Today is my mother’s birthday – she would have been 106 today. From horse-drawn ice wagons to men in outer space, she saw a lot in her lifetime. She worked in television as a camera (wo)man during the 1940s in Chicago, broadcasting the Cubbies to the world and playing bit parts on live TV, to being a housewife with a bunch of kids. As a child, she was a challenge, and even when I became an adult she could push you. Now, as someone older and in my last loop of life, I really admire her non-traditional viewpoints and life she lived. Her independence of spirit and honesty and sense of justice are something not often seen when she was young, and nowadays. Thanks for being you, mom!
Mad Hatter chili and Young Lemon Grass Leaves on Rhodia Tablet
I’ve been rather busy of late – running here and there, sewing, hanging out with friends, and so on. As a result, I have not been able to sit down to paint for the past few days. Today I made the determined effort to do so, and am glad I did. Instead of working in the studio, I went outside onto my rather warm and sunny patio – 95F / 35C – and moved what I could into the shade of the canopy. A small table, a chair, some water and paints, my home made iron gall ink and my dip pen all accompanied me. Pandora and Donna Summer, too!
I pulled out a watercolor sketchbook, and immediately found that the paper has a sizing issue, as well as cannot handle water in any amount. Wah! However, for pen and a small amount of color, it will do. I also used a Rhodia tablet, very smooth and polished, and works very well with a sharp pen nib. The results are straight above – and captioned! It worked out quite nicely.
Watercolor sketchbook. Iron gall ink applied first, then watercolor paint. Milkweed in bloom.The watercolor sketchbook, as I said, was disappointing for wet work. However, for ink and color, it is not too bad. Here, I did the ink drawing first and then applied the color. The color rather overwhelmed the lines at time, so I went back and added more ink after the paint dried. In 95F weather, it dries pretty quickly.
A flowerpot with a dead sunflower (left), oregano in bloom (middle), and the stalk and leaves of milkweed plant. Color applied first, dried, and then iron gall ink drawing.This last picture was an afterthought. The first drawing found the color overwhelming the ink at times, so I decided to paint first, and then draw. Artistic experiment!
Anyway, the art bug has been temporarily allayed. More tomorrow I hope!
Ink, Yarn & Beer 