Taking an Artistic Inventory

Dyed Silk Organza

Well, I still can't talk about my new direction. But here is a snap shot of my studio table at the moment. I have yards of dyed silk organza I'm ripping into.

Last week, I had a really down day. I have no idea why sometimes, negative thoughts take up so much space in my brain and unreasonably squeeze out all the good stuff. I decided to write down everything I had done professionally since January 1: to take a more objective inventory. This made me feel much better about the state of my career. 

So here they are

1) I've nearly filled up a 200 page sketchbook with new ideas

2) Had 2 big meetings with government agency's (This is the secret stuff)

3)Began new work on above secret project which is very exciting and a joy to work on.

4) Mailed out 15 proposal packages and have already gotten my first rejection. (Evidence that I really am a working artist...how's that for spin)

5) Learned how to use Mail Chimp for a nice professional looking news letter. (It's free)

6) Was asked to participate in painting a rain barrel for a charity event this spring.

7) Got a great letter of recommendation from Chief Tanksley sure to earn me a place of honor in the great art studio in the sky after I pass on.

8) Booked a slot in a grant writing seminar. (Sigh....a necessary evil.)

9) Booked 3 paid speaking engagements and 2 solo shows for this year.

So, not a bad beginning to the year! 

The Reading Table: Water Issues,History and Art

10" x 10"

Mixed media on paper

Imaginary Sewer Cover # 4

I've saved up a book list of titles I've been reading since December. A lot of the fun of starting a new project is all the research that goes into it.  Half the fun is getting lost in the library, flipping through pages of my old sketchbooks and following the odd trial of my thoughts to new imaginary horizons.

The City , Seen as a Garden of Ideas  I really do not know what to call Peter Cook. I would not exactly call him a city planner in the strict sense but his essays and drawings are a very unique twist on how we see and experience city life.

The Lost Panoramas   is the brain child of    CityFiles Press. This book tells the pictorial story of the engineering marvel of the century: the reversal of the Chicago River. These beautiful images, taken by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago document the step by step process of  this accomplishment. I love any books published by CityFiles. they have a lovely aesthetic.

The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters Rose George, an enterprising Brit, goes where no one dares to go....inside the London Sewers and to an un-toileted Indian community. She also discusses the latest innovation in toilets from, of course, Japan. This little baby costs over $4,000 and is fully automated.

David Hockney's Yorkshire Sketchbook Ok so this does not have so much to do with water but was a welcome bit of beauty. The book is the actual size of Hockney's sketchbook and is a faithful representation of his book page by page. Makes me feel a sketchbook kinship.

Lake Michigan Suite

Lake Michigan Suite #1

22" x 30"

Oil Pastel on paper

This is a old drawing but I just had a batch of new drawings scanned properly so I thought I'd re-post this one.  It's been such a long time since I've worked in oil pastels.

Kathryn Clark is an artist  whose work is not only beautiful, but is a form of activism. She uses re-purposed fabric and stitches to tell a visual story about the foreclosures happening all over the country. I find her work deeply moving and inspiring.

Kathryn inspired me to up Flicker account.

Trash Scans: Street Archaeology, Ron Barron

My Sketchbook Valentine

Des Plaines River Trail

After getting tired of thumbing through my 200+ page sketchbooks, I decided at the beginning of 2012, I would number the pages of my sketchbook and create a running index at the beginning of the book. (See last image). What a difference! It's so easy to find my way around the meandering sketches, ideas and lists in my book. 

This month, particularly, I'm falling in love with my sketchbook all over again. Just in time for Valentines' Day. 

Mist, Ice and No Snow on the Des Plaines River Trail

Des Plains River Trail February, ice on the water no snow

Wood pecker in the distance 

10" x 7"

watercolora and ink

What a weird winter it's been! On the Des Plaines Trail, there is no snow at all and little green sprouts shooting up. The trees were even budding a bit. Tomorrow it will snow, however and feel more seasonally normal.

How to craft a meaningful talk

Nancy Duarte give this TED talk that shows exactly how powerful speakers present their dreams with others and inspire them to have their own dreams.

Salt Creek Trail

7" x 10"

Watercolor and ink on paper

Salt Creek 

50 degrees in January 

Wood and Harrison

These artists have a show in  the Frist Center in Nashville, TN this month. They combine art, science and a very dry humor to their work. Enjoy!

Drawing as Signature

Kelsey's Panda

9" x 12"

graphite on paper

Recently Kelsey and I set up our nerdy little drawing stools in the Field Museum for an afternoon of drawing.  It makes me smile to look at these 2 drawings side by side because they say much more about the artists than the animals we represented. Kelsey's refined and sensitive portrait next to my rather brutal scribbling says it all.

My Dingo and Companion

22"x 18"

Graphite on paper

The Blues

20" x 15"

Graphite on paper

PVC#2

Perhaps I've overdone it a bit in the blue department.  I have 14 different blues......and I love them all.

Rhythm

A Certain Price

10" x 10"

Watercolor and collage on paper

More Geometry

4" x 6"

Watercolor and collage on paper

 This week, I've been thinking about how all projects have their own rhythm and timing .I've scheduled art shows  until December 2012 in the Art Gallery in the Police Station. (More on that in a future post)  

I'll be speaking at the 19th Century Charitable Association on the 20th of this month about my police work.

 I've got some ideas for a new project (as I have been hinting about for awhile). Various permissions are moving along. The beginnings of all projects have a certain excitement and anticipation.  This week, I've been enjoying experimenting with materials and shape.