Different strokes from Different Folks Week 35&36 Pennsylvania Landscape

Another challenge from Karin Jurick at Different strokes from Different Folks her reference photo was a gray scale photo of a Pennsylvania Farmscape. Karin asked everyone to invent their own color version. I made my fields the color of late summer fields - yellow orange and green . 6x9" pastel on Hanemuhle velour paper.

A work in progess - it's all about MOM

For my beautiful Mother

I Love You Mom

In progress several hours more to go - Unfortunately I plan to age you a little

Working on Whites

Little 4.5" x 5.5" pastel on Wallis paper- White on white study - not easy - not a total success-- but not a total failure either. I'm in Artistic rehab now and just trying to find the best exercises to get my artistic muscles back into shape.

I brewed a whole pot of decaf for this sketch and I can hardly see the coffee - I guess I'll go make another cup and this time I'll drink it -

May #3 the luck of the draw

I have kept my word to myself and spent an hour a day in my studio - the day after I did Carolyn in pastel I did a second version in watercolor pencil which I did not like and will not be posting -

the next day I found myself blogastinating and forced my self into my studio shut my eyes and pulled out a photo from my photo reference drawer -and this is what I got - It took a couple of days to do - not what I envisioned but it represents about 3 hours of fiddling I did not like the paper I need to stick to Wallis and Colorfix papers for pastels -- what a huge difference paper makes-

tonight I will try a value study in white ? HUH??? OK just a study in white

Approx 6" x 7" best viewed from a great distance in very low light

Carolyn & My life as a Slug!

Pastel on Wallis paper 9" x 12" this is my brilliant and talented niece Carolyn she is an ALL American pole vaulter- She recently placed seventh at the nationals we are extremely proud of her.

As for me -- well I have recently been living the lifestyle of the all American SLUG - I go to work come home eat dinner and watch TV -no computer no email no drawing no dulcimering - It was all that I could do - but now I seem to have more energy - The slug lifestyle is easy and nice but eventually I got a little bored with it- I believe I burnt out during our recent kitchen remodel and it has taken 4 months and a visit to my mother to get fully recovered .

I made a vow to my self that I would spend at least an hour a day in my studio doing something - ANYTHING every day in May - so this piece is the result of my first couple of studio hours. I was inspired by a wonderful photograph of Carolyn that was taken by her younger sister Cecille - Cecille is a very talented photographer- Thanks Cecille hope you don't mind this unauthorized use of your photo. And the cover of the most recent issue of Drawing magazine - I love the scribble style -