shespeakseasy.

Fox & Hound

2010-12-09T11:18:00.000-08:00

My third painting is comprised of two smaller portraits which reflect a playful take on the Mannix novel The Fox and the Hound.

I was attracted to this story because of its anthropomorphism, which is a central aspect of my most recent portraits, especially within this specific series. The Mannix story is incredibly sad and violent, while the Disney version is based on an entirely fantastic situation where Tod and Copper actually befriend each other. I decided to simply run with the idea of the two animals and the humanly characteristics they are often said to reflect in folklore and see how I could reinvent the characters in a new way. Foxes are commonly known to be cunning, adaptable, and determined. Hounds are loyal, affectionate, and protective of the ones they love.

I am trying to use my own images for my work more and more, so I wanted to use people I knew that were accessible enough to have personal photos of. I used my boyfriend Matt as the model for the Fox, and used myself as the Hound. While we never started out as bitter rivals or enemies as the animals are in the story, I find that our personalities often demonstrate the folkloric qualities of these animals. I am relatively happy with the way they turned out, and it was really fun to work with a new shape (round). This was the first time I've been able to manipulate the paint enough to let the wood grain show through, and it adds a nice, rustic feel to the two pieces. The forest background feels very flat, which doesn't bother me so much as the focus should be on the figures themselves. I might try to brush up the colors in the trees a bit.

The Woodsman and the Serpent.

2010-11-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

For my third painting, I was going to do a modern, mixed-media take on the house from Hansel and Gretel. For time's sake, I am going to put this idea aside and focus on portraiture. The two paintings I've done for this study have both turned out to be deeply rooted in expressive portraiture --I'm thinking of Elizabeth Peyton as a strong, relevant source. Representation has turned out to be one of my bigger strengths in the work I create, and with Ferdinand I am slowly learning to depict subjects not only through the contour outlines I'm used to sketching out, but through various and unexpected colors. I got the opportunity to see the Impressionism show at the De Young this past weekend and it really fueled me to use color as liquid emotion for these characters.

I was looking through fables to use for my next piece, and I came across The Woodsman and the Serpent.

One wintry day a Woodsman was tramping home from his work when he saw something black lying on the snow. When he came closer he saw it was a Serpent to all appearance dead.
But he took it up and put it in his bosom to warm while he hurried home.
As soon as he got indoors he put the Serpent down on the hearth before the fire. The children watched it and saw it slowly come to life again. Then one of them stooped down to stroke it, but thc Serpent raised its head and put out its fangs and was about to sting the child to death.
So the Woodsman seized his axe, and with one stroke cut the Serpent in two. "Ah," said he, "there is no gratitude from the wicked."

The "Woodsman" is a pivotal character in many of these strange stories. He is often times a short apparition in the midst of someone else's story (Red Riding Hood, for instance), and his role is minute (kill the wolf). I found the focus on the Woodsman himself intriguing, as if I was getting to read Harry Potter from Dumbledore's perspective (end nerdiness). The woodsman's effort to save the snake is a deeply romantic and resonant gesture. This tale is completely anthropomorphic to me. I'm visualizing a split portrait of the woodsman and the serpent, whom I will turn into a woman. I'm still brainstorming as to how to keep this from becoming the cover of a trashy fantasy-erotica-romance book.

Instead of doing my usual animal headdress-beanies, I think I'm going to go out on a limb and actually try to morph human and serpent into one hybrid creature. The woman will be, for all purposes, a fully-functioning female, with snake scales showing in some parts (she might even be pulling some skin off to reveal the scales underneath).

One of the boys

2010-11-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

Ferdinand is coming, slowly but surely.

Ferdinand, in progress.

2010-11-07T00:42:00.000-07:00

Officially started my Ferdinand-themed painting this week. It feels nice to get back into portraiture with a set theme and idea in mind.

With each painting I do, I realize more and more what I need to improve on and what I need to focus more on. For this painting, I'm making an active effort to really push the palette and work some blues and crimsons into the flesh tones. While I am incorporating some of the elements of my drawings into this painting (cartoonish animal-headresses, whimsical composition), I want to reflect a stark difference in dimension between the two mediums. My drawings are very flat, with primary attention to contour lines and minor shading. My paintings are a thorough study of the shadows, highlights, and other tones that add a more emotional, intimate punch to these characters. I aim to reflect much depth in my treatment of these portraits.

For an additional exercise, I think I'm going to draw some smaller scenes of fights between 3 of the 4 boys in the painting (Ferdinand excluded). I might try out gouache or stick to watercolor, with outlining in micron pen. This will be a good way to get me reacquainted with figure drawing, as the source imagery I'm using only shows one pose for the four boys. I find that I rely and replicate my source imagery too much to a point where it's almost a direct attempt at copying the exact posture and expression of the person in the photo. I want to use my skills at representation while remaining spontaneous and inventive. I think I need to draw from life more often to keep myself on my game.

2010-10-27T00:26:00.000-07:00

This is my second sketch for the second painting in the Fables/Folklore series. This one will be loosely based on Munro Leaf's "Ferdinand the Bull," which is one of my favorite children's stories.

The theme of this painting will be a more humanistic personification of the themes and lessons involved in the story. I am interested in the question of gender definition--in this painting, specifically how boys are STILL typified by masculinity from such a young age, even now in present day. I will employ my skills in portraiture this time with a clear intention in mind, unlike Little Red, which just sort of conveniently "happened." I feel very positive about getting started on this painting and hope to have it well under way by this weekend.

I'm finding that I'm more attracted to reflecting a concern with the intimate and personal qualities of the characters I'm recreating, rather than a focus on political and worldly issues. This being said, Hansel and Gretel is not coming so easily. I am apprehensive about working with mixed media, especially since I'm not quite sure how to create this house of books. I have gathered some materials from SCRAP to play around with and will make 3-4 rough studies of the house on Saturday.

Ferdinand/ilu & ilu2.

2010-10-20T01:20:00.000-07:00

This is a sketch of one of the rowdy boys for the Ferdinand painting. I added one of my trademark animal headdresses to him after I scanned the sketch at this stage, turning him into the feral bear of the group. I am debating what the age of the boys in the painting should be...I think 10-12 year olds would be a good source for the theme of the work, but I'm drawn to younger boys as well.

This is an assignment for Painting 2. The focus is limitation of the colors in our palette. We are limited to 9, but I decided to take it far by only using color in the water that surrounds the houses. I am figuring out things like placement and form as I go, which is not always the best approach, but as a painter it's the most common one to stick with. After taking a short hiatus from oil painting, I'm feeling refreshed and ready to come back to it. It feels good to directly integrate my pen drawings into this oil setting. I'm anxious to see how the final product turns out. I'm hoping for a good response during critique.

I will be going to SCRAP tomorrow to pick up materials to start making studies for my hansel/gretel book house. I am hoping that the gathering of materials will help to form a mental composition for the piece. I have a feeling that I'm going to want to do something similar to the ilu/ilu2 painting in the sense that I'll be combining media in a sharp, direct way. The eye will jump off the edge of the found materials to the painted oil landscape that surrounds the sculpture. I can already tell that this painting will take a lot of trial and error.

Getting back to the drawing board.

2010-10-14T14:52:00.001-07:00

For my second and third paintings, I'll be using the Grimms' Hansel and Gretel and Munro Leaf's "Ferdinand."

My preliminary idea for the Hansel and Gretel painting is to completely rework a major element of the story. In the tale, the children seek solace in a cottage made completely of candy and chocolate. My idea is to transform the candy house into a house of discarded books. The symbolism behind this lies in the current budget crisis affecting the country--more locally, the CSU budget.

hansel and gretel, illustrated by jen corace

I am still figuring out what media would best suit this project. The idea of painting every individual book sounds pretty painstaking, and not in a way that I think would truly add to the overall work. As of right now, I'm thinking that I will paint everything in the landscape in oil and construct the house out of ink drawings, found pages, and cutouts that I will cut and form into the panels of a house. In creating the house out of various textures, I would hope to reflect a theme of the loss of materiality as well as access to educational resources.

this is similar to the composition i'm thinking of for this piece.

The idea of juxtaposing my graphic style directly into my oily representational one intrigues me. My aim is to start integrating my painting and sketching styles into one organized system that I can stick to. I am admittedly struggling with trying to remain cohesive and committed to my ideas, and I am pretty sure that these ideas will have to be drafted out several times before I figure out something successful. This painting isn't coming as easily to me as Little Red did, but I think that means I'm doing something right.

Another important aspect of this painting is that I don't plan to have any figures in the composition at all. This will be an interesting switch for me.

I plan to go to SCRAP, Goodwill, and other thrift stores on Monday to pick up material to start testing out my ideas.

***

Ferdinand is very much in the mental/preliminary stage. I absolutely love this tale. So much, in fact, that I don't think I'd need to modernize or torque any elements of the story at all. I want to bring back my exploration of human nature vs. animal nature (represented through animal headdresses, which is a surprisingly common symbol in local illustration these days. Here are some examples/inspirational works that have guided me towards my animal/portrait combos.)

charmaine olivia

jen corace

I imagine a panoramic panel of 3-4 boys, obviously friends, who are facing front and showing off their scuffed faces. Maybe a black eye or two. You know how boys are. I'd want to have little Ferdinand set off a bit from the other boys, possibly turning away slightly, but not enough to completely hide his face from view. The other boys' headdresses would represent more feral creatures with bright, saturated fur colors, while Ferdinand's bull will have a soft, sensitive expression and will be more muted in hue and value.

carson ellis

I will put up drafts and sketches of these ideas as soon as I create them!

ILU/ILU2

2010-10-12T22:44:00.000-07:00

My second assignment in Painting 2 is to limit our palette to 9 colors while creating an open subject painting. I wanted to take a break from oils and integrate my pen and pencil sketches into my larger work.

The inspiration behind this piece is a desire to combine design with my painting sensibilities. My imagery is derived primarily from San Francisco's architecture and simplistic type bubbles, with only abbreviated letters to explain the message. ILU/ILU2 is meant to be seen as a missed connection of sorts (with derived inspiration from Sophie Blackall and craigslist). My proposed media for this project so far is ballpoint pen on drawing paper with minimal splashes of watercolor.

I'm debating whether I just want the halos of color around the houses or if I want to place them in a stormy ocean. I think the only way to figure this out will be to do more studies, which is what I should do anyway.

Assorted sketches from the past few months.

2010-10-12T22:36:00.000-07:00

Little Red-Process.

2010-10-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

This summer I was invited to participate in a group show that was centered around the theme of folklore. I chose to take the route of childhood fables & folktales, and the first one that popped into my head was Little Red Riding Hood. I wanted to take this famous tale and apply it to modern times. The 2000s have seen their fair share of creature lore, what with 8 million different vampire series novels being published and werewolves setting trends for new television shows. Archaic tales like Little Red and the Three Little Pigs are often thought of as cautionary tales for young ones, and there's an interesting dichotomy between the heedful voices of Grimm and Aesop and the hyper-sexualized, titillating romance of Meyers' Twilight series.

The Big Bad Wolf really intrigues me. I wanted to flip his shady stereotype into something more romanticized without being awkwardly sexual. In my version of Little Red, the girl is aware of his suspicious nature, but chooses to walk with him and to know him despite his harsh exterior.

This is kind of a cheesy idea, but it made for a pretty substantial painting. I really took time to sketch this one out and take each choice into consideration.

A Gradual Descent

2010-10-11T18:02:00.000-07:00

...back into productivity.

Sorry I've totally abandoned this blog for the last....5, 6 months? I've mainly been publishing art-y things on Tumblr and my Facebook, but since my Independent Study course requires me to keep a frequently updated blog, I have returned.

Will be posting recent work/sketches momentarily.

me & figure 8

2010-05-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

no one deserves it.

missing updates

2010-04-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

forgot to post these a while back.

new

2010-04-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

sneak peek into this semester's sketchbook.

Angsty Banana Bread

2010-03-18T01:19:00.000-07:00

I found a ridiculously easy recipe for banana bread, and tweaked it a little bit due to lack of ingredients. But it actually turned out pretty amazing. I encourage the 3 readers of this blog to try it out and tweak it to their liking. It's really hard to mess up this recipe, and it tastes better when you're angsty.

Angsty Chocolate Chip Banana Bread:

1 3/4 cup flour (whole wheat or white, whatever floats your boat)
1 cup sugar (i used white, but i think i might want to try it with brown next time)
3 bananas (the original recipe called for 4-5, so this bread is more subtle on the nanner flavor)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs (or egg substitute equivalent)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter (I ran out of butter so I used mostly canola oil, and it worked out perfectly.)
1/2 cup-entire bag of chocolate chips, depending on how sad you are

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a big bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In another smaller bowl mix mashed bananas, eggs, and melted butter.
Now pour the content of the small bowl into the big one and mix until the batter is smooth and thoroughly stirred.
Next, mix in chocolate chips/pieces of chocolate and spread into bread pan. (You'll probably want to grease the pan beforehand. I didn't because I'm a half-assed baker, but the bread didn't even really stick at all.)

Bake for about 50 minutes. Test by poking bread with a knife. If it comes out clean, you're all set. Eat a slice and forget your woes. If you start getting sad again, eat another. Feed your inner angst. I've had about four slices tonight, and I'm thinking I might actually finish the entirety of the remaining loaf if I'm not careful.

Love,
Rachel

2010-03-14T01:41:00.001-08:00

silent bytes of information pass from me to your computer screen, an angry black arial crying out for you to listen. i am answered with blank white space and blank white space again. you retreat further from me, like a cowardly dog. each new sheet of white is like a blinding slice into everything we built together. you no longer care, and i no longer care to eat. my font grows smaller, miniscule; the ink continues to expire with each stroke. you are a counterfeit ghost of what i used to consider everything. my letters and numbers pass through you swiftly like a song, and your sheets of white cut into me like a familiar blade. i dream of the trash-ridden street i used to happily take to your house. i dream of waking up in your soft blankets again, of her licking my face and of you looking down, smiling as i stir, the way you used to. i dream that what fell apart has resumed position as something whole. my letters and numbers are now scattered over the floor, a brilliant white against my dirty carpet. i step over them, crunching them into the softened ground. quickly i forget them. and you force me to forget you.

Random Sampler.

2010-03-12T02:03:00.000-08:00

i would be sad - the avett brothers
rootless tree - damien rice
wild is the wind - cat power
bottle up and explode! - elliott smith
in my time of need - ryan adams
the eraser - thom yorke
i see monsters - ryan adams
your only doll (dora) - laura marling
timshel - mumford & sons
the 59th street bridge song - simon & garfunkel
take my hand for a while - buffy st. marie
lion's teeth - the mountain goats
new shadow - the dutchess & the duke
pulling on a line - great lake swimmers
porchlight - neko case
insane - damien rice
midnight coward - stars
mockin' bird - tom waits
worried shoes - karen o & the kids
evening on the ground (lilith's song) - iron & wine
red dust - iron & wine & calexico
cinderella - langhorne slim
slowly (oh so slowly) - conor oberst
art is hard - cursive
the twist - frightened rabbit
atoms for peace - thom yorke
now we can see - the thermals
girlfriend in a coma - the smiths

2010-03-12T01:57:00.000-08:00

i just want to wake up from this awful dream.

new stuff!

2010-02-27T03:38:00.001-08:00

This is my most recent piece, "Women of the Opry". It's a submission for this spring's De Young College Night, and the theme is Americana. I almost backed out of it, but I would have totally regretted missing out on such an awesome theme. Hopefully I didn't half-ass this so bad that I don't get in.

2010-02-24T17:45:00.001-08:00

Just staring at where it says "single" makes me lonelier than ever. /angst

february's random sample

2010-02-15T17:50:00.000-08:00

let it die - the dutchess & the duke
blood bank - bon iver
ghosts - laura marling
bedside manner - dawes
the execution of all things - rilo kiley
happy when i'm gone - sera cahoone
in my time of need - ryan adams
my hanging surrender - nathaniel rateliff & the wheel
dismantle me - the distillers
clean getaway - maria taylor
thirteen - big star
the cave - mumford & sons
the fool - neutral milk hotel
lover's spit - broken social scene
colors - april smith and the great picture show
get well cards - conor oberst
look at miss ohio - gillian welch
bad romance - lady gaga
cape canaveral - conor oberst
blindness - metric
beat your heart out - the distillers
cross bones style - cat power
knives out - radiohead
103 - whispertown 2000
test pattern - the thermals
mistaken for strangers - the national
midnight coward - stars
goodbye england (covered in snow) - laura marling
astro - the white stripes
high on a mountain top - loretta lynn
biggest star - the elected
that western skyline - dawes
how we fade - the thermals
star witness - neko case
sinnerman - nina simone
sister i'm a poet - colin meloy (originally by morrissey)
to go home - m. ward

Creators worth mentioning

2010-02-12T21:25:00.000-08:00

Listening to: The Distillers, The Dutchess & The Duke, Whiskeytown, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Wheel, Conor Oberst

So, because I'm getting over a weird flu/sore throat thing and have some spare time to make up for my missing Cool Person of the Week, I decided to provide some links to lots of artwork by contemporary artists that I'm really interested in and lots of images for your viewing pleasure. It's kind of a bargain, because instead of just one cool person, you get As of this year I've developed a real fondness for typography/font work, and also a bend toward more graphic illustration work. But I definitely maintain a constant fondness for extremely well-executed painting. Considering it's my major, I think I should.

This amazing Darwin illustration is by Sarah King. She gives a whole new meaning to the "pictures are worth 1000 words." It looks like there are way more than a thousand words in this drawing. You can see more of her work here.

Chris Scarborough

Michael Hsiung has some really interesting stuff going on. I really love minimal pen and ink and he totally makes it work in a simplistic style. I love the little hints of patterns and little spots of color here and there, and also his fondness for weird mermen and lumberjack people with facial hair.

More to come tomorrow (maybe).

Rachel

bus gloves and sunday feets.

2010-02-11T01:25:00.000-08:00

I've been sucking at the recent blogging thing lately due to lots of homework and a fun visit from Victoria, one of my best friends. I took her to the Fisherman's Wharf and we went to Musee Mecanique at Pier 45, which Char told me about a long time ago but I never took advantage of it until now. It was definitely an interesting little place, and it was actually nice to be by the water since I never go down there anymore.

Then we got some clam chowder in a bread bowl--I felt a little bad because I've been laying off meat completely for the past few months, but I'm trying to keep in mind that it's going to take a long time to transition completely off of eating any protein (including seafood). I never thought I'd be able to go veg, but living here in San Francisco has definitely altered my perspective, not to mention having a girlfriend who has lived that way for several years. We walked back over to Union Square and spent some time there before heading back to Castro to meet Marissa, Char and Jane at Ike's before going to see Laura Marling at the Cafe Du Nord. Seriously, one of the best shows I've been to overall. Every single performer was awesome, from the first opener to Laura's last number. She's alarmingly talented for twenty years old.

The next day was spent mainly in Haight, and then Victoria and I went to Bi-Rite to pick up some stuff for dinner and ice cream (totally necessary when it's Bi-Rite). I so desperately needed her company. It's been a really difficult start to the new year and there's nothing like a familiar friend to set you right. But fortunately I think things are getting better. The only way to stay sane is to take it one day at a time. We love each other so much and I think we're both just trying to do what's right. I'm so lucky not to be with a crazy person.

I just found out that Alexander McQueen has died. Although I'm not the biggest high fashion buff, I realize the gravity of this loss to the industry. He was an unbelievable designer and artist.

Here are some new-ish sketches:

Still swimming in you.

2010-02-03T01:04:00.000-08:00

Too tired and not caught up enough on homework for a Cool Person of the Week post. Will hopefully come tomorrow or Thursday. Until then---

Rachel

what did rachel burn on the stove today?

2010-01-31T11:51:00.000-08:00

burnt chocolate chip buckwheat pancakes with a side of olallieberry jam, one of my many culinary feats. more like LOLberry. surprisingly good, i think i'll have my pancakes extra crispy from now on.

i have a new sketch to post later on, after i finish homeworks.

here's your man baby of the week:

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