Illustration

"Jazz Hands" is the title of this little gouache painting that I recently finished. It was based on a black and white photo from the Bill Baird book about The Art of the Puppet. References have sited that jazz hands became popular in the early years of musicals. Their dramatic appearance has kept this expressive quality alive in the fields of gymnastics, dance, musicals and as an ever popular staple of show choir choreography. As my daughter once stated in her show choir years, "they show off … [Read more...] about Jazz Hands

It's time for all goblins and ghosts to grab their buckets bags or sacks and put the feet to the pavement. Such a funny tradition. It's almost like glorified begging. And yet the children probably find just as much fun in the dressing up and garnering of comments about their costumes as they do in filling their treasure totes. The history of trick-or-treating does not have a clearly defined beginning. But one thing is for certain. It has found it's way into the hearts, minds and wallets of the … [Read more...] about Trick-or-Treating

One of my favorite artists is Toulouse Lautrec. There is a simplistic beauty to much of his work which as the linked article states might be described as drawings in coloured paint. Some of the subjects that I am most drawn to portraying are those who can be seen in quiet or unimportant moments of daily life even though their eyes and body language speak volumes. I'm intrigued by Toulouse's ability to depict people in their everyday environments and succeed at creating an artwork that stands … [Read more...] about Toulouse Lautrec

This amicable beaver didn't mind our comings and goings on the dock at all as he sat on a submerged rock munching on his lunch only a few feet away. Besides the great fishing, Canada is a splendid place to view wildlife. This animal drawing which I am rendering in Pastels is from a photo I snapped just coming in to the pier off the shores of the resort, down from the cabin where we stayed. I've a stash of photos from a variety of little journeys we've taken that I can work from. Sometimes it's … [Read more...] about Pastels, and Pastels on Mi Teintes

Often when I'm driving, working in the garden, or perhaps out for a run an idea will come to me. It may be a phrase that I might include in a manuscript or a thought about how I could construct a figure or painting. It's too diffucult to carry a sketch book with you at every moment, so often I need to put something down on paper from memory. You can lose some of the flavor from the moment of inspiration, but it is still best to record what you recall. Sketch (drawing) is not only the perfect … [Read more...] about Sarah as a Sketch