"the road". Cyclist process -step 2

 

I have decide to make these pieces monoprints using a water color black ink. 

First I drew the figure onto a plexiglas plate with water color ink. 

my work space 

my work space 

I look at many screen shots befor I pick the images that will work the best.

I look at many screen shots befor I pick the images that will work the best.

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I coat the plate with a light film of oil. The oil repels the water based ink which helps created the motion of the figure. 

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A completed plate.

(photo from another day's work) 

 

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Once I am satisfied with the drawing on the plexiglass plate I press it onto a piece of water saturated paper.  

 

 

This process yields one piece- hence monoprint. 

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finished piece.  

in order to create one lenticular of 3 cyclist I will make 5 drawings for each of the three cyclist. 

"the road". Cyclist - and what inspired this series.

Inspiration for new abstract series- I am often asked where my ideas come from. The answer is everywhere. I am always looking for imagery that interests me. Imagery that, when abstracted, will express a particular emotion or energy. I then think about what type of lines will best express that feeling, what media will work best. I was inspired to create the cyclist body of work a few months ago very early on a Sunday morning when I was peacefully driving down Allen Parkway toward downtown. "Could you be loved" by Bob Marley was playing on the radio. The asphalt street, slightly curving to the right, sparkled in the glaring sunlight. The second that I saw them, I was inspired by their images, their lines, the rhythm they shared, the obvious camaraderie that bonded them.

Below is is a summary of what I remember of that morning.

Houston's downtown skyline was lathered in dark shadows; it dripped silhouettes of oil into puddles. The silhouettes, their broad shoulders and fit waistlines bobbled back and forth over my dashboard, as their black spindle-like legs pumped the pedals right, left, right, left, never straying from the pool of their shadow. I stayed a safe distance behind and studied the rhythm of their images. Their body language, their energy, and sense of being part of a pack stayed with me.

If you zoom in you can see it like I saw it.

I will post more in my process soon.  

grassfed

I started eating only grassfed Beef in 2006. I am finally noticing, in 2017 eleven years later, that the grassfed craze is catching on. I have never been shy about promoting the health benefits of grassfed, as well as the environmental benefits. Anytime I am at a restaurant that serves steak I always ask the waiter if their beef is grassfed. If it is not grassfed, I order something else. If it is grassfed, I order a steak. Back in 2006, actually until recently, I always had to order something else. Lately, I have found that many restaurants are carrying grassfed meats.

 


I have also made a few monumental drawings of grassfed cows, from photos I took while visiting my friends Lisa and John Harrison's grassfed cattle ranch. Below is "grassfed I". It is drawn on a piece of recycled brown paper. I am getting her framed and gifting her to two of my favorite environmentalists. She will be in the background when they are on FaceTime conference calls with soil scientist and environmentalists, from Paris to the USA, and from Morocco to Mexico. I am so happy to be helping in a very small way to promote grassfed beef and regenerative agriculture.

https://www.organicconsumers.org/sites/default/files/grassfed-marketstudy-f.pdf

This cow just stared at me as I took her photo, without skipping a beat, as she chewed casually in the pasture.  

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 "grassfed I" 

charcoal and gesso 

60" X 36"

The last straw

 

-home again after the Texas National 2017 show. I am so grateful to have been selected by Benito Herto and for all the people that worked so hard to put the show together. 

THE LAST STRAW

12" x 10" X 24' bronze and reinforced concrete 2014

photo by Will Michels

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Cole art center  

Suffrage-

I stepped into the tack room at the via organica ranch in San Miguel when I was there last month and I saw an exhibition of saddles. I took note - I would like to find more saddles to exhibit with suffrage. 

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Finding the right pieces is a challenge. 

Degating "gust"

Thursday I worked on my series of small bronze castings "gust".  

I use an angle grinder with a metal cutting blade and cut off the stubs of the gates flush to the surface of the hat.  

 

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Here you can see the stubs of the gates.  

 

 

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More gate stubs.  

 

 

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After cutting of the gates.  

 

 Cutting off the gates leaves a shinny smooth surface. I then use various air tools to recreate the felt texture. This process is called chasing. 

 

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The texture is repaired.

 

 

Follow up note and gratification

Before I left for Greece I shipped a "happy dog" sculpture on a bronze bed to a gentleman who saw my work at the Conroe Art League show this spring. I finished his piece the day before we left. I had not heard from him and was worried maybe he was not happy. I am a worrier. Yesterday I emailed him to make sure all was good and also to remind him that if he ever tires of the sculpture I have a buy back policy. I will buy back any of my work for the price I originally sold the work for. It has to be in good condition, not damaged. I do this to keep I my work out of the secondary market - estate sales, auctions......etc. 

 

Here is a cropped screen shot of his response. 

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Wow! It pays to follow up. I could not be more pleased and gratified that my little sculpture means so much to his family. I hope I can come up with a moose that he is equally pleased with.  

This as still as I can get-

I am taking a brush and ink washes workshop with Suzzane Manns. My purpose is to maybe pick up a new and technique of mark making. 

Today was painful. She set up a still life and wanted us to render it in ink washes. 

I am more of a gesture type.  But here goes-  

the still life-  


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The still life 

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the above photo in black and white.

 

I ran out of time but- this is as still as I can make myself get.

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I decided to ignore all all the noise in the background. It was people drawing from the other side.

Getting ready for this falls "known and underknown" show at art Brookfield- downtown Houston

My piece  "that ball is not going to throw it's self" was selected along with my "fetch I-VI" lenticular. 

I will be replacing the pedestal on the "tat ball is not going to throw it's self" piece with a chair. I am going to paint the chair with drippy, thick, flat white paint. It will look like plaster. I will then attach the wire dog to the back of the chair. 

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I bought this chair on Montrose at a 1/2 price sale.  

 

The painting will start next week and probably go on all summer.  

 

 Known and Underknownexhibition to be installed in the lobby of 1600 Smith on September 8-  November 13, 2017.