create where and when you can

Ever since we've been house hunting, I have not been able to finish my art projects, or start any new ones. It's a bit disappointing, cause I'd done several city scenes and was close to finishing another one, and had even been commissioned by Andrew from Graffiti 2 to do a few of Mott Haven for him. I have not forgotten, and I will get them done as soon as we get settled in, but alas, life in transition means you put aside some things to get others done that have come into the "front burner".
The thing is, as an artist, not doing any kinda drawing or anything starts to affect my mental health, and my brain screams for some creativity.
Yesterday was Phoenix's birthday. To celebrate, we took him to the cemetery, which he'd been asking to go to for months. You can read more about that whole event on Fabio's blog.
Anyway, as suggested by Susan, we brought paper and crayons(pastels and charcoal are already packed) along to do some rubbings at the tomb stones.
That turned out to be a nice creative activity for the boys and I. (Fabio took photos) Because of this, I felt like a tiny part of my creative soul was satisfied.
Here are are rubbings and some photos(click on each to see it bigger)...

moving cramping art

It seems that house hunting is cramping my art style.
Here are a couple drawings I did yesterday. They were sketches to possibly be used for our church's next sermon series. Our pastor asked me to go in a different direction, so I'll have to do that today instead. You can check out the drawings in the meantime, and let me know what you think...

quick sketches while you wait...

I have only worked on quick sketches, because I haven't had much energy the last few days. I'm fighting a miserable cold.
I started feeling crummy last thursday.
Then, I've gotten considerably worse each day, with an extremely stuffy head and sleeping on the couch for the past 2 days.
Today, the symptoms have become an annoying cough, but at least I have some energy to get things done.
Here are some sketches I did in the last week or 2...

another city drawing

Okay, so I finished one more city drawing.
It's got a bit of wonkiness to it, but that's part of what I like about it.
It's also the one that is most "tight".
Check it out and see what you think, and leave me a comment or criticism.

a revelation...

I think I figured out something I like doing/drawing, that might make a good series.
It's a city scene.
Not like the previous bridge, but like what I worked on for our church's next sermon series. See left.
I actually made 2 dawings.
One which is more abstracted, from imagination.














5x7" colored pencils and pen on sketchbook paper

One that was based off a real place, using a picture for reference, but using quite a bit of "artistic license".














6.75 x9" colored pencil and pen on paper


What do you think?
Would you want it up in your wall?

The bridge is done

I've worked on this painting for a long time. It started out in my mind as something that would be a face, but the difficulties and series of unexpected results in the early stages of preparing the canvas made me feel as if it had to become a cityscape of sorts. Inspired by one of photographs, and just pushed on by a emotional color choice, I finally finished this mixed media piece.
It took long, and I struggled through much of it, and had some great learning experiences because of it, but I'm just glad it's done.

















I'm still not very much in love with it. What do you think?

I can handle any criticism, or praise you send my way.

another sketch at church

This time, it was done at a church we visited. The Covenant Live Church.
I drew a couple people but this is my favorite of the sketches.
This kinda thing has been the extent of my work lately.
Nothing finished til today([more about that on the next post].
But I get little drawings in here and there.
I imagine with our move, the drawings and painting will dwindle down as I pack instead.
I've also been working toward my own personal artist/illustrator website, and will make that public very soon. Thanks to my wonderful husband and his awesome programming skills!