Illustration Friday - Secret

Secrets

approximately 28 x 14 inches

mixed media on paper with digital editing

I have a fondness for images that leave a large amount of detail to the imagination.  They hold secrets that can only be whispered in the imagination.  This is a digital enhancement of a large mixed media drawing that I completed about October of last year.  Is there a secret between these girls, or the birds at their feet?  What are the untold details of story, time, and setting?  I feel like I could write a whole book based on this image alone, but I think I will keep it a secret. :)

On a less secretive note: the move from Texas to New York has gone relatively smoothly.  I completed my Masters of Art in Art Education degree in May, and am now in a full swing job hunt for a new teaching gig in NY.  I am just beginning to find time to create some new work, and to dip my toes in the Central New York art scene.  Next Friday I will be participating in an event called 60/60 at the Everson Art Museum in Syracuse.  Sixty artists will create sixty individual works of arts in a 60 minute time period.  The artworks will then be raffled off as a fund raiser for the museum. I am looking forward to the event but I am also a little nervous about completing a finished work in such a short time period. I plan to spend much of this coming week prepping as much as possible and solidifying an idea for the composition.  I'll be sure to post a picture of the finished piece after the event next week

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 - 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.