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 - 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.

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!