think

Day 5 of #inktober2017 - Long. I didn't think I had the time to do this but can't seem to stop any way. Who needs sleep.

And so September and Autumn begins…

Old one-part of my attempt to get published. I think it’s hilarious but sadly others do not!

As I reflect on my past experiences, I am accutely aware of how often I have spoken from opinion rather than from experience. I have made mistakes. This makes me think of the Mark Twain quote -"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." Let's go out and get some experience, shall we?

Color Pencil over Gesture. It was a contemplative day in the art classroom. Students were drawing self portraits and I had time to join them. Our discussion was on 'Reflection'. The image we see of ourselves in the mirror is not what people see when they look at us. They see the reverse. The mole on my cheek is on the other side of my face, if you were to look at me in person. This leads to discussions of perception and reality. It can be fun and humbling. We cannot live only by sight. We must have a faith of some sort. This reminds me of the Michael Feldman Public Radio Program called: "Whad'Ya Know?" It opens with the audience shouting: "Whad'd Ya Know?" and Michael replying: "Not Much! You?". We do not know much, I think, as much as we like to pretend that we think we do.

This is a simple watercolor and pen drawing of a witch hazel tree in winter bloom with an owl perched on top. I love the witch hazel shrub and am thinking of creating a picture book showcasing the plant throughout the seasons.

Part of a personal project I'm working on right now, to experiment with unfamiliar art styles and practice lettering skills by drawing animals. This is my first foray into cubism-inspired artwork (definitely don't claim to be an expert on actual cubism)--it was way more fun than I expected! I think I'll be trying some more...

Acrylic painting, made this while thinking about lighting bugs dancing on the waters surface and fish jumping out of the water trying to catch them during a full moon. It was a good memory; fishing on the lake at night.

Winding down on a Wednesday with more of the same... all the sharks!

Thinking ahead to loosening restrictions here in Scotland, one more day to go...

I think that sometimes 'waiting' is the hardest thing to do. If you have a place to hang your coat and you have a rich inner life, you will be fine waiting. I was waiting to be seen by my doctor. A general check-up. The prognosis is that I am getting older and I need to lose weight. OK then. Thank you.

Quick sketches for the processing of incomplete thoughts. Everything is created twice, first in thought, second in form. I am still thinking and still forming and still being formed.

I think this has a REALLY long neck.

This is a reproduction study only of a very famous Monet piece. I am not selling this. I learned how to do art according to the traditional methods of studying great masterpieces. I did this in soft pastel,but the origional is done in oil I think.

How I feel sometimes, I think a lot of people are like this at the moment.

This frog monster does its best thinking when it's strolling along on its colorful bicycle.

I think I'm getting the hang of painting florals with gouache. It helped to decide on a palette and pre-mix the colors.

“I think trying to be creative, keeing busy, has a lot to do with keeping you alive.” - Willie Nelson.

Super Nationals at the Gaylord—two rivers running through the lobby, actual boats gliding under glass ceilings, a nature center tucked between restaurants. Noise everywhere: kids, clocks, pawns and queens. Yet here, in the middle of it, a pause. A man leans back with the weight of waiting. A woman sits, at ease but still seeking. An empty chair remembers everyone who has rested there. In a place built to dazzle, what lingered with me was not the spectacle, but the silence. To draw is to honor the quiet within the clamor. thinking and seeing for better being — https://forming20.com/

In real life I was thinking about my comic for this week and the creative process in general when I sneezed violently and got this idea haha

Inspired by one of the bus routes I take back home from my Judo class in the evenings and how long said journey takes in terms of minutes… you’d think it was a quick trip but I assure you it’s not!

Years ago, while digging through old journals and sketches, I stumbled across a quick, scribbled drawing of two pears. Beneath it, I'd written a raw and honest note: "Ann is pissed. I think it's because she's uncertain about me, us, life itself. She just ran into my car with the van. She says it was an accident, but she seems happier now—almost like it was cathartic. . . Like sex." At the time, I scribbled this in frustration, feeling a deep disconnect between us. Intimacy had become a confusing and distant concept in our relationship. The pears I'd sketched were rough and scratchy, charged with my chaotic feelings. Looking back, I see how emotions can drive us to strange actions, some intentional, some accidental, often leaving us oddly relieved afterward. Humans are complex, fascinating beings, navigating messy emotions and messy relationships, sometimes colliding intentionally or unintentionally, seeking relief in unexpected ways. Perhaps the pears were my subconscious pun on "pair," reflecting the awkward, confusing way Ann and I were bumping through life together—making messes, but occasionally finding strange humor and genuine catharsis in the chaos. I've learned to smile gently at the rawness of our humanity, appreciating even our scratchy sketches and emotional collisions. They're reminders that life, relationships, and our own hearts are never simple, but they're authentically human. Here's to embracing life's unexpected catharsis and finding humor in our imperfections.

Hello old friend!

Had to make the pun! Although my girlfriend thinks otherwise, that I will say…

It's all about attitude

I have given my students the problem of creating 100 self portraits in 20 days on 5x7 in paper. The challenge is to create something other than an image that depicts a 'dead-pan' stare. When the brain is given a problem, it goes to work immediartely to solve that problem. I have seen some wonderful solutions. This is a tall order for teens who are sensative to judgment and still developing in thier perception. It has generated wonderful discussions of self-awareness, world view, and judgment. Those who engage in the exercise in an authentic manner have only good things to say about the experience. It is not an exercise for everyone. We are on a journey. Be Bold! Be Honest! Draw what you see. Draw what you think. -Peace

I think I will move onto the face next, as the face is by far the hardest element in the figure to get right.

Definitely in need of an escape, methinks.

"You think your car's cool? Well mine is better than yours. My car is so fly it doesn't even have doors. You can't show ME up - the girlies know what's up, When they see me roll up in my Speedy Teacup."

And that’s a wrap from this current sketchbook! Closing things with some Peter Falk wisdom I’ve shared before, I think… “My idea of Heaven is to wake up, have a good breakfast, and spend the rest of the day drawing.”