"Crafting Creation" 10

Slowly getting the left door wood grain down, going slower than had thought would be the case, but still progressing steadily...

 A bit of a close-up here, showing more the stroking done with the pen...  to get an idea of proper size, the knobs of the doors are done circling a penny...

"Crafting Creation" 9

Establishing the cabinet and beans, now only needs delineate the wood grains of the doors, and the back ground wall...

"Crafting Creation" 8

Since am doing this from my head, there still needs, I think, some refinement on the shading of the dome - but for now, this seems to show about how is wanted...

As the dome, like the handle, is metal, intend using the black ink to give a sense of grey - but if it not look quite right, will overlay with the faint blue dots as already seen, then giving it a 'gunmetal' look...

"Crafting Creation" 7

And the box wood grain rendering in grisaille is now done, leaving only the dome yet to finish...  

One of the things which have occupied my mind on this over the past several days is what, if anything, I wish to have added to the left of the grinder...  part of this was that always had something more than a single object in a rendering - but the initial idea of the theme/title was in reference to the coffee grinder alone, with perhaps a few beans scattered over the shelf...  

And am going back to that, putting in a few beans, then laying in the background wall [cabinet doors?  paneling?]...

"Crafting Creation" 6

Progressing along with the wood grain, have reached around the border, and now filling in between...

"Crafting Creation" 5

Beginning the woodwork of the grinder box...

 A bit further along, laying in the wood grain along the right side, working across to the left...   the grain, btw, is achieved by turning the nib end from flat on to the side of the tip, thus varying the intensity of the ink flow - as well as doing this in short strokes...

"Crafting Creation" 4

Getting back to this, after turning to other matters for a bit, am on the coffee grinder - this being the drawer where the ground coffee lies...   for now, am going to rely on the different browns which will be used as means of distinguishing the different darknesses of the woods, rather than going over the knob, for instance, darkening it further, and making the wood distinction almost nil...   as to be expected of old grinders, the wood here and there has cracked and chipped a bit...  

Moving to the top, getting the handle and base... 

As the nibs, tho fine, vary and produce different effects [due to stiffness and/or tip lengths], here show the ones being used for this rendering - the one on the left is what is for wood grains, and the one on the right is used for the stone  shelf and metal of the handle...

"Crafting Creation" 3

And the shelf grisaille section is now done...  next be the grinder...

[and the shelf is not actually curved - camera distortion here]

"Crafting Creation" 2

Slowly stippling along...  about 3/4 the way across...

"Crafting Creation"

Under a new muse, have begin another still life [there are several muses in my life, and they shift to help keep me alive and creative - remember, there are nine to contend with, over time], this one involving on the shelf an old coffee grinder...   at the present, little is  to be seen other than the slowly going progression of the shelf itself, and faint hints of the penciled in grinder form...

"Contemplation"

My Xmas card design for this year...

The Theming Involved...

Out of this latest rendering effort, there has come some questionings as to intent and the nature of the theming in it...  some, for instance, have claimed as seeing negative sense of life in it - as expressed by the not-prime condition of the siding, and that the faucet drips, thereby seeing a regard for environmentalism instead of pro-humanism...  

Yet, if one takes a closer looking at the rendering, one sees clearly a different view - the siding, true, is weathered, but it is not cracked or in broken pieces...  even the concrete bears no such cracking, just the irregularity expected in, again, weathering - indicative of a good passing of time, indicative, too, of endurance of humanity on the spot...  the same of the floral, which are an obviously cultivated variety...   as for the faucet, consider that perhaps it was by intent there be slow dripping - with the life-giving consequence, and all the metaphorical consequences as well...   further, consider the colors involved - note that they are not muddied, nor pale, but with vibrancy...  I could go on, but think at this point enough is given to show cognitive positiveness of the work, leaving for others to grasp the further implications to be seen within...

"Consequence" FINISHED

24"X18" acrylic inks on primed canvas sheet...

"Consequence" 15...

Starting to layer in the colors - process cyan on the water drop and floral petals and bulb, light green on the sunlit areas of the stems and leaves, and emerald green on the rest [both, of course, in progress]...

 and the right side is now done...

"Consequence" 14...

And the blue grisaille is done...   and yes, only the prussian blue was used - the process cyan will begin the color layerings, specifically on the flowers...

"Consequence" 13...

 Intensifying the flowers...

and in context of the whole...

 furthering the leaves....

"Consequence" 12...

Beginning the blue grisaille...

"Consequence" 11...

After some delays, the b/w section of this has been completed, and now begins the coloring of the floral...  first will be the blue grisaille, using prussian blue and process cyan...

"Consequence" 10...

Am now half the way with the wall...

"Consequence" 9...

Shifting textures, have moved to this point -

 then to this point...

"Consequence" 8...

Almost done with this part -  just the bit on the left, then filling in the rest of the wall...   THEN comes coloring the floral...

New Grandson

My children keep popping out babies. I have a new Grandson, Luke, who is now 5 months old. Had to go to the East Coast to help Mom and baby.

I am now back. My studio is again set-up and I am ready to paint away. Winter is now coming and next week, we are closing the cabin so I have my art studio time now. Look for updates in the following months. Between Painting and Babysitting, I should be able to get some Artwork done.

Have a good Thanksgiving!!

Balance and the Asymmetrical...

One of the delights I have in creating from imagination is getting to play with all sorts of odd ideas, one of which is deciding how to balance what are unordinary and asymmetrical objects within the rendering - in this case the concrete wall around the faucet, where bits and pieces are seemingly thrown together yet, when completed [which, needless to say, has not yet happened here - tho is  certainly planned] will bear a strong sense of dynamic balance in harmony with the floral...   some of the indications can be seen here -

and where further note will come when all of the wall is revealed... 

 as can be  seen, the asymmetricals are not all filled in, and the outlines are faint - but if one enlarges the photo, one can see where the rest lies...  and as such see how the balancing goes with regards the floral...  a posting will be when these are filled in, giving a more substantial viewing of this...

"Consequence" 7...

Advancing the concrete wall...

  a wee more... slow going, but going all the same...

"Consequence" 6...

Beginning the concrete........

"Consequence" 5...

Taking my work to Panera Bread, finished the siding. while enjoying good coffee..   now to get on with the concrete texture...

"Consequence" 4...

Pushing into the second siding, have gotten about half the way... anticipate the rest done by end of tomorrow... all is still being done with the fine point steel quill...

 as can be seen here..........

"Consequence" 3...

The first of the siding is done... on to the next...

"Consequence" 2...

Finishing the faucet proper, and the shade underlyings of the sidings - next is detailing the sidings...

Speaking of Growing - "Consequence" - WIP

Returning to the faucet series, this one is face-on, and from the one seen outside the building, attached to the wall [here seen as below a couple of sidings, and with concrete surrounding it]... the florals will be in colored inks...

Growing as an Artist...

There, again, has been some talk on other medium forums here and there of the 'need to grow as an artist', usually involving shifting to a different medium, as if, somehow, knowing another medium aids in an artist's growth... yet, that in turn raises the question of what constitutes this 'growth' and WHY?... one can certainly have a gain of knowledge from learning a new medium, but it first ought to be assertioned as to why the chosen medium, and what of this medium one is to hopefully gain in terms of 'growth as an artist' - for mere gaining of another technical skill does not, in and of itself, gain a growth as per being an artist... of course, it is possible the term 'growth' is used in a colloquial manner, in that by utilizing a different, and perhaps more socially accepted medium, one's chances of gaining a livelihood from being an artist is thereby enhanced - shifting to using oils, say, instead of continuing with pen and ink would indeed increase the likelihood of commercial success, so long as one not take in account that there so many more artists utilizing oils and thus much greater competition to getting one's own out before the public to be seen... but, other than a greater possibility of making a living as an artist, is this truly 'growth'?

Sometimes I have the notion that these cries of 'needing growth' actually are cries of frustration, as well as an inability of introspecting to knowing just what it is the artist seeks in being the artist [which, of course, is generally part of the frustration], the frustration being more a lacking of the 'sense of visibility' one gets in having others see and grasp one's works with the same understanding of the world as the artist sought in doing the rendering [assuming, too, the artist consciously so sought]... this brings up the idea of the artist as a 'spiritual visualizer'... even if it were no more than showing a 'sense of life', whether positive or negatively, showing such is making an expression of the artist's inner emotional responding to what is of fundamental importance to that artist - and that constitutes 'in the rough' the artist as a 'spiritual visualizer', even in such mundane visualizations as , say, flowers, where that fundamentality is seen in how lifely it is seen [as opposed to decay], or the colorings used [whether bright or dull, towards purity or muddied, for instance], and /or carried into the more cognitive reflections of metaphorical relations, for instance, where grand landscapes are imbuing potentials and possibilities of greater flourishings to humanity...

Carrying on....

Among the many comments and inquiries made during the reception for the gallery exhibit of last week [the reception was Friday evening] was the issue of theming, and relating my ink renderings as paintings of fine art, not as mere sketches or drawings... and it brought to mind this from the first year of this blog, and how it relates to the paradigm shift of drawing [however technically fine it may be] to ink painting [however different the techniques may be in doing the rendering]...

It also carries back to the idea of an artist as a 'spiritual visualizer'...

..............

It was mentioned about 'upgrading' pen and ink rendering to Fine Art... what would this mean, and why be wanting to do this? the issue has to do with theming, something which most artists are only dimly aware of, and rarely ever having had any understanding of its nature, let alone of its importance... in visualizing the universe, the world around oneself and/or especially the world within the four corners of the canvas [whether actual canvas or not, but a convenient metaphor for the support on which the rendering is done], there is, for the artist, a necessity, whether consciously seen or not, to sift and choose among all the possibilities, what is considered by the artist of primary IMPORTANCE - indeed, within that universe of creation, by the nature of this choosing, everything which is deemed of importance enough to include is as such metaphysical in importance, precisely because in the choosing, whatever is included assumes fundamental values to the artist... why? as I see it, it is because in creating a work of art, especially Fine Art, an artist is involved in 'selective re-presentation', of necessity - because not everything CAN be included, thus what is, HAS to assume prime importance, whether consciously considered or not... further, the more an artist consciously is aware of this process, the more an artist deliberately strives to arrange and compose according to this premise - the more consistent the end result will be, and the greater the work will be in consequence...

This is, actually, a logical extension to the illustrating [which, of course, also dealt with theming, but from the standpoint of the story and not the rendering itself]... here, tho, it is raised to the work itself, for the work itself, so that one can contemplate the work and grasp that there are layers to it [like the proverbial onion], which in essence is what elevates it beyond mere fancy sketching, or even crafted drawing, to Fine Art - just as is the same with the better works in other mediums...

FURTHER -

In showing, thru his/her renderings, what is considered of prime importance to consider by others in this contemplative measure, this means that even in doing scenes, there needs be more thought to placement of the objects within - their relative sizes, detail emphasis, and so on, so as to better being out the showing of the artist's intent... after all, an artist, a painter, like a writer, is communicating with others, the showing, the visualizing - it is the means of communicating, and if it is unintelligible, then there is a failure to communicate [and if there is a claim of not wanting per se to be communicating, then there is no sense in there being a showing]...

For pen and ink artists, this almost comes with the territory, so to speak, because of the conscious attrition of the unforgiving ink, requiring forethought before depositing, and thus forethought on where and in what manner is to be depicted what is to be deposited by the ink... this, in turn, fosters the creativity, which is an offshoot of this fore-thinking in composing... even in such renderings as portraits, both human and of animals and or/ objects like vehicles or buildings, how these are depicted owes much to the creative thinking, even if heavily taken from photographic references - which, for one, is why they are superior to photographs, for all the attempts of configuring character to the photographic images themselves... for many if not most, all this is more or less intuitive - but the more one is conscious of this and deliberately composes the rendering to this, the better the work and the more a pen and ink artist can claim to be doing Fine Art...

Recapping an idea...

Spirituality pertains to the mindfulness of a person, the non-material aspect of reality that DIRECTS the usage of the material - NOT, as so often presumed, opposes the material... there has always been a despairing of the attainment of goods, yet the plentitude of the goods and their variety enriches our lives - so it seems only fair to utilize the 'this earth' attitude to justify the 'good life' and mark the accumulation NOT as being frivolous, but as having real depth to the wellbeing of the living... one could say it makes for the practical application of the ethics of viable values... it falls in line with Rand's assertion of aesthetics being 'the technology of the soul'... while she used the word 'Art', I in turn (since she equated aesthetics with art) use the broader term, because I consider the utilitarian aspects as much 'technology of the soul' as the contemplative aspects... spiritual needs involve 'meaning in life'... this covers both short term purposes as well as long term... as much of importance, it pertains to the real world, NOT the fantasy of some 'other world', or of the notion of the 'supernatural', which claims an incompetency of humans, that they are incapable of knowing on their own,and thus must remain perpetually as overaged dependents - children - instead of the self-responsible independent adult... from a psychological standpoint, spirituality means operating at a high level of consciousness - engaging in self-awareness and self-examinations, integrating the issues of values and life... it is considering how one experiences existence - not thru the delusion of faith and negation of the mindfulness - but thru consciousness committed to its own growth, cultivating the ability to see reality in all its manifestations, and as such remaining truthful to 'that which is', emphasizing the difference between believing and knowing... this means reliance on the mind - which involves the issues of independence, self-responsibility, the contrasting of meekness and self-assertions... this, in turn, involves the courage to treat oneself and one's convictions with respect... the end result is living purposefully - creating one's own meaning of and to life, and being a participant as opposed to being an observer... it also raises the issue of integrity, which involves the issue not of how perfect we are in integrity but how concerned we are in correcting breaches...

Spiritual Visualizing Awareness...

One of the most inspiring aspects of being an artist is one in which most artists are at best only dimly aware of - being a 'spiritual visualizer'... there is, to many, an impulse of having to render, but beyond the seeing in terms of compositions of arrangements that are pleasing to the eye, whether as still life or more likely as landscape, there is often little more that comes consciously to mind... it is an awareness that is not informed, and comes in general only to those few who are willing to engage in introspection - not only in terms of the composing via visual, but in terms of answering the 'why' of doing the rendering in the first place...

Too often, tho, this turns to propaganda as the means of justifying some deliberate meaning applied to whatever rendering is under consideration - as if there was little to other meanings which can be gendered to a work, to say nothing of the nature of seeking to do the work itself, why it has interest to the artist, why in that construction, or coloration, or size even... this is where being aware of the artist as a 'spiritual visualizer' comes in - it provides the grounding on which a better understanding of what one as an artist seeks to do as an artist and why [for without the why, without going beyond ascribing the being as mere 'impulse' [as if, in effect, an artist is a mere animal more glorified], there is no real understanding which is needed for improvements and directions worth taking] ...

A work of art, of 'fine art' in that its primary purpose is one of contemplation, is a selective re-presentation of reality [that is, of emphasized graspings of the world around the artist] according to what the artist considers as of fundamental importance [fundamental in that there is of necessity to inclusion AND exclusion of what is to be in the rendering]... it is, as such, a showing of what, out of all the myriad sights and connections of diverse objects and subjects, the artist considers worth seeing... the base on which comes to pass is what the artist considers of value - and that depends on the code of values that artist ascribes to [and rest assured, different values make for much different consequences in what one does and how one does it - and why]... a code of values is what one uses to guide oneself thru life - it is what provides the 'spiritual', the non-material, to living, which gives that material its importance, and WHICH material gets to be important, and why - and, to the artist, the reason of showing that which the artist shows, AND WHY, PROPERLY, AN ARTIST IS A 'SPIRITUAL VISUALIZER'...

Exhibiting...

One of the joys in rendering in pen and ink, in some ways more so than with other mediums, is that of seeing works being exhibited as the ink paintings they truly are... these two, "Opening Ritual, Second Cup" and "Clear in the Air", are now, for a week, being exhibited in the Scarfone/Hartley Gallery at the University of Tampa... one may hope their presence will increase interest in pen and ink as a fine art medium...

"Fertile Worlds".....59

And I have made an end of it...

"Fertile Worlds".....58

It is not easy working on this, when close to the end - there is the strong desire to be DONE with it, and the urge to 'rush' is in consequence... but, of course, restraint is most needed here, in getting the breaking up of the sky - and it not help, oddly, in that can only work the hand for periods of maybe 15-20 minutes before needing to take a break... thus, while maybe only a couple or so more hours are needed to finish, it is actually taking much longer... it also not help that the interest in this, thru all the long times of many interruptions, has flagged on this, such it takes effort to get back to it... but it moves on...

"Fertile Worlds".....57

Have finally stippled enough to be arriving at the 'breakout' point, where the sky begins to break up and white appears within, as seen on the left side... once get this section done, on both sides, down almost to the horizon, will, for all essential purposes, BE FINISHED!!!

"Fertile Worlds".....56

And a wee further more along -

"Fertile Worlds".....55

A wee bit more done...

"Fertile Worlds".....54

With, finally, other matter taken care of, can at last get on with finishing this rendering - thus continuing with the sky on the right side...

"Fertile Worlds".....53

Finally have the between-the-branches part of the sky done, leaving only the far right area left to render...