalism on that one. Nice hair, eh?


And then, after I was done messing with my own face, I decided to get back to the lady with the hat. Something about her is haunting me, forcing me to paint her, and I see a series coming. These little drawings actually speak to me more fluently than the value plans I attempted here. I guess w'all speak different visual languages.

It still has a long way to go, a journey even, but - my enthusiasm is back! So, thank you, WackieM!

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