White elephant

 

 Here are the pointy shoes and hat that Kim ended up with at the Jerus white elephant gift exchange the weekend before Christmas.  Apologies for the crummy photo, but Kim's adorableness makes up for it.

Riding helmet

 

 

Painting a horse

 I've drawn horses before, but I've never drawn *on* a horse.  Here's my daughter painting a horse.  All the kids at the birthday party, about a month ago, took turns.  Quite a canvas. 

House portrait

I logged a bunch of drawing hours the past couple of nights, scrambling to get this finished.  Now I’m very tired, but I’m pretty pleased with how this turned out, and happy to be done.  This is 11 x 15 inches, drawn with several brands of disposable and semi-disposable pens, as well as sumi ink and brush.

Latest house portrait

Such a pretty little house! This is black walnut ink on paper, about 8 x 10 inches.

New things

New things to me, at any rate.

1. The word "concerning." Of course I've heard the word all my life, but over the past year--and I'd swear, never before about a year ago--I've been hearing it used to mean "alarming" or "disturbing" or "unsettling," as in "News of all the burglaries was concerning to me," or "My cholesterol levels are quite concerning." I've always heard, and said, "I'm concerned," or "That concerns me," but I don't remember anyone using "concerning" that way till recently.

2. That "I saw three ships come sailing in" song. I'd swear I never heard that until a year or two ago, four at most. Is it new? It doesn't seem like it would be.
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Wanted overseas

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16081337

The King of Thailand is a giant asshole.  He is a major jerk and a waste of oxygen. The Queen of Thailand is a vampire twit parasite, and also ugly.  I say this.


I guess I better not ever go to Thailand.

Artist statement, finished, for now

 Here's my first completed artist statement.  I've never before actually completed one to my satisfaction, but I needed to turn one in with my submission to the Mazin Annual Art Exhibition at the Jewish Community Center, so I worked this out as best I could.  It's specific to my pen & ink work.

"Of art media, I love oil paint, but a few years ago I became curious about making my own black walnut ink. I was quickly drawn into pen & ink.  Almost without intending to, I developed a sideline of drawing house portraits, and recently began working on a series of Louisville landmarks.

"The whole process of working with ink intrigues me; making ink, experimenting with homemade drawing tools, watching how the ink changes as it dries, and building up drawings with layers of pen marks and brush strokes.  Most especially, I love to look at that borderline between the whole work and its component marks--to be far enough away to see the illusion of the whole image, but close enough to see how the illusion is constructed."

"I am most satisfied with my art when I use it to document my experiences and explore my environment while also seeking nuance and subtlety in my medium.  I primarily see this exploration as intellectual, as opposed to emotional, though it is based in my sense of wonder and appreciation for nature's beauty.  My favorite subjects are landscapes and old architecture, but I prefer to combine both.  Places and things that have been worn or aged by both nature and humans catch my eye, and I always want to learn the history of the area in which I draw or paint.