09.11.10

It's been a while, and actually, I'd like to say that I have been ubercreative and productive, but actually, I have felt a bit disconnected from art and writing lately. I think the tempo of my life has picked up a bit with the month of September rolling in, and me taking a hand at homeschooling my daughter for this year. I feel a bit disconnected, like I come into my studio and write or paint, then immediately leave it again and back to mothering. I don't know how to describe it really. I have a lot of heavy stuff on the brain about my own limitations and ego-constraints, and how many steps I have taken backwards and away from meditation and Buddhism and all that. Not that this is what this blog is about, nor are any of these things excuses, but I have felt slightly, I don't know, weird and in a funk.

Still, I do have stuff to share with you. I made a little mock up Sketchbook for the sketchbook project to test my ideas for painting spreads, before I actually sketch and paint them in the official rebound Sketchbook. Here is the first spread I worked on, which is actually not the first spread in the book.

I also began experimenting a bit more with that weird watercolor paper and utilizing the characteristic of the watercolor sitting on top of the paper, so I really made wet, watery watercolor, and hung it, so that it looks like a window in a storm. I fell in love with the effect it created and still wondering what I am doing with this background. I might hand-letter a spread for the Sketchbook project, because I wanted that effect and no idea how I was going to get it.

Some other things I have worked on lately. I have been using my own moleskin watercolor sketch book, which I have had for a while for thumbnail paintings. But recently, I discovered, or rediscovered, a little art store in the next town over. She was having a sale and I ended up buying our babysitter an off to university gift of a moleskin watercolor sketchbook and a highend watercolor travel pan. A few weeks later and bought a cheaper one for me, so I began painting some sketches to see how the quality matched up to tubes. These aren't great, but I loved playing with the pan, especially loved going to a cafe during naptime and painting.

Dragonflies Bookmark. 1.75"x 6". Watercolor.

Happy Trees. Watercolor Sketchbook.

Mama sketch. Watercolor.