Shadows
Acrylic and ecoline on paper
The Shadows in music… This was filmed in the 60’s.
The resolution is bad but the simplicity and the lighting of the video are quite nice.
Shadow art, most of it made out of trash!
I see stars
Drawing underneath from Maxwell Loren Holyoke Hirsch
Ink on paper
Ink and acrylic on paper
Acrylic pen on stone
Following last Friday’s thought, here are different experimentations with the same form.
On another note: an interesting TED talk about doodling.
Floating ladies
Acrylic and collage on paper
Acrylic on paper
Ink and acrylic on paper
I like to play around with the same idea: different colors, textures, medium…
Every time I draw or paint (or use another technique), I always wonder: what if I had done it with another hue, or on a different canvas, or with another texture?
I think this is one of the reasons why computers seemed so attractive to me 15 years ago; getting so many different results with one drawing. I know that screen printing, lithography, etc. allows you to do that, but not quite as fast as a computer.
I experimented a lot on the computer over the years, to the point where I forgot that I could use brushes, pencils, scissors, etc.
It all changed a couple of years ago when a friend who also wanted to go back to the pencil and paper suggested that we do a thematic drawing each week. We would send our result by email every Sunday night (can’t get rid of the computer!). We did so for about six months. It was really hard at first, the muscles and head had forgotten how it works, but it grew fun and I started to look forward to this afternoon I spent drawing.
Unfortunately, this good habit did not last and we went back to our virtual worlds… Until eight months ago. I’m working hard to keep on using those brushes!
The three ladies above were made under the thematic Love and for the first time in many years, they were all made by hand!
Autumn is almost here
The next pictures were taken a while ago near the Mauricie national park. We visited this patch of land with one of our friends who was looking for a place to build her house. Some years later, she now lives in a beautiful little eco-house, surrounded by all that beauty.
A drawing also made some time ago, with dried autumn leaves…
Her work makes me think of autumn…
Creepy-crawly friends
Ink on paper
Watercolor on paper
Ink, acrylic and japanese paper on paper
A lot of furry and feathery friends have come out on paper lately as well as a few little creepy-crawly creatures.
I rarely use color, not that I don’t like it but I find it hard to master. However, when forms like these emerge on the drawing board, I sometimes venture a little bit farther than my usual black and white.
My creepy-crawly friends are nothing like these beautiful renditions of Claire Felloni or these rich boards of insects but I think we all are fascinated by their incredible variety of forms and the richness of their details. When you look closer, you discover little jewels: colourful, sometimes shiny, others velvety, wearing lace fineries, fur coats or armours.
This board from Ioannes Ionstonus shows the wide variety in the wold of bees
I would love to get my hands one one of these…
L’Île aux Basques
A few years back, a few friends and we spent four days on l’Ile aux Basques. Located near Trois-Pistoles in the St-Lawrence estuary, this tiny island has become a heritage site for its natural resources and rich historical assets. It is said that almost 230 species of birds can be found on the island.
I don’t remember seeing that many birds, but I can recall the repetitive visit of a very friendly seal. He was there to greet us at the same time every evening while we were having dinner.
There are only two cabins on the Island and you can rent them for a maximum of four days. The place is really enchanting, especially when the mist hides the other side of the estuary. It feels like being at the end of the world, in a good way!
We all grew up far from everything sea related, so urchins (amongst other things) were a constant source of wonder. We picked up many which ended up as our table centre-piece and eventually on our drawing board.
Little urchin person by Chantal F.
The scenery is amazing and the atmosphere of the island follows the mood of the estuary. Everything can change in a blink of an eye.
We loved to go to the far side of the island to enjoy the sunset.
On our way there, we often caught side of little furry friends in the paths.
On our way back to Montreal, we stopped for a coffee at “Le café du bon Dieu”. It resides in the old presbytery. A funny painting was adorning one of the walls. I had to keep a souvenir of it!
My boyfriend wrote a good story about this vacation. It’s available to read here (in French). There is more about our four days adventure, the history and toponymy of the island plus more photos!
When I started drawing again
When I started drawing again last January, this is what came out… I do not know what my subconscious was trying to tell me…
More of these over here.
PS: I am still programming like mad and cannot wait for a break! My brushes and crayons are getting restless…
PPS: Love these… Especially the one with the black background.
I have a thing for bears
Almost every time I see a drawing, photo or carving of a bear, my heart goes soft and my eyes get wider. I think it all started while organizing an exhibition on Inuit art and culture; amongst all the artefacts stood the carving of a dancing bear, looking happy and a little drunk…
It also happened during another exhibition, this time from Michel Saulnier. We hosted his pieces for a month and it made me a happy girl to look at his strange mix of schematized, sexualized and playful bears.
Prends-moi la nuit and Anatomia ursus, Michel Saulnier
I’m talking bear today because I spotted one last week from Jennifer Davis (on SF Girl by Bay) that really got to me and it reminded me of another one from Camilla Engman that did quite an impression as well. I like their association bear/human, their mix of ferociousness/softness and the story that they both tell. Do you ask yourself what is going to happen to that chocolate finger?
Bear, Jennifer Davis Chocolate finger, Camilla Engman
I encountered a real bear once and it was not very pleasant. Lucky for me, it was more scared than I was, thanks to Mouffy, my friend’s dog, that had managed to hide behind my back and bark furiously at the same time.
My bears look harmless, not unlike the one I have encountered in the woods…
My friends Marc and Chantal have two beautiful bears made by Monsieur Réjean Pipon, an artist living in Gaspésie. I am very jealous.
Photo: courtesy of Marc Girard
Photo: courtesy of Marc Girard
In addition to the bears, they have many beautiful art pieces. In the picture above: another carving brought back from Gaspesie and a painting from Sarah Rooney (Montreal).
Monsieur and Madame Pipon, photo courtesy of Chantal F
More on Monsieur Réjean Pipon (in French):
http://artpopulaire.com/artisans/repertoire-des-gosseux/sculpteurs-a-a-z/item/rejean-pipon.html
http://likeanacidtrip.blogspot.com/2010/07/rejean-pipon-sculpteur.html
Is there a bear that you would like to add to that list?
Have a good weekend!
Pebbles: more tests, with creatures
Time flew by these past few days and work got piled up so I only had a short afternoon on Sunday to play with the pebbles.
I would have liked to make more but after five or six it got repetitive and inspiration grew short. And I got frustrated. I am still trying not to waste any of my prrrrecious. I think I have to let go of that possessive and scared of wasting feeling to start having real fun and experiment much more. Anyway, as I have discovered, pebbles can be brought back to their original state with a good scrub!
In terms of inspiration, I first thought of prehistoric fish or creatures of the sort but instead, moose popped into my mind – it must be the Abitibian in me – and a pig. The latter is not in my usual repertoire. The moose looks just like the alien that walked us by in our driveway!
As for the medium, the creatures are mainly colour crayons with a touch of acrylic.
I realized that I feel much more comfortable using black and white. Colour still eludes me, especially with the stones since they change the colors in an unusual way: the “green” background of one the moose is in fact an ochre yellow crayon. I also prefer when a part of the stone is left untouched. Covering it all feels like losing a part of its quality; achieving some sort of transparency would be nice.
So that’s where I’m at right now. Has one of you tried interesting techniques with stones?
Rain
It’s been pouring all night, it’s still raining… The frogs started singing again.
The next photos were taken seven years ago, during fall. It had been a very rainy and windy one.
We had a guest from Marseille who visited Quebec for the first time. She discovered Montreal under the rain, the Eastern Townships under the rain, Quebec city under the rain, etc… It was fun, but damp.
Brome Lake, Eastern Townships
Near Sutton, Eastern Townships
I’m off to work and then more stone painting!
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