Dragons & DNA

"Hellraiser"
April 13, 2013
ink, charcoal, crayon, digital

"Harvesting DNA"
April 13, 2013
charcoal, colored pencil, chalk, ink

Two dark pictures today. We all know that Hell is completely imaginary (and Heaven too for that matter). You will not find them on any reliable map (although this is sort of interesting). But, if Hell were a real place it would be habitat for the glorious creation that covers the entire Earth already. And I think that the denizens of Hell are mad as Hell and tired of the bad rap they get. And they may have a bone to pick with those who walk on two legs under the sun.

The second picture started out as this little cellular grid doodle a few weeks ago in another sketchbook. I revisited it this morning while the paint was drying on my little dragon painting (above). The cellular grid metastasized into a gooey DNA farm complete with the farmer hard at work bringing in the crops.

This is how I work: I doodle and work abstractly with crayons and ink and whatever is closest at hand. Inevitably, a space is created and it's usually some sort of landscape. In the absence of further personal intention or meaning, I add some sort of machine and one of the Pointy People and then I can say that I have redeemed a patch of worthless abstraction with the human presence. And maybe that's life in a nutshell. It could be …on certain days for sure.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Today, I'm off to Egypt. I'll tickle Ramesses II and cuddle the ferocious Sekhmet (I'll bring kitty treats) and contemplate the union of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms. Later my party will visit Harlem and maybe Windsor Castle. Ahhhh… the life of a museum guide for me!

Secret Lives

Crystal City
pastel, ink, crayon, watercolor
28 march 2013

I'm trying to close out two sketchbooks that have some unfinished pages in them. And I'm half-way through a new sketchbook. Day in and day out, the elves are at work making pictures of various things. This one languished for a few months between the dark closed pages of its book. I still don't know if it's really finished. It's close though. Maybe… I hate to be so mysterious about it all. Finished is just a feeling you get when when the painting itself gets to finally relax.

I wonder what they talk about when the sketchbook covers are closed. Maybe I don't want to know!!!

A Work Week

Just to demonstrate how demented or scattershot my artist-self is, I will now show you one slightly edited week of sketchbook entries. These were done between March 4 - 11, 2013. These images are generally worked on in the early morning before family duties and illustration work takes precedence. Most of these pictures are 8 1/2 x 11 inches or smaller.

March 4: "three travelers descend a mountain"

March 5: mustard plant doodle

March 7: charcoal & wash drawing of the river

March 7: yellow bird and pea soup

March 7: birds in a secluded thicket

March 9: bear in a boat in thunderstorm

March 10: a muskrat on the ice

March 11: view of water flowing over a dam

above: March 11th doodles

Vieille neige, Neige fraîche

Snow Ancien. Neige fraîche.

Uh-oh!

Crash! Boom!

City Works

Birds of a Feather 2

What follows is a miscellany of bird doodles:

 

Crows pillaging a sunflower

Abstract thoughts

A soft scene

Memorial

Crazy old coot!

Tough Hombré

Tempest in aTeapot

Gargoyle

Imaginary Crows in an Imaginary Tree

Unfinished Business

When is a painting finished?

When all the lines are colored in?

When all your colors are used up?

At 5 o'clock?

It's finished when it's ready to be finished!

Some are like restless, pesky zombies: they wander about and are just never settled. I guess a picture is finished when it has said something and added a bit of punctuation at the end of it all. It's never left hanging. There may be questions (the good kind that tell us something about ourselves). But never is the question: Is it finished?

Meet a few of my zombies:

Just playing around with paint… like playing with your food as a kid

This one actually did get finished but I had to turn the paper upside down to get some traction.

Where once there was a white expanse, now there is a sand dune and the sea. Then what happened? Indeed!

It's an illustration because there's text and an image on the page (not that they are in any way related!

The curse of decoration! Maybe things can exist just so the world can have a little more beauty and intrigue in it. 

the collage area at the bottom is nice but other than that…?

still working on this one. Always searching!

I think this picture wants something more or something else… all the birds wandering around without purpose. Sometimes, just that simple realization is all it takes and it's "finished." Doesn't Art drive you mad!

The Stork & The Rhinoceros

Say "Hello" to Mr. Stork. I found him in my studio one morning.

He wanted to cross the river one day but was afraid to get his feet wet (silly bird!)

The lily pads were very wobbly!

Fortunately, Miss Rhinoceros, who wasn't afraid of anything, offered to give Mr. Stork a ride across the river.

The water wasn't deep at all! Mr. Stork was just afraid of too many things.

They made it across and the stork thanked Miss Rhinoceros profusely.
Sometimes, depending on the nature of one's friendship, it's easier to just help someone and not make too many observations and comments! Maybe Mr. Stork will find a way to help out Miss Rhinoceros someday.

Always Vigilant

"He's guarding his stuff"
© 2012 Rob Dunlavey
graphite

Unless someone takes pity on this fearful creature, he will starve up there all alone on his precious pile of bags and baggage. What could be so valuable?
Details below:

The whole sketchbook page has writing and another sketch on it.