Icicles

03-18-18-ice
charcoal

11-30-13-icicles
charcoal

12-12-18-ice01
charcoal

12-12-18-ice01
charcoal, ink, acrylic paint

12-12-18-ice02
charcoal, ink, acrylic paint

Steeples & Weathervanes

New England is full of churches and church spires. I pass a few on my way to the river to draw every morning. Below are two drawings of the Eliot Church steeple. The birds like them too.

11-21-18-weathervane
charcoal, chalk

04-20-14-eliotchurch
charcoal

Starlings on the steeple
2018

Steeples and weathervanes get into my other work. Also: flags, crosses and bannerettes. They just seem to be the only way to complete a spire. This gets redundant but I can't seem to stop myself.

12-25-09b
watercolor, ink

01-06-09a
marker, watercolor

01-09-09b
marker, latex

03-18-09a
mixed media

12-21-14b
mixed media

Starlings

Starlings are one of my favorite birds. I like their blue-collar pedigree and their creative, sociable aggressiveness. They just move into the neighborhood and get noisy and nosy and then they're off: equal opportunity starlingness. Watch out!

11-03-18-starlings
water soluble graphite

10-07-18-starling
charcoal

09-09-17-starling
ink

I know ONE person, a darling starling all fussy and fidgets, beneath those spangles a starless night sky of sapphire bleu.

04-12-15-starling
charcoal, ink

10-26-14-starlings
crayon

  

Autumn Reflections

November 3rd started gray and rainy. But in the afternoon the wind picked up and the sun came out. I was mesmerized by the reflections of the colorful trees as they were mauled by playful windy cat's paws.

Production note: most of the drawings shown here are smallish (in a sketchbook, 8 1/2 x 11"). The bottom drawing shown here is larger and was done in about 15 minutes.

The Charles River flows over the South Natick Dam

11-03-18-reflections01
pastel, charcoal

11-03-18-reflections02
pastel, charcoal

11-05-18-island
pastel, charcoal, ink

Repetition is not duplication

I've taken the words of the great, multi disciplined designer Alexander Girard to heart: "Repetition is not duplication." The Greeks suggested that you never put your foot in the same river twice because our selves are in a constant process of growth, upheaval and self-reflection. We never arrive. We are constantly journeying in this life. Cheers! Bon voyage!

The place where I often draw is not that large. There are only so many places to stand comfortably and view what there is to see. And I draw those things. One place I return to is a spot just above the top of the dam where the glassy smooth Charles River gathers speed and falls and pushes on downstream to Boston and the ocean.  I like the reflection of the trees in the smooth water. I like the abrupt line formed at the lip of the dam. I like the patterns and chaos of the splashing water. Wind, rain and snow further complicate the surface of the water. It's never the same twice (or five hundred times).

So, for you nerds who follow my work, here is a relatively deep dive into one small motif that I find intriguing. For an artist, once you give yourself permission to deepen your relationship with your subject, a completely new reason for being an artist wondrously opens to you. Again, "bon voyage!"

03-07-11-dam

11-14-11-dam

12-06-11-dam

01-20-12-dam

04-08-12a-dam

05-31-12-dam

10-01-12-dam

11-26-12-dam

01-30-13-dam

02-26-13-dam

06-04-13-dam

09-22-13-dam

11-02-13-dam02

07-16-14-dam

12-11-14-dam

04-04-15-dam

07-20-15-dam

04-08-16-dam

05-16-16-dam

03-22-17-dam

05-01-17-dam

08-07-17-dam

02-25-18-dam

10-23-18-dam

Having Permission

10-19-18-ducks
ink, charcoal

04-26-17a
mixed media, ink

When I judge the drawings I make, a resounding permission comes from having fortunately viewed two objects in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts-Boston during the past several years. First and foremost is a painting by Soga Shôhaku entitled "The Four Sages of Mount Shang."

the left panel depicting an emissary from the emperor riding a donkey
(MFA link)

In the right hand screen, the four sages, camped out on the mountain make themselves at home in their self-imposed exile. (MFA link)

I made a quick sketch of the emissary last December

The second object is a Mexican writing desk. This is a detail view of one of the doors opened to reveal the "japonisme" style decoration inside. I love the exuberant and primitive confidence of these drawings. Please! look here at the MFA object page for more details.