There is no way to begin again except to write the first word and post a new picture.
First, I’m just going to show you a picture of something that I worked on today and then in some later post I’ll try and explain more about what has happened in between the freelance graphic design and illustration work you see on my website and the work in this photograph:
Small Story Jugs – Rattlesnake Series 01
The decorations on these jugs were drawn from a previous sketch piece:
I really like the repetition in this cylinder between the fruit tree and the evergreen tree and how they fill the space on the cylinder. I am also trying to be conscious of my studies of Walter Anderson and his design work as I paint. When I first saw his ink sketches in his museum in Ocean Springs, Mississippi I was so drawn to his use of near symmetry.
To the right are some close up pictures of the snakes in this series. I like that they are connected but not tied together – the jugs can be rearranged and the story shifts slightly:
I purchased new brushes after completing my sketches but I still need a lot of practice painting on a curved surface. These are all done freehand with no sketching but I also I need more practice controlling the movement of my brush right to left.
In the jugs I focused solely on the evergreen form. As I paint I am trying to communicate the shape and feeling of our native hemlocks whos majesty we have have almost entirely lost in the last decade.
As for the jug forms themselves I really like the shapes that I achieved and am especially happy with the necks and rims. I trimmed the feet on the wheel and rolled the foot to create just a slight shadow as the jug sits on the surface.
I still have much practice to perfect handle pulling. These handles were first attached to the jug and then pulled. A couple I redid – one more than once. I like leaving finger marks.
I will be exploring these little vignettes further in work to come.
