My Studio

My studio. An early version. It is still a work in progress. I have several small drawings I have been meaning to finish  and this is the area where I get most of this work accomplished. Most of my art is small in nature. Small watercolors incorporating pen and ink drawings. Generally they are 3x5, 4x6, 5x7 or 8x10 inches. I used to do large mixed media paintings like the one in the photo. They were pen and ink, acrylic, pastel and colored pencil. They were much too expensive to produce so I scaled my work down to manageable proportions. Right now I just do small illustrations with inspirational quotes in them. I have been doing these for years. I once sold them to pay for my supplies, but now I give them to friends or produce them to hang around the studio. I have been on disability for quite some time now and it simplifies matters. Once I kicked around the idea of making a living at it but my disability kind of squashed this idea. The nature of my disability is such that I have a hard time making plans and following through with them.I suffer from major depression and PTSD after being the victim of a random act of violence. I consider myself fortunate to be able to accomplish this small endeavor. I was very fortunate to have once gone to art school, I worked in a frame shop and  I sold art supplies. I have been able to find my way around this illness to a degree. God willing, I won't always be on disability...  Dale

Pfaltzgraff

I found this little piece of pottery in a thrift store a while back and it spoke to me. It is a style of pottery pretty popular in our area. Pottery is something that I really enjoy and I like to haunt thrift shops looking for it. We had a Pfaltzgraff plant in town for a long time and I had the opportunity to work for  their bone china endeavor for a little while. I got to see the industrial side of  things for a period and I learned a lot. Pfaltzgraff is gone now and the only thing left is a mural downtown showing their pottery being made; It was a significant part of our town's economy for a long time. I've been kicking around the idea of going to an area where handcrafts are a big part of the culture. Working with my hands has always pleased me and it would be nice to be part of that tradition again. My small drawings give me a lot of pleasure. I had the opportunity to go to art school for a little while and it was a fun learning experience. I wonder when you reach the age when these dreams stop being important. I can't imagine ever giving up art...

A  piece of stained glass that I bought many years ago. Actually, it is melted glass. The sunset through the window made a wonderful image. It was a frustrating day trying to figure out how to transfer images from my camera. The first couple of images went smoothly, and then-nothing.

Inspiration III

Just attempting to see if I can figure out how to blow up this image. There is a way to do it but I can usually only do it by chance. There seems to be a trick to it that I just don't get. That is the trouble with working in isolation, there is a long learning-curve. I figured it out, you have to right-click on the image
     This is one of my favorite photos. It is not especially good, but it represents my favorite "stuff. " My Rapidograph pen and my Winsor & Newton paint set. I have had both of them for years. My paintings are very small so it does not take a lot of watercolor to finish a pen & ink drawing. Many years ago when it was my dream to be an artist there was an article in one of the art magazines about making sure that if you want to be professional, that you buy professional equipment. I followed the writer's directions. Paint really makes a big difference. When you buy student grade paint, you get student grade results. Anyone who has ever gone to grade school knows how to create mud with their paints. Making mud with professional grade paints is not impossible, but you learn an awful lot about color theory when you try. A lot of times you end up with some wonderful mixtures that are just what you are looking for...

Inspiration II

I am trying to figure out my camera, there are a couple of images I want to share but I cannot figure out how to post them.

              

Inspiration

Flowers are one of my favorite things to look at. I try to draw them but I am just not that good. This one is a little easier because it is in profile. I try to draw them from the top and it is a lesson in futility. My camera is able to do what I cannot and then I can translate what I see. Perhaps I will give this one a try, it is just such a pleasing photo.

Gratitude

Gratitude is such a tough topic for me. It seems that there is always something to complain about. My sister recently lost her home when a tree fell on it. She had not been in it long and it was destroyed. Rather than look at the fact that the place was empty at the time,you ask yourself  how often does a tree destroy a home? What are the odds? There have been more events like this in our part of the state in recent years. It seems tornadoes are more common. My sister was lucky, not everyone can say they avoided something like this. Anyway, I am grateful for my sister coming out unscathed. She had left the house to ride out the storm in a safer place. A good thing she did. She dodged a bullet. My dog has become more sensitive to storms as he has gotten older. He whines when a thunderstorm occurs. He was okay as a puppy, but now he is very sensitive. Perhaps there is the sense that they are more dangerous now than they once were. Or that now he realizes what they are. There is an increasing need to be grateful for the way that we all dodge bullets at times. In a way I have that over my dog, he doesn't know when he has been lucky and avoided a nasty situation.  Or perhaps in a way he does and I just don't realize it...

Gratitude is something that I have to work at. There is a lot to be grateful for if one takes the time to think about it. There is being able to help others. For a long time I didn't have that opportunity. My disability is one that makes gratitude tough. I often deal with bouts of self-pity. There is a saying that goes, I go about in self-pity while all the while I am pulled across the sky in a chariot of wind. It is paraphrased. I think that we all are miracles. It is amazing we are here. Picasso said that it is amazing that we don't all dissolve in our bathwater.