Here's how far I got on the painting tonight. I had to tackle the bird first - everything else needs to be in response to him. And I did go for the underwing pattern - which turns out to be a series of spots on the leading edges of the feathers. Funny, I've found their feathers in the yard before and didn't have any idea who might have spots like that - I guess I never really observed them closely enough before, even at photos. That's that drawing does - it makes you really look, and set your preconceived notions aside. We tend to see what we think we see, and we miss what's really there. This is my entry for Art Every Day Month - 11/15.
I took the day off Friday and we went to Greensboro, to the science museum. They have a great littel zoo, and we spent over half the time there. We saw wallabies (up close - you get right in their space), white handed gibbons (swinging through their enclosure and sitting on their faux temple ruin, on the top of the big face sculptures, under the roof eaves out of the light rain), tigers (gorgeous male and female, restless and snarling ocassionaly at the smell of the maned wolves in the next habitat), red ruffed lemurs, koati mundi (comically sticking their long noses into a bottle of food hung on a string) and what do I take pictures of??? SHEEP! and Nigerian goats (below). No pictures of the more exotic critters at all. I guess I deserve the stupid sheep paintings.
We also stopped (after a good Italian dinner) at Edward McKay's used books and CDs. Huge place (GSO has their biggest store). We left with a box of books and CDs. My personal haul was 6 CDs for painting to:Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (uncensored version)
10000 Maniacs - Our Time in Eden
Los Lonely Boys - Los Lonely Boys (I already have Forgiven)
Cake - Motorcade of Generosity (the only one Alex hasn't got)
David Wilcox - Underneath
The Cranberries - No Need to Argue
$27 for all six, all in great condition - not bad.
5 comments:
The painting looks great so far. I look forward to our woodpeckers' returns.
What a music haul! Great choices. I have practically worn out my Amy Winehouse cd and I only have that 10000 Maniacs on cassette that I recorded from.....VINYL. So long ago, so very long ago.
Enjoy the books and music! I look forward to seeing the painting as it progresses.
Lovely woodpecker, Steve...is that the true colors? He looks like the Blue Jays we have here in Ca. Just wondering if you used artistic license? He looks well on his way to gorgeous :)
I'm glad you joined AEDM. Your paintings have a surreal beauty to them that I love. And it's always great to see watercolors that aren't all impressionistic. It's a versitile medium and you show that in your work. The colors and lines are wonderful too. Thanks!
Wait... Cake has a CD I don't own?
DCup - I've already been enjoying the 10000 Maniacs CD. They were on your list (not that album in particular, but...) and that's why I grabbed it when I saw it.
Linda - yes, I've taken a lot of license - woodpeckers are not that colorful (usually lots of black, white and grays). So some people are going to be confused. I don't really mind what they think he is, as long as he captures the reaching/embracing feeling the wings give me when I see them fly. And, of course, I want the colors to please me.
Hammermarks - Thanks! I use the Arches hot press satine brilliant white because I can use the pigments any way I want, with brilliance and crisp edges. I also like to let the paint bleed and blend, but not where I want a clean line.
Alex - When you lent me all your Cake CDS, I never saw this one... Maybe you just couldn't find it when I borrowed them? Do you have it? I'll be happy to share. I'm not listening to it yet, though - I hoard music unopened for "rainy" days.
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