Monday, July 16, 2012

Moths, Moths, Moths

Another assignment for my sketchbook class was to create a drawing in which the composition is similar to the studies of Ernest Haeckel or Albertus Seba. Ernest Haeckel was a naturalist, philosopher, physician, professor and artist. He published a book titled Art Forms in Nature which included over a hundred detailed, multi-colored illustrations of animals and sea creatures. Albertus Seba was a pharmacist who collected numerous amounts of natural specimens. He engaged several artists, engravers and writers to help catalog these specimens into a book titled A Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. If you do a search for drawings from these books, you will find many of these drawings have been made into wallpaper, wrapping paper, textiles, etc.

I have modeled my drawing after several by Ernest Haeckel, drawn on black paper with white pencil. The drawings are so beautiful and intricate, I decided to create my own. I chose moths as my subject and did some research to find different types and views of moths. I never realized there were so many and so many beautiful colors. This is my layout on black Stonehenge paper.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Nine Bugs

On Monday nights I have been taking a sketchbook drawing class at RI School of Design which I am really enjoying. Our instructor, Johnny Adimando has been encouraging us to incorporate different art mediums into our works along with drawing. We've been experimenting with image transfer, relief printing and graphite rubbings. I've found the class projects a great way to kick up my creativity a notch! I took it one step further and decided to create some works beyond my sketchbook. This is a series of bugs on 4x4" wood panels, I began each with Xerox image transfers for each insect then added colored pencil on top. I'm going to present this series of nine pieces as sculpture, on a table top rather than hung on a wall.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Latest News and Newest Work

I haven't posted for a while as I've had several things going on; I'm taking a sketchbook drawing class at Rhode Island School of Design; the mother of one of my closest friends has just passed away and we have family from Arizona staying with us. So I am finally sitting down to put together a blog entry of my art news. Above are two of the three pieces I am currently showing in the Works in Colored Pencil Exhibit at Sharon Art Center in Peterborough, NH through August 7th. My piece on the left Splendor won second place in the exhibit and my piece on the right Joyous Spirits was sold at the opening. Joyous Spirits is also featured in Art Scope Magazine's email newsletter. I don't know which I'm more excited about, the Splendor award recognition or Joyous Spirits going to a new home! These are two of MY favorite pieces.

Here is my newest colored pencil piece in which I just finished, it is the second in a series from the photos I took while in Hungary and Austria. I've titled it Keepers of Mystery and the piece is 16"x23" and is worked on UArt 800 grit paper. Keepers of Mystery is taken from a photo I took in Koszeg, Hungary of a shrine to the martyr saint St John of Nepomuk (also referred to as Szent Janos). St John was born in the Czech Republic in 1350 and (it is written) because of his "humility and hard work of virtues" was later appointed canon of Prague by King Wenceslas. The Queen chose St John in which to confess her sins, the King demanded St John divulge the Queen's sins to him. St John refused to talk and was threatened, tortured and later killed because of his silence.

In the original photo, St John is holding a cross. In my drawing, I chose to put a raven in his hand, a raven which is looking directly at St John. In mythology Ravens symbolize negative or dark connotations, however, ravens are also known to be intelligent beings, messengers and keepers of mysteries as was St John of Nepomuk.