Day 91: Don't Look Now

"Spring Forward"  Art journal, ink and watercolour.

I seem to be on a "blind" kick this week, starting with the teddy bears the other day. Today, a friend gave me a pot of mini daffodils, suggesting I could sketch it. But doing a blind contour drawing was more appealing to me. I thought I could maybe paint in the flower shapes after the drawing was done, but then looser splashes of paint seemed like a better idea; I applied them mostly without looking at the page, or looking only with my peripheral vision.

Day 88

Day 88

My daughter Stacey has been suggesting lately that I do a blind contour drawing, so today I took up the challenge and did one of her teddy bears. 

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Day 86: Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunt at Trenton, art journal, ink

A "scavenger hunt" was a suggestion I read in art book some time ago (I don't remember which one) for a sketchbook exercise. Make a bunch of little squares on your page then fill them with sketches of things you find around the house, or wherever you happen to be. 

Day 85

"Edna's Bouquet". Art journal, watercolour and ink.

I haven't been out of town since I started this project. Today I am posting from my parents' house in Trenton, Ontario where Stacey and I have come for a visit. This was done with my little pocket set of watercolours. 

Day 84

Title TBD. Watercolour, 20 x 28"

I've been working on this piece a lot this week. I decided to declare it finished today (but I reserve the right to change my mind).

 

Day 81

Day 81

I was tidying up my studio space this morning and was about to throw some stuff out, but instead I used it to make this. It's a waste-not what-not!

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Day 78

"Tornado"  Art journal, watercolour and woven papers

This started with the thought, "What if I dragged frisket around with a comb?" The coloured papers are woven into slits cut in my art journal page.

Day 75: Stacey's Birthday Portrait

"Stacey, Bermuda, 2001"  Pencil on paper, 13 x 11"

My darling daughter Stacey was born 16 years ago today, in the house in Bermuda where we were living at the time. This home birth was not planned; she came into the world in a hurry, in the presence of her dad, my mother, a squad of firefighters, and the nurse midwife who arrived by ambulance in the nick of time. She was swaddled in a beach blanket for the trip to the hospital. I did this drawing from a photo taken in Bermuda when she was about a year and a half old. Happy birthday, Stacey!

Day 75

"Cupcakes for Stacey"  Art journal, ink and watercolour

Tomorrow is my daughter Stacey's 16th birthday (can you guess what tomorrow's art project will be?). She and I both sing with Duly Noted, Toronto's all-female a cappella group. So I'm bringing cupcakes to tonight's rehearsal. They're so pretty, I had to sketch them first.

Day 74: Bad Habits

Day 74: Bad Habits

 "Potato chip news" is a term for those addictive "news" articles that you read compulsively, the kind that often get shared on Facebook and such. My addiction used to be with Rob Ford; now it's Donald Trump. 

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Day 73: What Next?

Day 73: What Next?

Sometimes when things evolve this way, I look at the result and think I might be trying to tell myself something. I think this is saying keep going, keep flying, watch for the muse. 

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Day 72

Spent the evening having a scotch with Clare and Frank Underwood and Doug Stamper. 

"House of Cards quickie sketches"  Art journal, ink