The Season is Upon Us

I can't believe that the Christmas season has snuck up on me once again. I am trying trick myself into the "spirit" of things by playing Christmas music. Since it is so early,I like contemporary Christmas tunes to get me into the mood!

Listening to "The Christmas Song" by the Raveonettes from the album The O.C. Mix 3 - "Chrismukkah".

Okay so the stores and shopping malls have had Christmas music on that matches with all of the Christmas decorations.
This cute display is down at the downtown waterfront at Centennial Beach.

The above snap was taken the other day while I was driving home from work. I thought I would take the photo because they have the biggest and brightest light display en route to my house. The picture doesn't do it justice since I couldn't get all of it in the viewfinder. Put it this way, it is reminiscent of the Griswald's on Christmas Vacation (love that movie!!). That isn't a bad thing, I mention it only because of being in the boonies it appears garish. I guess I should mention that I embarassed myself and drove off as quickly as possible since the residents were watching me take the picture!

Art can be found almost anywhere

I seem to be lamenting about no time for art these days. Try as I might there has been absolutely no time to make art for the last week. In fact, I haven't had the time to think about it either.

The only time I had available is to take a snap of a piece of art that was in the foyer of the facility where I was taking a leadership course in Ottawa. This piece filled the foyer and would have been 20 or more feet high. The foyer felt immense so I don't really know exactly the height or width.

The piece is very beautiful and this photograph does not do it justice. The colour was much more intense and the texture of the metal inspiring.

What is important to note is that the facility is in the business district in Ottawa and I was surprised to see that there was lots of art featured in many offices including fibre art. Even the hotel displayed fibre art safely behind glassed in frames. That is somethng that we would not see at home.

It is sad that "art" has not been able to rise to the top in this conservative town. Ahhh, I think I have stated the obvious.

Actual Picture vs Photograph

Here is the first drawing that I did of a little bag that is so smooth to the touch.

The above is the next step using pastel to get a good base. I'm trying to actually reconstruct the little bag I got for Christmas last year that contained three lovely hand lotions. The bag is a smooth coppery bronze. It is strange how light can trick the eye. I looked at this and thought I was finished but when I got it up on iPhoto it looked "all wrong". It is suppose to look like man-made metallic material and not at all like rough "leather".

This still doesn't look metallic but at least is is getting closer to the coppery colour that I was looking for. I do like the way photographs can be used as a way of getting the look that you want. Sometimes seeing somthing in "real-time" isn't the way it actually looks. The eye of the camera is much more objective that our own.

Okay the real reason that I painted on the actual drawing in my Moleskin "sketchbook" is due to an ooops! I had coloured the page that followed with blue pastel and had "fixed" it with hairspray. I forgot to put something between the pages and the pastel that had become liquified with the hairspray had transferred on to the back of the bag drawing. As I have previously discussed, the pages are not meant to be used for pastel or anything other than pen and ink. That means the pages are transparent enough that the blue pastel could be seen thus ruining the drawing. There was no choice but to try and save the drawing by doing something to it - anything would be better that the way it was now! Luckily I had taken a photo of the drawing before I created the mess!

Never enough time to do Art!!

I always seem to be complaining that I don't have time to make art, post on the blog or just plain whining about something that I have not done but wanted to do. I feel that I should stop my nonsense and be happy with what I can do! Post to this blog as frequently as I can and draw or make art as often as I can.

I seem to be wishing my life away but sometimes the wishing means that I'm not "doing". Then there are times when I think too that I spend too much time on the "net" and that is the reason I'm not making art (or whatever). If I put it all in perspective, I am complaining that I have a good and interesting life and that I have lots of interests that mantains the vibrancy of my life.

Around the house

I wanted to make art and looked around the house for something to draw. I chose the clothes peg because I think that someday sooner rather than later they too will disappear along with the clothes line.

This summer I looked around for clothes hanging out on lines and I had a hard time finding them. There are two houses that I pass by on my walk who hang out clothing to dry. It is sad that I had my own clothesline removed. It was at a time whereby I didn't see the "green" aspects of drying laundry in the sun.

In the eye of the beholder

One of the girls at work gave me a orange hibiscus for my birthday two years ago. Right now it has 6 fully opened saucer-sized flowers on it. My hubby wanted to put it in the ground this summer and I said no, that I love the colour indoors, especially in the winter time! Today especially since....

I just can't believe that there is white stuff on the ground this morning, it is only a dusting and will be gone by late morning I expect. I bought a new coat last week so I am prepared! I had to laugh at myself since I seem to be governed by colour, I made the purchase because the coat looked warm, had a hood, it can be washed or dry cleaned; mostly I bought it because it was purple.

I have a greater appreciation for the old adage, in the eye of the beholder. When I started this little drawing, I had thought I was drawing a pomegranate, when I finished I thought it looked more like an onion! The drawing of it on the dictionary on the net shows the fruit at a slightly different angle and therefore just a bit easier to anyone to see the cues as to its essence. I enjoyed the opportunity to do a small drawing so I will stop complaining.

Expensive things for the cheap at heart

I bought myself a Moleskin notebook and thought that I'd best begin using it. Now I realise that the pages are not really conducive to drawing but my desire to own one superceded the actual design of the book. Yes, there are many types to choose from, it seems that I opted for the orangey-red colour without understanding that it is designed to be written on and not much else. However, having said that, I am going to use it as intended anyway, at least for now. It is mostly due to the expense of it. I see that many "artists" use this format to get their sketches down on paper but the price is excessive to say the least. Bottom line here is that I had "Moleskin" envy!!!

I just bought another expensive item, a Clinique lipstick! Of course, there was a "sale" or rather a free gift with purchase so I was able to justify buying it as well. When will it ever stop????

It is interesting how my focus on the object scewed the result. The cyclinder of the tube looks too cone-shaped for me after I finished it. I'm not sure that I captured the idea of textured "metal" here but I am definitely not happy with the smooth glossy finish on the top portion of the tube. I guess that is why the old adage applies, "practice, practice, practice".

One thing that I must say is that I did enjoy the process of trying to get the image to appear as if it was a thing that could be real. It certainly is identifiable although the perspective is slightly off. I seem to have some "issues" with perspective that I need to keep a handle on. However, I think I just need more time drawing as I have stated above.

The Senseless Rose

I was just over at a friend's new blog that she created and plans to use to keep in touch with her "City and Guilds" teacher. Very cool but currently it is locked and viewing is by invitation only. That reminded me that I have not posted for this month yet!

So much to do these days and so little time for art. I did take a few minutes to do a quick sketch of a rose from the banquet that my hubby gave to me for our 30th wedding anniversay on October 27th. I was dissapp0inted once again that they had no scent!! When did it happen? I'm racking my brain as to the last time I have sniffed a store bought rose! I do so wish that we could get roses that have their scent intact, hybrids are lovely but the whole point to the regal flower is their scent. So that is what I miss most and now I have to say that the "rose" is no longer my most favourite flower. It just seems so senseless! However, I must admit that I absolutely love the "wild" roses out back of our property. I'm sure that once upon a time they were domestic and pruned carefully for a by-gone farmer's wife but today they are left to their own devices. I so enjoy their scent!