by Susan Lobb Porter | Art |
“When you got nuthin’ to say, give ’em pictures.” Mark Twain
Okay, Mark Twain didn’t really say that. But a hundred something years ago, Samuel Clemens, AKA Mark Twain, spent a fair amount of time here in California’s gold country. Some of it right here in my town.
So I figure a man known for exaggeration and literary license, a man who might’ve walked the very land I call home, would give me a 19th century equivalent of a high five and tell me to go for it. Lie through my teeth for a great quote. He would. He really would say that.
Not that I’m lying. I’m just being...creative.
The point is, I’ve got nuthin’ to say tonight. Because I’m as deep fried as an order of the Colonel’s extra crispy. Mr. Spouse was in Dallas this weekend and I’ve been left to my own devises. Which means I’ve been PAINTING. Happy happy happy dance time! I’ve got seven…SEVEN canvases going this weekend. Two are done, one damn near and the rest are somewhere in between.
Got nuthin’ to say…BUT I GOT PICTURES!!!
So here’s a peek at a couple of the paintings. Crappy photo alert. Snapshots with the old point and shoot.
'Catholic Girls Wear Plaid' by Susan Lobb-Porter
Remember this one from last week? Catholic Girls Wear Plaid. I’m thinking it’s done now.
This one is going to have something to do with a poodle skirt. I think. It’s still way early in the process.
'Spike Anne' by Susan Lobb-Porter
And this little guy, ‘Spike Anne’ (5X7) is a fun pup I think I’ll include in my children’s collection. Did I tell you I’m going to have a children’s collection? Well yes, I am. One of these days… FYI, if memory serves me right, and it doesn’t always these days…Spike Anne was the name Mr. Spouse and I called FirstBorn when he was in utero. Figured we covered our bases with that one.
So that was my weekend. How was yours?
by Susan Lobb Porter | Art |
With all the holiday bru-ha-ha around here, art (or the making of it) just didn’t happen. After the kids left I went down to the studio, scratched my head and wondered what I was supposed to do. Because I really didn’t know. Oh, I have plenty of files full of inspiration but starting up cold after vacay time just seemed like too much work.
So I decided to play instead. I discovered a free workshop on line, Doodles Unleashed by Traci Bautista. You can check it out here. It’s probably even better if you’re not an artist because then you might enjoy the exercise in its purest form…simply making marks on paper. But being someone who makes marks on things for a living, I found myself second guessing what I was doing. No paisley patterns for me…I wanted results.
Once I discovered how difficult it was to let go of my expectations, doodling ceased being fun and became a challenge. At least two paintings suffered a grueling end when I grew impatient. Warning: Cranky artist + paintbrush= BAD IDEA.
But I kept at it. Because really, I was not going to be taken down by a doodle. How bad would that be? So I didn’t give up…and I didn’t give up my standards either. Eventually I arrived at a compromise that technically isn’t a doodle in it’s purest form (who wants a doodle virgin anyway?) but it’s different enough from what I normally do to make me feel like I learned something.
I started by marking the paper with various stencils. Two papers actually. This is about the one on the left. The one on the right, RIP.
The shapes reminded me of building. Of houses. The squiggle could be a river.
I did some quick and dirty scribbling with acrylics. Houses. A river. And holy crap, throw some pine trees in there and it’s my town!!!
Because there are houses in my town. And a river nearby. A creek runs through downtown. And we’re surrounded by the Tahoe National Forest. But…but…this is supposed to be a doodle!
To shut up my inner doodle critic I did some loosey-goosey stuff. Paint. Oil pastel. Markers. White-out pen. It’s all about compromise.
And I’m liking it just fine.
