A Thousand Words ...

Susan with Boat

2012-02-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

Newest version of sister Susan, from a photo taken by E.A. Autrey in Paradise, California in 1956.

8x10 oil paint and charcoal on photo-printed fabric, rabbit skin glued onto birch board.

The original photo is here, and the first version, a digital painting of "Susan is Blue," is here

Zero Plastic Surgery

2012-02-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

Self Portrait made with silver point and Copic marker on marble gesso on board 8x10

Frustration

2012-02-08T17:20:00.000-08:00

The earlier version of "Two Eggs" (posted 2/3/2012) needed more work, so I black lined it and added more colored inks over a gel medium in the background. Now the beauty of the original silverpoint was totally lost. Frustrated, I glued a red paper house over the entire drawing, added silver stars and an image of young Elsa with a bed balloon, then drew/threw in some additional trees and flowers using Copic markers. The final collage is called "Balloon Seeking Marble." Experimentation with new mediums can be fun, and not so fun when the experiment doesn't work out as planned!

Birds On The Fence

2012-02-04T16:20:00.000-08:00

Two Eggs

2012-02-03T17:39:00.000-08:00

My art class, taught by Chester Arnold, has started up. We're working with marble dust rabbit glued onto birch board, among many other new materials. I thought I'd try silver point (drawing with a piece of silver wire instead of a pencil or pen). So I drew two Easter eggs I painted a few years ago. The eggs are sitting in a Sam Wilson ceramic bowl to which I had glued snails, small plastic jewels and turquoise pieces. The bowl is next to a marble I've had since I was ten. But, once the drawing was done, I thought it needed more - so started to add watercolor. Then I experimented with a new Golden gel medium and added some globs of gold. All of this made the silver line art disappear. Hopefully in a few weeks the silver will tarnish and get darker. If not, I might have to go over the drawing again with ink.

The Letter S

2012-01-17T15:35:00.000-08:00

The rooster took Cole to the Sand at the Surf's edge near a Sepia-colored S and left him there. Very Soon a Seahorse came to See him. "You can Skip to V from here," the odd little fish said. Your brother is visiting T and U so you don't have to go there too in order to finish the alphabet.

The Letter R

2012-01-16T11:33:00.000-08:00

Cole followed one of the queen bees, and arrived in the land of the Red-colored R, where he caught a ride on a Rooster strutting by. In the distance, he heard the katydid's song, which sounded like "Kate-she-did," and knew he was on the Right Road.

The Letter Q

2012-01-15T15:03:00.000-08:00

Laughing, Wilson and Cole pointed up into the sky near a Quiet-blue-colored Q. The small dots they had seen flying towards them in N, O and P were finally clear enough to identify. "It's a bunch of king bees!" Cole exclaimed. "No, those are Queen bees." Wilson corrected his brother. "If we follow them, I wonder if they will lead us home?" Cole Questioned.

The Letter P

2012-01-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

The bench moved further, taking the twins to the land of the Purple-colored P. There the two boys were joined by a Pair of Pelicans. Unlike the frog and owl, these birds were more Preoccupied with each other than in what Cole and Wilson were looking at.

The Letter O

2012-01-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

The landscape changed as the twins' bench moved nearer to an Orange-colored O. Cole and Wilson kept their eyes Open and continued to look Out. Soon an Owl flew down to join them. "Hoooo do you see?" the bird asked. But like the frog before him, the owl didn't wait for an answer before he, too, exited.

The Letter N

2012-01-12T11:49:00.000-08:00

Relieved to have come to the right Next place, Wilson and Cole ended up together in a Nice patch of ice plant. They decided to rest near a Navy-blue colored N. Looking up the boys spotted something in the sky just as a Narrow-mouthed frog jumped into Wilson's lap. "What are you two looking at?" the amphibian asked but left before he got an answer.

Tired of Love

2012-01-11T16:38:00.000-08:00

The woman is from a pen & ink drawing done on a ferry going to Paros, Greece in 2010; the man is a life guard drawn in Costa Rica in 2003; the red glass vase was one of several given to me for my 60th birthday and the ocean view is a photo taken in Solana Beach, California in 2011. I'm not tired of love but the title seemed to work for this composite.

The Letter M

2012-01-11T13:18:00.000-08:00

Cole and Wilson Met again on a tree-lined road near some Morning glories. They were stopped by a Monkey balancing on a Melon-colored M. "Mind you don't miss N," the monkey hollered. "I guess we have to go through the whole alphabet in the right order before we can leave," Cole said to his brother. "I think you are right," Wilson agreed. Rather than travel past the Mammal down the Middle of the road, the twins took off in two different directions, not sure where they were going next.

The Letter L

2012-01-10T13:33:00.000-08:00

Soon after his encounter with the Katydid, Cole sat down to rest near a Lemon-yellow-colored Letter L. Two Lizards immediately ran up to him. "Have you seen a green grasshopper?" the Racerunners asked as they crawled closer to hear Cole's answer. But Cole did not give the Katydid's Location away.

The Letter K

2012-01-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

Cole wandered past a tree covered with Kingfishers then stopped near a King-blue-colored K. A giant insect jumped in front of him. "If you see any lizards," the Katydid begged the boy, "Don't let them know where I am." "What will you do for me if I help you?" Cole asked. "I'll be Kind and sing you a song to help you find your way out of Alphabet World," the long-horned grasshopper replied.

The Letter J

2012-01-08T11:38:00.000-08:00

Wilson Joined his brother and the two boys Jogged up and down a hillside marked by a Jay-blue-colored J. A giant Jackrabbit watched the twins, ready to flee at any moment. "That's some Jumpy rabbit," Cole Joked. "Just so you know," the Jackrabbit called out to the twins. "You'd be Jangly too if someone wanted you for their dinner."

Last Night

2012-01-06T16:59:00.001-08:00

The Letter I

2012-01-06T16:53:00.000-08:00

Instead of opening his eyes and finding himself back home, Wilson found himself surrounded by more Insects near a field marked with an Indian-red-colored I. Then he noticed it was the Irises that were attracting the bugs, and not him, so he Inched safely away.

The Letter H

2012-01-05T16:13:00.000-08:00

"Help!" Wilson cried as he came to a fence marked 'private property.' The Hot-pink-colored H was witness to the Horse flies buzzing around Wilson's head, as the young boy Hurried to get past. Annoyed by the insects, Wilson complained. "I want to go Home." So he closed His eyes, hoping to leave Alphabet World.

The Letter G

2012-01-04T09:46:00.000-08:00

Getting together again, the twins rode onto a Grassy field perched on top of a Giant Grass-colored Green G balanced on the back of a Gecko. A Goose and her Goslings honked hello. "I like it here!" Cole said to Wilson. "So do I," Wilson replied but his pleasure was Going to be short lived.

The Letter F

2012-01-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

While Cole was saving one Fish in E, Wilson arrived in the land of the Forest-green-colored F. He was enchanted to Find a whole school of Fishes Flying by. "We are going to help our Friend," the fishes cried out to Wilson as they Flew Past.

Stacked Rainbow, Fallen Moon

2012-01-02T13:48:00.001-08:00

The Letter E

2012-01-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

In the land of the Electric-lime-colored E, a European anchovy jumped into Cole's hands. "Help," the fish cried. "Save me from the Eagle and the Egret. They want to Eat me!" "Hmm," Cole said to himself as he held tight to the fish. "Everyone seems to be on Edge here."

The Day After

2011-12-29T15:43:00.000-08:00

The Letter D

2011-12-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

The boys were reunited on a road Dominated by a Dandelion-colored D. Wilson was Delighted by a Dragonfly hovering over the Daffodils but Cole was more interested in Divining what he would find next.