Saturday, March 28, 2009

Illustration Friday

There is a great website called Illustration Friday in which many artists jointly commit to doing one illustration per week on a chosen word. These are my attempts:


"Talisman"
10 x 10 inches
Ink and conte on paper
2009



"Poise"
10 x 10 inches
Ink and conte on paper
2009


"Addition and Subtraction"
10 x 10 inches
Ink and conte on paper
2009


"Legendary Return"
10 x 10 inches
Ink and conte on paper
2009


"Intricate Unwinding"
10 x 10 inches
Ink and conte on paper
2009


"A Gust of Laughter"
20 x 10 inches
Ink and conte on paper
2009


"Instinct"
10 x 10 inches
Ink and conte on paper
2009


"Celebrate"
10 x 10 inches
Ink and conte on paper
2009

Friday, January 09, 2009

Where Do We Go From Here?


"Where Do We Begin?"
Acrylic and crayon on watercolour paper
10 x 13 inches
2008

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Words and Meaning


"Maybe"
Crayon, Acrylic paint and ink on velum over stamped paper
9 x 12 inches
2008


"Yes?"
Crayon, Acrylic paint and ink on velum over stamped paper
9 x 12 inches
2008


"Yes and No"
Crayon, Acrylic paint and ink on velum over stamped paper
9 x 12 inches
2008

Monday, April 07, 2008

Ordinary People, Every Day

Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.
--Martin Luther King.


Once one assumes an attitude of intolerance, there is no knowing where it will take one. Intolerance, someone has said, is violence to the intellect and hatred is violence to the heart.
--Mohandas Gandhi

There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their rights are respected, that their welfare is protected, that their lives are free from fear and want and that they grow up in peace.
-- Kofi Annan


Let all people be healthy.
--Ethan James (my son, at 3 years old)



According to Tolerance.Org:

SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA...

Every hour

someone commits a hate crime.

Every day
at least eight black people, three white people, three gay people, three Jewish people and one Latino person become hate crime victims.
Every week
a cross is burned.


All pieces are done in ink and acrylic on the pages of an old Social Psychology book.
Each individual has a key.
The sizes are approximately 7 x 10 inches.
Completed in 2008.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Recycled

This series focuses on using recycled materials. Many of the pieces intend to be playful and are collaborations with my son. The junk that is incorporated into these works is found on walks around our community and from a collection of items from around the home. The hand-made paper has been made from our mail and used wrapping paper.

Drill
Mixed media on matboard
14 x 19 inches
2008

Glossy, Flowing Downstream
14 x 14 inches
Mixed media on matboard
2008


View from a Window
Mixed media on cardboard
14 x 14 inches
2008


Daisy
Mixed media on masonite
22 x 22 inches
2008


Tree House
Mixed media on matboard
14 x 14 inches
2008



Layers
Mixed media on matboard
14 x 14 inches
2008

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Ordinary People II

This series builds on an earlier body of work, reflecting on Human Nature.

Too Much Noise
Acrylic and Crayon on Paper
10 x 10 inches
2007


Jump
Acrylic and Crayon on Paper
10 x 10 inches
2007


Unlikely Friends
Acrylic and Crayon on Paper
10 x 10 inches
2007


The Butcher
Acrylic and Crayon on Paper
10 x 10 inches
2007


The Baker
Acrylic and Crayon on Paper
10 x 10 inches
2007


The Candle Stick Maker
Acrylic and Crayon on Paper
10 x 10 inches
2007


And, All of Them Gone to Sea
Acrylic and Crayon on paper
10 x 20 inches
2007


Albert was Ordinary Too
Acrylic, crayon and stamped letters on paper
12 x 12 inches
2007



First Bloom
Acrylic, iron oxide and crayon on paper
12 x 12 inches
2007


Reaching Across the Water, to the Unknown
Acrylic and crayon on paper
12 x12 inches
2007


Standing in the Dry Grass, Waiting for Answers
Acrylic, ink and crayon on paper
12 x 12 inches
2007


Reaching for the Sun
Acrylic and crayon on paper
12 x 12 inches
2007


Reaching for the Moon
Acrylic and crayon on paper
12 x 12 inches
2007



Balance
Oil, ink and oil pastel on linen
20 x 20 inches
2007


Rule
Oil and oil pastel on linen
20 x 20 inches
2007


Holding up the Sky
Oil, ink and oil pastel on linen
20 x 20 inches
2007


Snail
Oil, ink and oil pastel on linen
20 x 20 inches
2007

Friday, February 16, 2007

Short Stories

Almost every work of mine is a story that unfolds before my eyes.

Seedling, Growing in the Sun
Acrylic on carved wood
14 x 16 inches
2007



Standing in the Valley, Reaching for the Stars
Acrylic, iron oxide, water soluble crayon on paper
14 x 17 inches
2007



Then She Walked to the Moon
Acrylic, water soluble crayon on paper
14 x 14 inches
2007


Waterhole
Acrylic, water soluble crayon on paper
14 x 14 inches
2007


Handing out the Seeds of Change
Acrylic, water soluble crayon on paper
14 x 14 inches
2007


Reaching for the Moon on a Windy Night
Acrylic, water soluble crayon on paper
14 x 14 inches
2007


Listening Through the Noise
Acrylic, water soluble crayon on paper
14 x 14 inches
2007


Hiding
Acrylic, water soluble crayon on paper
14 x 14 inches
2007

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Reflections

Reflections on Nature and Human Nature as inspired by conversations with friends, interactions with family, explorations in Nature, and current events.

Seedling, Hiding in the Vines
Acrylic paint and crayon on watercolour paper
18 x 24 inches
2006



Exchanging Words
Acrylic, crayon and pencil on watercolour paper
10 x 10 inches
2006


The Last Rains
Acrylic paint, oil pastel and crayon on watercolour paper
18 x 24 inches
2006


Change
Acrylic paint, leaves, iron oxide and crayon on watercolour paper
18 x 24 inches
2006


Flowing as Water
Acrylic paint and crayon on watercolour paper
18 x 24 inches
2006


Catching Wind
Acrylic paint and crayon on watercolour paper
18 x 24 inches
2006


Spinning
Acrylic paint and crayon on watercolour paper
15 x 20 inches
2006


"I am going to venture that the man who sat on the ground in his tee pee meditating on life and it's meaning, excepting the kinship of all creatures and acknowledging unity with the universe of things, was infusing into his being the true essence of civilization." --Chief Standing Bear of the Ponca Indians

Falling
Acrylic paint and crayon on watercolour paper
15 x 20 inches
2006


The Messenger
Acrylic paint, charcoal and crayon on watercolour paper
15 x 20 inches
2006



The Messenger II
Acrylic paint, charcoal and crayon on watercolour paper
15 x 20 inches
2006



Blocked
Acrylic paint and crayon on watercolour paper
15 x 20 inches
2006


Still. Resting.
Acrylic paint and crayon on watercolour paper
15 x 20 inches
2006


Roots
Acrylic paint and crayon on watercolour paper
15 x 20 inches
2006


Me and mama, Sleeping
Acrylic paint and crayon on watercolour paper
15 x 20 inches
2006
(For Maighread)


Breathless
Acrylic paint and crayon on watercolour paper
15 x 20 inches
2006


Listening to History (as told by Howard Zinn)
Acrylic paint and crayon on watercolour paper
15 x 20 inches
2006

On Nature

This series represents an attempt to understand our place in Nature and our past and present impact on it's ever changing state.

Men Listening for Buffalo
Oil on canvas
36 x 36 inches
2005


Woman Walking
Oil on canvas
36 x 36 inches
2005


Woman Juggling
Oil on canvas
36 x 36 inches
2005


Woman as Tree
Oil on canvas
36 x 36 inches
2005


We are Here
Oil on Canvas
24 x 24 inches
2005


Woman Hiding
Acrylic and crayon on saw blade
10 x 10 inches
2006


Waiting
Acrylic and crayon on saw blade
10 x 10 inches
2006



Man with Flower
Oil on canvas
18 x 18 inches
2005


Man with Flowers
Oil on canvas
18 x 18 inches
2005


Man with Flower
Oil on canvas
18 x 18 inches
2005


Man as Flower
Oil on canvas
18 x 18 inches
2005

Some preliminary drawings that inspired this series are below. All are ink and water colour pencil crayon on buff coloured paper. None is larger than 11 X 14 inches. The year was 2005.

Man Feeling

Boy Listening


Woman Hiding


Woman Tied

Woman as Tree

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Ordinary People

This body of work came out of a daily practice of drawing people with no preconceived ideas or expectations. I did about 100 of these drawings--nearly one per day for a few months. It was fun to watch these people emerge each day individually and then collectively. Most times they were born out of simple meditations on my day. Some times they were conceived from the personalities of people around me.



Man with Fish
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2005



Man with Crow
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2004



Man with Candle
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2004



Woman with Mask
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2003




Woman Spying
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2004



Boy with Flower
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2003




Man as Bird
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2004



Woman as Bird
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2004



Man as Bush
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2004



Woman as Tree
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2004




Girl with Drum
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2005



Man with Dragonfly
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2004



Girl with Turtle
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2004



Girl with Frog
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2004



Man with Butterfly
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2004



Men with Flowers
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2003



Woman with Bird
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2003



Boy Jumping
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2003



Girl Dancing
10 x 10
Acrylic paint and crayon on paper
2003