Pastel 84 - Spider in Love

This feels like something I would have drawn as a kid...  but I don't edit or turn away whatever comes along.

Pastel 83 - Abstract (or Dragons Playing with Peach)

Pastel 82 - Gentle Man with Bird

As usual, this image was "there" in the lines, including the bow and flowers, but especially the bird and the face.  I particularly like the spirit of this piece.

Pastel, ball point, and Sharpie on 24 x 18 inch kraft paper.

Pastel 80 - Hail Storm

Unusually great day at work today  - so many things went remarkably well, like all my planets were aligned...  This piece has nothing to do with that - I completed it almost two weeks ago.

Pastel 79 - Duck Bills

I found Pastels 79 and 80 (right under 81 in the stack - I still can't figure out why I thought there were only 4 in that stack).  This one could also be called Testing the Waters.

Pastel, ball point, and Sharpie on 24 x 18 inch kraft paper.  Click image for a larger view.

Pastel 81 - The Jongleur - Process

First - I seem to have either mis-numbered or lost two pastels.  I could swear I completed a 79 and an 80, but they are not in my camera, and I don't see them in the garage...  I have to search.

Second - it's been a while since I shared the process for these.  I first draw with ball point on the kraft paper pad.  Sometimes I watch, sometimes I close my eyes, sometimes I am blind-contour drawing something I see outside or in the garage (where I do this incredibly messy play).

Here is the result for Pastel 81.  I watched this one part of the time and closed my eyes part of the time.  Click image for a closer look.

Then I look for what it will be (what do you see?).  This can take 5 minutes (like it did in this extraordinary case - the jongleur was simply THERE) or it can take several days of leaving and coming back.  Sometimes they never resolve themselves, or I simply see shapes and motion and go with that.

Once I do see the beginnings of the pastel to come, I pick it out with a Sharpie.  Here is the jongleur with helpers.  You can see how some things are there, some are hinted in the pen lines, and others require a lot more from my imagination/memory.  I try not to look anything up for these, generally working just from my heart and head.

Note the three feet.  I don't have to decide which I will keep until I get to the pastels.

And here is the final pastel.  I decided to emphasize the balance rather than the movement, and I liked the crossed feet/slippers.  I also like that I can't tell the jongleur's gender.

Pastel 78 - Island

This one is different, more intentional.  It's the first in what I sense will be a group of pieces about symbols which embody strong ideas to me.  I haven't looked at this one since I completed it over the Christmas holiday and it surprises me.