Category Archives: Women

Bird’s Eye View

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Two hunters were sent on a mission.

There had been a wolf sighting in the area and for the safety of the village, the hunters were to go out into the forest and slay as many wolves as they could. They would be paid one gold piece for every hide they brought back.

The first night they made camp in a clearing on top of a hill. Just before the fire died out, they heard a noise. There were glowing eyes just in the darkness beyond the fire. They were surrounded by a pack of wolves.

One hunter cried out, “We are dead!”

The other cried out, “We are rich!”

It’s all just a matter of perspective.

On the Trail

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Growing up in upstate NY, deep snow was a constant. If you never grew up in it, then it may be difficult to imagine the landscape draped in a fresh blanket of pure white snow. When the conditions are right and the moon is out, it looks like a zillion-trillion diamonds piled everywhere. It’s absolutely amazing.

I kept this sketch very loose. I didn’t blend it just so I could try and strike a balance between the minimal amount of lines and the maximum amount of shading required.

Law

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This sketch is actually plain old printer paper. I wanted to get this idea down before it got away and didn’t have any sketch paper handy.

It’s the process of creating that validates who I am, not the outcome. Every single sketch has purpose in my evolution as an artist. However, I am not always thrilled with the outcome. In fact, I don’t like some of my drawings.

All to often, I hear people say, “I couldn’t draw a straight line with a ruler”. Well, neither could Jackson Pollock, but that didn’t stop him. Unless your objective requires a series of straight lines, it’s not a big deal…just create.

Art is expression, it evokes emotion.

Sunday Afternoon Potluck

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This sketch was inspired by just about every family in our congregation at Union Center United Methodist Church.

I knew some real characters. One of the most notable, I shall call him “GP”, always had our attention. One Sunday, he brought his sister’s gold confirmation necklace to Sunday school to show us all a cool trick he had learned by accident.

He leaned his head back, snaked that whole thing down his nostril, snorted and hacked a couple of times, opened his mouth, and there it was on his tongue.

That was probably the most bizarre human trick I have ever seen in my life.

American Beauty

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I did this sketch a while ago for Century Granite. I would sketch a drawing of a person, place or thing and through an etching process, they would transfer it on a grave marker (notice, I didn’t say tombstone nor grave stone?). This was one of my favorite sketches. From what can I remember, the photo was taken just before WWII. I imagine some GI carried this photo half way across the world in his helmet.

I know I would.

I really enjoy the high contrast look every once in a while. It’s a simplified version of reality that’s pleasant to look at and easy to comprehend. What I like most about this sketch is how simple it is, and yet her essence isn’t lost at all.

Moby Dick

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Did you know that the Ford Mustang was named after the P-51 Mustang?

Did you know this car that I just drew is actually named after the Led Zeppelin song, Moby Dick? Yeah, I did that, just now.

I kept this sketch simple, just so I could concentrate on the lines of the car. I kept the tires small to make everything else look massive.

The Entomologist

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This sketch started off as a rocking alligator in a public park. You know, the ones with the giant spring underneath. You can kind of see it in the creatures snout. It seems a bit too big, and truthfully, it is. I am just so grateful to have such wild ideas running through my head. Further proof that God wants me to be happy.

As I mentioned before, this started life as a child’s play toy and grew from there. This is a big drawing by my standards. It is approximately eleven inches by fourteen inches. I kept the sketch loose in the beginning and what I found was I am able to really experiment with the lines. The cargo is a great example of what can happen when I can really open up and play.

The Wensleys

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If you’re curious as to what the family looks like, well, here they are. This is as far as I’ve gotten to date. I would love to give them names and stories soon.

Wensley Mfg. Co. Don’t plan for “if”…plan for Wensley.

I was going to put a W in each of the medallions, but I felt it might be a bit much.

I didn’t do the third step of putting the dark lines in this time. I wanted to leave out some detail and make it look more like a tintype.