Elephant Ears, Corn Dogs and Steak-On-A-Stick

Yeeha! Just found out that I have two of my drawings ("A Sticky Situation" below and "Teddy & Me") accepted into the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibit. Now, if you're not familiar with this exhibition, you might be thinking "big deal", but trust me, it is. This exhibition showcases some of the finest artists' work in Ohio and I am very honored and pleased to be included in this group. Plus, I get to go to the fair! Can you write off an elephant ear?

Slideshow

Well, I've finished "Teddy and Me" -- finally!
Up till now I've been posting the drawings as they progressed, but I thought it might be fun to put together a slideshow so you could watch the drawing progession in one place.

Make an on-line slideshow at onetruemedia.com

Making an Ugly Sofa Into Art

I spent quite a bit of time this weekend working on "Teddy & Me", with the majority of my focus on the very ugly sofa (my Grandmother would've called it the "davenport"). By the way, this sofa does NOT belong to me; it was in a condo at a vacation location. But, I think I'm on my way to making it work out for the overall piece. I'll keep at it.

Background

My weekend was primarily devoted to housework (ugh) and family time (fun!)

On Friday night, we attended the Cub Scout banquet for my little guy. Now, I normally am very involved in every aspect of this child's life -- with the exception of Cub Scouts. There are various reasons I am not involved, but let's just narrow it down to the fact that my husband is a wonderful father and he and his son seem to love this group. So, being out of the "loop", I was quite surprised when said son was awarded a card stating that he is now certified to begin carrying a pocket knife! I dutifuly applauded, as a good mother should. Said child just turned 9. He is not a violent or mean kid, so I don't imagine any thuggish behavior, however, I'm sure I will get a phone call from the school anytime soon.....

Anyway, with all the family fun, I could only steal away to the studio for bits of time and decided to work on the backgrounds of both works in progress. These pieces are rather large for colored pencil (around 12 x 16") so, for those of you who work in the medium, you know how long it can take to cover that much ground. And it can be a little boring. My husband says that watching me draw is like watching paint dry anyway.

So, here they are. I've decided to try putting a pattern into the sofa on "Teddy and Me"; maybe I was really bored, but I think it gives the work a little more interest. Both pieces still need much more work. Stay tuned!

Phase 6 - Teddy and Me

I seldom burnish my work, but this piece seemed to call for it to push the darks to where I felt they should be. This time I used a stiff hog bristle brush which allowed me to move the color around more subtly than when I burnish with another pencil or solvents. I am very pleased with it...so far.
I promised myself that when I started this blog I would keep my big mouth shut about anything controversial or political. BUT, I want to share with you something I do feel strongly about - rescuing a pet from your local shelter. We rescued our dog, Buddy Tucker (sounds like a country-western singer doesn't he?), three years ago. He is a full-bred chocoloate lab (according to the vet) and absolutely one of the best dogs I've ever had. The shelters are full of wonderful dogs. Don't worry about which dog to choose; they choose you. Buddy took one look at me and it was all over! I haven't regretted his choice and I don't think he has either.

Phase 5 - Teddy and Me

One of my reasons for starting and maintianing a blog is that I thoroughly enjoy looking at other artists' blogs. I have listed some I check regularly and will continue adding my favorites. Be sure to check them out; they're wonderfully motivating, interesting, educating and many times funny.
Here's a new one I have added to the list. Duane Keiser is one of the pioneers of "daily painting" and has been blogging his work since 2004. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10:15 a.m., he paints a small painting live via webcam. What fun! Be sure to check it out.

http://duanekeiser.blogspot.com

Phase 4 - Teddy and Me

The reference photos I am using for the work are of my youngest son, who, as I told you in a previous post, is much older now (about 2 years). But I've been thinking about this while working on the drawing and looking at his face; he has changed a lot. He recently had another birthday and suddenly, he is not a little boy anymore, but a big boy. I'm not sure exactly what that means, other than he is more aware of his world, his limbs are longer, he is learning so quickly, and he seems to need me less.
I have been a mother for almost 30 years now and it seems I have always taken care of a little person. I'm beginning to see that that phase of my life is winding down which causes me some sadness but also a mixture of excitment and curiousity about what's up next for me.
I'm sure there's much in store for me to become and do, but none of it will be as challenging, fulfilling, heartbreaking or as rewarding as raising a child. What a ride!

Phase 3 - Teddy and Me

Last night I spent several hours in my studio working on "Teddy and Me" and sort of watching/listening to "24".

Is it me, or does that show tend to follow the same outline every year? Also, I personally would not want a role in a TV show where I had to wear the same clothes all season long! I mean, what fun is that? Do they even need a wardrobe department?

All in all, it's still one of my guilty pleasures.