It Hasn't Happened Yet.

"Safe By Mom's Side" ACEO can be bid on here.

If you'll indulge me today dear reader I'd like to take some time out to rant. I know what you're thinking: "Really Rita? You have something to complain about?" I know it's a shock, but try not to be too flabbergasted.
My source of discontent comes from the ever enjoyable task of shopping, more specifically clothes shopping. Now, any woman can tell you that shopping for clothing can be fun (with the exception of bathing suit shopping) and when done in groups of three or more females can take at least one day. It's an endurance event that should be given Olympic status. That said, there are times when shopping can go horribly awry.

My case in point came when I went shopping by myself for a pair of jeans. I went from store to store with no avail. What kind of topsy turvy world are we living in where shopping for denim has become some sort of search and rescue mission?
My problem is this, I'm considered tall for a female, 5' 8.5" to be exact, so pants must be of a certain inseam length so my ankles don't catch a draft. What I found out when I went looking for said pair of pants is that unbeknownst to me I'm living in an area of short people. Pants only come in one length here: short. I must admit that I found this out when we first moved here and I went shopping for pants and ran into the same problem. I guess I was just hoping more tall people would move to the area and drive up the demand for longer pants. I hasn't happened yet.
Females in particular seem to suffer with this situation more than men. Men, after all, are generally tall and for those that are exceptionally tall there are stores such as "Big & Tall". Now let's face it, no woman wants to walk around with a shopping bag with the name "Big & Tall" on it. Something more flattering like "Voluptuous & Tall" would work better, or even better "Voluptuous & Statuesque"...yes, that would do just fine. Guess what? It hasn't happened yet.

At the end of the day I remedied my problem by buying a pair of jeans that were a size larger so they sit lower on my hips ('below the waist' turned into 'middle of the hip') and also cover my ankles. Basically I look like some sort of 90's B-Boy reject that got lost in the country. What can I do? I live on a farm and the animals don't care what I wear unless I'm dressed up as a carrot...and thankfully that hasn't happened yet either.

On a VanGogh project related note I just wanted to let you know that I may not post my final work until Thursday. My wisdom tooth has decided to keep growing and in a direction that is causing me some concern. I'm caving and going to the dentist late on Wednesday to have them flash gamma rays at the side of my face to determine whether or not it needs to come out. Hopefully it doesn't but I'm bracing myself for it nonetheless. On that note, I'll sign off because I'd like to go wash my pants about 20 times in the hope that they shrink a bit and fit me properly. Toodles!

An Efficient Side-Effect

"Into the Wind" ACEO can be bid on here.

So it's Friday and as promised I will be posting an updated list of the VanGogh project participants. Before we get to that in keeping with the light mood of a Friday afternoon I thought I'd share with you some interesting news tidbits from across the globe (don't worry, this time it doesn't involve an artist consuming their own fat.)
My first piece of news comes from China where a food eating contest was held, I'm not sure if it was Guinness World Record related, and the winning participant consumed a whopping 20 lbs. of food in under an hour! Now I don't know about you, dear reader, but I feel pretty full after a baked potato and 8 oz. steak, never mind eating 20 lbs. worth of various food items. I also imagine that as you're reading this you're picturing the winning participant as some earth shatteringly huge mass of flesh. Alas, they are not. Turns out the winner was a 21 year old 5' 4" female weighing in at 95 lbs. Basically what that boils down to is that as a result of her triumphant victory that poor girl will be spending a good long while in the bathroom.

My other piece of news comes from the lovely country of Australia where it seems that a pharmaceutical company either needs to conduct further studies on their medication or simply revise their "Side effects may include..." warning. The drug in question is a sleeping pill that has been in distribution for the past 7 years or so. However, as of late the company has been receiving numerous reports regarding certain side-effects that folks have been experiencing. Some of the reports included one woman complaining that she gained 51 lbs over a 7 month period because while she was sleeping apparently she was binge eating. Another person complained (and legitimately so) that they actually drove their vehicle and got pulled over by the police. Another person complained that they woke up to find their house had been re-painted.
Now I don't know that I'd be complaining about that last one because, really, how many people are that efficient when sleep-walking? I wonder if Britney Spears has been using this medication, that would explain the coif she's sporting as of late.

At any rate I'm now going to post the participants for the VanGogh project. Again, if you're participating and want to be added to the list just let me know and you'll be added. It's really that easy.

Wendy Prior
Katherine Tyrell
Maggie Stiefvater
Nicole Caulfield
Gayle Mason
Casey Klahn
Robyn
Lisa Bachman
Rose Welty

So that's it for Friday, dear reader. Stay tuned for my next post!

Advancing to Solids..oh, and VanGogh

"Bill, the Hay Mauler" ACEO can be bid on here.

Welcome back, dear reader. So there's many an update today as it seems that my Wisdom tooth thwarted me yesterday. Fortunately, it also gave me time to think and expand on my VanGogh plan of action. On the plus side you'll be happy to know that after 2 1/2 days of eating soup and oatmeal I moved onto solids tonight, a quiche! Okay, so semi-solid...but not completely liquid and that's what really matters because it means that the growth spurt is coming to an end!

So you're looking for sketches. You're looking for this landscape that will ultimately be transformed with a VanGogh-esque flavour. Well, keep looking. In my widsom tooth pain induced revelation I decided to save the sketches, WIP and final work for next Wednesday, the final day of February and the VanGogh project. I've decided on the landscape and I've done the sketching (much to my protesting) and on Friday or Saturday I will start the "official" project. Why so late? Well, as has been pointed out VG was not exactly one for dragging things out. As a matter of fact, in his last year of life on this ball of dirt and water we call Earth, he produced approximately 1 painting per day. Not some teeny-weeny little painting either, it was usually a larger canvas just plastered with paint (he wasn't stingy with supplies either). On that note I've decided to also attempt to do this work in a shorter amount of time than I'd normally allow myself...aaaand to keep it even more interesting I haven't even decided what medium I'm going to use! What can I say? I like living on the edge...kinda.

So for our VanGogh infusion of the day I've decided to concentrate on not his landscapes or still lifes, but rather specifically his self-portraits:
It's said that in his 37 some-odd years he produced 40 self-portraits (again, that we know of). His reason for doing this is that in order to produce some sort of an income he figured that doing portraits of people would be a good way to make some $$'s while working on those things that inspired him. What better way to demonstrate an artist's ability to render likeness than to do a self-portrait? I mean, let's face it, if you bugger that up no one's going to pay you to do an exact likeness of their Aunt Fanny, right? So below you'll find a few of VG's self-portraits (in chronological order):


The first being a work done from his very early days when he was still working very closely with a Dutch palette, dark, dark and more dark. He was also going for the (somewhat) dignified appearance that a portrait should depict of its subject. Not really realism but rather realism embellished. It's the same way that models get their pictures airbrushed before it's published to a magazine. You know, to hide those nasty liposuction surgery scars and all...
The second was done as 'VanGogh, the Artist'. This wasn't meant to be glamourous by any stretch of the imagination and was rather done seemingly as an indulgence on VanGogh's part. 'Look, I'm an artist. I paint and I paint well.' That's what this self-portrait seems to say. 'I can paint you too in a real life setting, for the right price.' That's the other thing this piece says to me. What's worth noting about this one is that it's a very distinct departure from the earlier piece and this one is very much identifiable as VanGogh. The short brushstrokes, the use if colour and, well... the artist.
The last one was done during VG's 'Japanese' period when Japanese art was all the rage in Paris. He had become entranced with the flat perspective and shapes as well as bright, solid colour of the Japanese art. It would seem that he was quite taken with Japan and it's culture as a whole. After he had painted this self-portrait he told his brother, Theo, that he wanted to have the appearance of the Japanese by portraying himself as bald, in a robe and having his eyes slanted ever so slightly.
The last one I'm posting is the last self-portrait (...again, that we know of) of VanGogh before he did himself in:

This one is very VG. The swirly background, the mis-shapen jacket, the contrast of colour, etc. It's estimated that this piece was done early-mid 1890, which would be very close to his demise. What I think is worth noting about this final self-portrait is that in the previous portraits while he doesn't always look 'happy' per se, there is some sign of life, warmth and enjoyment. This piece is cold and (pardon my philisophical ramblings) completely devoid of happiness. He looks fed up.

I'll leave it at that for VanGogh, something to chew on.

On a related note I'll be updating the list of participants on this project so if you're on this wacky ride and want to have others join in on your explorations just drop me a line with your name and blog address and I'll add you to the list!

Ouch

Welcome back, dear reader. Today's post will be short, unfortunately. I know you're heart-broken but try to pick yourself up and move on with life.
You see, I have this wisdom tooth that, in it's infinite wisdom, chooses to grow for about 1 week at a time and then stop for about 2 months which is just long enough for me to forget how much it hurt the last time it had a mini growth spurt. It would seem that the 2 month resting period is over and it's returned to a growth stage again, thereby causing me to resort to consuming primarily liquids and mushy food for the next week. It's also made any focus I had go right out the window.

So, I won't be discussing anything today (my soup is almost ready) and instead I'll post my VanGogh-ish horse that I finished up over the week-end:

"Peat"- 8x10, coloured pencil on Colourfix

I'm quite pleased with myself over this one because in terms of colour usage I stepped waaaay out of my comfort zone and y'know what? I didn't turn into a pumkin, my head didn't explode and my pencils didn't self-destruct. All in all I'd say it was a positive and fruitful experience.
I'm still sketching some landscapes and I think I've come across one that will fit the bill quite nicely. If I'm not in too much agony tomorrow I'll post some of the sketches and my ideas but if not I will definitely be back on Wednesday with my VanGogh plan of action.

Will someone please pass me the Tylenol to garnish my soup with?

Gnomes, Vincent and Colours

"Sushi's Look of Love" ACEO can be bid on here.

Indeed, the title contains all the info you need to know to find out what today's post is about. First, because it's brief, as promised I'm providing you with a picture of the "main" gnome tree. Lots of people name their businesses (like their studio/ gallery :D) after quirky geographical features, it's just that the feature I've chosen is a bit stranger than others. So without further ado here it is:


I should note that this picture was taken at an angle and there are actually two other gnomes, a Mama gnome and baby gnome, hiding behind branches. They were painted by my "adopted Mom" years ago and have lived in the tree ever since. I've been collecting rocks from the old stone fences on the property and I plan on expanding the little gnome family this Spring. Aren't you glad you know all of this?

Now, as for the second topic, VanGogh. I haven't actually been doing any of my own research but rather have been reading up on what other people have discovered and what they've been working on. If you too were wondering what other artists have been up with this project I highly recommend checking out the following links to other artist's blogs (and if nothing else just to see some more good artwork!):

Making a Mark
Greywaren Art
Wendy Prior
Nicole Caulfield
Gayle Mason
Casey Klahn
Have Dogs Will Travel

If you're involved in this project and have been to shy to let anyone else know here's your chance to let the cat out of the bag, so to speak. Drop me a line either via email or leave a comment and let me know what your blog address is and I'll add you to the list.

Now, for our final installment, colour. This is related to VanGogh, of course! Remember that horse WIP in posted a few days ago? Well, as it happens it's on the cusp of being done and I'm quite pleased with the (almost) outcome. I didn't do as much complimentary colour combining (try saying that 5 times fast) as I would've thought but all in all I think where I have done it, it works. I expect to finish it up tonight or tomorrow (fridays are cleaning day, ick) and I'll post it on Monday or tomorrow if I'm feeling really cheeky.
I'll chalk this one up as the first work for this project although it was rather unintentional since I didn't have the intentions of doing a horse for the subject matter. I'm still bent on doing a landscape and I've narrowed it down to a few that I have ref pics of. That said, I want to do more sketching to try and force myself to not be so slavish to the reference pic. Improvisation can be a good thing, especially when it comes to art!

Now, where is my lime green vaccuum...

What can a cheapy HB do?

I wasn't fibbing or lying, I really so have sketches. Granted they were quick sketches but VanGogh-ish nontheless. In actuality I'm missing one because, well, I'm not really sure what happened. I thought I had downloaded it off my camera but apparently I was mistaken and now it floats somewhere in computer oblivion.


The first is after VanGogh's drawing 'Peasant with Sickle, Seen from Behind'. A quick sketch, about 45 mins, with my trusty cheapy HB and a pricey Derwent 5B. As far as the VG work goes it was another attempt to understand his "view of things" and why oh why he chose to do a lot of peasant sketches without including the faces. His preference? Afraid of doing faces? Had to get started on something else? Who knows...
Anyway, the second, from a photo I took last fall (the same time as the barn, the other half did a lot of driving that day). About half-way through the sketch I decided to abandon the pic and go from memory. After just completing a few very soft and detailed graphite commissions I was itching to just go willy-nilly with my pencils and, as such, this sketch was the victim. Nonetheless I'm happy with it because it feels genuine to me (I know, I know, ditch the touchy feely crap...). It was done with only my HB and I really should've employed another B pencil but alas, when time is of the essence you work with what you have available.
So that's where I stand with VanGogh. The horse is coming along nicely and I suspect that, barring any cataclysmic events, it should be done by the end of the week.

In my haste and excitement yesterday I forgot to mention my gallery/ studio news...that's really how excited I was about the horse and the colour. So the unnamed gallery has finally been named the "Gnome Tree Studio". For all of you who have just now laughed or looked at your computer screen like the Lucky Charms Leprechaun popped up on it let me explain...
When the other half and I moved here we didn't know what to expect. There was a lot of uncertainty about what we were undertaking and the folks we bought the place from were above and beyond nice (they're my "adopted parents", their choice, which I'm sure they're regretting now :D). Before moving here we came up for a visit to get to know the place and all the quirks that come with living on a farm. As you may have noticed in the blurb on the right we live on 200 acres and that's a lot of land to either cultivate or turn into your own private playground...it was decided many years before we moved here that the private playground option was best. Within this playground are many little "places"...the 'Last Ambush', 'The Bar' (with the Hooter and the Cowboy), the 'Highland Road', the 'Lost Meadow', 'Sort of North' and 'Sort of East' and...'The Gnome Tree'. This place has been a release of creativity in every sense of the word and I cannot express my gratitude enough for the people that have supported my "return to what I never should have left".
I'll show you, dear reader, a picture of the main Gnome Tree (there's more than one, scared yet?) tomorrow or friday to confirm the existence of said tree. Right now I have to go design a sign for the new, finally, named gallery/studio. If you happen to be in the area please stop by and have a gander at my art and, if the weather is co-operative and you're feeling up to it we can venture out to this habitat of the Gnomes and inspiration for art. Hey, at least I didn't name my gallery "The Dragon's Nest"...toodles!

They're coming...really.

"Sushi's Inquisition" ACEO can be bid on here.

Hello dear reader (I ran out of foreign/ inventive greetings, please suggest some if you know of any).
So I know you were expecting VanGogh-esque sketches...and I have them. But I got creative today when I started another work and I feel that VanGogh is starting to pry into my brain and into my works...at least for this month anyway. As a result I'm going to share this WIP with you and tomorrow I'll have the sketches, I promise. I just had to share this with you and the explanation...

Okay, so I know what you're thinking: "Holy technicolour, Donny Osmond!" (Yes, I saw him and the infamous coat in "Joseph..." and he is cute, in a Brad Pitt/ chipmunk sort of way). Below are some of the close-ups of this work, the nose and the shoulder area:


Gosh darnit, I wanted to avoid doing a horse!! Now I'd like to make note of one of the things I hoped to accomplish in this project which is that I wanted to be bolder with my colour. For myself, not many people are privy to watching me start on a project or watch me work in general, I know through and through that the above was a huge jump for me and I'm just tickled about it!
This piece wasn't meant to be part of "the Project" but it may, by default, be included just for the heck of it. I was keeping VanGogh in mind as I was working on this and his penchant for colour as well as his short, thick brushstrokes. In this case it's cp (coloured pencil) strokes but you get the idea, I'm sure. I was also trying to remember that he liked placing complementary colours next to each other to create depth in his work. I haven't really adhered to that in this piece with the exception of the forelock where I've placed black cherry next to a combination of cream, sand and some other yellow colour that I've forgotten now. Again, this wasn't outwardly intentional, but happened as a result of just thinking about wacky, ear-lobbing , paint eating, old VG as I was working on the piece. As I work more on this piece (and if I'm feeling brave) I may push this whole complimetary colour exploration further.

As a side note to my thoughts on VanGogh and his person I should note that technically most of his works are horrible. Despite having a good grasp on perspective, form, value and all sorts of good (but boring) artistic stuff he time and time again disregarded them. What I'm sure is obvious to many artists, and what warrants being mentioned here yet again, is that VanGogh (IMHO) wasn't about executing a technically excellent piece but rather about conveying an emotion through his work. While this could be expressed with a dynamic perspective and dramatic lighting he opted to convey it through colour and shapes. I won't go into elaborate detail here ( that's what tomorrow's post can be for, natch ;) ) but it's worth contemplation at the very least.
Tomorrow..those sketches are coming!

I didn't forget...

Hello dear reader. It would seem that blogger and I aren't seeing eye to eye today and, unfortunately, I can't post those sketches I know you're just dying to see. So today's post is brief and just to let you know that I haven't forgotten (lest you think I've fallen off the planet...you should be so lucky!) and tomorrow hopefully I'll be able to show you those sketches and share more interesting and exciting news (also gallery/ studio related).
Until tomorrow!

What I Found On My Pant Leg

Hello dear reader. So I'm going to try and make this post as brief as possible. Why? Because this is the day that I should've stayed in bed.
The day began when the rug in my living room caught fire. Well, not full blown blazing inferno, per se, but it was smoking. It would seem a renegade ember from the fireplace escaped when I wasn't looking and placed itself on the closest flammable thing it could find. I wouldn't have known it was there either except for the most hideous odour that comes from a smouldering oriental carpet. "Ick" I think was the word I was looking for but it wasn't the word I said. The day has continued to unfold with the cat knocking a handmade vase off the dining room hutch that was given to the other half and I from my Grandmother and later in the day I found an odd concoction of dog slobber and horse poop on my pant leg. And here I thought I was going to be able to avoid disgusting stories...

Anyway, on to more interesting things, namely VanGogh. If you'll recall I set Friday as the deadline for deciding what I'm going to do for this project. Friday has come and gone, hasn't it? It was late last night that I decided to do a landscape. If I have time I may do a portrait but I suspect that if I have free time I may just churn out another landscape. Big skies and open spaces are calling.
I don't have any new art to show today, I have a whole slew of sketches I'll be posting on Monday, and instead I'd like to share a coupke of VanGogh landscapes that I find most interesting to look at. This may give you an idea of where I'm going with my ideas.
It's fair to say that VanGogh's landscapes are engaging, colourful and just downright interesting to look at. Part of the reason I like his pieces is because of the linework and perspective that he employs. Although I've never really focused of perspective in my works (that is to say I've never been really conscious of it when I'm working) I do enjoy using linework to create movement and flow within my work when it calls for it.
I certainly don't use it with the same drama that VanGogh does but maybe this project will encourage me to be a bit bolder. I'm also hoping that this project will push me into being more aware of perspective.
I enjoy all of his landscapes but one of my most favorite VanGogh landscapes is "Edge of a Wheatfield With Poppies and a Lark", found below:

Can't you just picture yourself standing there? VanGogh did this one in 1887 when he was working on changing his palette and practicing Impressionist techniques. I won't go into analysis or any of that stuff because I believe that viewers can pull their own feelings out of this piece and besides which, it's just nice to look at a work of art and enjoy it. It's pieces like this that I like to attach the word "escapism" to...
One of my other favorites is "Red Vineyard" which is the only painting that VanGogh sold in his lifetime.

So the sketches I'll be posting will be landscapes and hoepfully one of them will set something off in me that will compell me to break out the bold colours and have at it. Anxious to find out more? Me too!

We're told it's healthier...

"The Focus" ACEO can be bid on here.

Well, it's Friday dear reader. Oddly enough, it doesn't feel like a Friday though...more like a Wednesday. Don't you think? I won't comment on Survivor from last night other than to say that I can already see the potential for some type of violence to erupt between players this season. That, in and of itself, should make it worth watching.

So yesterday I cast Vincent aside and instead regailed you with a story. Today I will once again be VanGogh free and instead will share with you some more odd news that is art related ("odd" and "art" in the same sentence, who would've thunk it?)
So I was again listening to the local radio morning show as I was working on my art and they, on occassion, like to share various news stories from around the world humerous or otherwise. This particular story was the kind of thing that perpetuates the notion that artists are not just a breed apart but the kind of breed apart that you avoid making direct eye contact with.
It seems that there is an artist in South America (I can't remember where exactly) who has had it with the plastic surgery industry and the perpetuation of the "skinner is better" attitude. To make a statement against this industry with his art he decided to do the following:
*be warned at this point that if you have an overly vivid imagination and a weak stomach you should probably leave...now*

He made meatballs. Not just regular meatballs but meatballs made of untrimmed ground beef...just laden with fat. Yum, right? Well, he decide to fry those meatballs...in human fat, his human fat that had been liposuctioned from him. He also ate one of those meatballs and made a point of saying that they were quite tasty and, thanks to a nutritional evaluation, found out they were lower in fat than meatballs found in restaurants and grocery stores. He has also stated that it's not considered cannibalism if you're consuming art. This artist has been so kind as to package up these meatballs in 10's and will be made available for purchase for a penny-pinching $40,000 a package. Well, hey, if it cuts down on my cholesterol...

On that note I'm going to sign off so that you can either go scratch your head over that one or throw up, your choice. I'll be back tomorrow, disgusting news stories aside, and will return to my VanGogh explorations. I'm going to go eat a carrot, enjoy your Friday!

You May Be Right

"Passing the Light" ACEO can be bid on here.

Aloha dear reader. I'm going to lay off Vincent for today, I've been saving up ridiculous information and stories for the past week now and I can't contain myself any longer. Besides which, there's still the entire month of February to wax poetic on dead artists...oh, and the new edition of Survivor starts tonight, I can't wait!!

So today I had to go out and pick up some more things for my gallery/ studio space (which is almost done and is that much closer to being named). I had to make a trip over to Sears and as I strolled through the store it struck me...I live in a town/ city that has a large elderly population. I like elderly people, they're crammed full of wisdom and stories and make me feel useful when they can't figure out how to work the instant digital photo development machine in Wal-Mart and have to ask me to help them. Gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling.
That said, I'm occassionally baffled my them as well. True, there are those that are exceptionally aged and are confusing because they aren't, well, coherent anymore. Unfortunate yes, but one of those things that happens to some of us as we age. That's an obvious sort of reason to become confused. Today though, was another sort of eldery induced confusion.

I was looking at some clothing in the men's section thinking that my other half, who works incredibly hard and has some work clothing that is well beyond repair, may need some new work clothes or just some nice new clothes in general. As I was perusing the hoodie selection I glanced over and saw two women who looked to be in their late sixties to early seventies who were also looking at clothing, presumably for their husbands. They made their way over to one display that had golf shirts on it and the one woman started giggling and pulled her friend over to show her the thing that tickled her funny bone. I tried to see what it was but couldn't. I do love a good funny shirt so I waited until they left and walked over to see what had been so amusing. I looked. Nothing. At the risk of looking like a complete wacko I circled the display to see if there was something else that I was missing here. A funny sign? Had the funny shirt fallen on the floor? Was it actually a funny pair of shorts? Nope.
Keep in mind that while I was doing this the Billy Joel song "You May Be Right" was playing over the speakers, you know, the one that has the lyrics "You may be right, I may be crazy/ Oh! But it just may be a lunatic you're looking for." Isn't it funny how the world unfolds just oh so appropriately? Here I was searching for some inanimate/ intangible/ nonexistent(?) object of hilarity and I had my own theme music playing.

Like I said, I like eldery people but on occassion find them confusing. I didn't find anything that struck me as funny and I know that this will bother me for the remainder of the day, at least until I find something else to distract myself with. Maybe they were laughing because the golf shirts were orange? Yes, that must be it...

Time for planning

"Simply Trixie" ACEO can be bid on here.

Hello dear reader. I had meant to do a post yesterday but it would seem that I ran out of wood again and had to re-load and go grocery shopping and finish up a commission and clean out water troughs and...well, you get the idea. I was busy.
Did that stop me from finding out more about VanGogh? Nope. Did that stop me from doing more sketches? Nope. I was being productive in my absence...really. Stop looking at me like that.

More about Vincent...
There's a common misconception that he was an impulsive artist and just slapped paint on canvas like it was going out of style. That ideas just popped into his head and away he went with no thought for planning or studying. Hate to burst the bubble but those ideas are quite far from the truth. VanGogh was actually a meticulous planner and his thousands of (surviving) study drawings and sketches attest to this. A study for one piece, entitled 'Fishing Boats on the Beach' was a detailed drawing of several fishing boats and in looking closely one can see that each boat has been carefully labelled with the correct colours so that when he went back to paint this scene he could recall which colours went where. There were some instances when he was a bit more impulsive and didn't pre-plan quite so much but detailed drawing and taking notes was largely part of his process. He was very loyal to mainting his drawing skills and realized their importance in becoming a good artist. That said, it has been noted that when it came to painting, unlike many painters, he didn't believe in drawing on his canvas first and instead opted to put paint to blank canvas, relying on working from his sketches. I suspect this is why he found painting so liberating because he had already worked out the nitty-gritties of a piece within his drawing which in and of itself is a time consuming task.

Now, this isn't to say that VanGogh didn't give off the air of being impulsive or, to put it politely, odd. One fellow he used to paint with in Arles was Lieutenant Millet, an officer who passed his time with painting and who was obviously intrigued by VanGogh.
When asked about VanGogh and his artistic excursions with him Millet had this to say "...a strange fellow, impulsive like someone who has lived a long time in the sun of the desert...Sometimes he put his easel up and began to smear away with paints. And that, well, that was no good. This fellow who had great taste and talent for drawing became abnormal as soon as he touched a brush...he painted too broadly, paid no attention to details, did not draw first...he replaced drawing by colours."**
That, dear reader, is saying a mouthful.

So in this regard I don't fit VanGogh's bill. Very rarely do I sketch out my works and I certainly don't do black and white drawings and then label them with the appropriate colours. I don't create smaller versions of the larger works I plan on doing although I do pre-plan a piece...in my head. It's difficult to explain but that's just how I work.
That said, I do doodle compulsively if I have a pen or pencil in my hand and there's a piece of paper nearby. It's like those people that suffer from twitches, nail biting and the like, I can't help it and I refuse to break the habit.

Keeping VanGogh's pre-planning in mind last night I did up a sketch from a picture I took this past autumn. I've driven past this spot countless times and every time I find myself staring at this little run-down barn/ shed (I suspect it was a carriage house at one point) and I know that I'd like to do a piece with, at the very least, this building in it. One time I almost drove off the road because I was so focused on it...did I mention I'm fun on road-trips? Anyway, in order to avoid filing a rather large insurance claim I decided to snap a picture of it while my other half was driving. It was a drive by shooting, really.
Below are the fruits of said picture and as I was skecthing this one (done with a cheapy HB pencil and clocking in at about 1 hour...I was watching a movie at the time) I could appreciate the actual act of pre-planning on paper. I don't know that this will turn into a habit of mine but I must admit that it was enjoyable.


So I still have yet to decide what I'll do for this project although I'm leaning towards a landscape. Will it be this one? I dunno. It was interesting in black and white and it might be fun to try and incorporate VanGogh's penchant for colour. Y'know, blue barn, chartreuse grass, red sky...that sort of thing. Can't you just see it now?


** Taken from "Through the Eyes of Vincent VanGogh: Selected Drawings and Paintings by the Great Master"

Ah, the colour of music!

I know what you're thinking, dear reader: "What in the blue Hell is that??" Why, can't you tell? It's a VanGogh? Or rather a very hasty copy of one at a fraction of the size and done with coloured pencil. Okay...so it's not a VanGogh except that it was done after one of his works "Allee des Alycamps". It was another quick (about 30 mins.) study of one of his works and was done with some Verithins (the half-wit cousins of Artist quality Prismacolors). My indigo blue broke when I went to use it and I think it would've lent to the values in this but it just wasn't meant to be.

What have I learned from this and what else can I tell you about VanGogh?
From this study I learned that he loved yellow (and there's a few medical theories regarding that) and he was also into perspective. That is to say that he paid careful attention to it and used it meaningfully. This is apparent in many of his other works as well but I chose to work with this one just to illustrate it. In true form of Impressionism things are rendered as impressions of what is there, which becomes very evident when you see how he's done some of his figures. Some of them look downright contorted to the point that I'm pretty sure not even a performer from Cirque de Soleil could replicate their posture. Illustrated below is one of his sketches done on a letter written to his brother Theo of a peasant worker pulling his own harrow.

Look, just look at the angle of that man's right leg. Go ahead try it. Hurts, doesn't it? No human knee should bend in that manner. However, this was a sketch and in other works VanGogh clearly proves that he is capable of depicting accurate proportion and aware of, how shall we say...human physical function? This seems to be one of those instances when VanGogh was trying to depict the toil of his beloved peasant worker and the strain they endure daily. This sketch also demonstarates VanGogh's keen eye for perspective I mentioned earlier. The man was no slouch when it came to art.

What else can I tell you about him? Well, aside from art and a brief foray into theology he also experimented with music. More specifically with piano lessons.
After coming to live in Paris with his brother Theo and being exposed to all this new artwork VanGogh realized the joys of colour. A vast departure from the dark palette of the Dutch painters whom he had modelled himself and his paintings after. This was a great boon to VanGogh (for a time anyway) and his spirits were lifted by this. In an attempt to broaden his creativity he enthusiastically took up piano lessons and incorporated his newfound love of colour into the lessons...much to the surprise (and perhaps confusion) of his piano instructor. You see, when VanGogh was at the piano, as he played certain sharps or flats he would yell out things like "Cobalt Blue!" or "Crimson!" The idea being that certain colours, like certain notes in a compostion, elicit different emotions. He wasn't afraid to experiment, another trait of a good artist.

So I've yet to decide what exactly I'm going to do for this project. However, I have narrowed it down to either a complete re-make of a landscape picture I did a little over a year ago or a portrait. I know that I need to decide soon and have set a deadline for myself that by Friday I have to pick one or the other. So, dear reader, if you'd like to cast your vote for either please just leave a comment or e-mail me letting me know which subject matter you're interested in. Your assistance with my descent into madness would be greatly appreciated.

Vincent

So you really want to find out more about VanGogh, eh? You want to find out what I have up my artistic sleeve? Me too.
In this post I'll go over what I already know about VanGogh in terms of his art and his personality so you, dear reader, can understand just what I've gotten myself into. Believe me, it's a doozy...

A little background on VanGogh:
- born March 30th, 1853 in the Netherlands
- his father, Theodorus, was a Dutch Reformed Church pastor (can anyone say strict household?) and his mother, Anna Cornelia, was the daughter of a bookbinder
- he had several siblings, his brother Theo and sister Willemina (Wil) being his favorites
- he had an appreciation of nature and an enormous respect for the peasant working class
- he began his career in art early (16 yrs old), going to work at Goupil & Co., a large art dealing company
- he was, by all accounts, unsuccessful in love and dealing with people in general
- knew many of the Impressionists but was particularly buddy-buddy with Gauguin
- he suffered from many physical and mental disorders
- he had a thing for cypress trees and yellow
- he ultimately ended his own life by shooting himself in the chest

Okay, that's the Reader's Digest version but as I go through this month and as I find out more I will elaborate on some of the above and share new information.

It's safe to say that VanGogh was a wacko (let's be honest here folks) but he produced such an enormous body of work, which includes oil paintings, watercolours, drawings and sketches, that to disregard his influence on art would be like believing the world is flat.
If you want to find out more about him or see some of his works check out:

- Van Gogh's letters at webexhibits.org
- the (online) Vincent VanGogh Gallery
- WebMuseum info on VanGogh
- Wikipedia info on VanGogh

To try and understand the creative processes of and individual that at times didn't seem to understand himself is no small task...but I'll try. On that note I'll leave you will some of my doodles that were done after a couple of VanGogh's sketches. These were done fairly quickly (about 30 mins each) and were not meant to be rigid copies but sketches to try and understand how VanGogh "saw" things. The first is "Peasant Woman Stooping and Gleaning" and the other is "Figure on a Road". I told you I'd show you pencil stuff...



Back on Monday with more art and information. Enjoy the week-end!

The Undertaking

"Demented, With a Touch of Red" ACEO can be bid on here.

Happy Groundhog Day dear reader! So I have much news for you today and, yes, even some artwork. Where to begin...

Let's start with the artwork. As promised I'm sharing with you today some of my pencil pieces. Rather, one "finished" piece and the other two are sketches because in my spare time when I'm not drawing I'm doodling.


The first two are David Beckham and Mel Gibson (from the Braveheart cover, not his DUI mugshot...oooh, cheap shot).
Mr. Beckham's pic was taken from a Vanity Fair article and the sketch is a bit older and took about 20 minutes. I didn't bother pushing the values with this one and I do remember that when I was doing it I was more concerned with getting proportions correct rather than be fiddly about shading. There are things that are "off" but it served it's purpose as a sketch.
Mel's sketch was just for fun and I wound up working on values with it. There's only so much you can do with a cheapy HB pencil. I have to admit that I really love doing pencil sketches of people that have wrinkles in their face, especially if you've got some wacky lighting going on. The only thing I lament with this one is that Mel's nose is off. I buggered it up and made it too wide but this was fairly small (1.5x1.5 inches approx) so I didn't want to go back and re-work it. After all, it's a sketch...

The last one is a finished piece, a rose (duh, really Rita?) This is a slightly older piece, from last June I think, but it was such fun to do. Roses are fiddly things to draw but if you get it right there's a bizzare sense of satisfaction that comes from completing such a complicated flower. This one is 5x7 and was #5 in a series of rose studies I did.

So there you have it. Fun with pencils!

So, on to the second portion of our program. I have decided to undertake a project that is a "Monthly Master" of sorts. A group of artists that participate in the WetCanvas! artist forum I frequent (the same way that Norm frequented Cheers) have decided to take on a project that involves studying the habits, techniques and nitty-gritties of Master artists and ultimately within that month complete a finished piece with the essence of that particular artist. For January they studied John Singer Sargent and for the month of February they will be studying Vincent VanGogh.
For those that know me well, they know that I absolutely love VanGogh. I can still remember the giant "Irises" poster I had on my bedroom wall when I was 11 years old. Yes, I'm that much of a geek. What it boils down to is that a project like this was just far to tempting to pass up...

What does this mean? It means that I can try to understand the man behind the severed ear by duplicating one of his works or taking what I learn and adapting it to my own style of working. The idea is to have my work infused with VanGogh-ism which isn't such a bad thing at all.
As a result of this undertaking I'll probably be posting here quite a bit more frequently as I share with you my discoveries, my explorations and what happens when you eat an entire tube of cadmium red oil paint.

So starting tomorrow I will have a post for you about Vincent and what I already know of him and his work. Heck, I may even have some of my own work to show as well...