IF: Entangled (Organized Entanglement)

On a recent trip to Northern California, we saw many vines entangled in an organized
way. This vineyard where the vines were planted on steep rugged terrain was at the base of the Russian River where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. Breathtaking....
And this from Arenas Flowers...

For Bacchic-pleasure seekers, the sight of a grape vine is tantamount to finding Elysium on earth! Yes, grapevine undoubtedly symbolizes intoxication. Scientifically, the vine, from which the intoxicating drink of wine originates, belongs to the Vitis family.

In fact, all literature-especially originates from the celebration of Bacchus, the wine god and this ritual of song and dance was inevitably incomplete without wine and tender entanglement of grapevines.

Read more: Grapevines Flowers Meaning | Meaning of Grapevine Flowers | Grapevines Flowers Information

Chad Grohman

A new website by the always inspired and inspiring Chad Grohman called simple kingdom

We had a weekend all together in the pumpkin patch...lovely.

Connor

of course you can

Jack the Ripper

The Bard revisited...again

Communicate

Birdsong versions

Still working with this image...experimenting again....
Hear a rare interview (podcast) with Brad Holland here. There are lots of them at SideBar. Kind of like NPR's Car Talk but with Dwight and Swain. Four color conversations about comics, art, and pop culture. Great to listen to while working....

Ken Lindsay...Continued

Art History Professor Ken Lindsay, author of Kandinsky: The Complete Writings on Art
passed away in March. He was 89. Last weekend there was a memorial celebration at Binghamton University where he taught, but I could not attend. I took his "Kandinsky Seminar" as a first graduate level course. An amazing class.
This Joe Ciardiello -esque illustration is a response to his passing. He encouraged my art making. He was a giant of sorts (literally and figuratively). We exchanged Christmas cards every year. He was always so happy to receive original art from me. Once, in the middle of a very cold February, cane in hand, he braved the icy weather with his wife, to come to the opening of a small exhibit I had. I was flabbergasted! His wonderful wife Christine is an accomplished musician and plays harpsichord. The quote in the illustration is from Kandinsky's "Concerning the Spiritual in Art" which was an important book for me. Here is a video interview that was done about how he came to Binghamton University (formerly Harper College)....still passionate...still lively...I will miss him....miss bumping into him at the bank and the grocery store. But mostly I'll miss his kind, thoughtful, and encouraging words, whenever we would meet. "So, what are you doing with all that creativity?" he would ask.......He was one of the very few people I have known who sensed what I as a artist, was trying to accomplish.

IF: Impossibility

It seems an impossibility that these tiny seedlings will become giant sunflowers:)

Seedlings, watercolor and gouache (last photo)
(Also above, Watercolor and Cutout Effects in Illustrator)

IF: Poise

The little chef showed remarkable poise, gentleness and
determination during the competition.

This is a repost of an illo done last week, but couldn't help feeling that poise sort of "fit him".

Watercolor: Little Chef

Little Chef :
dark strokes effect; poster edges effect; and the original

Faces

IF: Subtract

I really want to work on a series of simple portraits. This started as a traditional watercolor and then I used the cutout effect in Illustrator--but it subtracted an eye!

Portable Watercolor

Watercolor studies. A variation of the upside down house (Watercolor and gouache with non-toxic Gioconda soft pastel pencils.)This done on very portable spiral-bound Strathmore 400 Series Field Watercolor cold press sketchpad which alternates 140lb. wc paper with 60 lb sketch (15 sheets each) for on (and off) location studies. This is 10 x7. Also comes 11 x 14 and you can get here. For outdoors, this pairs nicely with Schmincke watercolor set although pricey it comes with brush, 12 colors and 2 palettes for mixing.

IF: Celebrate

Congratulations Penelope!

Sketchbook Studies: Watercolor

Watched another Burton Silverman video from SmartFlix-this one on watercolor. He works utter magic sloshing tinted water around a sheet of paper...must work on some larger wc studies. This small watercolor study I did of Lisbeth Zwerger's Little Red Cap. My favorite of her illustrated books is Little Hobbin. Here is a talented illustrator whose work makes me think of Lisbeth Zwerger and she lives in NY state! I may have to pay her a visit. It sounds like she lives on a big farm with lots of animals that she draws. I'd also like to be a fly on the wall in the studios of Lisbeth, Louisa, Camilla, Burton, Chad, Q and Catharine....and so many others...

Sketchbook: Know Where Your Food Comes From

Ahhh, choosing what foods to eat has become a real challenge. This is an idea sketch, in watercolor and pen and ink, for a larger piece about foods that are toxic. You can click on the image to see it bigger.

The Bard Experiments

More trial and error. I've always wanted to do a portrait of "The Bard". This is a watercolor with pen and ink manipulated digitally. Which one do you like?