This morning, when I turned on my studio lights, I felt like I had to suck it up and face another tough day. But as it turns out, I’ve been so nose down that I’ve lost track of what was really happening! This has been a fine month of picture making. I’ve just looked through a big stack of keepers, and there are many more than I’d realized!
As I mentioned yesterday, it’ll be just a bit before I can capture really good images of my latest work for you. But here are a few quick and so-so snapshots to hold you over. These are by far the simplest, tamest pictures of the new batch. Kind of elegant actually, although that last one is starting to deconstruct. To give you an idea of how things have careened on from there, I’ve just tried to paint an inky flower on my arm and elbow – – – so I could press/print it onto my paper! THAT didn’t work. Which of course, means I’ll try it again.
Happy Day –
Your Buddy Bill
The first tree pictures I made were so simple and sweet. Not sure I can say the same about the ones I’m doing now – but that’s not today’s concern. This picture is one of the early ones, and for some reason it puts me in a happy morning mood.
By the time I’m done with this cycle, I’m certain I’ll have at least one album of tree pictures to go along with all my bloom books. I might even have more!
You can click the picture to make it bigger – – –
Flowering #68
India ink and surface alteration on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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Lots of new pictures stacking up now, but they have to be flattened before I can capture good images.
Meanwhile, there are still plenty from last Autumn and Winter to show you. The one below began as a bloom but I think it maybe turned into – – – a tree!?! At least it’s a flowering tree. Huh. Well, I just go with these kind of things.
Hey, click the picture to really check it out!
Flowering #116
India ink on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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Flowering #112
India ink on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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Happy Weekend All!
Not much happened by accident in this picture, yet it still has the freedom of spontaneous mark making. I quite like that balance!
Very often with pictures like this, I have to go through several attempts as I sort out the set of moves I’m looking for. So, while this actual picture didn’t take long to do, I must also count the time taken up by the also rans.
I managed to paint SEVEN really wonderful pictures on my best day ever. Wow! Normally, I’m doing pretty darned well if I get 2-3 nice ones and some others on the fence. Even at that rate, the keepers start stacking up! VERY SOON, I’ll begin sorting many of them into digital albums, as my first step in figuring out how to organize and bind them for real! I’ll show you all of this in progress – can’t wait for you to watch this project take shape!
Your Buddy Bill
PS: Click the picture to really check it out –
Good Morning –
On a rainy day, here’s a flower in a spring shower! I’ll try and make more stormy pictures today.
Stay dry!
Your Buddy Bill
PS: Click it to take a closer look-
Flowering #148
India ink on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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Good Morning!
I’m pleased by this picture, not because of what I managed to get in there, but rather because almost everything that ought to be in a flower picture gets cut off! There’s lots of stem, but the blooms, instead of being the focus, overrun the edges. The one on the right barely peaks in. This was all intentional. I wanted to make a picture that was both awkward and elegant in it’s unexpected parts. Did I manage it?
Your Buddy Bill
PS: Click it to take a closer look-
Flowering #49
India ink and surface alteration on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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In fact it’s tame compared to many more recent ones (did you just think, “Really?”). Well yep, it is, just you wait and see. Keep checking back!
Oh, and have a lovely Sunday – Happy Easter if it is your holiday!
Your Buddy Bill
PS: Click it to see it bigger –
Flowering #48
India ink and surface alteration on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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Hey ya –
One more post for the day: this is a picture I did last September. Can you imagine mark making much crazier and more syncopated than this? Oh, but it’s happening. I’ll show you a few of this sort in the next few days, so you can get used to looking at ’em before things turn wild!
Your Buddy Bill
PS: Click it to see it larger –
Flowering #52
India ink and surface alteration on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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At last, I’m back in my own studio, slipping around in my ink slinging and trying to find new traction! My mark making has turned shockingly raw and chaotic. Geez. It’ll be a bit before I show you anything from the past week’s effort. I don’t know what to think – my brain must catch up to my hands, even as I press on.
Soon enough, LOTS of new stuff will begin appearing on my website! In fact, I hope it’ll be a kind of continual avalanche. Right now though, I want to show you what took me away from my own work for 6 weeks!
A dear friend of mine, Joe DeVito (he is a truly fine artist and sculptor), found himself facing conflicting deadlines which is rough, especially since he needed the income. Thus, I was contracted to refine and finish his commissioned piece for the Catholic Church. This was a looooooong way away from my current creative pursuit, but I once was a sculptor too, so in about a blink I found myself reworking and grinding away on the Holy Mother and Baby Jesus!
My first photo is of Mary and Little Jesus finished, and just out of the van after delivery two Sundays ago. I’m on the left and Joe is the one with paint on his clothes. Have you noticed that most of my clothes are black? The ink spots don’t show! I have known Joe for almost 40 years – it’s an incredible and very dear friendship.
Here is Mary’s face as I began work on it – I had to rebuild the whole right side, because the casting was badly distorted! I also needed to soften the details of Mary’s face, so she had a more gentle and accepting appearance. All told, quite the challenge.
She is almost done in this next view. Her right cheek, dimple and jawline are fine, smooth and elegant. Notice how her eye brows, the creases in here eyelids and the edges of her lips are also much more understated.
And here is little Jesus almost finished, although I still had to re-carve his toes, as well as the dove he is holding.
There were so many defects and stress cracks caused by mold degradation and the uneven curing of the casting material. And there were thousands of bubbles that had to be filled. My sweet Reidun even pitched in (you can see her in the background patching away). Without her huge contribution, we would never have met the deadline.
Patching and sanding, and more patching and sanding – it seemed never ending for awhile. The folds in Mary’s robe were quite lovely once final sanding was completed. In this view (below), things are well along:
I especially like how Mary’s foot turned out – I completely re-carved it (the photo was taken before patching, so her toes have lots of bubbles). This sculpture will be on an elevated base. Many who pray will grasp that foot, so I gave it special care.
And here we are at the end of our short tour. Once this piece is painted and sealed (it will remain a warm white), it’s going to a large church in Fort Meyers, Florida. Installation is planned for early next month.
The whole project took more than three times what I thought it would. That’s fine. This lovely, moving work by my friend will be a focus of faith for generations. That required respect, and my best effort.
Good Sunday Morning –
The reason you haven’t seen much activity here, is that I’m working on a big sculpture project – I’ve contracted to finish and refine a large piece that a friend couldn’t get done (he has conflicting deadlines). I wish I could show it to you, but I don’t think I’m allowed. It’s a beautiful piece, but the casting is terrible so there is a lot to fix! As soon as I finish this post, I will get back to it, and begin another very hard week. I hope to have this project done and delivered by the end of the month. AND THEN, there will be an EXPLOSION of activity here, as I dive back into my own work – am aching to!
In the meantime, here’s a little flower painting to start your day –
Your Buddy Bill
PS: Click it to see it larger –
Flowering #142
India ink on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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Are you tucked in and snug?
LOTS of snow coming down today, so I’m housebound – and quite content, actually. Nothing quite like an unexpected, guilty pleasure of an unavoidable stop day!
One nice thing is that I can post another flower picture today. This one is a bit quirky: I have this nagging desire to mess with overlapping blooms that are for some reason see-through. Don’t know why I want to keep trying this, but it does make interesting graphic moments.
Back again soon –
Your Buddy Bill
PS: Click it to see it larger –
Flowering #123
India ink and surface alteration on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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Good Morning!
I’ve been posting less regularly in the last week or so. My apologies – I’m in the middle of a big side project (helping another art buddy) that is taking almost every waking moment. It will continue thus for the next couple of weeks, but I’ll try to throw a few blooms up as I can.
Here’s one that reminds me more of weeds taking over a garden. Some weeds have pretty blooms though!
Back again soon – Your Buddy Bill
PS: Click it to see it larger –
Flowering #107
India ink on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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I’ve done many versions of this – I’ll show them to you as we go on along. Have the finest day!
Click the pic to enjoy it larger!
Flowering #71.1
India ink on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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Since I’m doing these out of my head, I guess they don’t have to be anything other than the blooms they turn into! Hope you like this one.
Have the finest day – – –
Click the pic to enjoy it larger!
Flowering #120
India ink and surface alteration on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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Here are two attempts at a stylized dragonfly. They were slammed down fast, but got too fat to be what they were really supposed to be. That said, they’re still not bad. I think I can start here on yet another one and take it where I want to go.
Øyenstikkere (Dragonflies) #10
India ink on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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Øyenstikkere (Dragonflies) #11
India ink on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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After the last few, rambunctious blossoms, I thought it might be nice to quiet down a bit. I like using grays, and have with effort, become much better at using them. This picture is quite satisfying to me.
Click it and enjoy the big picture!
Flowering #60
India ink and surface alteration on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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I actually did quite a few of these big, splashy blossoms, one after the other, and I pretty much like ’em all. The middle of this seems to be climbing out of itself and headed up!
If you click the picture – you’ll see it in glory!
Flowering #118
India ink and surface alteration on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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I’m fond of brush strokes that serve multiple purposes. Take for instance, that cluster of little petals in the center of this bloom. They’re rendered with such a wide variety of marks. It lends a lot of character, and also introduces great depth, but if you really start paying attention, it gets hard to tell what’s in front of what! It’s sort of odd, or hazy, or a little ghost-like in there.
I’m also quite pleased with how the bold, black brush strokes that define the outline of the bloom become a sort of background for it as well. Yep, making marks that multi-task is worth chasing after!
If you click the picture – you’ll see what I’m talking about!
Flowering #122
India ink and surface alteration on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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Good Morning –
There won’t be a new post tomorrow – so here is a bonus today! I just assembled the scans for it. Completely wonderful mark making. Wish I was this good all the time!
Sun is shining. Wind is blowing hard. Maybe it’s pushing Winter out? I like that thought. Enjoy this day!
Your Buddy Bill
PS: Click it – to make it larger and start loving the textures –
Flowering #77
India ink and surface alteration on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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I love how sloppy, runny and suggestive this is – almost but not quite tipped over into chaos. That’s an edge I want to know better!
PS: Click it and see it all, larger –
Flowering #145
India ink and surface alteration on paper – two sheets = 14″ x 21″
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