Sunflower

[Click to Enlarge Photos]

another gift, this time for Paige. It's her birthday.

i decided to to a sunflower for her because she loves them. Hopefully this will look nice in her kitchen.

So, here's the play by play:

Started out with a sketch


My first move was to paint the petals and the centre with a wash of Lemon Yellow
then i went in with a few darker yellows and added some shadows to give the petals shape.

i added layers of yellow ochre and mixed with browns into the centre then i added a bit of backround trying out the wet-in-wet techniques. not too shabby.
i kinda liked i like this, with the white in the back, but it seemed unfinished...


and then i added the dark background and the flower seemed to POP


the last step was to do an ink outline. et Voila! c'est fini!!
Happy Birthday Paige!!

"sunflower" watercolour and ink 5" x 7"
a gift for Paige.

Name this turtle....

This is my latest creation in my ceramics class with Paige . i wanted to name him after the paratrooping turtle in Ernest Goes to Camp - but i can't remember what that name is. Anyway, he was an ashtray i started in the spring - intended for the outdoor BBQ season for all my friends who smoke, so they wouldn't have to ash into beer bottles, and eventually get drunk enough to forget which beer they were ashing in and which beer they were drinking.

oh well, next year i guess. He is pretty darn cute though.

my studio

Tea For Two

last month after my success with my own breast, i decided to try a different subject.


i have to say i'm quite impressed with this one. i could still improve on my backgrounds a bit, but it's getting better.

i found that my biggest downfall was impatience. I need to let the paint dry between coats or else it turns into a bleedy mess. boourns. So after figuring that one out, i brought in my hair dryer and we were in business!!


"tea for two" watercolour and ink 5"x7"

a gift for Teeni

extreme close up

a self portrait, done in watercolour... 4"x6"

booties so cute-y

The only good thing that has come from me being Sick for the last couple of days is that i was able to make these cute little booties for Fourleafclover's cute little bitty baby who is just wee... what is she, two months now? or just a month? anyway, you get the picture. Her name is Ivy, hence the green of the booties instead of the stereotypical pink.

i also made her a little green hat to go with it, but forgot to take a picture of it... so...maybe Fourleafclover will send me a pic of it, perhaps on a baby's head?? hint hint.

rated R - some nudity and course language - viewer discretion is advised

Last night i tried something i'd never done before... a self portrait.

i did it with a Sepia Pencil, which i've never used before but quite enjoy. i was expecting it to be more like a pencil crayon, but it was more like charcoal. i'll have to experiment some more with that.

the reason i'm not posting it here is because it's a nude. My first ever.

actually, it's really quite good - if i do say so myself.

i was quite impressed an it's got me inspired to do more. it's hard to use yourself as a model, though.

Writing Exercise 2

Write for 2o minutes - no editing.
Write from the Point of View of a glass on the edge of the table.

The last thing i remember is her taking me out of the cupboard and filling me with Merlot. I can still feel the way the warm liquid sloshed on my sides and she swayed to the victrola. I've never heard this song before. She sings to herslef as she sips from my side.

Scarlet Sweetheart is the colour of her lipstick. Now it adorn me, the waxy feel of her lips and tongue excite me. She is decked out in pearls and lace. I can't remember the last time i was out. She's celebrating something.

A knock ont he door startles her. She puts me on the piano and leaves the room. I can feel the warm sunset on my etched crystal as it shines throught the burgundy drapes - the colour of the liquid i'm holding.

I can hear her in the other room. She is no longer alone. Another voice? A man's voice. Murmurs outside the parlour.

She returns and the burly blond man with the mustache follows her in. They argue. She walks to the window and says words to him - i don't understand. They are foreign and hard sounding, not the gentle flow of English i am used to.

She turns to him and laughs - i can tell that it is not a laugh of joy, but of fear.

Suddenly, i am lifted in the air by the frightening man. He moves me too harshly and the waves of wine cascade over my side and onto the carpet below.

She yelps and rushes to pull me from his hand. She and i walk over to the sofa and sit. Once more, she sips from my edges. Her soft warm lips on my, her sweet tongue catching a misguided drop. Her soft hands cradling my found body. She puts me on the table. It is the last time i feel her.

The man is upset. He rounds the table and grabs her wrists and pulls her from the sofa - she hangs there - suspended by his strong arms. She is crying now. "No, no" she says. I understand those words.

i am scared. She tries to pull away from him but he is too strong for her.

the commotion jostles the table and suddenly i am caught by vertigo. The world is upside down, and as i topple over, i can't see her anymore.

As i land on the table, i feel a large crack at my stem and i am in agony as it makes its path to my rim.

As the wine splashes onto the table and the floor, i see the large man huddled over top of her breathing heavily.

As the last drops flow from my broken shell hee rises and walks to the door. She does not move. His hands are red. I can see from my spot on the edge of the table that the floor is rapidly flowing red, and i know that that is not my wine.

The sun has set and the room has gone dark. The victrola has stopped its music some time back.

The wine on the table is black from the darkness.

It's quiet in here.

Dark and quiet.

Writing Exercise

Write for 20 minutes - no editing.

Write a pure dialogue story. Make your story move along by using dialogues *only*. No Narration. No Description...Just dialogue.

'Hey, watchya got there?'

'....are you talking to me?'

'Yeah. What is that? What do you have?'

'What? Nothing. It's nothing. I don't have anything.'

'i saw something. you're holding it behind your back, lemme see it. C'mon.'

'No, uhm. i can't. It's a secret.'

'Is that....chocolate??'

'What?!? No!'

'It is too! You have chocolate! How on earth did you get that in here?'

'dammit.'

'Seriously, how'd you get that past the counselor? I thought everyone had their bags checked before they came in? They dumped out mine. i had a stash of twizzlers in my socks - but they took that too.'

'look - you can't say anything, okay? i don't want to get in trouble. i just can't operate on salads. Rabbit food.'

'hey, i won't say a thing....for half that chocolate.'

'HALF?'

'That's the price of secrecy, my friend. If you want to taste that sweet sweet chocolate, you better hand over my share. You think i like carrots and celery anymore than you? Christ, i'd practically give my left nut for a bag of Doritoes right now. That is - if they'd drop...Hahahaha...y'know what i mean?...Shit. You don't know. You're just a baby rookie. Hand over the chocolate, Rookie.'

'Fine!....Here, happy now?'

'Mmmm. yesh. Thatsh good shit.'

'Okay, so here's the truth. i have this cousin. He went to this camp for years. he told me all the secret hiding spots. the trouble is - i have to sneak out to the edge by the lake - that's where my cousin will bring the goods. i need a good lookout. That can be you if you can keep a secret. He said he made a killing selling this stuff to the other campers.'

'i'm listening'

'kay, i didn't want to come here, and i'm guessing you didn't either. So, if i'm going to be stuck here all summer - we might as well make some cash. i figure we'll sell at a huge profit, and after i pay my cousin, you and i will still make enought dough to make this summer not a complete and total loss.'

'Shit. Am i ever glad you got assigned to my bunk. What's your name again?'

'Brandon'

'Jeff. Nice to meet you .....partner'

'Yeah, partner.'

'So - what's your plan?'

'Well, - i figure we'll get the inventory from my cuz, and then we'll wait a few days - until everyone's crazy and sick of this health crap. Then, we'll spread the word to one or two of the guys and wait for the power of Word of Mouth to take hold. Then you and i will be rolling in it.'

'Man, i wish i would've thought of this two years ago, i'd be rich by now.'

'yeah, the hard part is not eating it all.'

'what?'

'well - this chocolate we're eating? That's it. Enjoy it while you can. After you're done - that's it.'

'what the hell? why have all this food if you're not going to eat it?'

'Because i can get five bucks for this chocolate with a properly motivated buyer. That - and my parents said if i don't take off the weight i'm going to Military School in the fall. and i say "fuck that!" Besides, someone's got to keep losing weight or the counselors will notice. So you and i are going to follow the diet AND the exercise - and when we leave we'll be forty pounds lighter and much much richer. My cousin lost 50 pounds and then totally slept with a cheerleader. That.....can be us!'

'shit! you're serious?....ok. ....i guess i'm in! Let's do it partner!'

'let's do it.'

vulnerable art

this is a scanned version of the card i made to send a very important letter to a very important person. God Speed little Faery.

Faery Bride

i've been working on this one for 2 nights now... i'm thinking the problem with Laura and watercolour is the lack of patience. I have a really hard time letting things dry. i just want to get the next layer of paint in. Again, i think i could do a little more work in my backgrounds.

i could probably done/do some more to this painting to make it better, but i was afraid i would wreck is...as i was just getting more frustrated.

I really love the way the Faery turned out though. the dress, the bouquet, i'm happy - except for that left eye that i just couldn't fix.

This is actually very VERY similar to my wedding dress, i didn't really realize it until i had drawn the faery. and the picture i used as a reference is one that B-rad took of me on our honeymoon... so i called it 'waiting bride'.

I only hope i'll look back at this one someday and discover i've come a long way.

in need of development...

i did some more painting last night...i've come to realize i really need to work on my ability to paint backgrounds. the green blobs behind the hibiscus look nothing like leaves. Here's the photo:

I find the pinks the hardest to do...as there is no pink, only red with water. But it's all about the learning. i tried to do some freehanded abstract stuff last night, i've been reading a book about letting the paint "dance" across the paper.... my paint was two left feet, cuz there was no dancing to be had. sigh.

oh well,

onward and upward.

Hawaiian Hibiscus

My friend Kate took the photo, i did the paint...
i'm trying to brush up on my watercolour skillz of an artist... this is the first painting done with the new paints i bought on the weekend. I'm a little rusty, obviously.