What a wonderful year we’ve had for fruit!
If Dad was here I’m sure he’d collect all his optimism, look on the bright side, and call this crazy upside-down year “fruitful”.
Berry Season
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Category Archives: Watercolor
A Fitting Tribute
On Thursday I watched numerous cultural luminaries sing the praises of Congressman John Lewis during his funeral celebration at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. There were family, friends and past presidents including President Obama, each one speaking glowingly, but only one captured my interest so completely. Jamila Thompson, John Lewis’ Deputy Chief of Staff spoke so eloquently I needed to revisit her speech on YouTube.
Thank you Ms. Thompson, you did Mr. Lewis proud.
As a staff, we are heartbroken; we are lost, but we know that the work continues, the fight remains, and we cannot – we must not get lost in the sea of despair. So if asked how you may honor the congressman, I will echo the words of the greats who stood here before. You can make sure that his work, his sacrifice, his message lives on, and that there’re actions that every person can do regardless of their age or their station in life. Be kind, be mindful, recognize the dignity and the worth of every human being. Be the best version of yourself. Be informed, stay engaged, even though the work is hard. And, if you’re of age and eligible, for the love of God, please vote. Thank you.
Jamila Thompson
John Lewis’ Deputy Chief of Staff
30 July, 2020
Ebenezer Baptist Church
Atlanta, Georgia
Zysyrro Returns
Zysyrro, Protector of the Weak.
May I please have her as my alter ego?
Pretty please?
Say His Name.
George Floyd.
died 25 May 2020
8 minutes, 46 seconds.
“From my point of view, no label, no slogan, no party, no skin color, and indeed no religion is more important than the human being.”
– James Baldwin
Take the Leap!
Channeling my inner Mary Oliver… “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Tomorrow’s the big day… take the leap!
Meditation – 20 January 2020
How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Montgomery, Alabama
March 25, 1965
(… and yes, I missed the second o in Montgomery.)
Need vs Want
Confession… I did not need these!
But I bought them anyway.
Will they supplant my favorite travel set? I’m not sure but I’m looking for to working with them to see what they can do.
The Days Got Away from Me
Recently I’ve been trying to be a more predictable blog poster… a quote on Monday and other art on Friday. My Monday posts are all set for a few weeks but Friday’s posts are usually recent work that I schedule by Thursday to publish early the next morning.
Ah, but life gets busy. Thursday evaporated as I got in the flow with a big book binding project and Friday turned out to be more of the same.
Dinner consisted of reheatables dressed up with one of my favorite seasonal dishes… Pomegranate Olive Relish. I’m just thankful I remembered to paint the Pom before making it!
I like this method of separating the arils, but I do it without the water bath. It works!
Strathmore 500 Mixed Media Journal
When Do I Know I’m Done?
I thought I was done… scanned it and closed the book.
I was happy, at least I thought I was, yet I knew something was off. I studied it using what Roz Stendahl calls the “editing eye”. This isn’t some rash commentary from my internal critic but an honest review of technique and composition to determine what could be improved.
Although I lost the tilt of his head in comparison to the inspiration photo I could live with that. Instead I focused on how washed out my watercolors looked. Now that was something I could change.
Another layer of darker pigments for his hair and beard and a deeper orange glaze for his jacket and I was done.
Not perfect… but done.
#Arteza A4 watercolor book
To The Sea and Mr. Turner
I’ve just returned from a short overnight excursion to Mystic, CT, specifically the Mystic Seaport Museum, to see the JMW Turner watercolor exhibit.
I’m still processing all that I experienced and I have many many observations and photos to share but they’ll have to wait. Instead I’m going to share a few pages of my sketchbook to show you how much more my books contain than a few quotes, drawings and splashes of color.
I keep brochures and even full sized maps that I sew into the book as extra pages. All sorts of things too valuable to toss or to lose on my messy desk in a failed attempt to keep them safe.
All this and a drawing too!
