I’ve talked about starting a daily sketch practice for a long time. I’m still not in any way practicing regularly, but I have finally got a few together that I’d like to archive and share here.
Wolf rules was also the first drawing on my tablet with Adobe Sketch. I’m not sure that it’s finished. I kind of envisioned a border around it, dark silhouettes of wolves and trees and… The words belong to Clarissa Pinkola Estés from Women Who Run With the Wolves.
During my career, I’ve been the most successful in the area of digital graphic design, but lately, I’ve started to re-embrace more real world / physical art like my bottle cap art, drawing and crafting.
I’ve always pondered the spectrum and subjectivity of art: fine vs. folk vs. digital, etc. One of my favorite artists, George Rodrigue, mastered a wide range of those categories. I remember reading about his silkscreen work, and thinking how it must be okay to call computer art—ART, if George was. I was re-affirmed with this idea when I read an article about David Hockney using his i-devices en plein air, and as I’ve stumbled across more artists who use computer devices to create.
I have done a few illustrated meets digitized works (2005-2009):
My poster design for the local Habitat for Humanity Art Show was one of the better examples of that lately…
…until I had the chance to run with a fun idea for a Cruise-a-Thong poster to benefit the Friends of the Upper San Juan River.
Subalpine Design has contributed the web design and some technical support to this organization over the years, and it is one of my favorite local, summertime events.
I continue to explore the arts to fuel my creativity in a way that I think will show through and support my digital work and/or may lead me down a new path.
I had so much fun at last year’s Habitat for Humanity Recycled Arts Show, I joined the planning committee for this year’s! Having worked as an event planner / fundraiser for the Southwest Land Alliance, I know firsthand how much work is involved in planning an event and how valuable good volunteers can be. That’s why I jumped in this year and created the event poster, solicited donations for the silent auction, helped research venues, will be bar tending at the Artists’ Meet & Greet and showing my work selling my work to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Archuleta County.
This year’s show is April 24-26 and located downtown next to Dorothy’s Restaurant. Here’s a breakdown of planned activities:
Thursday, April 24 PREVIEW Open to the public from noon-6pm FREE, donations welcome No sales – preview auction items and art
Friday, April 25 GALLERY OPENING & MEET THE ARTISTS $25 per person, 6-9pm Silent auction to close at 8:30pm Art for sale, beer, wine, appetizers and live music
Saturday, April 26 3RD ANNUAL RECYCLED ARTS SHOW Open to the public from 10am-4pm FREE, donations welcome Art for sale
My bottle cap artwork was well received last year, selling 2 of the 3 pieces. I started to think about other things I could create that may not be as physically demanding—I smash the caps with a hammer then nail them to plywood. That idea, coupled with brainstorming a poster design led me to the creation of these flower arrangements.
As usual, I have a bunch more ideas on the drawing board but haven’t found enough time to create them all! Come check out the show, and join me in supporting Habitat’s mission of “Building Houses & Hope in Archuleta County.”
Ferry Garden
Lily of the West
bird house decorated in bottle caps, wood flooring scraps from my studio and trim from my kitchen remodel
