Artwork or not???

Well, I have been thinking that art can take on many forms - creativity is analog. (Thanks Nadine!). I started this blog wanting to write about my artwork. But I now realize that I am limiting myself. I do so much more than draw or create visually. Yes there are pastels, pencils, photography, greeting cards, mouse pads and prints.... but there are also ideas, writing - presenting in Toastmasters and dancing. So I have decided that my blog is about what ever I want it to be. I can just ramble and occupy a bit of cyber space. So much more productive than watching TV! I have about 40 hobbies... I think I will little by little talk about those. Maybe I should rename the blog... Hmmm, What do you think?

Yes Yes and Yes - Dancers Portraits - an extension of my obsession

Okay - I love to ballroom dance and perhaps obsession is too strong a word....or maybe not... it certainly is a captivating, consuming, thoroughly engaging joy filled activity! In addition to being very kinestetic - obviously - it is also very visual - it is after all a 'presentation of bodies'. There are certain dance figures that are said to have 'lines', they are 'poses' and 'shapes' taken by the man and the women dancers (sometimes there are very interesting techniques in order to achieve them...more on that later perhaps). Often the man is said to 'shape' the woman or a woman extends her 'line'... these are physical movements or 'holds' for presentation purposes. That is often the right time to get a picture that portrays the elegance of ballroom dancing. This drawing was done from a 4x6 photograph. The studio in which it hangs is called 'Classic Ballroom'.. so I created it in only black and white- pencil with indian ink touches (the man's shirt) - to give it that classic feel. Since in ballroom dance, it is the man's role to make the woman look good and stand out - I wanted to create that notion on the page and only colored the dress.
I started working on this project because I like the shape of the body and there are many interesting ones in ballroom dance but also to be able to capture likeness. It sort of took on a life of its own - I now have approximately 12 portraits done and am working on my next series to be in the dance studio. Hope to have them done next month!!!

Another kind of creation...

This street car is not named desire. It has no name. This is a water color that orignated from a photograph that I took when I lived in New Orleans. Ahhh what a town! It is almost Mardi Gras you know... Should I hop on a plane and join friends?...sooo tempting! Then again, that is not what I should be talking about here :-).

This work hangs on the wall of dear friends that I met and grew to care about while living in New Orleans. I just like street cars. They are such an interesting way to travel. Not quite a train, not quite a bus. Lots of rattling and charm.
I took a picture of the street car that passed by my apt. I called # 930 my car. The funny thing is - years later I saw a picture in a restaurant that was car #930 with the same tree in the background. If I could have bought that black and white print I would have.

I would really love feedback on this one. Often it is the only one that people make note of when they visit my gallery. I don't know why? And to add to this intriguing bit of information. Men notice it. Women do not. It is just interesting and I wonder why. ... Any insights or comments - feel free to share!!!

A colorful face this time....

This piece is a demonstration of how much I love working with colors!!! As well as how much I like drawing faces. Perhaps this is why I am trained to see 'faces' in other things.

It must be in my blood or a genetic trait. My sister is an amazing portraiture artist. (See http://nadinerobbinsportraits.com/ OR http://nadinerobbinsportraits.blogspot.com/)

Of course artists have different styles and forms of self expression... but I have to say that I consider myself a wannabe artist :-) compared to her. However, as you can see this doesn't stop me in the slightest from having the urges to draw, being attracted to color and wanting to learn more about different formats.
I feel that formats are often 'different vocabularies' in art. Right now I feel comfortable with pencil and oil pastels. And just like my french.. I am a bit rusty in watercolors. I can't speak a word of Russian or of 'oil painting' .

Will be sharing more of the work with pencils in a next post.

One more face....

This face is a little less obvious and some folks will have to 'stretch' to see it and some will not see it at all.

And actually if I look closely I see two faces. One under the horizontal branch on the right hand side. Almost looks like a smiling ghost or smiling skeleton face. The other is made up of the two snow covered rocks (in the middle - under the horizontal branch). It appears to be more of a creature of some sort - almost alligatorish. The brown bit of rock in the middle not covered by snow is the 'mouth' or part of the snout. The snow on the rocks makes it look like the eyes are only somewhat open - heavy eyelids in a way.

Yes I know.... a very vivid imagination!!!

My next posting will be more of my artwork...

Snow Face

Here we go again!
I was taking a walk after a small snow storm. I brought my camera - of course...

There was a small stream next to the walking path. In the summer or spring I look because maybe I will get to see fish or turtles. This time I looked over the edge of the path and just smiled. Nature was smiling back at me.
I look at this face and I see a bit of a 'joker' feel to it. Or perhaps a Mardi Gras masquerade look to it. I cropped it to look at just the face. But I took different angles and also broader views. Not sure which one is best - the broader view has a different feel to it. And those two mounds in front of the face - could those be his knees? As this 'being' sits in the cold icy water - obviously enjoying himself - just look at the smile.
I sometimes delve a bit more into what 'story' these faces create in me. The expression, the position, the surroundings serve as a prompts for a character - in a story. This one creates less of a story for me. The reason I like to create the story is multi-fold. One, it helps with the creative writing I also pursue (it exercises those story muscles), but it also keeps me curious and wondering. Finally, I think it focuses on something I really like in paintings. Although they are a two dimensional representation of life, they can be deeper, they can create a feeling of movement but also can tell a story. I often think about what is the story in my art. At this time, I sometimes feel that my art is not a story. It is just a 'pop' of a visual pleasure. Neat to see, drawn to the colors, perhaps interesting and intriguing..but not a necessarily a story with human interaction. I am working on that.

Anyhow, right now I am just collecting these photographs as they come to me - as Nature has them show up. I have some on my website (www.tribecca-art.com), some are not. My goal is to perhaps one day put the whole collection in a small book. And perhaps tell the story I see or even ask what story the reader might see?

Asian Man in the Rock

So do you see it? Do you see the face in the stone?

Usually when I hike, I look down making sure I step on solid ground. Once in a while I look up to enjoy the scenery – I mean after all, I am going to enjoy nature. Well, I looked up one day to find something looking back at me.

I see faces - in lots of things. No, I didn’t say “dead people”… I said - faces.

A close friend once told me... "Maybe you shouldn't say that so loud". I just smiled thinking "Come on - it is obvious that there are faces in all sorts of things around us." I have subsequently learned - after having spoken to many and having conducted a very unofficial survey - that many do NOT see faces. Okay, perhaps my mind now trained to look for them...I pick them out of cloth patterns and fronts of automobiles and much more. The ones that interest me at this time, are the nature made ones. Like this 'etching in stone' I posted today.

So, that you do not think that I am not only naïve – but also nuts, I am truly NOT the only one that has these ‘visions’. As a birthday gift, I received "Faces" by Francois and Jean Robert. It is a small art photography book with faces found in all sort of wonderful objects, from a mop to an Ann Taylor bag. It is sometimes delightful to not only see the face - but also the expression in it. Furthermore, did you know that as humans we are genetically programmed to recognize the facial patterns? So that as infants, we can begin to recognize our care takers. Anyhow, of course these are all justifications for the simple truth that 'I see faces' and spend time looking for them and photographing them.

More to come!!!

Chiro Hands

My latest. It is for a chiropractic office. Can you tell? I honestly never know where these pieces are going when I start. That is why- I suppose - that I will start with one concept and then create something that I really don't like looking at.... and if I don't like it I trash it or pile it in my closet.
I guess if you formally train in art you learn how to plan pieces. I don't honestly know. In any event as I was drawing the colorful spine, the paint was so gooey and interesting (it was an all purpose weather resistant gloss), that I felt called to paint my hand and make an impression with it.
Little by little, I simply felt like adding one shape or dot at 'this or that particular location' in the whole. And as with all these types of my drawings, all of a sudden I start to like where it is going - it feels good to see it. I then patiently wait in between each addition - I stand back; look at the whole; look for where something feels like it is missing. I choose the color the same way. Don't ask me where this comes from.
Well, I will be bringing it to the chiropractors office - this coming week.