Time has once again seized me in its inexorable current and its true that its less frustrating to go with its flow rather than fight the tide...! Despite that feeling that life streams through our fingers like skeins of mists unravelled in the wind, I do love that wind!
Tonight outside the window you would think it was the gales of autumn blasting the sky not a wild summer storm riding past all trumpets blowing! But anyway, time tossed or wind tossed, I have somehow managed to keep a few creative sparks kindling!
Above is another page of what I have decided will be a sketchbook purely for pen and ink... I enjoyed this drawing, exploring the textures and experimenting with the beautiful glass pen my parents got me for my birthday a while back. Owls are always good fun to draw!
Words too have been wending their way onto the page... right in the middle of another story I was supposed to be working on, an entirely different story barged its way past and took hold of my pen! Its a bit wild and capricious and probably the most quickly completed tale I have written, yet it was all there waiting and full of life... I think I rather like it!
Now to start thumbnailing the images and begin work on turning it into a dummy picture book...
The only thing is I will have to learn to draw wolves... canines of any kind I am not confident drawing, but I felt that way about dragons too, hopefully it will come if I keep sketching... here's a first attempt...
I've also been putting together some flyers to print for an exhibition.... I've not exhibited my work before - there's not that much of it that's good enough! But I will not be alone... it is to be a bit of a family collaboration, an exhibition of three generations - and that is what I've called it!
I've always been a bit too embarrassed to put my own work up in my own gallery, too much like blowing my own trumpet perhaps, but then I thought - I put so much work into putting on shows for other people, why not? It could be fun!
So it will be my Mum with her wonderful big oils on canvas of gardens and landscapes, myself with some children's illustration, life drawings and ravens, and my two bright little daughters just beginning their journey full of enthusiasm and children's innate creativity.
I think it will be a lovely way to appreciate the thread that runs through us as close family and as artists and to show each of us on our various stages of our creative paths.
Here's a quote from my press release:
“Growing up with an Artist for a mother meant that drawing was almost like breathing for me, I could not imagine life without a sketchbook! It will be lovely to share an exhibition with my mother and also with my children, almost like passing the paintbrush on down the line...”
And here's a sneak preview of the double sided flyer..
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Finally I must MUST show you these wonderful animations I found the other night on youtube... I've always loved 'real' animation as opposed to CGI which is very clever yet leaves me a bit cold... The Russian animators to me always seemed to have something quite special, and these by Yuri Norstein have such beautiful depth of emotion, spirit and sense of wonderment, I really love them...
(sorry couldn't find one without the advert)
and here's another by the same chap, hope you enjoy them:
Hi Carrie - I love your owl drawing! And the wolf also looks great to me... love the wolf-spirit. What a GREAT idea to have a show with all of you. I especially love that you will include your daughters, how fun! I'd come, for sure, if I didn't have to pay and arm and a leg to cross the ocean... not to mention having to leave Pasha again for a few days ( not his favorite thing at all!)
ReplyDeleteThanks Valerianna! It should be fun... I have boxes and boxes of lovely paintings and drawings by the children but we've been doing lots of arty crafty things in the school hols as well for good measure. I think it will be great for them to get the encouragement and just really good that I'm in the position to be able to give them the opportunity.
DeleteThey often paint up in my mum's studio with her too and are growing up surrounded by art and music... let them grow wild and free as much as possible I say!
Jackie Morris has one of those glass pens. They make a nice line. Love your owl. Wish I could see the exhibit. I bet it will be fun. I liked the hedgehog story. I do love the sound of spoken Russian, and the narrator had a very nice voice.
ReplyDeleteThanks WOL... The Russian language can sound almost bewitching sometimes can't it... have you ever seen any of Tarkovsky's film noir? If not then try to get hold of 'Stalker' and 'The Mirror' both very complex but deeply profound and with staggeringly beautiful cinematography. Stalker is particularly good, about the conflict of art and science and the human capacity for creation and destruction - or at least that's how I took it in!
DeleteWonderful owl!
ReplyDeleteTo be sideswiped by the muse - I'm intrigued by the new story. The wolf is beautiful too.
Your multi-generational art exhibition is a fabulous idea. Joint exhibitions have the advantage of the interplay between the pieces and artists - and with your mum and daughters, that should be a truly special thing. Wish I lived closer!
Thankyou Lynn! I'm a bit intrigued by the new story too, it certainly seems to have a life of its own and the children seem to like it!
DeleteI find myself looking forward to our exhibition now, it could be interesting - I feel a bit like the intermediary - with my children's illustrations kind of linking the children's art and my mums fine art, ties in quite nicely I think!
You have the wolf expression just right.
ReplyDeleteThankyou Freyalyn! That's nice to hear - his expression is quite important, friendly enough to soften some of the darker words around his character yet still wolf...
DeleteI thought I had already posted my comment , I must have made an error. Anyway I thought your owl drawing was really good and love the way you use ink with real texture in the feathers. The eye is wonderful. The exhibition is a lovely idea to include the girls , a real family event with three generations. I hope that you are all busy preparing for what will be an exciting day for you all. Glad to hear the ideas are flowing. Also love the pen.
ReplyDeleteThanks Milly,I enjoyed drawing that owl! I am realising now just how little time is left to get stuff ready for the exhibition... I have to fit some framing into our work list somehow! Though it is very useful being a picture framer if you want to show some work!
DeleteYour ink work is so outstanding. That owl is wonderful. And thank you for posting that cute little Russian Hedgehog vid. SO, so charming. Keep up the great work.
ReplyDelete