So, what have you been up to this summer?
Beautiful things
Often walking down the street on my way somewhere, I glance in shop windows and see beautiful things then wistfully wish I was at home so I could draw something like it. Then later on, I get home, start doing tasks and forget about the wistful moment. But not a couple of days ago. I saw some lovely vases in a window and wished I could try and draw something like them but I was busy…No, I actually wasn’t. I had a day off. I could just go home, pull out the paints and do something. So I did. A couple of vases…not at all like the ones I was looking at but a nice surprise anyway. Reminds me of roman glass.
“Vases”, watercolour, pencil crayon, pen and ink, approx. 30 x 21cm
Working on a new set of illustrations, studying birds – specifically, starlings. At the Art Gallery Outdoor Cafe a few weeks ago a friend of mine and I were inundated by them (and a few crows). I think they must have heard I was illustrating a children’s book about starlings so they came to model. I took 40 pictures, all great for reference. I got a few lucky shots as well:
Kind of an existential moment. What deep starling thoughts are going through your mind…?
The Crow Book
Finally, our little children’s book is done. I worked with my author friend and former co-worker Kat Beaulieu on this project for the past, well, for quite a while. Just before Christmas, we put it on Amazon. Here’s the link: http://newest-stories-in-verse-childrens-books.aoiservices.com/hello-hello-said-craigellachie-crow. Kat has written another charming kids book and I get to illustrate this one too. Stay tuned. It’s about an opera loving starling…
Life has been pretty chaotic but I’ve managed to do a bit of artwork. During the Christmas break in 2015 I did a couple of monoprints. I recently pulled one of them off the wall and added some drawing.
“Alley near Main”, 22.5 cm x 30 cm, oil monoprint with charcoal drawing on paper
Aunt Cyn
Aunt Cyn is middle-aged, grey-haired and largely invisible. Unless you need directions. She will often appear at that moment of directionless confusion and politely tell you how to get where you’re going. And then she’ll disappear. Like a mist.
She’s actually a super ordinary person, but a little anxious and very concerned about – things. Sometimes stupid things happen to her and then she realizes that, really, nothing is that important.
Every once in a while, Aunt Cyn will appear in this blog. Like now:
Favourite places
A third painting based on my meanderings around Caulfeild Park has finally made an appearance on a much-worked canvas. There are probably 3 or 4 (or more) painting attempts beneath the final image. I don’t think painters are supposed to admit this (Painting Rules Manual, Item #467: ‘Painting over old paintings is Bad’) but I have a thing about waste and having endless canvases around with bad paintings on them. I rather like the texture that resulted from my do-over process anyway.
Caulfeild 3, acrylic, 24″ x 12″
On the drawing side, I did my own little urban (rural?) sketch at Southlands Farm in July. Farm animals are charming. Even the pigs were cute. I’ll draw them next time.