Illustration Friday - Silent

Conceptual Self Portrait

acrylic and collage on board

5 x 7 (unframed)

This week's Illustration Friday topic is a bit more introspective and philosophical so I decided that this conceptual self portrait, completed about a week ago, worked perfectly.  The quote that came with this weeks topic is by Emily Carr: "I think that one's art is a growth inside one.  I do not think one can explain growth.  It is silent and subtle.  One does not keep digging up a plant to see how it grows."  

I also completed a more traditional self portrait image recently.  This one is colored pencil on a primed panel behind mirrored glass.  I made a comment recently in a class that I hate pink.  I realized after I said it that I really don't hate pink, it is just a difficult color to use effectively, and I hate seeing it used badly or without purpose or thought..  So... I decide to make a few pieces where pink is a dominant/important element.  I like the kitsch of the pink painted frames. Click on the images if you would like to see them larger.

Migraine

colored pencil on panel with mirrored glass

19.5 x 12.5 (framed)

Illustration Friday - Scattered

Scattered Influences

mixed media collage on panel

12 in x 12 in

I have been thinking a lot lately about what influences art and artists.  I have also been thinking quite a bit about what makes an image iconic, how iconography affects the way we interpret images, and the impact of unexpected juxtapositions.  I don't think I will say more than that today.  Collages can be so metaphorically rich that I will let you all sort this one out for yourselves.

In case that is not enough, here are a few more.  All are 8 x 8 inches on panel

Illustration Friday - Ferocious

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I'm a Lover, Not a Fighter

15 x 24

Pastel on Paper

This is Romeo the Papillon .  He was once accused of being ferocious at the pet store because he growled at a much bigger dog that was eyeballing him.  The owner of the bigger dog became nearly hysterical and proclaimed to everyone within earshot "That dog needs a muzzle!"  Romeo is more than happy to stay home on the couch, big ferocious dog that he is.  He has also been accused of being a humming bird.  I think that is a better description.  He is constantly in motion.  This was one of the few times that he held still long enough for me to capture a quick likeness.

Illustration Friday - Mesmerizing

 

24 x 18 inches

Pastel and Charcoal on Paper

I am often mesmerized by the road on long trips.  This image was inspired by my early morning drives to Nacogdoches.  The haze is not fog, but smoke from the wildfires Texas has been suffering this long, hot, dry summer.  Thankfully we finally got a little rain this weekend.  We need more.

Illustration Friday - Disguise

3.5 x 2.5 inches ATC

watercolor, pen, marker, colored pencil

A Sad Portrait for an ATC swap I am participating in also worked for this week's Illustration Friday.  Sometimes the disguise goes deeper than the costume and face paint. Makes me think about the disguises we wear on a daily basis.

Duckweed Pond

6 x 12 inches

Oil on Panel

This is a small oil painting of what used to be the verdant 1 acre pond in my back pasture.  The record drought we have had in Texas this year has not only dried up the pond, but is killing off all of the willows and other water loving trees that grow around it.  With nonstop days of 105+ temperatures, I feel like I have gone from living in Eden to living in Hell.  I am reduced to performing rain dances three times a day.  I'll let you know if it works.  It is finally over cast and noticeably less hot today.

Jack makes the Tyler Newspaper

Jack

Mixed Media Sculpture

Just a small shameless plug today.  One of my sculptures currently on display at the Tyler Main Street Gallery was placed large and in charge on the front page of section B in the Tyler Morning Telegraph this last Saturday.  The paper used my photograph in the print edition, and used a image from the gallery in the online edition.  The article really only credits me for the sculpture and then goes on to interview another Mrs. Taylor (not me) about her Best in Show painting.  So if you don't read carefully you might assume that I was the person being interviewed.  You can read the online article here. http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20110820/FEATURES0701/110829997

Anyway, it was nice to be noticed.

Illustration Friday - Gesture

Gustavo Dudamel

Watercolor, pen, colored pencil

2.5 x 3.5 inches ATC

Perhaps a strange image for this weeks Illustration Friday.  I started out drawing a current portrait image of the young but definitely adult music conductor Gustavo Dudamel.  He has such an exuberant and childlike natural quality that I couldn't help but turn him back into a young boy.  He has after all been conducting orchestras since he was 12 years old.  If you have not heard of this talented young man before, please take a few minutes to view the following videos.  He is the prince of passionate and creative gestures, and you can't help but like him. 

 

60 minutes also had a segment about Gustavo.

I only learned of Gustavo after searching for images of conductors to develop my idea for this week's illustrations.  I was first drawn in by that fantastic curly hair!

Welcome to Somewhere off Center

A new direction in life calls for a new blog, so this is where you will find current information and postings about my artistic endeavors and discoveries.  I will post fine art pieces as well as illustrations to this site. In my mind, there is only a slight distinction between the two art forms.  Illustration often crosses over into fine art, and fine art very frequently contains a strong visual narrative.  I consider myself a visual storyteller, so the marriage of art and illustration makes perfect sense to me.

Below you will find the first three canvases of a new body of work I call "The Balance Series".  These are large mixed media pieces dealing with man's utilization and manipulation of the earths resources.  Visual/compositional inspiration comes from Egyptian hieroglyphics as well as the work of Joseph Cornell. I hope that this theme will keep me busy for some time and will result in a group of works that will be exhibited on a broader basis than I have pursued in the past.  Please let me know what you think.  I love to receive comments and constructive criticism.

 48 in. x 48 in.

Mixed Media on Canvas

 48 in. x 48 in.

Mixed Media on Canvas

48 in. x 60 in.

Mixed Media on Canvas