Charcoal Demo!

My Charcoal drawing book is always available at https://www.amazon.com/Draw-Portraits-Charcoal-Nathan-Fowkes/dp/1624650317/

Last week on Art With a Needle

Two weeks ago Idaho left a comment on my blog about doing research before purchasing new stuff and I responded by saying how I know I should do that, but I find it hard -- my inclination is always to dive right in and learn by doing, even if that brings missteps.  Last week Idaho commented, "My art group is split between those who just go for it and those who dip toes in cautiously after gathering lots of info...  Info gathering can often be seen as procrastinating, and that can be true -- If I find just one more relevant piece of info I'll be confident enough to give it a go -- that sort of thing.  I DO find myself doing that and have to suck it up and proceed to diving in!"

That made me remember one of the most commented-upon blog posts that I ever wrote, in 2011, about a writing teacher who divided people into two groups: planners and plungers.  If you're a planner, you're big on writing outlines, filling sketchbooks, making diagrams and templates before you get to work on the actual product.  If you're a plunger, you dive right in and start working.  If the teacher makes you turn in an outline before the paper is due, you write the paper first and then write the outline.  Maybe you'll have some false starts and sections destined for the trash can, real or virtual, but working is how you figure out what is it you want to say, what it is you want to make. 

I re-read that post just now, including the comments that many people left on it, and it did me good.  Made me realize, again, that you have to figure out how your brain operates and then develop work habits that go with that rather than fight it. 

Shannon suggested that if I'm trying to do calligraphy that's more-like-art-less-like-letters I should look at Arabic script.  "I frequently find it exquisite, and as a non-Arabic speaker I'm drawn to it simply for the artistic forms," she wrote.  Shannon, you are absolutely right, and in fact it was seeing the work of Golnaz Fathi, a wonderful Iranian artist who makes art from Arabic script that helped me decide to do calligraphy as my daily art this year. 

Golnaz Fathi

I am so glad that you reminded me of looking to Arabic as an inspiration, because it's been on my to-do list since I made this decision.  I promise to start something this week, and I'll show you what I come up with.

Here's my favorite miniature of the week:

"Dairy Farm Gismo" --- Sold

This small 8"x8" won me an award on the Wayne Plein Air competition. It was some sort chemical tank on an dairy farm. I was attracted by the colors.

When I post this painting, I am at my "Off-the-Grid" land. There is no electricity, no water, no septic here. Since I can't afford to set up power lines, dig a well, and a septic tank, I have decided to make all of these living necessities myself. Last October, I put a factory built 200 square feet storage shed on 1.1 acre wilderness, and started my "sustainable living " projects. I have put solar panels and the roof and installed an electric system so I can turn on the lights, fans, and water pumps. I harvesting rain water with seven 55 gallon water tanks and build 4 stage filtration system. I have installed a tankless gas hot water heater for a shower. My biggest expenditure is a composting toilet. I have a gas heater for the winter, and I am upgrading my solar system so soon it can drive an air conditioner.

Why am I doing this? Henry David Thoreau said: "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I have not lived." Many have read "Walden", but very few decided to do it.

Calligraphy update -- brut style

The other night I was intrigued by the label on our wine bottle, what you might describe as calligraphy brut.

Always searching for new ideas for my daily calligraphy, I took this one home and tried it out a few times.

I like it!  Legible, but not beautiful.  (Legibility is not a requirement for successful calligraphy, in my opinion, but it's OK in its place.)

I keep searching for a calligraphic style that would let me use letters in a more abstract way, more like art and less like writing.  Maybe this is a first step in that direction, but I'll have to work on it.  Different sizes of letters?  Overlapping letters?   Letters going in different orientations?  Script?  Less legibility, more brutalism?

I'll try again this evening.

Demonstration