The Interrupted Drawing

I miss posting on my blog - my favorite blog, I might add. And it's my favorite not because I'm conceited or proud, but because it's such a wonderful outlet for writing about the things I'm most passionate about - beauty in life, vibrant color, nature, people. It's not just about the art. It's about the impetus behind the work. It's what motivates or inspires the work in the first place, the complex interweaving of events and people that bring it all together.

Art can be viewed as a product of our lives. The way I see it, art is the finished or fixed expression of everything that happened to me in the last while before I painted or drew the piece. It's a kind of visual diary piece - telling you the viewer, all about me.

Conversely, the flip side of the work, is YOU - the viewer. Someone who doesn't know me very well looked at this drawing and said, "That's it? Just a few trees? It looks empty." Just as my life informs and creates my art, your life informs and interprets everything you see. And many times when we observe something, we're not looking at it with a careful eye. We miss a myriad of details. And depending on your background, your beliefs and attitudes, you won't see those details the same way I might see them. This is one of the reasons why art is so subjective, and why some art will speak to you while others won't.

This is a drawing done while I sitting at a picnic table positioned at a campsite by Long Lake. It was early in the morning and I was staring off into space enjoying the smell of fresh air mingled with my morning coffee, and the chatter of the birds. I pulled out my sketchbook and thought it would be a good warm up exercise to draw the trees that graced the perimeter of the campsite next to mine. I have always loved trees - their unique shapes and how expressive their branches are in the way they reach up to the sky. I noticed that there were also a lot of dead branches hanging in various strange positions. As I drew I started to remember the challenge of drawing exactly what I see, but at the same time accentuating or exaggerating the small details that interested me - which in this case where the shapes of the dead branches - the dead among the living.

All of a sudden in the middle of this drawing, a massive RV pulled up into the spot next to our campsite and completely blocked my view. So the drawing didn't get finished. I had planned on filling in the background with a forest of trees - not as detailed as the trees in the foreground, but I didn't. And I don't think I will anymore, because the comment, "That's it?" reminds me of how life interrupts us. There are always things that pop up unexpectedly that interfere with what we're doing. And our lives, or the products of our lives are affected. They are altered in subtle and sometimes not so subtle ways.

The resulting product is also a product of my choice. And it's my choice as to whether or not I want to add the rest of those trees or leave as is. So when someone looks at my work, or some isolated part of my life as says, "That's it?" you have to remember that it's a moment in time they're observing. And that moment is surrounded by everything that brought me to this point now - the point where you are reading this post. My point? The white spaces that seem empty are actually filled with perhaps more of a story than the area that's not white.

So the next time you're looking at something that raises questions, ask yourself why the questions are even there! Give the seemingly empty places the benefit of a doubt - there might be something in those spaces that you never imagined existed!

All the best,
Kate

Somewhat Negligent...Who Me?

Hello everyone!
Yes, I'm guilty as charged - this blog has been so terribly neglected. I've been dabbling in collage, drawing, tried my hand at oil painting, and am returning full circle to acrylics. We always return to what we know - and for me that's drawing, pen & ink and good old acrylics!

This piece is an on-going project that is a compilation of mini collages done on wood. My goal is to have 9 of my favorites mounted on a large 24x24 cradle board. These little collages tell individual stories that document my moving to and putting down roots in Edmonton. I'm almost finished the group - I've done about 20 of them so that I have some good ones to choose from. I don't always like my collages when I'm done, so I like to have plenty to choose from. This project was originally intended to hang on one of the my walls in my apartment, but now that I'm close to finishing, I'm not so sure... it's so big! I might mount the collages in sets of 4 or 6. Not sure - I keep changing my mind on this one. No worries, it will eventually resolve itself. Usually, the pieces tell me how they want to be arranged (and no, I'm not hearing voices, but they do talk to me intuitively!).

Meanwhile, summer is flying by at warp speed. I have some beautiful pictures taken from Half Moon Lake and small towns around Edmonton, that I would like to turn into some acrylic paintings sometime soon.  Other projects, for other days! There's never, ever a shortage of ideas to work from... they just keep pouring in. And what a blessing that is! I'm not definitely not complaining! I consider my imagination and ability to generate ideas a great blessing!

I just need more free time... what's that you say? We make time for the things we love/enjoy? Yes, I agree... I just enjoy too many things!

Have a wonderful Sunday,
Kate

Dear friends,
I'm finally back after a very long delay! I moved half way across the country... and what a difficult transition it turned out to be! But I learned a lot (as we always do when we go through something big). I'm moving into a new place at the end of the month, and I'll be setting up permanent residence again (a hearty halleluhia goes up to Heaven!). I've continued to create art throughout this period and will post my pieces once again starting in September.

I also want to thank all you from the bottom of my heart for being so patient throughout this long silence.

Thank you for coming back...

The sketch is from Half Moon lake... August 2013

All my best,
Kate

Coffee, Tea or Collage?

Another Sunday afternoon that's perfect for collaging! Between reading, making a collage and eating a Turkish chocolate bar it's been a pretty fabulous way to spend a Sunday afternoon. What more could an artist ask for? I might still make a few tiny additions here and there before I add the remaining coat of varnish. It's so hard to leave these collages alone when you're close to finishing. It seems there's always another piece that could be added. "This might look good over here"...and so it keeps evolving until I add a few coats of varnish. Once the varnish is applied, I rarely change anything.

The second piece shown here was the original arrangement, which I ended up changing once I started gluing my pieces down. I really wanted to use that mini Queen of Hearts card, but it didn't seem to fit in, so I left it out. Too much fun! It's like an addiction for me. But I should stop saying "too much fun" as if having fun was something I shouldn't be having. We should all have more fun in our lives - the kind of fun you get from doing something you truly love... your passion!

It's also Mother's Day today, so a Happy Mother's day to my mom, and to all my friends who are mothers! My wishes to all of you for an enjoyable and very special day!

Happy Mother's Day &
Blessings,
~ Kate


  

Almost An Obsession

Another collage over the weekend (actually I did 2). This one is a little bit different in that I included a couple of different elements. I carved a lino pattern last week and experiment with printing it. The central flower near the bottom is one of those prints. And there's a real leaf that I saved from last fall that is collaged into the right corner. It's a little bumpy, but that only adds texture to the overall piece. The large pink flower on the right is a paper napkin. Can you see that there's just no limit to what you can use in a collage?

I'm wondering if this is turning into an obsession, since there's a third collage assembled but not glued down...yet. This medium is too much fun! It's so easy to do, and because it doesn't really take that long (and it's easier on my hand than more detail-oriented drawing and shading, which can be intensive), it gives me a sense of accomplishment when I'm finished. And when you combine those two elements - having fun with a sense of accomplishment - I end up with an activity that I could easily get addicted to. My friend who is an addiction counselor would say that's a pretty healthy addiction! Also, I'm going into overdrive with my art work right now because I was recently laid off from my job. Having all this time on my hands gives me free license to produce as much art as my little heart desires! I've noticed, however, that when my anxiety increases, so does my art output. It's also therapeutic for me. The bottom line is that art is incredibly fun, enjoyable and satisfying. Moreover, If I can pass that wellness feeling on to someone else, and they benefit from it, then I will feel like I have accomplished something really worthwhile!

Best wishes & blessings,
Kate

Courage

This 6x8 collage on wood is meant to be paired with "Off With Her Head!" I love the rich red (Alizarin crimson) combined with warm brown and gold colors, which are the dominant colors in this piece. I also added some color to the collage pieces that I cut out to make them blend in a little better. You can do that with collage - manipulate your own pieces, and even draw your own if you have to! You may actually prefer to draw your own pieces, because sometimes it's more meaningful to create your own "clip art." And that's the beauty of creating used a variety of media - you can use this, or that, and create your own using whatever color scheme you wish!

The only thing I haven't done yet with my collages is add 3 dimensional bits to them, like buttons, charms - little objects. I just haven't really come across anything that I wanted to add that was meaningful. I think that's next, however. Collage is so much fun, it's also a form you can forever experiment with.

If you've never collaged before, you might want to give it a try. I have a workshop coming up on Saturday June 2nd - 11am-4:30pm. If you're interested, send me an email, artistikat@gmail.com

Blessings,
Kate

Off With Her Head!

This is my latest collage piece done on a wood panel. I used acrylic paint for the background and then used a matte gel medium as the base glue and top coat for each piece. This collage is unique in that some of the elements are hand-drawn. I'm learning that if I can't find exactly the right color combination in a piece of clip art or from a magazine clipping, I can simply draw it and color it myself! Besides getting exactly the effect that I want, I'm also creating a finished piece that has original elements to it. I also used 2 puzzle pieces for the bottom left corner, but colored them to fit into the overall color scheme.

This collage was a lot of fun to do. It's a truly relaxing activity - more so than the drawing, watercolor and pencil crayon work that I do. Collage is an assembly of collected pieces of paper and bits of ephemera that are arranged in a desirable pattern. They are glued to a prepared surface layer after layer. It's a process of adding layers with paint and paper pieces. This process is truly therapeutic as you work with your hands and your imagination. There is no pressure to be perfect and to draw well. And there are no mistakes in collage, because if you don't like a particular effect, you can easily paint over it and glue down another image!

I enjoyed working with a red and golden yellow theme on this one, and added some of my own drawn pieces. Other bits include wrapping paper, magazine clippings, a bit of text from Alice in Wonderland, and a couple of puzzle pieces.

I'll be facilitating another collage workshop in May - probably on the 27th. More details to come. Until then...

All my best,
~ Kate

Leaves!

Leaves, leaves and even more leaves! Spring is coming, and it seems appropriate that nature is appearing in my artwork in the form of leaves. Although, those of you who are familiar with my art would agree that almost everything I do has leaves in it! This particular piece, however, has more than its usual share of leaves. I just sat down one evening feeling like I wanted to "doodle" and I started drawing a few leaves. They turned this way and that, and then a couple of eyes popped out to take a peek at what I was doing... and next thing I know another piece has emerged. I never know if its a "viable" piece that has potential, or if it will end up as a mindless doodle until I begin to color it. Sometimes I can't imagine adding color, or the design just gets silly, and I know those pieces go in the doodle pile. This piece almost ended up in that pile. But I think I like it! The design of the leaves seem to flow with movement. The direction and movement of the leaves combined with the eyes (that aren't moving but observing) make for an interesting design. I also like the bits of brown in the leaves, it helps to disrupt some of the green. So this is one piece that I will certainly finish - the leaves on the right side of the paper need finishing and the outer edge needs to be shaded. I'm going to try to finish this one today, since I'm driving my brother back to London this afternoon. (the finished piece has been added - and you can see the progression to completion!)

My brother does meticulous printing (among many other things) and no one does as fantastic a job as he does! So I am off to London to get a whack of printing done! I am hoping in the very near future to have a website up that will feature my art work in gallery style. This is another project, and one that I'm quite excited about! Of course, when my site is ready, I will let all of YOU know!!

Gratitude & blessings,
~ Kate

Indecision Has Made Her Appearance!

This is a piece I drew shortly after I moved into my current apartment just before the end of 2011. This is an apartment building I've lived in before, and I just love it here! There's a ravine behind me and I make sure that I step out onto my balcony every day, just to revel in the appreciation, gratitude and beauty of it all! I am so thankful to be back here - it's definitely home for me, and a place of serenity and peace. I can truly call my home my sanctuary. But, like everyone else, I've had to go through some uncomfortable and unpleasant things to get here. Once my boxes were unpacked, and I was feeling a little more settled, I drew this piece. As I was drawing the figure of the girl, divisions appeared. As the drawing neared completion, I thought she looked rather divided - conflicted and consequently indecisive, which is exactly what I had been going through prior to my move. So I decided to call this piece Indecision. The light around the tree is energy - the force of life, and in the middle of her conflict and indecision, she realizes that she still holds the thread of her life. She can still move forward and ultimately everything will work together for good. As we make decisions and move forward, our lives unfold. And this unfolding happens in the most interesting and beautiful way! For this piece I used ink, watercolor and pencil crayon.

Updated Journal Cover & A Silly Page

Buon Giorno my dear friends,
Here's an updated photo of the cover of my visual journal. You know how it goes with collage...it's never completely finished. You keep adding a little here and a little there. It's like a bowl of potato chips - you just can't leave it alone! But eventually you have to stop or it gets ruined! I'm hoping to fill up this entire journal (it's not that thick) with pages that look similar to this. I love the rich, deep colors and the random images here and there. Some of the images are hand drawn, rather than clipped from a magazine. If I can't find exactly what I want, then I try to draw it. The teacup is cup is cut out from wrapping paper and shaded to look like a cup. And the numbers 2012 are my own. Even though it would have been easy to find numbers, I just drew my own.

And the newsletter! Ahh, yes! What a forgetful ninny I am! A friend asked me about this in a comment, and she kindly gave me the benefit of a doubt, but the truth is, I haven't sent them out yet. I'm still finishing up the winter issue, which will be pages from January to March. Like the collage, I keep wanting to add more. These Silly Pages are just as addicting to me as the collage is...and the potato chips, and the m&m peanuts... funny, the things that keep us fueled - that and delicious art books! Anyway, I digress...I have lots of work to do, so I will get to it and finish up those Silly Pages, get them scanned and send them out! Just for being late, here's a little preview...

There is one thing I would like to ask, however... my right hand needs prayer & healing. I am getting a lot of pain, tendonitis type of pain in the wrist and pain in the thumb joint from a dog bite in 2010. Funny how our injuries come back to haunt us at a later date! I've been ignoring the pain (somewhat) and working on my art anyway, especially on the "good" days. So please, send healing thoughts my way! I still have much beauty and silliness to add to the world of art!

Love to you all,
Kate

Hand-Bound Art Journals

Eureka! I finally figured out how to do the coptic stitching for my hand-bound journals. I've been doing them a different way and wasn't entirely happy with the results. I prefer the coptic stitch because it makes the spine so cool, and you can sew the signatures individually and together all at the same time! My earlier method was more awkward. This is the cover for my first successful coptic or kettle stitched journal - and I'm excited about it! Yes, I know, when it comes to art I'm very excitable. Just show me a few shades of red, pink, blue and orange and you'll get me going. This whole realm or genre of artist books and visual journals is really interesting. There is such a rich variety out there, and people are so creative! It's all very inspiring to me.

I work with rough press watercolor paper for the covers or outside - I think it's 140 lb., I'm not exactly sure, but 140 sounds right. And the inside pages are Strathmore's Bristol 100 lb paper - really nice heavy weight but with a vellum finish. I gesso each page, and they stand up nicely to acrylic paint, glue and gel medium. There's a little more that I would like to add to this page - some steam rising from the cup to curl all over as the hand-drawn design element, and maybe just a few other embellishments. One thing about collage that I'm learning - I can keep on adding to a page, and sometimes it's hard to know when to just leave it alone! This one is definitely NOT done yet - there is more negative space that I'd like to fill. The pieces aren't connected yet. We're supposed to get a winter storm tonight - so this might inspire me to get out my gel medium and get glue-happy! I'm so glad that I was born an ARTIST !! I wouldn't have my life any other way!

Happy creating everyone,
Kate

The Girls are Getting Older?

Good Morning Everyone! It's a bit gray outside, but the temperature is slightly above freezing, which is great! Our winter has been so mild, and I've been really enjoying not having to trudge through snow, scrape it off the car or shiver my rear-end off. We've had more rain than snow, which is very unusual - but no complaints from me!
These 2 drawings were done in August 2011, and I finally got around to adding the color. I think the "girls" are looking more like women. One my friends pointed this out to me, and I think she's right! I can see my style changing as I discipline myself to keep drawing. Changes in style are inevitable, as it's part of growing and evolving as an artist. I guess the excitement and joy is not knowing exactly what will emerge on the page! That unfolding evolution is as interesting to me as it is to you, the viewer or audience.

I hope you enjoy these 2 - the Florist and her sister, the Cat Lover.

All my best,
~ Kate

Watching Blue Bird

This bird & cat piece is more complete now - I hadn't finished the sky and tree branches in the top right right side. I think it's looking a little fuller since "true" completion.

There's certainly a gap in time since my May communications. I stopped doing my art work for a while for several reasons - mostly a lot of stressful things were going on. But they have all been dealt with and I am experiencing gratitude, appreciation and much love for all the care and love God and the universe send me and surround me with. Sometimes in the midst of troubles I forget that I'm deeply loved and taken care of. It's so easy to get overwhelmed by the trees in the forest when you're lost. But I think we're never really lost - we may not recognize where we are - but God certainly knows, and we are not lost to God! So, here's the birdie and the cat - it's called Watching Blue Bird. And speaking of watching - there will be more art work coming... just watch!

Take good care,
Kate

Back to the Drawing Table!

Birdie & Cat are finally finished - after 3 long months of waiting. I inadvertently took a mini-sabbatical from my art and consequently haven't finished this piece until now. I've almost been too tired lately to do any real art... although as much as I say "I'm tired" all the time, I still can't completely stop drawing. Drawing is in my cells, my bones, and my heart. It's my passion, the thing I want to do more than anything else. And yet, sometimes we need a break even from things we call our "passion."

Since May, I've drawn 5 other drawings, but they're not colored - just outlined. My drawing style is a little like paint-by-numbers. I create a drawing, outline it, and then I color it in. It's relaxing, extremely enjoyable, and it gives me a great sense of accomplishment. And for this I am grateful. Sometimes life becomes so complicated and messed up with problems that we aren't able to achieve a sense of accomplishment. For myself, I feel an even greater need for that sense of accomplishment when my world (whether it's my work life or personal life) is surrounded by chaos. I believe my art is a gift for my own benefit just as much as it is a benefit to others. I feel very blessed when I look at the vibrant colors and images that fill the pages of my portfolio.

May a little beauty,
a bit of innocence,
and a touch of mischief
hang on to the edge of your sleeve
as you look at these playful images...

~ Kate

Irresistible

Even though I have so much to be grateful for, I never stop wanting more... more time to do my art, more ideas, more color, more beauty, more passion. It's like drinking a glass of cold water when you are parched - you can't stop and you just want more. This is how I feel about my art. And as silly as it may sound, I feel as though I am honoring God when I do my art. Sometimes the beauty I see when I look at nature touches me so deeply that it makes me cry, and I want to capture that beauty on the page.

With spring comes blossoms and birds - the birds are absolutely gorgeous in the morning when I walk Button (my little dog), and again at twilight. I wanted to do something with flowers and a bird. And wouldn't you know it - a cat managed to sneak in there as well. I told him he could only stay if he just watched the bird - that's it - no bird-dinner!

One More Floral

Here's another floral piece that started out as a mindless sort of doodle. When I colored the leaves in, I liked the variegated look on the leaves. However, once I "finished" the rest of the picture , I wasn't sure that I liked the overall look of it, so I didn't do anything with this one (as far as printing goes). It's not a bad piece by any means, it just doesn't stand out for me the way the others do. I think it's because I left some white around the outside edges. The white parts look unfinished. I really do love color - and if I'm going to do anything with this piece, I think I have to fill in the white space with color. That's probably what's missing for me.

Art for Rain

We've had so much rain this weekend - not that I'm complaining, I love gray days. A rainy day is a perfect day to do more art, to sleep more, read more, and drink more tea! It was just barely spitting this morning, so I took Button to the park and let him sniff each tree and run to his heart's content. Even though my sweet little Button is 13 years old, he still gets excited when we go to the park. He loves it there, my cute little furry boy! When I work on my art in the solarium, he follows me in there and curls up by my art table. He is truly "man's best friend."
I finished my Floral No.4 piece last night (finally). I wanted to get it done last week, but there's been too much going on, I've been too busy. This is precisely why I don't like a busy schedule. There's nothing I love more than a leisurely day with no plans, so that I can work on my art here and there throughout the day, go for a walk, make a pot of tea, bake a batch of scones or cookies if I feel like it or take a nap... that's the epitome of contentment (at least one version of it). There's a few other versions of contentment that I have stashed away in my mind. The key for me is to realize my moment of "bliss" while I'm experiencing it. I think that's called "living in the moment" and savoring that moment.

Saturday Sunrise

Good morning World! I'm up before the proverbial "crack of dawn" with my first cup of coffee and a toasted scone (homemade, of course!), and the birds are chirping away to announce the day. I love the sound of birds. They are a symphony to my ears, and they inspire a sense of peace and calm that no other sound in the city can effect.

I've been working more slowly on my next piece - in between extreme bouts of fatigue and headache. I think I had a "bug" this last week that temporarily knocked the daylights out of me. I'm feeling much better this morning, and ever so appreciative of the times I'm healthy and energetic. It's also a wonderful feeling to be content...there's a bible passage that addresses this. I think it says that contentment with godliness is great gain...something like that. I don't know how much "godliness" I can propose to have, but I can attest to the fact that contentment is truly a great blessing. This piece is reflective of that morning peace and the contentment that follows. Oh, that I would feel that way all day...now, that's a whole other issue, which I won't get into. I'm sorry about the greyish quality to this picture. I took it early in the morning with not enough natural light. The next one will be a little brighter, in addition to being finished. I still have the background and the flower at the top right to complete.

Love & blessings,
Kate

Cupcake Queen

Cupcake Queen is here! She's the companion piece for March Girl. I tried to make her a little different by giving her some curly hair. I noticed I was starting to do the same thing for the hair that I did in a few other pieces, so I changed this one a bit. I'm glad I decided to try something different. It's too easy to get into a rut.

I think images are better when they can be grouped together, or better yet - I like creating a series around a theme. I have a few in mind to go with the March Girl (who I was going to rename, but haven't yet). I know cupcakes are a well-loved dessert, so it was easy to build a scene around this tasty treat. Of course, there's a cat or two (three... maybe four?) that snuck in there during the process. I think they got into some of the cupcakes as well, but Cupcake Queen doesn't seem to be bothered about it.

All my best,
Kate

March Wind is Finished

Wouldn't it be great if we were really "finished" with the March Wind? It's April and the winds are still blowing. In fact, the wind was a tad wicked this afternoon! I could hardly stand it when I walked my dog after work.

My interpretation of the wind, however, is a little friendlier than she appeared to be today. Here she is, both radiant and mischievous at the same time...