Day 5 #MakeArt365 (a bit late)

Ruins, pencil on paper, 2015

I kind of forgot to post, but I did it...

Day 4 #MakeArt365

Untitled, mixed media, 2015

Day 3 #MakeArt365

Abstract Branch, pencil on paper

Quietus: Self Portrait Becoming Tree, ink on tinted paper

Standing Man, pencil on paper 2014

Day 2, #MakeArt365

Day 2 ‪#‎makeart365‬ Make Art 365 (note my switching to Arabic numerals after the debacle of me trying to count to high Roman numerals for my tree stump pictures last year)

Untitled Face, mixed media, 2015

The kind of riff on a random internet photo I used to do so much of, I kind of miss it since 'becoming serious'. While lacking a point, there is something very relaxing about doodling off a reference with nothing at stake.

Concept Sketch for Entwife, pencil 2015

The drawing is a concept sketch for the female companion to the ent head in search of a body I've been working on carving on and off. Several levels of indirection from making it to 3D alas...

Day I, #MakeArt365

Wood Wife, mixed media, 2015 

I took up fellow artist Imo Nse Imeh’s challenge to join him in #MakeArt365 an effort to refocus artistically by resolving to create work every day. Personally, I've taken this on as a challenge to make and post a complete work, most likely a doodle or sketch every day.  I’m glad of a reason to refocus a little bit of my energy on drawing, neglected of late, and hoping to regain some of the focus of my late tree stump project. I’m not going to stick to a consistent theme, but the phrase ‘men as trees walking’ has been on my mind. On one obvious level confusion of trees and people has been a long standing theme in my work. Given my interest in visual cognition the line always caught my attention because it seems to be making a distinction both cognitive and spiritual between sight and vision.  The pursuit of vision, and the trial of seeing, but being incapable of understanding what is before you has weighed on me of late.  In any case I’m starting with a fairly elaborate sketch, percolating for a while, but executed today.

Christmas Nesting Dolls

My first big Christmas gift project unveiled. I had this blank nesting doll set sitting in my studio for at least 15 years and finally painted them with sea creatures for my niece. One of those things that gets a little out of hand as the paint job becomes more and more elaborate. I had fun with it though, there's something kind of fascinating about mapping a creature onto the doll surface.

The octopus is my favorite.

Chair Progress

Though I should be working on Christmas presents I did a little roughing on the trunk chair, both to make use of it while I have my brother's electric Stihl, and to get it light enough that I can walk it to a more convenient part of the driveway. Did some shaping of the seat hollow with the lancelot and a bit of additional hollowing on the underside with the saw. I think  with another day I'll both be mostly done with the need for a heavy duty medium sized saw and it will be relatively easy to walk. As of today it was light enough I could tip it over and (just barely) get it back upright.