Sundays in Southern Virginia

After Church, created in "Paper" on iPad

This has been on my list of things to paint for about ten years.  I thought I'd try a simple sketch using pencils in this app; it's done from memory or imagination--and it took days to finish.  It was done, I thought; then I spotted Dad's Bible on my book shelf.  It wasn't black like I'd drawn but a deep red.  I had given it to him--that got changed; then the color of the chair cushion had to be changed.  The made-up chairs (the one on the left looks like the type we had in our store) are in the grass because I thought a baseboard, floor and rug under them would be too many horizontal lines.  Mom probably wouldn't like this because her shoes and pocketbook absolutely had to match.

Even before my dad studied for the ministry, Sundays were busy.  Mom fried the chicken (one of us kids stole the liver) and we went off to church for Sunday School and preaching.  We came home to "dinner" of fried chicken with gravy and biscuits, of course, lots of fresh vegetables and dessert.  Afternoons were spent napping, pitching horseshoes (I'm still a champ), or visiting relatives.  After a light "supper," we went back to Church.

Poor Willie

Poor Willie, graphite on paper
Cleaned up and colored with SketchbookPro on iPad

September has not been a great month.  My six-year-old dog Willie ruptured a ligament in his right knee two weeks ago.  During his weekly Thursday trash-night walk on the leash (his favorite activity), he jumped up onto a low wall, turned and screamed--I carried him home.  After x-rays under sedation, he had surgery Tuesday and came home yesterday.  I am his nurse, forcing pills down his throat; later I'll be his physical therapist.  He is so sad--pink bandage covering stitches on the back leg, shaved upper leg, chartreuse bandage on the front from the IV, and the cone.  He heard me taking the trash down tonight so I carried him to the street for a short two-and-a-half-legged walk in front of the house.  

Willie, age 4

We thought Willie was lazy when he'd stare at us--waiting to be lifted onto the sofa; didn't know he had bad knees.

I do realize that we are but specks in this world of floods, earthquakes, fires and mass killings.  May everyone have better days. 

Mother's Day 2013

Jonquil, pencil, 12x9

Happy Mother's Day.

Take a break; it's a tough job. 

Another Thursday at the Y

Clarksville Y, black/white conte on Strathmore, 12x9

Thursdays are for Art at the Y.  I showed up with black and white conte, gray paper, and had no idea what I might draw.  I looked out the side door of the Y and loved the clouds (yes, they actually looked like animals heading south).  The road leads to the soccer field.  I took a photo on my iPad, sat at the card table, and drew.  Later I added the soccer boy sculpture with vine charcoal--hope he doesn't mind being moved about 30' north.  In real life, he's closer to the front of the building.

 

Creating on the iPad is fun but nothing's better than getting dirty with conte or charcoal while drawing.  I was limited in my choice of supplies; sometimes, that's a good thing. 

Welcome March



iPad sketch (Sketchpad)

I make at least four quick sketches a day in this simple app; I usually don't save them or publish them on my blog. 

February was not a great month so I welcome March (even the Ides). 

Inktense Pencils and Hydrus Watercolors



Low Lake Level in the Cove, inktense pencils on clayboard, 5x7

Like everyone else, I hate finishing and framing.  Two of my paintings--The Blue Man and Caution--were finished some time ago and just sitting on my easels.  I've read that watercolors on Ampersand aquaboard can be varnished and framed without glass, but what about inktense pencils or hydrus watercolors on aquaboard?  I decided to test with this small drawing of maybe a willow tree behind my neighbor's house (sometimes it's in the water--sometimes not).  This is from a photo I took as Willie and I checked out the cove; I liked the colors--the orange and yellow parts are usually filled with blue water.

A Walk IN the Cove January 2013, photo

Two weeks ago we actually walked IN the cove behind my house (though I do have a fear of quicksand); it was 70 degrees that afternoon and not much water--my dock was on dirt.  I looked for arrowheads and found a couple of smooth round rocks.  I considered taking my metal detector down but it rained the following day--and for several more days.  The Lake's back--and it's a 50,000-acre one.  I can see the water from my upstairs window and I don't need to walk down; the weather has turned cold.

Hot Feet, hydrus watercolor on clayboard, 6x6

Just a sketch to test the varnish.  I suppose I could have just painted squares or lines but what fun would that have been? 

Okay, today I gave everything several coats of varnish.  I set up a varnishing station in the workshop bathroom--covered the toilet with large pieces of cardboard and turned on the exhaust fan--ran in and sprayed; ran to the porch door and breathed.  Nothing disappeared and it passed my Q tip test--dipped it into water, then rubbed the painting--no color came off and no lines were smeared.  I used Golden archival satin varnish.  

2013



Graphite and Pigma Pen in Moleskin Sketchbook

I survived the Holidays and spent yesterday taking down and storing my few decorations, changing the whole-house water filter, then making my black-eyed peas and collard greens soup for today's good-luck meal.  I was determined to spend New Year's Day in the studio/workshop but first I in my down coat had to get through all the junk in order to turn on the heat.  While getting organized I came across this sketchbook--first sketch is from March 2010 and the next from June 2011.  This is only the third, and pencil to paper was fun--forget cleaning. 

I usually don't make resolutions; they don't last, and I'm sure this one won't.  Can you tell I had taken Willie for a walk earlier?  Actually, this Food Lion bag is from my car--contains snacks--peanut butter cookies and an energy bar.

Happy New Year.

Chihuly Exhibit at VMFA



Organic Vase, created with Procreate on iPad

Last Friday I visited the Chihuly Exhibit at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond VA.  I left my camera in the car so I have no photos.  Instead, here's a Chihuly-inspired iPad painting of a red vase I bought at Mr. Harris' yard sale.  I painted without actually looking at the vase, and imagined it melting and changing forms, being displayed on a mirrored surface like Chihuly's works.  (And, yes, this looks a bit like an internal organ; I guess it's a ChiHallie.)  

Mr. Harris, Colorsoft pencils on Wallis Museum board, 9x6

My camera was in the car when I stopped at the yard sale and the light was right.  Mr. Harris said okay when I asked if I could take his photo; I told him I might want to paint it.  He's a neighbor and owner of one of the local funeral homes--a nice-looking man.  He hasn't seen this yet and it's not quite finished.




Outside VMFA, photo by S. Brooks

Here I am, outside the museum, pretending I'm holding up Chihuly's 25-foot chandelier which was hanging in the Atrium--my idea--and it took a while for the patient photographer to line this up.  Pedestrians probably wondered why I was posing like Vanna White.  My brother thought this looked like Miss Liberty with a tight grip on her pocketbook--not a bad idea for these times.

The Chihuly Exhibit was excellent--rooms filled with forms and colors and reflections.  I especially liked his Ikebana Boats and the Tobac Basket Bowls, which were displayed on huge beautiful slabs of wood. 

Small Town Drawing



Robert, Inktense pencils on hot press w/c paper, 12x9

I'm a Sunday evening regular at The Pizza Pub Restaurant/Bar here in town--so is Robert.  He's usually helping out or having a cup of coffee; and I see him outside always with his pipe.  I asked if I could take a few photos with my iPad--he obliged.  It's been a long time since I've tried portraits other than my own.  Robert liked this and, last Sunday, he walked with me through the restaurant as I showed it to the customers.

Most of you fellow bloggers live in cities where you can sketch strangers at coffee shops, but I have to brew Starbucks in my kitchen.  I live in a place where everyone knows our names (and The Pub knows my drink is unsweet iced tea) so Thank Goodness it does look like Robert.  This was not as much fun as my self portraits where I tear into myself and pounce on every wrinkle.  (Maybe I can do that with tourists or fishermen I don't know next summer.)

Hurricane Sandy looks ominous but I'm 150 miles inland from the coast; my area is not expecting much damage but we might lose our internet (that's what happened last year when Hurricane Irene hit the coast).  We think this latest hurricane is named for one of the bartenders at The Pub.

I'm now putting the Inktense pencils aside and will be trying Colorsoft pencils on different papers, then on to Polychromos pencils.  (Dick Blick had a sale so a big box was delivered to my front porch Wednesday--lots of new stuff with no instructions.)  I'll play with pencils for a while, then get back to my studio and paints.  Well.... that's my plan today.

Caution



Caution, inktense painting on aquaboard, 11x14

My son took a photo of a blackbird with attitude; in the background was one orange traffic cone.  I started with the bird and played with the rest of the painting--don't know what it means but I like it (and each time I hit the highway I run into roadwork).  Traffic cones don't actually look like this but form tops function here; rectangular bottoms would have messed up my lines.

This was done with inktense pencils/blocks; a wet paintbrush, then lifting the lights; and I worked on it for three weeks--more thinking than painting.  If I repaint with acrylic or oil, the eleven lights or reflectors (the last one is very far away) might become eggs.  I've never repeated a painting; doing it again would be a bit like copying.

I visited the Munch exhibit at N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh--he must have enjoyed working with the same subjects time after time.  Of course, I had to buy a book about Munch and just finished reading;  his paintings linger in my mind.

Tied Up



Tied Up, Ink, 4x3

I've been tied up with things other than art and blogging for a while--back problems, a bit of yard work, made some business cards for a friend, got a hair cut, attended an art show opening, etc., etc.  Tomorrow I will begin gathering papers for taxes.  I will also make time to visit blogs and leave comments.

Sunrise, inktense drawing on w/c paper, 6x6

I did manage to work on this drawing at the Y on Thursday.  I had nothing in mind so my friend Terry Smith Denton offered her photos.  She evidently walks very early--like at dawn--and her farm abuts Corp property and the lake.  This was just a portion of one photo.  I haven't finished my trees and I'm not sure it looks like a lake.  The lake (known by two names--Bugg's Island Lake and Kerr Lake) looks quiet but a 143-pound catfish was caught last year.

The above photos were taken with my New iPad (hard to believe), a belated birthday gift from my husband.  He inadvertently ordered two and I convinced him we needed both--one for him; one for me.  They were delivered by UPS on Friday so I've spent the weekend setting up two iPads. Apple was helpful each time I screwed up.  I've read the manual and know how to use the keyboard now and I've played with the camera and made videos of my dog Willie.  My husband has watched a movie on his--he was aiming for DaVinci Code but accidentally rented The Descendants--for a month. I haven't bought any art apps yet but I've looked.  Any recommendations?

Here are a couple of self-portraits using the iPad.        

iPad Photo Booth--Thermal photo

iPad Photo Booth--Mirror photo (my favorite) 

Turkey Shopping





Turkey Shopping, created in Corel Draw X5

I'm preparing for Thanksgiving; that doesn't mean I'm all work.  I played with the drawing tools in Corel Draw--it's taken me a week to get this drawing from Corel into my blog (and, somehow, several inches of white got cropped from the top).  Oh, well--I'm getting close.



Dip Mold, photo

Yesterday, while cleaning out the refrigerator to make room for the turkey, I found some old dip.  The mold on top looked like sculpture, so I got out the camera.  I see a reindeer, a rabbit head, a rear end, and some duck and pig feet--art is sometimes found right under our noses.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Circling the Thing Called Art



Pencil Sketch of Dave, 5x5



My sketchbook is always handy but until three weeks ago I had never sketched in public.  At an auto shop I got my chance; sitting across from me was a great model, my husband Dave.  Both our Jeeps were at the dealer (54 miles away) for repairs.  Dave's not very patient--he sat for a few minutes, left before I sketched his feet, and returned to a different seat.

Corel'd Dave

I recently bought Corel Draw Graphic Suite X5 (an upgrade because Suite 12 didn't work with Windows 7).  I wanted to play with digital paint brushes and colors so I tried scanning the sketch into Corel--the scanner didn't work.  We now have a new printer/scanner.  Everything's working, thanks to a good friend, Sam Caparatta.  Sam and Dave spent lots of time talking with "Tech."  We bought a Windows 7 computer in January and it has taken me 10 months and a lot of cussing just to get back to where I was last year.  I'm not sure this is progress; it's more like treading water and trying not to drown.   

I took a 3-hour linoleum block printing class at
Convergence Art Guild, a real pleasure, taught by my sister-in-law Mary Wilkerson.  My
subject was the chair next to my work
station.  I added a cat the following day, Halloween, and only needed three bandaids. 



Two-legged Chair, linoleum block, 7x5



I hope to do more linoleum block printing.  My problem is I like the block itself--looks like bas relief , and I'm hesitant to cut pieces away for printing with more than one color.  I just read THE COMPLETE PRINTMAKER, a book I've had for years; printmaking is definitely interesting.



Terry, charcoal drawing, 24x18

I attempted to draw my artist friend Terry during Thursdays at the Y Art.  The easel contraption stood still; Terry didn't.  When she appeared too thin, I took the easy way and made her head smaller.  She said she had always thought she had a pinhead--ha.  She was wrong when she said she lacked a sense of humor--we laugh a lot.  

Longwood Park

I feared I had missed the autumn colors so I took my camera along when I voted yesterday; luckily, I wasn't too late. 



Kinderton Golf Club



Clarksville Marina--3 blocks from my house





End of 4th, next to Marina--my favorite.  Geese patrol this knoll during the summer.

And I'm still playing with my Winsor and Newton watercolors--nothing worth posting yet. 

Shelter



Shelter, acrylic on linen panel, 12x12

Earlier this summer, as I let our dog Willie out for his last pit stop each night, I was delighted to see small birds sleeping in the corners of the porch.  They'd turn their heads, look at me, and tuck themselves back into their corners.   Once, around midnight, the moon had tucked itself into a corner, too.  I made several sketches (below) before painting.  Our street has street lights--rather than shoot them out, I guessed at how the scene might look on a dark cool night, and added the house at the top of the street (actually it's my impression of the house--can't see it from my porch).  I can tell by the light (which needs to be dimmed along with my signature) that my neighbor's home--upstairs, probably at the computer.



1st sketch



2nd sketch

Interesting that I see these columns at least ten times a day and don't know their curves until I paint them.  This is probably the fourth time these columns have appeared in my paintings; one day, I might get past my front porch and paint other streets or towns.

I just re-read The Writing Life by Annie Dillard.  She is so right--the artist or writer begins with a vision; time and materials hound the work; the vision recedes.  At the end, you have a replacement of the vision--a page.  

Drawn from Life and Virtual Walking in New Orleans



Drawing of me, 20x16
©Terry S. Denton
(I have trouble taking photos of drawings on white paper.)

Yesterday--Thursday--was my Art at the Y day.  I was joined by a wonderful artist, Terry Smith Denton.  I've known Terry for a number of years; our first meeting was at my sister-in-law's restaurant (when her husband Mike put out a fire I accidentally started).  We usually talk at the grocery store, and her cart is usually filled with healthy stuff (unlike mine).  Being with her for three hours at the Y was a real treat.  She has a degree from VCU (sculpture) and attended Pratt.  When I was in the suburbs in the 70s (driving that station wagon) she was a hippie--alas, I was born too early.  I like hearing about NYC and other places, and the art world she has known.  My town is lucky that Terry and Mike chose this area--they live waaay out of town (beyond the internet), take care of their oodles of acres, and their goats and chickens.  Terry had a great exhibit last year, mostly portraits, and Mike builds docks and houses and has worked at getting our local airport up to speed.

Terry set up a still life yesterday--a vintage stuffed monkey (Percy, I believe).  First, she finished the drawing of me; then finished two great drawings of Percy.   Hmmm.....I was the warm up for a stuffed monkey?  My husband loves the sketch and thinks it looks exactly like me.  I think it's a bit flattering but I recognize my extra chin, my missing neck, my mother's nose, my dad's long upper lip--and I'm wearing my ever-present hoops and a men's shirt from the thrift shop.  Yep, that's me.  I would not have been able to pose for something like this; she sketched me while I was drawing New Orleans (below).  I hope to submit it to TheVirtualPaintOut--a first for me--hope I can follow directions.      

720 Brooklyn Avenue, pencil, 9x7

I chose this scene on my virtual walkabout in New Orleans because I liked the wires and the poles (and I got tired of walking).