Art-A-Summer

As the summer months progressed and daylight and outdoor activities were more possible, I simply was drawing less. A sweaty hand sticking to paper is not pleasant so I skipped my daily many times. Then the skipping became a bit of a habit.

Even so, I continued my work in papercutting culminating in a workshop in Vermont led by papercutting artist extraordinaire Beatrice Coron. Sadly, since my return from the workshop I have had very little opportunity to continue my explorations. August was eaten up with preparations for a new semester and some days I ran out of steam to do any artwork.

Enough with the excuses. It is now September and I am 8 months into my Art-A-Day project. Even though I feel guilty for the missed days, I am impressed with what I have done. I have made more quantity of single pieces this year than any other time in my life because of Art-A-Day. I have not yet reached what I hoped the project would provide. I was hoping I would be able to develop a theme or direction for my in-studio practice. There has been some light on that and I have progressed but I still have not settled on the next thing. I’ve been feeling stuck, like there are too many ideas and they are all interesting and I can’t get myself to move on only one. I am like the butterfly flitting to each flower and tasting the sweet nectar. Will I ever settle down and find my direction? Maybe I am not meant to develop a big project now. Maybe it is just a time of flitting around, fertilizing so to speak. When I am meant to settle on something, it will appear clear and steadfast, right? Well, that is what I hope.

Here are the dailies from July, August and part of September. Click on any image to start a slide show.

Art-A-Day 01JULY2013 Blue Fin Bay – digital painting in photoshop

Art-A-Day 03JULY2013 Harlequin – I accidentally scanned in black and white and kinda like the result.

Art-A-Day 03JULY2013 Harlequin

Art-A-Day 04JULY2013 A couple folks in front of me at the Twins game today. Ball point pen in a little Moleskine book.

Art-A-Day 06JULY2013 Details of cut paper work

Art-A-Day 06JULY2013 Details of cut paper work

Art-A-Day 06JULY2013 Details of cut paper work

Art-A-Day 06JULY2013 Details of cut paper work

07 JULY 2013 – Drawing Chickens at the home of Sophie Pfeiffer with Metro Sketchers.

07 JULY 2013 – Drawing Chickens at the home of Sophie Pfeiffer with Metro Sketchers.

Art-A-Day 06JULY2013 Details of cut paper work

Art-A-Day 06JULY2013 Details of cut paper work

11 JULY 2013 More fun with cut paper

11 JULY 2013 More fun with cut paper

11 JULY 2013 More fun with cut paper

10JULY 2013 Decorated blobs

09JULY2013 Coneflower painting in photoshop

07 JULY 2013 – Drawing Chickens at the home of Sophie Pfeiffer with Metro Sketchers.

07 JULY 2013 – Drawing Chickens at the home of Sophie Pfeiffer with Metro Sketchers.

07 JULY 2013 – Drawing Chickens at the home of Sophie Pfeiffer with Metro Sketchers.

18JULY2013 I like dots

17JULY2013 Loopdeeloop

11 JULY 2013 More fun with cut paper

11 JULY 2013 More fun with cut paper

01August2013. Dimensional paper cuts.

31july2013. String quartet playing Beethoven slow movements. Lovely.

30 july2013 more paper cutting

30 july2013 more paper cutting

29july2013 Cut paper

29july2013 Cut paper

21JULY2013 scroll idea sketches for cut paper

19JULY2013 Musicians at Black Dog Cafe

02aug2013 dimensional paper cuts

02aug2013 dimensional paper cuts

01August2013. Dimensional paper cuts.

06AUG2013 notan cut paper for pattern.

06AUG2013 notan cut paper for pattern.

06AUG2013 notan cut paper for pattern.

06AUG2013 notan cut paper for pattern.

04AUG2013 Sketches from the exhibition, PRINTED TEXTILES: PATTERN STORIES at the Goldstein Museum of Design at U of M.

04AUG2013 Sketches from the exhibition, PRINTED TEXTILES: PATTERN STORIES at the Goldstein Museum of Design at U of M.

04AUG2013 Sketches from the exhibition, PRINTED TEXTILES: PATTERN STORIES at the Goldstein Museum of Design at U of M.

04AUG2013 Sketches from the exhibition, PRINTED TEXTILES: PATTERN STORIES at the Goldstein Museum of Design at U of M.

04AUG2013 Sketches from the exhibition, PRINTED TEXTILES: PATTERN STORIES at the Goldstein Museum of Design at U of M.

19AUG2013 A layered experiment. Tombow marker.

19AUG2013 A layered experiment. Tombow marker on tracing paper with another drawing showing through.

19AUG2013 A layered experiment. 19AUG2013 A layered experiment. Tombow marker on tracing paper with two other drawings showing through.

13AUG32013 Rainbow rain

11AUG2013 Sugar Shower

09AUG2013 Spirally

08AUG2013 Floral astral pattern

07AUG2013 Another sketch for a scroll idea

06AUG2013 Making patterns from cut paper ideas in photoshop.

06AUG2013 Making patterns from cut paper ideas in photoshop.

06AUG2013 Making patterns from cut paper ideas in photoshop.

06AUG2013 Making patterns from cut paper ideas in photoshop.

02SEPT2013 Sketches from the MN State Fair

02SEPT2013 Sketches from the MN State Fair – Bluegrass at Heritage Square

02SEPT2013 Sketches from the MN State Fair. Some cute ducks with pen and colored pencil.

02SEPT2013 Sketches from the MN State Fair. This is people watching the horse show.

01SEPT2013 Two drawings from outing with Metro Sketchers to Cherokee Park and the High Bridge overlook – watercolor and graphite

01SEPT2013 Two drawings from outing with Metro Sketchers to Cherokee Park and the High Bridge overlook – pen with colored pencil

31AUG2013 Egg Trompe l’oeil Graphite with watercolor

30AUG2013 A little sumpin I did today. – monotype print on rice paper with acrylic stencil print and colored pencil.

27AUG2013 Shag? – various markers, probably tombow, and ink

26AUG2013 Rocks

25AUG2013 Splat

20AUGUST2013 Floaters

17SEPT2013 Floral overlap.

14SEPT2013 A cattail landscape. Not sure this is done.

14SEPT2013 Raining dots.

13SEPT2013 Ripple play

13SEPT2013 Ripple play

13SEPT2013 Ripple play

12SEPT2013 Rainbow tiles. Derwent water soluble colored pencils.

07SEPT2013 Where lines cross.

05SEPT2013 Sketches from the Bell Museum Sketch night. -Eastern Meadowlark with Pentel light black brush pen

05SEPT2013 Sketches from the Bell Museum Sketch night. 1. A Helmet Shell in watercolor and graphite.

02SEPT2013 Sketches from the MN State Fair – Quebe sisters at Leine Lodge bandshell. With Pentel light black brush pen.

02SEPT2013 Sketches from the MN State Fair – An exhibit of antique bicycles in creative activiites building. Pentel light black brush pen with another ink pen.