Into the storm...with a little hope

Tomorrow is the first day of classes. 

I've been touching up this little painting up over the summer. It is sort of a description of my life: lots of things are lovely, but also, all hell is breaking loose.

But, I think one of the painting's messages is hope in the face of a storm. And there is a big one coming. 

A dream

Well, I said goodbye to my colleague this week, and now, I am officially the Keeper of the Keys.
Then, the same night, I dreamed that I had some ballet toe shoes, and when I put them on, I could dance on air. I danced with a tall man, and still towered over him. Maybe that will be my next image.

Trusty Blue

  I’d like to say that the reason I’m busy is artwork, but alas, it is not. Since my colleague retired, I inherited his responsibilities. That, plus preparing a new class and the prospect of another semester online is making it hard to get to the studio. But, every little step is a step in the right direction. 

     This is a first layer of leaves, and it’s hard to see, but there is the beginning of a flower above her hands. There will be a lot more leaves, I think. But this was a first step to see if it would work. So I got out my trusty blue pastel pencil and outlined the shapes, and then filled them in with a light wash. I don’t want the contrast between the leaves and the moon get too big. Probably, having to go slow will keep me from getting it too wrong.

    I still don’t know what to do with her hair, poor thing. That’s something she and I have in common at the moment:)

     

Buskers

       I think I like color pencils. I still need a lot of practice, and I’ve given up limiting myself to the 12 colors students may only have at their disposal, but I’m developing some habits for color application that I can pass on to my students. So that’s one thing off the list.

        Next up: a new Online learning platform at school and a new prep (3D Art). Since we are going to be mostly online, the trick will be making sure everyone has access to the tools they need to get the job done. I keep thinking about how many sculptures I made in my kitchen, with improvised tools. It’s amazing how much can be accomplished with kitchen cutlery and toothpicks. I reckon if I could do it, I should be able to expect them to do it, too. I hope.

     

Volunteers

     These lovelies have popped up at the edge of my yard; right where the pumpkin landed after I rolled it down the hill in November. They probably wither very big, but they still feel like a gift.

Working the Highlands

Even though I loved the creamy color I used on the highlands of the moon, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to balance the color with the ‘maria’, or the dark parts. So. I sort of impulsively layered a light grey over the cream. I hope I’m not horrified when I look at it tomorrow.

Sculpture, again

   The one thing I can usually count on is that things change.

My colleague at school retired, and I am inheriting his classes. So, after years of being away from sculpture, I’ll be teaching it again this fall. I think these two were about the last pieces I made ( in their place of honor in my bathroom!) 

   It should be interesting, given we will be mostly online again this semester, because of the COVID monster.

    Change is good, right?