Day one hundred and seventy-one: I drew today’s sketch out of my mind. A couple of days ago I saw a painting by contemporary German mannerist Michael Triegel that included the head from a broken sculpture. It seemed surreal to me, and reminded me of the work of Giorgio de Chirico. However, the rest of […]
Tagged abstract, art on art, face, pencilDay one hundred and seventy: When I came to my computer to make today’s sketch, the garlic from yesterday’s still life was still sitting nearby. Tonight I worked on a “color” sketch of the bulb using oil pastel, although I ended up working in all whites and grays. After two days of studying garlic, I […]
Tagged food, gray, oil, still lifeDay one hundred and sixty-nine: Looking for a mini-still life I thought I could easily sketch, I grabbed a head of garlic and a couple of extra cloves. My original intention was to paint the garlic in color, but once I started the study in pencil, I decided to just go with it. Lately, one […]
Tagged food, pencil, still lifeDay one hundred and sixty-eight: Driving home this evening, the night sky was flickering with lightning. As I pulled onto my street, big, heavy drops of rain began to splash on the windshield. Tired, and with little time to spare, this quick sketch is an attempt to capture the essence of a flash of lightning […]
Tagged nature, nocturne, oilDay one hundred and sixty-seven: It’s too bad smells can’t be painted, because the fragrance of the peonies I sketched this evening is glorious. So it the subtle explosion of pale pinks in the hundreds of petals that form each blossom. It would have taken me all night to complete a naturalistic representation of these […]
Tagged flower, still lifeDay one hundred and sixty-six: Strawberries at dinner inspired a simple still life of one this evening. Even though I eat the same strawberries from Costco all year round, they just seem to taste better under the evening sun of long summer days. So after I drew this strawberry, I ate it!
Tagged food, oil, red, still lifeDay one hundred and sixty-five: When my parents joined the Peace Corps last Fall and I helped them pack up their house, I had no idea I myself would be moving less than one year later. Packing up kitchen utensils and books today reminded me of the time I spent with Mom and Dad in […]
Tagged pencil, still lifeDay one hundred and sixty-four: Since my bird Helo made the daily sketch the other day, I thought my other feathered friend, Caprica Six, should make an appearance too. When Caprica is on me, he loves to pop in and out of the collar and sleeves of my t-shirt. He often settles himself facing out […]
Tagged bird, oilDay one hundred and sixty-three: I know this sketch is morbid, but a conversation with some friends this evening reminded me of an etching that the Belgian avant-garde artist James Ensor made in 1888 called “My Portrait in 1960.” In it, he imagined himself at the age of 100 as a skeleton. My sketch does […]
Tagged allegory, art on art, ensor, self portrait, skull