Portrait Project: Young Woman

Colored pencils
Canson paper

Perhaps I shouldn't say who this isn't, but I did manage to capture some of Kelsey's spirit. I"m also trying to figure out how to do the hair. I REALLY don't want to do it strand by strand so this is another area to investigate.

This week is very busy between preparing for teaching and doing homework. I'm going to post some information I'm learning in my Artist's Book class (thanks Vivien for the suggestion) but I need a little peace, quiet and TIME to set it up. Meanwhile, the plague has hopped from me to Craig. My turn to be nurse.

Knitted Clogs

My mother very kindly knitted these clogs for me after my first pair disintegrated from heavy wear. (Whining works!) Thanks Mom!!! I'm sewing on the leather soles today. These arrived just in time for the snow storm that hit us last night.

These are the Troll sized beginnings of these clogs. Felting them for 1/2 an hour makes them ordinary mortal size.

If you are a knitter and if you have not yet heard aboutRavelry you might want to sign up for their waiting list. This is a bit of knitting heaven on earth. The site is currently in beta mode and the husband and wife team that started it are working like mad to sign up people. Once you are a member you can enter in what knitting books you own, items in your knitting stash and the site will tell you what you are able to knit with what you have on hand. They also have project links where you can see what others have done with your pattern. This is going to be a HUGE knitting site once they move out of beta.

Ms. Middle Aged Muse

collage and stuff
in my canson sketchbook

This last week, I've had the plague that everyone has been suffering from. I spent the weekend in bed with a glue stick and a pile of magazines. Look who showed up. I had never thought about using collage as a way to sketch but it was loads of fun and I want to do more.

The next phase of the Portrait Project will be to combine live sketches with photo refs and also to work from imagination (as in this "Ms. Muse".

Face to Face For 30 Days (#1)

Charcoal and white china marker

I end this 30 day mini project with mixed feelings. I really did do one drawing a day and if I knew I would not have time the next day, I did two so I’d have something in the project bank. This sort of self imposed discipline really kept me focused. But about half way through, I started to miss working on my landscapes. I felt a bit frustrated with my skills and those early drawings look so tentative and stiff. Shortly after this, I had a major break through and finally figured out a comfortable way to work with colored pencils.

I’m indebted to Roz and her30 day bird project for inspiring me. I decided to put my green monster to work and make my own project. Check out the many interesting and diverse areas on her web site. I’d love to try something like her county fair projects too. She’s going to have a blog soon and I can’t wait.

I’d like to add a few quotes from my project journal.

“I keep wishing I had subject with more dramatic lighting, more dramatic facial planes. But in returning to Hockney’s drawings, his are quiet and soft spoken. He has no need for drama in his portraits of everyday people in his life.”

“I thought when I’d finished “today is a good one”. But looking back a few days later, I felt bemusement. I have no idea where I’m going with this.”

“Now I know why Larry Rivers left so many of his second eyes out of his drawings. Placing that second eye is very TRICKY” (A little self editing here.)

You may notice that there are a few less than 30 posted. I spared you the truly awful ones.

If you'd like to see the whole 30 days, click here
For a slide show, click here
(Blogger spell check is working now but the banner function is not working. Blogger givith and Blogger taketh away.;-(

Waterways Project: Wilmington, Kankee River Jan 08

Oil pastel and graphite
9x 12

It's been three weeks since the beginning of term at school. I addition to teaching, I'm taking a class at the Book and Paper Arts Center this term. The class teaches us how to build book structures and also wed them to a concept. It's making me think about how all elements in putting the book together must support the underlying idea. Good practice for picture making in general.

This is another one from the Wilmington trip Craig and I made in January to see the ice dam.

Face to Face #18

colored pencil
9x 12

I know, I know! I said I would post them all together. But I couldn’t help sharing another sneak preview. I have made a big leap in my use of media and approach and can't wait to show you.
Using colored pencils in the past has always led me to tight cramped drawings. But I’ve figured out how to use them as if they were conte crayons. I mapped in the drawing with a very light shade and then worked my way up the value scale.

The "Portrait Project" was feeling so grand to me that I felt overwhelmed. Trying to do skill building, content and context all at once felt overwhelming. This 30 day project is really helping to build my confidence but most importantly, ITS HUGELY FUN!

Face to Face for 30 days

Lyra Portrait Colored Pencil
Canson sketchbook
9 x 12

I've set myself a project within a project. For 30 days, I'm drawing a face a day from life, photos or imagination. I'm on day 15 now, so here are just a couple of examples. I'm excited about this aspect of the project and looking forward to gaining confidence with the landscape of the "face". I'll post all of them at the end as a slide show on my flicker accoutn. More in 30 days.


Craig in Lyra Portrait Colored Pencils
9 x 12 in Canson sketchbook

Portrait Party

mixed media
9 x 12
The image is too small for you to see that I'm wearing an "Obama" button.

I've been hanging around at Rama's Portrait Party but the real person to blame for this particular post is
Mithi ! She's completely to blame for encouraging me! Go and see what she's doing over at her place. You'd get a little goofy if you hung out there too.


When I was a teen, I loved all things space and immersed myself in science fiction by Clark, Heinlein, Frank Herbert (of Dune fame) etc. My big fantasy was that I would be chosen to be part of the first lunar colony. (Never mind the lack of fresh air, fresh books or poor TV reception.)

This fantasy was resurrected when Craig and I traveled to far-off Wilmington and found this place only AFTER we had a completely ordinary lunch in a road side diner.




Oh, how I wished we had eaten at the Launch Pad. So here I am, at last on the lunar surface, sketchbook in tow and a pink space suit. Why on Earth did I have to dress like Buzz Aldren? The next trip, I'm designing a space suit that would look hot in Alexander Mc Queen's collection.

Waterways Project: Kankee River: Wilmington Ice Dam Jan 08

oil pastel with graphite
on paper
9" x 9"


This view is from a bridge in Wilmington, Illinois looking out toward the distant Kankee River. The longer we stayed, the more fog rolled in so this was pretty early in the day. The distant ice jam was working its way south towards the highway bridge. That particular bridge has so many large pylons, that I wondered if the town experienced more ice problems after it was built.

Artist Gordon Holloran's work in Millinium Park

Well, winter in Chicago has finally lived up to its name. After about 10 years of wimpy weather, we are having a true winter. It's snowed so much and been so cold that my feet really miss being bare. Today, I went for a long walk about downtown because the great thaw is happening after another big snow fall last night. The fog was dense and both airports have been shut down. I'm kind of a weird weather person as I think this a BEAUTIFUL day. Click here to see a few images.

I also had a chance to visit Millennium Park and see the Ice painting by Canadian artist Gordon Holloran. The refrigerated panels on which the painting sit were so much colder than the air that frost formed on the paintings! They looked like my old freezer when it needed defrosting. I'm sure these paintings will look different in a few days when the temperature drops. It’s a bold idea.

Is anyone else having trouble with spell checker in Blogger? Mine had not been working for a week. This is a major crisis for anyone like me who can't spell thier way out of a paper bag.