Month: July 2021

Mallard Drake

I was talking to my neighbor and he was reminiscing about duck hunting. I was inspired to do a drawing of a duck. I decided to use colored pencils, because of the detail, which I thought would be too difficult in pastels. I am not very experienced with serious use of colored pencils. It is a whole different ball game from graphite, charcoal, or pastels. But, I think I did okay.

The perils of duck hunting are great – especially for the duck. — Walter Cronkite

African Violets

I have a new friend in the church, here, and she has promised to give me an african violet plant. I had some beautiful african violets in Ohio, but I got rid of them as we were packing up to move, because I thought that I could easily find more. Well, I have not been able to find ANY! I am rather shocked. The land of sunshine and plants and NO african violets!? I have been asking around and finally my new friend is going to give me one. I just asked for a leaf to start my own, but she is giving me a whole plant. So, I decided to trade violets with her and I found a nifty picture and drew it with pastels. I will frame it and trade with her. She says that she usually kills them, so I hope that she doesn’t kill this one.

What child has ever known the country and has not twined hundreds of fragrant wreaths with the yellow shining cowslip and the more frail and delicate violet – mingling here and there green leaves culled from the odorous eglantine, or, as we more commonly call it, sweetbriar. — Dorothea Dix

How to Make a Portrait — An Essay

This is a humorous, but very serious look at the emotional hills and valleys of being an artist. At least being this artist…

I see a face and am enamored by it.  It is not a glamorous face, but it is remarkably interesting and beautiful to my artist’s eye.  In my mind, I am in my studio working blissfully and oh so easily.  When my body is at last able to be in my actual studio, I stumble around and struggle to get started.  Now, for some reason, I am not as enamored, and the face is not really as beautiful as I thought.  This is work.  Hard work.

I start on the eyes.  If I can just get the eyes, the life, then it will all fall into place.  I push and pull.  I make marks and erase them.  I place the eyes and then realize that they are not in the right place and obliterate all the hard work that I have done thus far.  Come on.  Just get the eyes and it will be alright.

I get the eyes.  I put in the little glint and life begins.  The love returns and flows out of my fingertips.  The work smooths and there is peace and wonder.  Such beauty.

No, the nose is wrong and there is no likeness.  What made me think that I was an artist?!  Why am I doing this?  I cannot do this.  I am so stupid!

Ah, the nose falls into place right where it should be on top of the beautiful mouth.  This is a gift from God, this capturing of the faces of the humanity which was made in His image.  What a magnificent privilege is mine!  Thank you, Lord!

The work continues to flow, smoothly and wonderfully.  It is so easy, why doesn’t everyone do this?  What a beautiful day.  What a beautiful world.  What a beautiful life.

This hair!  Why do people have to have hair?  Maybe I could make the artistic decision to make her bald.  Why does hair have to be so difficult?  How can I claim to be an artist when I cannot even draw hair?  Okay, slow down.  Breathe.  Pray.  “Lord, thank you for your love and patience with me.  Please help me to become an artist.  Help me to relax in you and do my work as unto you.  Help me to glorify you in what I do and say and think.  In Jesus’s name, Amen.”

Okay, I will rest from my labors and come back to it tomorrow.

A new day and the livin’ is easy!  My work does not look as bad as it did yesterday.  I sit and joyfully draw hair.  So nice.  So lovely.  Hair is incredibly beautiful.  Who would want her to be bald?  So good.  So peaceful.  I love being an artist.

The hours pass and the face is done.  I get the likeness and I am giddy with the joy of it.  What wonder!  What awe!  Thank you, Lord.

Then I start contemplating the drapery, the clothing, that she must wear.  What if I ruin the entire thing with this last bit?  Oh, I don’t know if I can do this!  No, I can’t!  It will ruin my beautiful portrait.  I love this portrait!  Drapery is too hard!  Maybe…  No, she needs clothing.  I do not do nudes.  How about just a floating head?  No.  That would not work.  Why did I ever think that I could be an artist?  A real artist would not have these problems.  I am sick to my stomach.  I am going to have to abort this mission.  I am a failure!  I am going to bed.

What a beautiful morning!  I love to wake to the robins singing.  I wonder what is in my studio today.  Oh, that is wonderful!  She needs a body for her head to sit on.  Let’s see what we can do.  This pencil is working so well.  The work is flowing, and her clothing is coming along nicely.  So, a shadow goes there.  A highlight goes here.  Oh, that came together very well.  I love being an artist!  Thank you, Lord!

After many hours of work, I sign it and post it to the world.  Then, after it is out there for all the world to see, I notice that one eye is lighter than the other one!  The smile is lopsided in the wrong way and the composition is off just a smidge, but I will never be able to unsee it.  People are telling me how perfect it is, but I am silently wondering what is wrong with them.  Do they not see how horrible it is?  I wonder about the sanity and the visual ability of the people who think I do good work.  If they look carefully, they will discover that I am no artist.  It is arrogant to think that I am!  Oh, how stupid of me!  I cannot keep up this deception any longer.  I will have to expose myself for the fraud that I am.  But first I will go to bed.  After huddling in my bed, perhaps shedding some tears of humiliation, I sleep.

Oh, what a beautiful morning!  The sun is slanting through those trees and tempting me to paint it onto a poor helpless canvas.  Thank you, Lord, for making me an artist.  How wonderful to be a creator enabled by the Heavenly Creator, the One True Artist!  Oh, what a wonderful day to be alive!

Oh, wow!  Look at that face!  I would love to make a portrait of that person.  I get a photo and happily make my preparations.  Then, I begin the portrait.  No!  Why is this not working?!  What is the matter with me?!  Can I not do this?  Have I lost it?  Oh, woe is me!  I am not really an artist…

My beloved husband heads for the hills.

The countenance is the portrait of the soul, and the eyes mark its intentions. — Marcus Tullius Cicero

The Lovely Pauline

This is my latest commission. This godly lady died about three years ago and I was commissioned to make her portrait as a present for her son, who misses her terribly. My client says that I captured her spirit and it looks just like her. From what he and his wife have told me, I wish that I had known her.

Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
    for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

— Isaiah 12:6 (ESV)

Abstract Photography

Abstract photography? Yes! I love it. About a year or so ago, I saw a youtube video about a photographer in England who did abstract photographs of beautiful landmarks and architecture. It was so exciting. I tried it a few times and enjoyed it, but other things got in the way and I forgot about it. Then, during the photoshoot with Mr. K. I made a few accidental abstract shots and they were very nifty looking. Both of us liked them so much that we did some on purpose. What fun! Then, just today, I was watching another photography video and got excited about it, again. So, I just took some deliberately abstracted photos in my living room. What do you think?

Now, I did not use photo-editing software to make any of the abstraction. I only adjusted the contrast and the saturation. To make these photos, I used motion blur. I adjusted the settings on the camera to get the light I wanted while keeping a slow shutter speed, chose a starting focus point, pushed the button and held the camera for a little bit, then moved it while the shutter was open. Such nifty things can be done that way. So much fun!

My favorite is the basket. It looks like a painting. I sat the camera on a small table, adjusted the settings, pushed the button and jerked the camera a couple of times while the shutter was open. Wow! I love it.

The last photo is actually a shot of Ron getting ready for work. I was standing in the hallway with my camera and zoom lens. I was focusing on his reflection in the mirror. I pushed the button, stood focused on him for a couple of seconds, dropped the camera down, turned around, lifted the camera, and focused out the front window of the living room. The total exposure was eight seconds. I thought it turned out very nicely. Ron heard me and shut the bathroom door and locked it. LOL! One of the hazards of living with a crazy artist…

The first and last shot of Mr. K. were of him moving while the camera was on a tripod. The two middle shots, the camera was handheld and I swung the camera around while the shutter was open.

You ought to try it…

All the planning, intuition, technical prowess, and knowledge, as well as the trust and rapport you have (or haven’t) established, will show up in the picture, frozen forever.

— Gregory Heisler