Day 14 - Richie Havens

This was something I stumbled upon as I wandered the YouTubes(ha). Woodstock. What amazing music that was. What a slice of history that is so far removed from what is seen as talent and special today it is almost feels like fiction. Did that really exist? Did people play music until they bled without care for their wardrobe? Richie is still making music and pray that people listen. 

"Reach". Books are almost more important to me than music. I don't care how one reads, whether it be hard copy or on an "e-reader" which is the way the world is moving to, as long as one reads and explores imagination. I personally enjoy holding a book, a different book, in my hands every time I read. They take up space, yes, and can yellow and become old, but so will I. Words resonate and allow the imagination to soar in a way television stymies and dulls such things. Perhaps that is too critical of television. I do watch movies and TV all the same, but feel only a portion of what I feel when I read. Ah. I ramble too much. I AM getting old.

B- Side

Fires set

The world alight

He was not here

Nothingman Tonight

Shadows grasp

at daylight's heels

He burns them all

This man who  feels

Day 13 - OkGo

Managed to keep this day afloat. Listening to a whole bunch of music tonight, but OkGo was top of the list. It was an interesting experience because I did not watch their videos while I drew, just listened. They write good music(or good music is written for them?) on the whole. 

"One who wades" was somewhat traditional. All of them start out with random lines and move from there. I guess this is why I don't feel "legit" as an artist per se. I mean, most of what I do is random, doodlish, and looks somewhat unfinished. Is that art? Is that making a statement of some kind? Not really. I draw what I feel and move fast and without thinking. Something I don't do in my everyday life. Not everything I make is perfect and this allows me to accept this imperfection. A blank canvas is a scary thing. Once you make that mark, there is no going back. That's why I like drawing without an idea in my head of where I'm going. It allows the work to move and evolve, but on the same token, makes things look somewhat rushed and unfinished. I refine somewhat and could flesh them out into 'real" works, but I'd rather not. I almost never recreate what I doodle/draw/design. I move forward. I don't plan. Does that make me a crummy artist? Sometimes I think it does.

B-Side

Of course there is a B-Side! Tonight was more relaxed and I was groovin to the music! Long day today of moving boxes and other such cleaning activities. Rest tomorrow and recover. Enjoy the day. I drew patterns for the B-Side tonight. I'd give a 75%. Wasn't what I started to do but I liked the result. If you read what I wrote above you would understand that. If you're reading what I'm writing now I'm impressed you're still here. 

:)

 

"The Apparition Speaks" 

Words are like fire sometimes.

Day 12 - Neutral Milk Hotel

I love band names. Love them. I enjoy the imagery they convey. It doesn't hurt if the music is good as well. Sometimes they are like art pieces, long winded and hopelessly ironic. There's even a band called "The Band". How ballsy and great is that?! It's like naming a painting "The Painting". Amazing. This is a makeup day. Had to draw two pieces today.  I digress. Artwork heading your way.

"The Great Divide" is lookin' at you now. I went more my regular style today. It happens when I get tired. It's not that I mind drawing like this. Sometimes I like something different. I haven't drawn any birds mainly so far. I believe there was one a few days back, but not a regular. Maybe tomorrow. No B-Sides today. Too much to draw and I just wasn't grooving enough to add any more. Caught up though. Feel good. Long weekend. Feel GOOD about that. Going to need to ask for more songs/music. Running out and I don't want to surf YouTube for anything.

Day 11 - Counting Crows

Missed another day. Sometimes I care and sometimes I don't. I wish I could force myself to draw during the day but I find myself most reflective at night in the wee hours, and last night I was just too dog tired to do anything. It was a long LONG day at work. Is that an excuse? Am I trying to justify my lack of doing this? Yes. Not good. At least I am keeping up with it and not getting too far behind. I enjoyed tonight's drawing. It was very different to a very familiar song and one I quite enjoy. The results were nice. 

Not at all what I really expected. "Hills" came out of pattern. I actually drew this one "upside down" if you will. A doodle that I must say isn't totally terrible, and since I am the judge of that and will hear no objections, then it is so. hah.

Day 10 - Blind Melon

This is not so much about the artwork as it will be about the music. Blind Melon was an amazing band. My musical ignorance never ceases to amaze me. It seems if we only look to the surface, we miss SO much. The radio is full of so much crap I can't believe it. I spend a good part of my days in the car driving around, and I listen to the radio. Any given day I will hear the same song over and over and over and OVER again. No depth, very little change. MAYBE once a day will I hear a song that doesn't make me want to set the radio on fire. Blind Melon. Their only "hit" was "No Rain". Does not encompass the band as a whole in even the slightest margin! I'm listening to a song now..."Mother". It is amazing. I've never heard it before and it is over 15 years old. I'm doing this project not only to keep my imagination afloat but to expand and explore a depth of music that is so lacking. 

"The Offering" So many give all that they have so that others may benefit. Will anyone read this blog(Besides Elizabeth, I love you!). Probably not. I may show it to my children one day, a testament to what I once was.

No B-Side tonight. Tomorrow should be a fun day (a certain "letter" went out at work and is causing quite the stir!)

Day 9 - My Morning Jacket

These days come and go so fast. It is mind boggling how the time flies. It seems we just got done preparing for the holidays and now...they're over? The Grind is back? Work? It is relentless and thus my focus remains on doing something outside of work to maintain some aspect of sanity(video games help too, but I feel this makes me more present in the moment as opposed to the opposite feeling.

"You Do Not See What You Hold" Because who among us really do? Do we see what we have until it is gone and then realize how amazing it was? I realize nostalgia is the enemy and thwarter of progress but it hold a stong rope on our thoughts. Since the first ever generation looked at the second generation ever, the first has ALWAYS said "we weren't THIS bad!", but they were, worse even, in some ways. I look at the kids I work with and think "There is no way you will see 20". I must be getting old.

B-Side

 

BAM! B-Side! Whoooo! Art should contain humor sometimes. Not ironic humor that only deep thinking hoity toity types get. The base, silly, stupid stuff that every kid enjoys. Don't get me wrong. I love dark, humorous, ironic art as much as the next art school student, but I don't want to have my head so far up in the clouds I can't laugh at a fart joke. I may be old but I can still appreciate the absurd, silly things in life.

Day 8 - Muse

Ah, caught up again! Feels good. I don't want to get behind. It was strange switching music over like this but I felt that the change did me good. I shifted gears and spent some time on something different. I went more realistic this time. I like partials and doing some aspects of a person. Doing a whole form to me seems tedious. I think this way it's a tad more mysterious and strange. I think we all want to be that way but realize that we aren't all too different from other people.

I hate cliche titles to works. Someone might call this "Voice" or "Speak" or something and that would be all well and good, but it is what would be expected. On the opposite side of the same coin, I can't stand titles that make NO sense whatsoever, such as "The Belligerant Swan Follows the Dusty Path of Solitude into Frederick's Green Garden which exists only in his mind because Frederick is bug and DEAD." The title ALONE should be worth 20,000 BS points. 

I'll call this one "Untitled"

*gag*

Nah. How does "White Noise" strike you(me)? Good? Good.

Day 7 - Black Stone Cherry

So I missed my first day yesterday. It was the weekend and I was out of my rhythm(great hangman word btw). STILL

No excuses. I need to keep up with this no matter what. I will post yesterday's and today's post at once but will strive to leave no more days behind. 

I'm enjoying the music selections as I asked others what I should listen to. I always enjoy exploring new artists. No guarantee I will like them all but I will give everyone a fair shake (3-4 songs). 

"the Path" was drawn with the past in mind. Music guided me that way. Parts of the past are lost, but we have a dim view of how things were. It is dangerous to think that way. I try to honor the past without living in it. Too deep there. Deep Dish. The Covered Dish. Bars. Tater Salad. Laughter.

Much better. Nothing like a little word association to get me going again!

B- Side

 Yeah I have no idea what the hell this is. Bird Meets Fish? Got me here. Weird drawing that made the cut. Slippery little thing eh? I like the bird better than the fish/jar/whatever on the left...

Ah well.

Day 6 - Logistics

Almost made it a whole week without delay/incident/laziness getting in the way. Music helps. Short post tonight. Going to airport early tomorrow. "Lilly Among the Pads" 

B-Side

Still, had time for a B-side. The music really carried tonight and allowed some forms to flow. "Conversation/Argument" arose from the ashes of my burning embers.

Nothing much really.

Day 5 - A whole lot of Fleet Foxes

Early post tonight!

I think I will grow old drawing this picture. I have recreated this scene in so many different ways. Tree on a hill. My Tree as someone once called it. I don't want to be boxed in making the same thing over and over but find my lines finding the same form over and over. I must say I am relatively pleased with this piece. I'd give it a 70%.

B - Side

Yes! B-side tonight makes no sense! Just me playing with forms and puzzles. Kind of like a Celtic Knot Undone. Looking for a way to weave it all together.

 I think it is a mess. I'd give it a 20% at best. Like some of the forms. Probably shouldn't have posted anything and just let it go without. Ah well.

Day 4 - James Blunt - Same Mistake

Strange night tonight. I had a couple of drawings, of which only two made the cut. The rest will not see your eyes. Less rushed tonight. Feeling a bit more at ease with the process. Hopefully it will get better. 

Welp, without further ado, here it is

"DNA Dressing" This pic really just grew out of the head of the shaker/grinder thingy. We are all part nature and part nurture. That's the reasoning behind this. Getting away somewhat from loose forms and getting more geometric. Although this WAS the last drawing of the night. It took a while to get something I liked halfway. This is around 65%

B - Side

I think a night with so many drawings deserves some sort of B-side so here it be. (Ha). This one was a "mess-up" that I attempted to fix. It turned out(to me) to be very feminine although that was not my intent(whenever do these things follow my intent? Never.) and I call it "Heart Necklace". I almost made this the daily drawing but felt the pic above just squeaked by. I like salad. Sue me. 

 

Day 3 - No Music Tonight

Day 3 and already I'm feeling the burn. This was done last minute in an "Oh crap I need to draw!" moment. I need to take my sketchpad with me as I travel around to ensure that I am reminded to draw throughout the day and not done forced and in a panic. It is day three and I need to change my game up. This is what happened last time I believe. It became a chore and not a process. Oy. This is a Celtic Knot of which I am obsessed. I love the details and weaving nature..guess it is in my blood. Even though I messed this one up (over, under, over, under, DUH). I still enjoy it. Hopefully I can learn to make more complicated ones in the future.

Paradigm Change 

Good name for a band actually.

No B-Side tonight. So sad.

Day 2 - Buckethead - Whitewash

A day for me is when I get up to when I go to sleep. Therefore, even though it is 2:00 AM, this for me is still considered my second "day" :p

"Standing on the Edge of the Whorl" - I've always loved stippling. To me it is an exercise in patience. Today it was much needed. It is funny. When looking at this picture I begin to see shapes, faces, and pattern among the "stars". I think our minds seek out order in chaos to make us feel less small.

B- Side

Today's B-side is me trying to come up with something different when I doodle. I feel most of these organic shape drawings always turn into the same thing. Birds. Don't get me wrong, I love my birds and really enjoy making them, but sometimes I want something different so I don't fall into the same rut. Today it was a leaf and stem. It is OK, but not great and I'm not crazy about it.

It probably would have been a better bird.

 

Day 1....Round Two - Sigur Ros - Hoppipolla

So here we are again. Trying to maintain some semblance of creativity in my life by forcing myself to blog about it(so 2006 I know). I don't think many will read this and that's OK because I like the informality of this venue. I can say what I want and not wear pants while I blog. Very freeing really.

ANYWAY. First Drawing. If you are amongst the crowds flowing through this site I welcome you and welcome you to comment or ignore me. My drawings are me. Strange, spooky, and not always finished. I listen to music while I draw and will be posting the main musical choice in the title thingy. Cool eh? I'm rambling I know. 

What you see here is a good example of my work. I wont ramble every day(maybe) but I start with random shapes and lines and let them go where they will. This one is called "Overbear". I literally JUST named it as I was typing. 

B - Side

I will occasionally draw more than one thing during the day and the one that I like second best will become my B-side of the day. This one is from before but I feel like I should post it. We recently had to put down one of our cats and it was devastating. I spent the night with her before we did and wrote a poem and drew this picture. The picture I will share. Her name was Gabby.

So it is now 2012.

When was the last time I updated this? I have no idea.

SO

New Year's Resolution #1! - Create something every day and POST it every day. No backup dates no "I'll do it tomorrow." That is my goal. My guess is I will last about a month, but here's hoping for the whole year. 

So expect a drawing up by the end of the day!

I will not reveal my other resolutions :p