Above is a behind-the-scenes look at my drawing for the finished painting, Soul Portal.
Idea Fostering
I do a lot of sketching and idea fostering before committing to make a final piece of art, and it continues throughout the process. I’ve worked on so much since the last blog post that I can’t wait to share. I think the main reason I don’t blog more often (or share sketches) is because the ideas are not yet fulfilled. A good idea begs and deserves to be seen through and finished before its debut..
But there still is an intimate beauty to rough drawings, the first bar napkin sketch of a new idea. Sometimes these things can be finished in themselves, like when the gesture of a figure drawing comes out just right. Trying to control the picture too much only stiffens and sucks the life out of the pose. A little bit of both is best is art and in life – to practice both looseness and control. Thanks for being patient as things are being worked on, I will be sharing some really great things to come!
Meditation in Nature – Line Drawing
I’m working on a drawing about the experience of meditation in nature.
The central figure is deep in thought, brow concerned, smile content, and hair blowing in winds of change. The big flowers and tropical leaves represent a flourishing summertime. All creatures take a moment to enjoy and admire the fruitfulness of the earth before the shift into a bustling fall. Leaves swirl into the air and among them a few lost feathers of migratory birds.
The cosmos looks down upon the woman in winter. Cold, misty skies make us withdraw into our houses and into ourselves. That our size and place in the universe is incomprehensible – from the atomic level to the unending fields of our observable universe – is daunting but awareness allows us to more easily grasp and appreciate our own limited plane of access. Winter in particular can encourage me to reflect – whether I’m stinging from it’s bite or safe inside huddled in warmth.
Dusty clouds clear away and the air fills with cotton seeds as spring emerges. Colorful daffodils, daisies, and dandelions reach up from fresh grasses, and soon the season of reawakening blossoms into a bold hot summer again and again.
It is humbling to remember that the mountains were here long before me and will be long after, they don’t care who I am. Like an eternal heartbeat, broad processes of nature tick along in the background of our blinking lives – maybe they always will and I hope they do despite us.
This is the line drawing in pencil … I like the simplicity of it now, but I will probably render shade and color in Photoshop or acrylic.
Sculptures made of Odd Materials
Masking Tape Slipper
Tinted masking tape, size 9
You’ve heard of duct tape clothing and accessories, but what about masking tape? This life-sized slipper was created using ONLY masking tape. The shoe structure is startlingly secure considering the odd material used, but no it’s not quite strong enough to hike in. The art piece is nonetheless very neat! The masking tape was great to work with because it is clean and light, has a natural finish, and is forgiving to work with compared to impossibly sticky and hard-to-tear duct tape. It fits me like Cinderella’s slipper!
Corks Off – 99% Cork Sculpture
14″ Tall , cork and superglue
This model of a celabratory wine bottle is constructed entirely of cork and superglue. I used a radial sander and a variety of hand tools to shape the originally cylindrical corks into interlocking forms, creating the overall shape of a wine bottle. The center is hollow and the neck of the bottle removable, making a concealed storage space. Its creation was a challenging process. The idea behind the material used was that of the ‘found object’. The assorted cork collection was recycled to create this unique object.
Tritan Queen by Ruth Israel
hardware store nails and copper wire
This tiara, imposing yet feminine, is made of steel nails, a silvered headband, and copper wire. It was so much fun creating jewlery out of hardware store materials!
Sketch for ‘Duality in Science and Creation’
Below is a tryptic drawing I’m developing for my senior grad show! It walks us through our creation, history, and potential future. In this image, I’m attempting to point out the symbiotic nature of spirituality and physicality, creation and science.
