bugs

It's been one of those times when the only drawing I do is doodling on to-do lists. 

Someone who knew about these things once told me "there's no such thing as 'bugs'". And yet, here they are.

happy belated thanksgiving!

In the spirit of gratitude, here are 2 mugs - definitely empty, but waiting to be filled. Drawn with some beautifully sumptuous watersoluble graphite, pressed into my hand to try by Marla.

finding beauty

Here's where I'm going to get cheesy. And I'm going to say things that you've already heard before, probably in the same words you've already heard them said before.
And yet, I need to say them, again. Partly because I need to hear them said - again. Partly because I feel their necessity in our world right now - our urgent need for them to be said and heard, again and again. Partly because I have a blog and a blog is where you SAY THINGS, right? And partly because they are just so gosh-darn true, and they are what I was thinking about when I drew these ducks and turtles and plants you see below, and the tin hanging lamp under which the turtles were sunning themselves, climbing and lounging all over each other, and I wrote that word - "beauty".
So here they are: if you don't like what you see, out there in the world, then 1. you are right, and there's no sense in trying to talk yourself out of it, but also 2. MAKE SOMETHING YOU DO WANT TO SEE. And 3. keep your eyes open: everywhere, everywhere, everywhere, there is beauty. Ugliness, yes, without a doubt. But also beauty.

wee notebooks

Lately I haven't had much time to write. As if in compensation, I've been making notebooks whenever I have the time.

sketches & notes

Life has been a little hectic lately and most of my drawings & paintings have appeared on lists of things to do.

Also this little guy appeared when I was trying to show Ansel some key places in my home state of California...

These little fairy magicians were helping me remember the words to a song:

And this guy is illustrating a point - his toes are beyond strange and his arms are way off, but maybe that's part of the point ;)

My first 5 attempts at this cartoon all looked like they were doing yoga, so when this guy showed up, I decided to be happy with the result.

plant life

The plants are getting used to their new space. This one likes being draped over a hook by the window.

(This was painted on a page from my new journal made by Beate, which I'd love to show here but I haven't figured out yet how to take and post photos (yes, I am stuck in another century). My ink seriously smudged there at the bottom!)

The jade plant is flourishing on a table in the kitchen.

things in transition

These things are all waiting to be moved around!

good morning!

This morning I was admiring my coffee mug, made by Marla. You can find her beautiful creations here.

evening snapshot

I was about to reach for my camera (otherwise known as a hand-me-down iPhone) when I realized I could DRAW this scene instead!

wild yeast

They ride the air, in search of fruit and honey water. Winged and fanged, they are irrepressible, unstoppable, the original rebels.

We've been making mead.

porch concert!

playing with gouache

Since I have a new potted Gerbera daisy and a notebook that I'd not yet found the right use for, it seemed like the time this weekend to play around with (acrylic) gouache. It worked marvelously on this thick paper.

friday evening tweet

My friend and colleague Teryle has been collecting birds (not real ones) to decorate props for a production of The Magic Flute. Unfortunately for her, every time I enter her studio I fall in love with another one of these birds. 

This one (whom I named Tweetchen) came to roost in one of my plants.

watercolor, tonight

Is messy, fun.

Things on the counter:

Sage, rosemary, honey

Philetta: 

I remembered why I love to do this.

moment in time: yesterday

The icicles outside the window were 2 layers thick; I was drinking apple cider vinegar & honey in water (getting ready to sing); the plants were, you know, growing...

what is it?

an apple atop an upturned pint glass, of course!

plants, compline

Some things look better scanned, other things look better in person.

And everything looks different on this blog than it does in my hand!

philetta

Happy December!

I've been doing a lot of painting lately, on canvas, not in my sketchbook. This morning though, as the snow fell thickly past my window, I thought it was time to put some color in my sketchbook again, and here on my blog!

These leaves of my baby split-leaf philodendron were right in front of me. I painted them with acrylic gouache, which I love because of how thick and matte it is, and how definite. It was exciting, too, to make some more indefinite marks with such a definite medium.

leaves

I am continually fascinated by leaves and their shapes, and how they grow.
These I doodled on the back of an envelope while talking on the phone:

When I got off the phone I decided to do them more justice by drawing the whole plant, and its environs:

It is a baby split-leaf philodendron. I am hoping it will grow up to take over the entire kitchen :)