Change of Medium

I was just reading where Marc Chagall said "I work in whatever medium likes me at the moment". I certainly know that I like to switch around at times. Right now, at Wednesday night Life Drawing, I'm working in pencil crayons in a sketchbook. On Amazon, there was an offer for "Multicultural Crayons", "Colors of my Friends" - so- how could I resist? I ordered a box and added it to my stash. It has a nice variety of browns, mostly and gives some extra choice - but I still took the big Dick Blick collection. The crayons are nice but not as waxy and blendable as Dick Blick and Prismacolour. For now, then, I'm enjoying the change to coloured pencils. Each medium gives a different feel to the drawings. Here they are - and a sample drawing. The "15" marked on the page means it ws a 15-minute pose.

Small, Smaller and Smallest

The painting show of small size works opens this coming Tuesday - the 16th- at the Federation Gallery on Granville Island. It will be a good show as there will be lots of pieces in it and prices are very reasonable since the paintings are small. It makes a great opportunity to buy a one-of-a-kind Christmas gift -- and you don't have to worry about whether it will fit the recipient. I have a 12" x 6" painting of a cat in this show. I've called it "Bliss". I don't think any creature can get a more blissful expression than a cat! If you want to check out the show, the images should be posted on the Federation of Canadian Artists website once the show opens. Avoid the crowds at the malls and visit the Federation Gallery----

Not 68.9 Million

I read where Modigliani's seated nude has gone for 68.9 million- a record for his work. I wonder where it went. Let us at least hope it will be in a museum where people can see it. I read a wonderful short story by Susan Vreeland in her collection, "Life Studies", that is a fictionalized account of Modigiliani's daughter. "In the Absence of Memory" is well worth reading. Too bad that there is such a discrepancy with works by dead artists selling for huge sums while living artists are often making few sales at all. I think that there are lots of good artists around these days, with works at reasonable prices. But maybe that is the problem? I read where a fellow was ready to write a cheque for a painting, then when he found it was $2,000 and not $20,000, he didn't want it! I guess he just wanted to be a big spender- but if you like something, why not have it? If you enjoy it and 10 years later, it is worth more- well, good for all. If not, then you've enjoyed it for ten years and will probably still be enjoying it - so who cares what artificial price is on it? In the meantime, I'm carrying on with my own "Life Studies". This one is a coloured conte' drawing. She is standing, not seated - but I'd probably consider 68.9 *dollars*, rather than 68.9 million!

practical application-

Today I was going to spend the morning painting on a very large painting (well. 30" by 48")- but, instead, found myself working on my cat problems. My daughter's two cats are currently resident and have been menaced by a large prowling cat. CatStop electronic devices in the garden are out there- but have to be turned off if Digby and Isabella are let out. They *love* the garden but are terrified of this other cat that has attacked them. I take a water-gun out when I'm gardening and have succeeded in my shots, some of the time. Other times I end up chasing the cat and amusing the neighbours. Desperation leads to desperate measures - so now I have made up a poster and will print it out and post it up. -Oh well, art put to practical purposes.

Another kind of sculpture!

Before it is too late, I thought I'd post a picture of this year's Hallowe'en pumpkin. I'm against all the commercialization of Hallowe'en decorations. It is getting so people think they can't carve a pumpkin without buying a stencil. I decided that scary was not the way to go- stencils can be scarier!- and that I would just have to come up with a not-seen-everywhere design. I did a carving as if Picasso might have done it - and this is the result. I even got a few compliments from the trick-or-treaters coming around. However, it is from artistic glory to the compost box for this piece of sculpture.