Frustration Weekend

This  has been a weekend of arrrrrgh in the studio.   I had started with high hopes, since my cone-flower watercolor attempt had actually inspired me to put down my charcoal and paint.

And I did paint, but the result, though accurate in terms of light and shadow and  was well drawn ended up being , in my estimation, stiff and dead.  I tried another work which was adobe structures against a turquoise sea at sunset and felt so confined, rigid and therefore frustrated that I stomped off to do the dishes that had collected over the afternoon.  At least I knew I could successfully complete that.

One of  my books said that cold press was the only way to go in watercolor.  Maybe that is the problem.  I would like to blame the paper instead of myself.  So we will see. They say the moment one gets excessively critical of what he is doing he gives up.  Hmmmmm.   Well, maybe things will look better tomorrow.

Inks and Hope

Yesterday was a search for new pens and proper ink.  The one think that has discouraged me in the past was that my artwork would actually turn green over time, like a cheap ring, destroying what I had done.  So even though I liked the medium, I dropped it. This time, however, armed with the Internet and my smart phone, I went forth into my community.

Now we are talking small town here (well, maybe medium town).  There are two craft stores and a host of office supply places.  I had done some research and had come up with several names of pens I thought might work: Koh-I-Noor, Rapidograph and (of course!) Prismacolor.  My first stop was at Staples.  For a one aisle arts department, they actually had some nice drawing/drafting pens, but when I checked online, I couldn' t find anything on these particular pens (Staedtler) other than to note that they were not the top pens this manufacturer made.  I made note of them and moved to Hobby Lobby, a few doors down.

There I hit the jackpot.  They had two packs of Prismacolor's premier line which I had read very good reviews on, and so, with reservations (after all, who advertises their ink turns green over time?) I bought them.  It occurred to me also that the greening may have been due to the paper.  It was acid free, but was not what I would call "top of the line".   At any rate, so warned and so armed I took my prize home.

In the evening, I got out the pens.  They were smooth, responsive and easy to use.  I sketched a sparrow with results that heartened me after several months of setbacks and failures.  Maybe I could do this, just in a different way and using a different set of tools.

As Winston Churchill is quoted as saying: "Never, never, never give up!"

Letting Art Speak for Itself

This has been a bit of a frustrating and frustrated time as an artist, and I find myself spending more time at the piano and guitar practicing than in my studio.Concrete encouragement has been a bit thin on the ground, but I find myself back to it this week, although a bit more subdued for now, and ready to bloom where I am planted.  It is a great fault of mine, I think, to overreach with any project, whether it be learning a piece of music or crafting a story or painting a picture .  It can lead to interesting situations, but I think that is about all it lead to; whether something good is actually accomplished is a totally other thing.

Step in, yesterday, in the midst of failed projects, an old book about pen, ink and watercolor.  It reminded me of several things I had forgotten:  that small things can be beautiful and speak of G-d's beauty much better than my own high flown symbolism;  that I love the medium of ink (except for the discoloration--I must get better pens!), and that I need to look at the good I can do here and now, and not worry too much about where it is going.  It is like setting one's self adrift on a boat not knowing where, exactly one will end up and not caring either.

So, beginning again, duly humbled and well aware I have encountered another of my seemingly endless blind spots, I have to wonder how much good I could have done if I'd just looked around and not listened to the voice in my head, telling me I needed a label of what I "do". (In my defense, it IS usually a great icebreaker in social situations and I have used it myself.)  So many pitfalls and so little time.

Off to find some pens with GOOD ink!