And Every Eye Speaks Loathing and Disdain
collage (anatomical illustration, found art, and map) on Arches cover paper
7 1/2 x 11 inches
Our promised joys are steeped in bitter pain;
And every eye speaks loathing and disdain.
Chickens are experts at disdainful, loathing looks. In fact, they may have invented the stink eye.
Span the Wide Chasm
collage (altered Polaroid, 35mm photo, inkjet print, blueprint, child’s dress pattern, and page from history textbook) on Arches cover paper
7 1/2 x 11 inches
Span the wide chasm, and by a single bound
We trace the life and almost hear the sound.
What echoes haunt thy resurrected walls!
When lurid night engulfed thy stately halls.
I really like the way this one turned out. I sat there for a couple of hours, looking at a pile of things I’d gathered together, and suddenly it all took shape.
The lines in this are a little rougher around the edges than I like, but that’s pretty much unavoidable given the nature of the technique. I used a baby wipe to dampen the photo, then scraped away the emulsion. The photo has to be repeatedly re-wet, because it dries out quickly, and when it’s dry, it’s impossible to remove the emulsion without scuffing the paper, too.
The photo itself is of a painting at the art museum where I used to work. I don’t remember the artist or the title.
The Lesson Learned
collage (anatomical illustration, dictionary illustration, and map) on Arches cover paper
7 1/2 x 11 inches
The Patterns We Teach
collage (anatomical illustration and child’s dress pattern) on Arches cover paper
7 1/2 x 11 inches
Sharpie felt tip pen in composition notebook
9 3/4 x 7 1/2 inches
Some of this one is old, but most of it was done during today’s webinar on RDA. (The less I say about the webinar, the better. I’d say it was a total waste of time, but I did get a lot of doodling done.)
I don’t normally recommend Sharpie markers, but these are not from their regular line. Their fine tip felt tip pens are permanent, acid free, and completely odor free. Because the carrier is (allegedly) archival, the ink shouldn’t break down and cause haloing. I bought a two-pack of the pens, and have been using them pretty extensively. The tips are holding up really well and the ink is long lasting. I’m getting much better mileage from them than I do from fine point Pitt pens. I’ll be buying more, the next time I’m at Staples.
gel pen in composition book
7 x 7 inches
Yuck. It’s pretty enough, but it’s cold and it’s a pain in the ass to drive in and I’m ready for spring. Which is coming, by the way. I know, because it was still reasonably light out last night at 6pm, despite the fact that it was overcast. Hello, longer days! I have missed you!
Also, we are painting again!
Or, at least, working on paintings we started two years ago. Jeebus. And in the process, I think I’ve discovered that I’m allergic to Daniel Smith paints. I don’t know why, because the ingredients can’t possibly be very different from those of other paints, but other paints do not make me sneeze and sniffle or my nose itch. Very weird.
It’s taking forever, now that I’m working on this one again, but it’s a ginormous painting, so I guess that’s to be expected.
Remember: It’s all underpainting!
oil on canvas
Not a whole lot of progress, but some. This was just red and orange underpaint, so I pulled it out and worked some more on it. Once the paint has a chance to set up a bit, it’ll get another coat to brighten it up. Probably oil pastel, but we’ll see. The background will get the same opposite(ish)-color treatment, so it’ll end up being some sort of red. If I can find my alizarin crimson, that is.
red paper boat 