Drawings

I have been doing a lot of drawing this year. It feels good. I have always loved to draw, even when I wasn't really that good at it. I think I am getting better, but I can see there is always room for improvement. I realized that I have shared a lot of these drawings on Facebook and Instagram, but I don't think I have posted them here yet. So here are a few of the drawings. (Beware of a possible jackrabbit overdose.)

this is a personal favorite

They were all done in this cool sketchbook I bought with a beautiful tan paper that was made from coffee bean bags or something. (unfortunately, the paper doesn't smell like coffee - wouldn't that be cool?) They are pretty small - only 5 x 5 inches or smaller. I am continuing my ongoing exploration of light, form and shadow.

Larger drawings in the works, stay tuned...

In other news, my show of desert animal paintings is still on display at Grateful Desert Herb Shoppe in downtown Joshua Tree. (right next to the Health Food Store.) They are open every day from 9 to 2 pm. (from 8 to 2 on the weekend.)

It is not too late to sign up for the Summer Art Camp that I am part of. There is an early sign up discount - if you sign up for the class before July 28th you save $20. More information is available here:
http://www.carlasonheim.com/2014-summer-art-camp/
The class I am teaching for Art Camp is also about light and shadow. I will be sharing some of the things I have learned about getting the values right when painting in color. There's a lot more to it than just my one class, though, There are 8 different artists teaching! The best part is that the lessons and videos will stay online for one year - so there's plenty of time to do each class. Won't you join us?

I hope everyone is managing to stay cool!

Sketches and studies

It's August in the desert. Yes, hot. And oddly humid. Rain clouds build, sometimes even thunder is heard, but so far, not a drop of rain has been seen. Perhaps one fell and evaporated on the way down.

All of the animals come to drink from the water I put out. I make sure to keep it full. I love to watch who comes for a drink - jackrabbits, cottontails, the little ground squirrels, birds, and, ...AND a BOBCAT!! The bobcat liked it here so much, he/she stayed for the better part of one afternoon. He/she spent most of the time here hunkered down behind a clump of Mormon tea, which means not too many sketching/photo opportunities presented themselves. I did get a few photos, and I have begun to do small studies with ink and brush.

I just want to get a feel for the shapes that make up this creature. I need to study how it moves. Only then will I begin to try to paint it. I still hope to see it once more, but I am thrilled with the visit.

I am still working on the smaller studies in acrylic. They aren't as satisfying to me now, but I think sometimes when life is challenging, the work reflects that. Or maybe I just need to push them further. One must sometimes work through frustration to come out with a painting that satisfies.

"No Postage Necessary." Acrylic, collage, graphite and ink on paper. 12 x 9 inches. ©2012 Karine Swenson

A feather?

One of the challenges I posed myself this year was that I would make a concerted effort to DRAW MORE. In my humble world of art-making, drawing is at the center of everything else. So it makes sense that this would become a bigger part of my art practice, does it not?

Recently, I have grown tired of some of my usual drawing materials, so I decided to draw with the tip of a feather. Yes, i did.

I really love that I have less control over the line, and even less control over how the ink comes off of the feather tip. I think there will be more.

Then, when I was ready for something new, I tried ink and brush, which I have done before, but not for a long time.

A shot of the cool storm cloud from the past weekend.

The desert truly is a place of beauty and wonder.

Library Talk

"Jaime." Charcoal. ©2002 Karine Swenson

Happy Friday, everyone! I finally have my talk at the library uploaded to youtube.com. It was much more complicated than I had imagined it would be. I have to thank Marjorie Franklin for her generous tech support. She is the person who managed to get the video in the correct format. Thanks Marjorie! I also want to thank her husband, Alex Prisadsky, for his skill with the video camera. Here it is! There are four segments, and the whole talk lasts about 53 minutes.

Desert skies

Happy Monday, everyone!  Another week has begun.  The desert has been oddly humid, and while rain does not seem imminent, one always hopes for it in this dry land.  Today has begun with more clouds than usual.  We shall wait and see.  If nothing else, the clouds make for magical sunset skies.

Taken right after the sun disappeared last night.

Most of the weekend was spent with paperwork and business.  I was grateful to be in the studio once more yesterday.  It felt like heaven.  Today will be another studio day, once I finish on the computer.  So you know this will be a short post. 

M is still gone, far away.  He's flying airplanes in countries I have never been, seeing things I will never see.  I feel fortunate to live in a time when I have a computer to talk to him with video (when the internet works well enough.)  We celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary on Saturday.  He sent roses.  I sent kisses, because there is no address where I can send things.  The last time I tried to send him something in the mail, it took a month to reach him.  If it weren't for the fuzzy dog, you know things would be getting pretty desperate around here.  Maybe the reason I have painted so many rabbits is because they are the only visitors I get every day, without fail.  The desert has its own way of making me feel welcome.

"Accessory."  Charcoal and pastel, 7 x 6 1/4 inches.  

May you all have a lovely day! 

The Return

One Moment.  Charcoal on paper, 14 x 11 inches.

 Back in the desert once more.  When you've been gone a certain amount of time,  things all seem to have shifted slightly.  Or perhaps it's because you have been gone, you have shifted, and so the way you see familiar things is new.  Dry heat instead of wet heat.  The green here seems dusty and faded - bleached.  The house and yard feel neglected, despite the care of a dear neighbor.  The stack of mail, overwhelming at first, is nearly sorted through.   The air is sweet smelling, after the olfactory onslaught of the city.  I welcome it.  I would write the proverbial "it's good to be home," and in some ways it is.  In other ways it feels unfamiliar and empty.

The face I was overjoyed to see.

I still wake up in the wee hours.  I stay in bed, tossing, thinking if I lay there long enough, I will fall asleep once more.  But I do not.  I finally get up and watch the sun come up.  I gaze out the window, waiting for the familiar rabbits, jackrabbits and quail to make their morning appearance.  They come every day for the water I put out and to nibble on my carefully watered garden.  They have learned ways to sabotage my fences and chicken wire, in my absence.  Part of me is disappointed that my flowers are in some fuzzy bunny tummy, but another part of me can't help a small smile.  If I were a rabbit, I would eat them, too, especially the lemon yellow flowers that are now nothing more than brown sticks, nibbled to the bare.  Here is the first rabbit of the day, cautiously hopping to the water where a small finch splashes.  The rabbit is too skittish to actually take a drink, and has already left in a hurry.  I don't remember my windows being this dirty.  Maybe it rained.

I finished reading Musa Mayer's book Night Studio, about her father (the painter Philip Guston) on the airplane.  A worthwhile read, especially if you are an artist or if you live with one.  It illustrated quite well how obsessive the urge to create can be for an artist.  In this passage, Ms. Mayer writes about what her father put her mother through:  "His work habits were erratic, consuming.  No moderation there, either; no regular schedule for her (or me) to count on.  Often she'd barely see him for days when he was working late at night.  He would paint all night long, sleep in the daytime, and hardly see the two of us."  For me, the most compelling chapter was the last chapter of the book, where Mayer struggles to come to terms with being the daughter of an artist like Guston. I won't give anything more away, in case you read it.

Untitled (the helmet).  Charcoal and pastel,  7 x 5 inches.

Time to return to the studio.

Sketches and drawings

I have several sketchbooks.  A big one, for use in the studio.  A REALLY big one, for life drawing sessions.  A small one, that I swore I would only use for drawings done out of my head.  Another small one, for travel, and for my haiku poems.  I think I have one or two others, each with its own purpose.  This excessiveness is because I am always trying to get myself to draw more.  I think there is a difference between a drawing and a sketch.  A sketch is quick, done to capture as much information as possible in a short amount of time.  It is not something you would necessarily use an eraser on.  It is loose and full of energy.  A drawing is something where you are trying to work out problems - whether they be composition problems, proportion, or a value study.  I usually spend more time on a drawing, and some of my drawings I consider finished works of art.  But that's just me.  I am sure others have their own definition of the difference between a sketch and a drawing. 

My studio sketchbook is filling up with one-line drawings done to help me loosen up and practice my hand-eye coordination.  Since I have been painting rabbits, many of the pages are filled with little rabbits.

Rabbits.

These one-liners are done quickly, with a ball point pen.  I do not lift my pen, and I try to spend more time looking at the rabbit than at my paper.  You can see the distortions that are a result of this approach.  Speed is the key, with these little one line sketches, because I want to stay loose.  I often remind myself to breathe.  My favorite medium for these quick little sketches is a ball point pen.  For drawings, I prefer charcoal, which feels more like paint to me. 

Morning Joshua Tree.  Approx. 4 x 3 inches, charcoal.

The above charcoal study I consider a drawing.  Even though it is small, I worked out the values and composition.   This was not actually done in a sketchbook, but on a small piece of leftover printmaking paper. 

Usually, I safeguard my sketches and drawings.  I think there should be something that I do as an artist that doesn't have to be put on display for the public eye.  That way, I don't feel pressure to produce a beautiful sketch or drawing every time.  For every successful drawing, there are a pile of unsuccessful ones, and those can stay hidden in the sketchbook, or be crumpled and thrown in the trash.  (the REALLY bad ones might even be torn into shreds before I throw them, satisfyingly, in the garbage.)  Every now and again something good comes from all of this scribbling.  I don't mind showing the good ones.   The rest of them will live their lives in secret.

Excitement

M comes home tonite, late.  I will be driving the 2 1/2 hours to LAX to pick him up.  He will be home just ten days, which I know will fly by quickly.  I have so much to do, but I find it is difficult to focus on anything or sit still.  Perhaps it would be best if I did something that involved not sitting, since that isn't working out very well for me.

I just updated my website with some new paintings from the "Desert Inspired" Series and upcoming events.  If you have the time, feel free to hop on over and take a look!  karineswenson.com

I am nearly ready for tomorrow night's opening at JTAG (Joshua Tree Art Gallery) in Joshua Tree!  The art has been hung, the price lists typed out, some wine purchased.  I just need to prepare a plate of finger food and figure out what to wear (I know - I'm SUCH a girl).  Then, I will be ready.  If you are in town, I'd love to see you there.

Since sitting still is a problem, I will post one photo and then be off to pace back and forth.

from the Earth Series.  Large Untitled.  Conte and charcoal on torn paper, approx. 11 3/4 x 12 inches.

Overrun

My brain is clearly overrun with jackrabbits at the moment.  Here's another from my art journal.  Sitting Jack is acrylic, gesso and charcoal on paper, 12 x 9 inches.  He looks rather suspicious, doesn't he?  Did he just eat one of my plants? 

They are forecasting rain for tomorrow.   I don't want to get my hopes up, but I would LOVE seeing rain!  Tomorrow, my students are coming for a class on watercolor.  I am considering the possibility of adding one more class in the fall.  One thing about teaching other people to draw, it makes me draw more.  (I feel like I need to practice what I preach - "draw every day!")

Happy Monday, my darling readers.  I'm crazy about you, you know.

We have a winner!

My friend Marjorie came over today and helped me choose a winner for the drawing.  Marylinn Kelly, you have won your own copy of Carla Sonheim's book, Drawing Lab for the Mixed Media Artist!!!!!  Congratulations!  Please send me an email with your mailing address, so we can get one sent off to you.   Thank you, everyone for stopping by, and for your comments.  I do so love the visits!

A hot, dry wind is blowing today, keeping the temps just a bit cooler (86 degrees Fahrenheit at 7:41 pm.)  The sun has just set, and I still have an unfinished painting on my easel. 

So, quickly, a jackrabbit from the sketchbook.  8 1/2 x 7 inches, Charcoal and gesso.  This was a study for "Surprise."  from last week's post.

Happy Thursday, everyone, and congratulations to our winner, Marylinn Kelly!  Thanks to everyone who participated.