Quick Sketches

Man arrives as a novice at each age of his life.
Sebastien Chamfort

When I came across this quote I felt a divine sense of relief. Suddenly I realized it's okay not to know exactly what to do next or where to go with things. I've always felt as if each day was a new beginning but with that new beginning comes an uncertainty. Each day is a new path ~ a new adventure. Albeit unknown, just to be aware of one's future potential is a magnificent gift. In this sense we are all beginners. Anyway, above are two quick charcoal sketches I made ~ one a young girl just starting out, the other a woman who has been around the block a few times. Each one, though, is just stepping out again for the first time. I love doing these quick sketches, not just trying to capture movement but trying to capture a sense of anticipation and expectation in the figure.

The Steward 2

Silence is as full of potential wisdom and wit as the unhewn marble of great sculpture.
Aldous Huxley


After an unscheduled and lengthly break I am back at my easel! What a wonderful place to be. Anyway, I decided to get to work again on the steward so all day as I've been painting, I have been wondering what stewards, waiters, doormen, taxi cab drivers, hair stylists, manicurists, (you get the idea) actually think about as they go about their jobs. I can just imagine they hear and see all kinds of things but eventually aren't shocked by much. I do think they can't help but become wiser as they observe life close up. And yet, they're paid not to share their wisdom but to just comment on the weather. We used to live in a doorman building and I often thought how sick the poor fellow must be of passing the time of day with each one of us when he probably really wanted to tell us how he thought we should be solving our problems.

Anyway, I think this painting is starting to take shape. At first working with just shades of gray, it doesn't seem like it's going anywhere but then the folds and shadows start to appear. It's still got a long way to go but today's work provided lots of definition.

Hats 3

Gossip is when you hear something you like about someone you don't.
Earl Wilson


I'm not quite sure if this woman just said it or just heard it, but she's definitely in possession of some very juicy information. And with that hat it's all about to take wing!

The Steward

One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.
G. K. Chesterton

I have done this particular painting before on a 4" x 5" canvas (see it on my website). This time I'm doing a much larger version ~ 16" x 20". I love the colors and the composition. Recently, we saw a wonderful movie called Up the Yangtze. It was about one of the final voyages of a cruise ship up a part of the Yangtze that was going to become flooded after a new dam was built. Rather than a documentary about the building of the dam, or a simple cinematic recording of the river and surrounding countryside, the movie delved into the lives of the peasants that were going to be flooded out, contrasting them to the lives of the passengers on the cruise ship. What do people who are in service to others really think of those they serve? This unforgettable movie will open one's eyes in many ways ~ I highly recommend it.

As I made a quick sketch, it occurred to me that this figure clearly demonstrates how a painting is composed of a group of forms. Without the hands this is almost an abstract work. Only with shading and softening of edges will the figure begin to take on dimension.

On My Easel 2

Happiness is essentially a state of going somewhere, wholeheartedly, one-directionally, without regret or reservation.
William H. Sheldon

Venice! I followed Sheldon's advice and found he was right on. Right now I am spending all of my free time doing genealogy. No matter how hard I search I cannot find any Italian ancestors. This is very frustrating as I love all things Italian and am convinced that since my mother's maiden name was an Italian one, I must have a few drops of Italian blood in my veins. Anyway, I am enjoying working on this little painting of a canal in Venice. There's a lot more detail to go in but it's coming along.

At Sea

The fly ought to be used as the symbol of impertinence and audacity; for whilst all other animals shun man more than anything else, and run away even before he comes near them the fly lights upon his very nose.

Arthur Schopenhauer

I just finished watching the entire first season of Lost. In the final episode three men and a young boy take off from the island on a funky little raft they've built. When they set sail the beach is filled with desperate well-wishers waving them off. For several minutes there is no dialogue only rousing music and spectacular footage of the raft surmounting the incoming tide and setting out on the open sea. What unbelievable courage and yet, what unbelievable nerve. I've decided to paint a picture of a boat on the water, but first I painted just the water and the sky. Now, if you look again at the painting above you can appreciate the vastness of the ocean and the sky ~ there is no clear end of one or beginning of the other. And without the boat as a reference, it's impossible to tell how large an area you're actually looking at. That's creation ~ tiny, immense, unfathomable, and yet, man ventures out into it everyday. Wow.

On My Drawing Board 2

A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains.
Dutch proverb

Whoever came up with the above saying must have been an artist ~ particularly one who drew. After the initial sketch is made, the key to making a proper drawing is taking one's time. I always like to start at the top and work my way down in the beginning just so the back of my hand doesn't smear too much of my work. Of course, this is just the first of many shadings I'll do but it's good to get an idea of where the lights and darks are going to be in the final version. Slow and steady, she goes.