Japan and Exposed

This sketch has nothing to do with our trip to Japan that we embark upon later today, but I needed something to put on this initial Japan blog, so I decided that I would show what a professional designer sketch for an art exhibit catalog looks like.

On June 17th, the Tuesday Night Drawing Group (at Argos Studio & Gallery)  that I attend is having their 3rd annual exhibit of drawings that were done on Tuesday nights. Lots of great drawings will be on the wall, although you can't really expect them to all be masterpieces like this.

This is just the first idea, so it will probably change. I don't really like the font I used here.

Enough chatter. Gotta pack. Just making sure I remember how to blog.

Abrazos! 

London Morning & Coffee

London Morning & Coffee
28" x 24"
Digital print on paper

While sipping a latte in a London coffee shop, I noticed a group of three young women at a nearby table. “Aha! Inspiration for a painting!” I thought to myself. Several years later I've finally gotten around to creating an image based on that morning.

Train From Kew

While in London, several years ago, Robin and I took a train to Kew, to the Royal Botanic Gardens. On the return trip to London, I was fascinated with the contrast between two women across the aisle. One was young, beautiful, stylishly groomed and dressed. The other was elderly and casually dressed. I thought they might be mother and daughter, but they never spoke. The younger woman seemed to be lost in distant thoughts and never looked away from the window. The older woman was totally absorbed in the daily tabloid and never looked up from it. I wondered how many years ago the older woman was the beauty in the window, and how someday the beautiful young woman would be the elderly one reading the daily tabloid, dressed for comfort instead of style.
They both probably wondered why the creepy old guy across the aisle was staring at them.

Two Women on a Train from Kew
Digital print on paper
20" x 23"

Detail

Conversation

Conversation in a Noisy Place
Digital print on aluminum
22" x 28"

Based on a drawing done during a fundraiser drawing event for CCA, Center for Contemporary Art in Santa Fe, NM. 

Two groups of 25 artists each took turns drawing for one hour while attendees roamed around and watched the drawing. I did four drawings during the hour. Later, during the second group’s hour of drawing, I tried to have a conversation with a friend who was waiting in line for a Tarot card reading,  but the background noise and music were so loud that I couldn’t hear what she was saying.  Something about quitting her job, I think.

Cool Shades

Cool Shades
Charcoal on newsprint

Props

Leather Jacket 

In a departure from the usual posing, we asked the model to use any items she had with her as props.  She did an amazing job of improvisation that made the poses seem both classical and contemporary.

Lipstick

Lipstick
Color version, detail

Shoulder Bag

Boots & Books

Boots & Books

A current project involves creating promotional materials for a new 501c3 non-profit organization, the International Shakespeare Center, Santa Fe (ISC).

One of the goals of ISC is to promote the study and appreciation of the Shakespearean works through reading groups, professional performance, and professional training.

The photos are meant to show a juxtaposition of Shakespearean imagery and iconic Santa Fe imagery. So far I've photographed a cowboy in a Canyon Road art gallery (including Shakespearean props) and a cowgirl, Denise, at her hacienda in Galisteo, a small village south of Santa Fe. Other shoots are planned at a historic, iconic Santa Fe house and at Los Golondrinas, a living museum ranch that was the last overnight stop for wagon trains from Mexico City before reaching Santa Fe.

The image above is a sepia version of one of many shots from the Galisteo photo session. Most of the Galisteo photos feature both Denise and her beloved horse, Sapphire.

A Cowgirl’s Passions
Denise & Sapphire in their Galisteo stable

   

Egyptian

Ten years ago, on a trip to Egypt and Jordon, we became friends with Don, a fellow traveler. I admired a photo he took of a young Egyptian girl standing on concrete steps that led to the top floor of her home, near the Nile. I’ve worked sporadically over the years on making an art print of the photo. About a week ago I ran across the digital image that Don gave me and finally finished digitally repainting it so I could order a print. While we were at the girl’s house, our guide, who knew the girl, kept encouraging her to go to school instead of getting married and collecting the traditional dowery of gold jewelry. Like most young village women, she probably went for the gold.

Egyptian Girl on Stairs
22 x 40 inches

Egyptian Girl on Stairs
Detail

Western Influence

Pueblo Man
Digital print from original charcoal and white chalk on cardboard
22 x 26 inches

A Wolf Named Legend
Digital print from original charcoal on paper
20 x 22 inches  

Cowgirl
Digital print from original charcoal on newsprint
18 x 24 inches

Drawing Sideways

Drawing the nude figure sideways can get weird because you usually see it in an upright position. When you do happen to see a nude figure sideways or upside-down, you usually don’t have charcoal and paper in your hands. Except on Tuesday nights. For some reason it seems to happen a lot on Tuesday nights. In fact, every Tuesday night, between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. 

Again I say . . . weird.

Three Sketches

One Year Old

One-Year-Old Hero

One-year-old granddaughter Hero had her First birthday party a couple of days ago. Robin asked me to put something decorative on the wrapping of one of her presents. I opened the Photos app on my laptop and found a photo to use as reference for a sketch. Hero is the name of a character in the Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing. Hero has a dog named Hamlet (in real life, not in the play). I suspect that her first uttered words after “Bye Bye” and “Mommy” will be “Anon” and “Fie!" It’s getting rather Shakespearean around here.

Shakespearean

Shakespearean

Last night was the second time our Tuesday Night Drawing group had this male model. There’s definitely something “Shakespearean” about the guy. Imagine him playing Aaron (a Shakespeare super villain) in Titus Andronicus. I don’t know which was more awesome: his hair style or his body.  My drawings weren’t going very well the whole night, but the last drawing of the night, a 45-minute pose, seemed like a dramatic Shakespearean image.

Six Sketches

Folding Chair

Art Deco Mood

Gobsmacked

Back Stretch

Thinking

Twisting Legs

White Model

White Model

A life drawing sketch (see the previous blog post) made into a 24" x 18" digital print on paper. 

Undone

Undone

An unfinished drawing from a life drawing session. 

A Dragon Memory

An urgent message last Thursday morning from a friend, Lorene Mills, asked if I would be able to help an out-of-town artist, John Pugh. Pugh is a renown trompe l’oeil muralist master who has painted many amazing murals around the world. His current project is a mural commissioned by George R. R. Martin, located on the back wall of Martin’s Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe (more photos below).

Jean Cocteau mural detail.

I met John behind the Jean Cocteau at 3 pm Thursday afternoon and he started describing what needed to be done. Soon, Greg and George, a couple of art students from IAIA (Institute of American Indian Arts) showed up and the four of us spent the night on the scaffolding. When I left at 4:30 Friday morning, John Pugh and the other two artists were still working away and were there until long after sunrise.

From the all-night conversations we had, I learned a lot about Pugh’s technique of using acrylic glazes (dozens of glazes) and blending of colors. It was like a 12 hour master class. I didn’t contribute much, but I learned a lot. Including how hard it is to paint outdoors in the cold and dark with lights casting shadows of scaffolding all over the art. The painted shadows looked so real it was hard to tell the painted shadows from the real ones. Climbing up and down three levels of scaffolding all night and painting in weird, uncomfortable positions while sitting or standing on scaffolding gave me a real appreciation of the fact that Pugh had already been painting here for two weeks, mostly at night. The main goal for Thursday night was to finish everything that was high on the wall, because the scaffolding was to be removed the next morning.

I went back to the site Friday night to check on the mural. The scaffolding was gone but John and assistant Greg were still there painting final touches. I delivered a large coffee and a hazelnut latte to Greg and John, chatted for while, then headed back home to work on another much smaller art project. Much smaller. And indoors.

It was a great privilege to be involved in any small way, and to make friends with John and the other assistants, Greg and George.

What a dragon!

What a night.

What a memory.

John Pugh retouches a small section.

George paints with a headlamp.

Lots of paint and brushes to trip over.

View from level two of the four-level scaffolding.

A scaffold of artists work through the night.

George uses blue tape to mask a section at ground level.

Mural detail.

Painting and masking, Friday night.

John Pugh uses blue tape to plan where additional shading will go.

George and John.

Blue taping the night away.

The photographer and archivist of the project delivers coffee to the artists.

More details.

Mural wall in progress.

Feet On the Stool

Feet On the Stool

Unrepentant Moor

Unrepentant Moor
24" x 32"
Digital print on paper from original charcoal on newsprint life drawing

Study for Aaron, the Moor, in Titus Andronicus

I adapted last Tuesday Night's model to my collection of limited edition Shakespeare Series prints. In the play Titus Andronicus, Arron is repentant of any good he may have done in his life, but he makes it sound like that probably never happened. However, as often happens with Shakespeare characters, even the villainous Aaron has another side — he loves his newborn son and wants him to live.  

New Model

Awesome model

A new model for last night’s Tuesday Night Drawing group. 

Awesome.