Another Artist in the Making

I've written about my daughters interest in the studio, but my son has taken me by surprise over the last week or so with his own creative endeavors.

Where my daughter will make art for the sake of making art. My son, however, needs a little more black and white approach. There has to be a concrete purpose behind it. It has to be very linear and tell a story. And nothing does that better for a kid than a comic strip.

So now my studio has early drafts of comic strips hanging around. And the best part is it's entirely his own doing.

Painting in Progress: Manual of Psychology

Today I began a painting with a book, the "Manual of Psychology" as one of the subjects. By an author who's last name is so similar to mine that I was thinking I could be very sly and sneak mine in instead, we're just one letter off. But I won't because I claim no authority on the subject of psychology.

I'm fortunate to have an antique shop a block from my house. However, I'm a little worried about how long it'll continue business, as the fellow who runs the place looks like he's been at it for about, oh, 150 years. When you enter the shop you have to courteously announce your presence because I'm not so sure he can actually turn to see if someone has entered. If I were a portrait painter I'd try with all my might to capture this fellow. I recently read The Lathe of Heaven in which a tortoise-like alien owns and operates an antique shop... well, lets just say that entering the shop near my house leaves you wondering if you're trapped in a science fiction novel and your dreams are coming true.

I picked up the book "It's Story Time" at the aforementioned shop. I think its title and subject contrasts perfectly with the thick, heavy subject and title of the "Manual of Psychology". I'll put that down in the notebook with ideas for future paintings.

Painting in Progress: A Big Fan

I'm working on a variation of the vintage electric fan. I've added a few more shapes to the composition and will be adding several layers of glazes focusing on the surface of the glasses and fan. Fascinating, huh? If you want to see some simply beautiful still life with geometric shapes, check out the work of Volkert Olij.

After this piece, I'm going to be working smaller. When I started this fan, I thought it would be easier than the typewriter, but the truth is the typewriter has so many tiny little details that you can sort of wing it.