Sketchbook Project: Re-Draw of Last Summer's Gas Pumps

Ok, so I'm getting a bit desperate to find something interesting to put into my Sketchbook Project before it has to be postmarked on Jan. 15th. This is a complete re-draw of an earlier sketch I did last summer when we went into a friend's backyard to sketch his old gas pumps.

The three closest to the viewer were based on actual gas pumps. At that point in the drawing I'm thinking, there needs to be something to tie these things together. That's when I realized that once you draw three or four old gas pumps they get fairly easy to make-up. So all the others are figments of my imagination.

Even in this redraw there are pumps that do not exist in the original.

watercolor, pigma micron inks, cheap moleskine

Another instalment of my Rabbit in Wonderland picture. The first coat of hair is done, now the hard part comes of trying to make it look real-ish.

I've decided to make the jacket a lighter color so I covered the brown up with a primer of white.

hmmm, I know I want it to be striped.. and light colored.. the question is which colors?

Sounds like I'm going to have to get out my paint-color-roll-a-dex-of-wonder. Which color, which color? Just give it a spin!

Stay artsy,

~Sarah Bosserman

DIRECT TO YOU

Continuing to play with the images I shot in Vegas over New Years. I couldn't believe how many families were walking around, and especially the number of families with children in strollers. Vegas used to be known as Sin City, but it has really gotten kind of tame these days. More like a semi-adult Disney theme park than the Adult Entertainment Capitol of the World. The Strip no longer has that gritty edginess and I, for one, lament its passing.

However, the seaminess is always there, just beneath the surface. As you walk down the Strip, you will still be inundated by the down-and-out passing out discount cards to the strip clubs, massage parlors, escort services and other clip joints that lurk in the shadows a few blocks off the main drag. As I was having lunch at a sidewalk cafe outside the Paris, a billboard truck advertising "HOT BABES - DIRECT TO YOU" cruised by ever so slowly and stopped directly in front, blocking the view of the fountain show at the Bellagio across the street. The families walking by were embarrassed, little girls looking away and the little boys transfixed by the half naked babes, as their parents tried to quickly hustle them away. All I could think was "What the hell are these parents thinking, bringing kids to Vegas - God dammit, this is Sin City!"

Mini Portrait #6

It feels good to get back into the studio!

Emerging from an extended hiatus (last quarter of 2010), I'm finding new challenges and fresh ways to approach them. I'd let my process get a bit warped while preparing for October's featured artist show, and as a result, the push towards production compromised the purity of creativity and at a deep core level, dishonored my psyche and spirit. Even though I was happy with what I'd created, my spirit felt compromised by the process. I'm not sure if that makes sense to everyone, but it was a necessary experience for me to see it so clearly. I find I need a level of discipline, but if it's too structured I get a bit batty and all the fun drops out. (I hear the taskmaster voice, as it hovers overhead with a ruler snap, snap on the side of the easel...'geterdone girl', 'that's not good enough'!) So there is a fine balance.

This blog is so encouraging. It is fun to see the processes of all these artists coming together. It's amazing how this level of community enriches the whole, and fun to see the various expressions of our guidelines "Show up! Trust the Process! How it manifests is up to you." Art has so many varied forms and expressions, and as the little kids I once taught used to say, "What I like about art ... is that there is no right or wrong way to do it as long as it comes from inside of me."

I'm sure this sounds very self involved, but perhaps others can gain something too from these experiences.

Here's the next installment in my mini portrait challenge. It's based on my niece and the love she radiates while holding her new kitty.

Meet Lucia Czechovska

Lucia Czechovska, one of Modigliani's many models, caught my eye yesterday while checking ol' Modig's images.

I always wonder who these people were and whatever became of them. I wonder too why Modigs didn't give her any eyes?

watercolor, pigma micron ink, cheap moleskine

The Green Thing has a Purpose

Well Also the other day had the green thing. Still called What I do, I added the image on the right just tonight. Not good photo tho, too dark on left too bright on right.. typical, need to fire the photographer.

Gray to lavender

Well the other day I had a gray piece, well now it's lavendar, 2 shots of what I did to it today, Saturday. It doesn't look like much but I have plans. The bottom one is the latest, but upon looking at the previous one, I can see a lavender sky dripping into a surreal greenish whatever. It looks cool. Maybe idea for next space art piece. :)

Twin Chair for Sarah??

Check this out, we also have one of those chairs. I beliee Sandy family brought it over with them from England. Needs bottom fixed (you seem to fall through while sitting)

Dr. Who?

Fantastic!
I’m also a Doctor Who fan, at least the BBC TV show. There was more than one person who played Dr Who.
Anyway, your drawing is absolutely wonderful!!!

The Dr.

So, I believe that we all have an inner geek.

Some of us are video gamers, some find a thrill in solving math problems, some spend hours bird watching, or star-treking, ...even stamp collecting.

My dirty-little-nerd-secret is that I'm a die-hard Dr. Who fan. A TV show about a 900 year old alien who's absolutely gorgeous and has a spaceship shaped like a telephone box that can travel time and space?? Come on, its pretty cool sounding huh??

..

Well, I think so :)

So for my art project today I made this drawing on my touch phone of his flying space ship, aka the TARDIS.

Below is a picture of what it really looks like.

Pretty good job huh?

Stay artsy,

(No matter how nerdy it may feel!)

~Sarah Bosserman

Fresh Ideas

Spent most of the day on the road today but luckily I got to be passenger so I had almost 5 hours to sketch/doodle out some new fresh ideas. There is a ease of idea flow when there is no pressure to actually being "doing" art when you are stuck in a car and creating the ideas is the most that can be expected at the moment . The ideas seemed to flow. It was a great creative ideas day.

What great fun~!

 So much action, comment and eye candy!  Thank you everyone for sharing your art and thoughts!
I took pictures of food, family, drumming and laughing during our family Little Christmas celebration these two days and doodled in the sketchbook today - put posting none of them because they wouldn't do the gathering justice and my doodles are just not justifiable  :)

Feeding my soul

Today I fed my soul with laughter, friendship and good food. It was wonderful to spend the day with friends, while Sebastian was up snowboarding with the Special Olympics team. So, no "art" today, just soaking in some much needed time for my soul!

Mountain Study

Went out to West Richland and Red Mountain to do some sketching. Hedges Winery and Rattlesnake and a quick sketch of Col Solare Winery and the mountains near Benton city. This is my favorite part of the world right now.

"kelly"

Forlorn and floating through the downside of yesterday, she contemplates another day trying to fill her "Sketchbook Project."

She and I will both be relieved when this is over in a few days. The paper in this sketchbook is just a step below the quality of the paper used on the outerwrap of a stick of Juicy Fruit.

watercolor, moleskine, sketchbook project

Mini Portrait #5

Had a little more fun today with the miniature portrait study. I found it more rewarding than mimicking a master painter's work (Gericault ... see my last post). This study was based on a family photo of my Dad (though it's not an exact likeness). He had a mischievous look on his face. A kitten had curled up in the crook of his arm and fallen asleep. Unfortunately with only 25 square inches of real estate here, I didn't have room for the kitty. Perhaps the next painting...

While I was busy with the process, my friend came in and we were sharing family remembrances. She had just lost her father on New Year's day. With her coaxing, I continued to paint and we marveled at the bittersweet coincidence that I was painting my Father, while we talked about hers.

hmm, I've always wanted a chair like this..

So detailed and elegant looking!

Lucky for me I found one at an antique store for only 15 dollars!

I couldn't just pass up on such an opportunity, regardless of the less than "perfect" condition.

So, For my creative outlet today, I took it home and have started restoring it to its former beauty.. with an edge thrown in. As you can see from my drawing above I'm going to re-upholster it with some neat artsy fabric in the white family. I know some places in Portland OR where you can get one-of-a-kind prints. For sure a white background and maybe pink floral details?

Anyways, first thing I did when I got home was take some strong fabric cleaner and a brush to it!

While the seat was still drying from the cleaner I whipped out my artist brushes and gave the legs a glossy black finish.

Now I know this is a veeeerrrryyyy lose idea of an art project, but I think my concept drawing saves me from disqualification.

..

..

Right?

~Sarah B.

Grapes again

Many layers later, lots of warm leaves.

Ahhh, feel that glorious hot sun!

Orange Triangle

Well the orange triangle from the other day became.... yes you guessed it.. "BEERAMYD" :)

but needs more work. Or maybe I need more research

2 versions

Yesterday I finished up these 2 versions of the same imaginary scene in my watercolor explorations. Worked on them over a couple of days. While I may not complete something every day, I'm making a concerted effort to work on something every day.

I like different things about each version and I'm thinking if I could combine the best of both I'd get the 'perfect' result. Ha. With watercolor I'm never even close to recreating a specific look or technique or result. But, it's fun trying.