My Florida Studio

I have finally gotten my studio up and running. It is much smaller, but I think I can do it. If you have the desire, you can do art anywhere, right? When we were packing up the studio in Ohio, we picked up my drawing table and proceeded to fold it up and it fell apart. LOL! It came apart at almost all of the seams/welds. I immediately began trying to fix it, but then I realized that it was not fixable and that I would have to get rid of it and eventually get a new one. I got one just last week:

My studio is a small Florida room. The light is wonderful, but it is a little much at times, so I taped up the window with an old sheet. We will have to have an air conditioner put in the wall, also. It gets oven-like in no time, plus the humidity is a little much. This morning I sat down at my drawing table and the paper was warped and floppy from the moisture. But, so what!? I am back in business! Yay!

I did my first portrait in about six months (I don’t know exactly how long it has been…) and I promised Mr. K. that it would be him. Here is the initial sketch:

And here is the finished portrait:

This is a photo from a shoot that we had as we were packing up. I didn’t want to leave without getting some shots of this wonderful face. I wish I had spent more time taking photos of all the people I wanted. So many faces, so little time… LOL! (If you recognize him, please let me know. I am so insecure! LOL!)

I have started another sketchbook. I am going to start teaching art classes at my local art supply store and I want to do some sketches for teaching purposes. This first page is “blind” contour drawing. That is when you put your pencil on the paper, look at the object that you are drawing, do not take your eyes from the object, and draw without looking at the paper. Do not lift the pencil from the page until you are done. These drawings are not supposed to be recognizable. They are exercises for your mind and your eye. Artists need to train their eyes to see what is there, not what they think is there. It’s hard! LOL!

This next one is the same objects, but I allowed myself to look at the object, look at the paper, lift my pencil, and erase, but no shading. This is contour drawing.

This next one could be considered a finished drawing, because it is shaded to give the illusion of form/three dimensions.

Anyway, I am glad to be able to say that I am back to making art. As I am typing this, I am looking out at the palm trees swaying in the breeze. The lizards are darting around. The Ibis are pecking around the yard. And the clouds are tempting me to go outside and stretch out on the ground to watch them. I will resist that temptation here in the land of fire ants. LOL!

 “Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.”

– Leonardo da Vinci