Laurelines

2007, the plan

In 2006, I had a single focus in my art life. Drawing was what I did, and although I started out using various mediums such as colored pencil, crayons, pen and ink, I settled halfway through on pencil and watercolor.

In 2007, I feel the call to go inward and deeper, but also to be more multifaceted. I‘ve got so much I want to do, so many different levels I want to work on!

Here are the various projects I’ll be pursuing:

A 101 Faces series:
I’ll make a series of 101 paintings/drawings of faces. The faces will have the same format---  about 7” x 10” on a support like masonite or 300lb watercolor paper mounted on board--- but I’ll be using different mediums. I’ll draw and paint from life,  from photographs, from faces in the art of museums I visit, from memory. And I’ll install them as a narrative, from left to right, in rows, as lines on a page, on a blank wall--- in my house at first, but with an eye to a later public installation.  I’m really excited about this project---it is very manageable, it will be ongoing through the entire year, and it will encourage me to be loose, experimental, playful. It will tell a story, but I have no idea yet what that story will be!  And, best of all, it will provide structure without being restrictive. I can imagine that I will have one or two such series, with different focuses, each year from now on.

Two Women Drawing Together:
My beautiful friend Ippy Patterson and I are going to draw together for a year, on a collaborative project. I will say more about this later. I’m very excited about this and I think you will be, too.

A return to acrylic and/or oil painting:
This will require a completely different state of mind from the one that has been lately dominant in my life. This is the most introverted of my 2007 paths, especially at first, as I begin the process of going deep down and seeing what is there to be painted.

A travel sketchbook project: I’d like to make a sketchbook exploring the nexus between the old world/Europe and the new world/North America. I haven’t quite worked out the details of this one yet or the places I’ll be going, but I will within the next few weeks. Watch the blog for it!

Two art-related trips to France: details to be revealed!

My homely, local sketchbook:
How I’ve enjoyed, in 2006, making drawings of my town, my home, my garden, my family, my pets, the surrounding countryside. I can’t stop now! There’ll be weekly posts from this sketchbook.

And so, the plan for 2007. Unlike last year, when my project was under my control completely, some elements of the 2007 plan call for working with others and some depend on several external factors.  Many of my ideas are more open-ended than last year’s, so the exact shape of what’s to come is unknown.  Isn’t that exciting? I leap into 2007 with a sense of great possibility and the commitment to work really, really hard.  Come along and let’s see what happens!  And thank you from my very heart for all of your support and enthusiasm. Happy New Year!

Four sketches from yesterday:

A purple cabbage from my garden:

Early morning narcissus:

Two crowd scenes, drawn quickly and in increasing dark and chill:

I had a plan

A year ago, I had a plan. It was to create twelve themed sketchbooks, one for each month of 2006, with one drawing for each day of the month. My goal was to increase my drawing fluency. I wanted to be able to respond immediately and strongly as an artist, whenever I could, wherever my pencil and paintbox led me.

I laid out my topics with an eye to the weather, light, the seasons, my travel plans.
The topic list was flexible. I knew I’d alter it as I discovered what worked and what didn’t, what interested me and what made me crazy.  Other factors came into play. I learned firsthand, for example, that the deep woods are not a safe place for the lone female sketcher, so I abandoned my plan of doing a month of drawings there. This, too, is life.
I learned that I loved drawing animals from life. Of all that I did this year, it was in sketching cows, goats, turkeys, swans, my dog and cat, that I felt most spiritually charged. I wasn’t looking for this and I can’t explain it. But it happened.

On the other hand, and equally surprisingly, I learned that I don’t much like drawing trees. And I’m a gardener and nature lover, too.  But I didn’t really connect to this topic and that’s that.

Interiors were the most challenging and that’s why I tackled them first.  I grew to quite like drawing interiors---at least my version of them, which is intimist rather than strongly architectural.

I took a Photoshop workshop and have lots more to learn on that score.  Someday, when needs must, I will.

All three of my local figure drawing groups disbanded, but I kept to my plan to continue with them as long as I could. Drawing people, nude or clothed, is something I’ve done for as long as I can remember, so the month of people sketching was fun and comforting.

And Paris! I rented an apartment in the 7th arrondissement and spent every day of October on the streets, in the parks, in cafes, in museums, sketching.  Spending a month in that city of beauty was a dream made true. I slide into sleep at night now, reliving those bright moments.  Laurelines in Paris is a To Be Continued story and you’ll see it and read it here!
Here on the second to last day of the year and of the project, I can tell you I’m so glad I did this. I made a plan. I stuck to it. It was worth it.  It wasn’t always easy, living up to the assignment I’d set for myself. Some days I dreaded the prospect of sketching… whatever… because I had to. Many days I was exhilarated.  And, you know, I did what I’d hoped to do---I became more fluent in drawing and in sketching with watercolors.  I compare my work from 2005 (you can click on Archives at right to see older posts) and I can see how much stronger the recent work is.

Tomorrow I’ll post the plan for 2007.  It’s different. I’m delighted with it.

I'll post the last sketches for the year tomorrow morning, too.

If you have questions about the project, please ask. I look forward to your comments, as always!

2006, the plan

As with last year, I'm going to have an ongoing sketchbook project as part of my daily art life. Last year, the focus was color. This year I've come up with 12 topics that I'll devote a whole sketchbook to, one book a month. I like to work this way, lingering on a topic until I've begun to do it justice.

My topics:

• Interiors
• Food and dining
• Trees
• Exteriors
• The woods
• Machines/mechanisms
• Animals
• Human beings
• Plants, flowers
• Fruits, vegetables (maybe)
• Unremarkable things
• Water
• Self portraits

I've got an extra topic and I'm sure some others will occur to me, while others will fall by the wayside.

I'll be using various mediums, including ones I'm not wild about. Changing mediums keeps you peppy and teaches you things you need to know!

January will be interiors. February, food and dining. March, trees. That's as far as I've gotten. Of course, I 'll make other art---paintings, non-topic drawings, etc--but the topic sketchbooks will be my daily discipline.

I'm taking Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign workshops in January and February. And about time, too.

I'm going to visit a local organic farm and make lots of drawings over the months. They grow vegetables, flowers and raise heritage turkeys there, so there'll be lots to see and do.

I will continue my figure drawing group.

I plan to rent an apartment in Paris for the month of October, just to draw---by myself. I got this notion while we were there this fall and I have a series of 'serious' drawings in mind to do. Of course, family situation and other considerations may intervene, but this is the plan at present.  You've got to have a dream, right?

So, there you are. Happy New Year to one and all. Thank you so much for following along thus far. I'll be seeing you.

*drawn with Kuretake brush pen while looking in car mirror