"I am not a good American...I prefer to form my own opinions" - George Carlin
That is...proof that I have a life beyond the ether of this blog.
What follows is some artwork I've been working on for the last month or so. They are all small colored pencil or pastel, or a combination of both, on toned paper (with the exception of one). I stumbled upon and got inspired by a premium artist whose blog is entitled,
"Leslie's Drawing A Day". She travels the world looking for subject matter using Google Street View. A very clever idea, and a treasure trove for a visual artist. Thank you Leslie!
I am not quite disciplined enough to do one a day, but I have managed to produce a little over 15 in a month. A major accomplishment for this ol' procrastinator.
Not everything here is based on Google Street View. About 1/3 are my own.
And now a lame excuse: while I have gotten more serious about my art time, I haven't done the same with photographing the work. My lazy ass just drags out the iPod. So, know that some of this is distorted and not true to color. It's a poor craftsman who blames the tools, eh?
BTW, speaking of poor performance, you will noticed a couple of the drawings are posted rotated 90 deg to the clockwise. BLOGGER DID THIS...NOT I!
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| African Women (colored pencil and pastel) |
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| Two Oaxaca Women |
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| African Market Woman |
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| Beaver Street Shack |
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| Breakfast at the Hy-Vee Grocery (unfinished) |
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| Gateway |
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| Unfinished Green House - Bulgaria |
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| Mother and Daughter - Romania |
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| Oaxaca Farmer |
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| Oaxaca Lady |
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| Waiting in the E.R. |
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| Hannah's Tennies |
27 comments:
I like them, JJ. Oaxaca Lady and Beaver Street Shack are my faves. Drawing is something my sisters can do but I haven't the patience.
The photos may contain EXIF data that tells Blogger how to orient them. Were the rotated ones snapped in a different orientation i.e. portrait instead of landscape?
Doug---Thanks, glad you with the unerring eye like them.
Brilliant! I never would have figured that out. That's probably exactly what is going on. For some reason, my iPod and my wife's iPhone orients themselves wrong. I usually have to drop them in Photoshop and reorient. Now I wonder how to correct them for posting on Blogger. Any ideas?
You have hidden artistic depths, jadedj! Beautiful work!
Great stuff!
For me, in Windows Explorer, all photos are shown in landscape regardless how they were shot but Irfanview (my main viewer and editor) always auto-rotates them based on the EXIF. Once I resize and save, they stay right side up. I process so many pics I don't even think about the orientation.
If you use a Mac, then Photoshop should have a batch setting that will auto-resize-rotate-save a bunch at once.
That was long winded and not likely helpful, but it's only 5:35 AM as I write this ;-
Most excellent JJ. Glad to see you back to your roots. For me it's been photography. Having a blast with Photoshop and all the new stuff.
D S W S---Thank you from the depths of my deepyness.
Beach Bum---You are too kind...but keep it up :-)
Doug---I understand the 5 a.m. part. And I submit that 7 a.m. ain't much better.
M. C---It feels good, doesn't it.
Last March I had problems with blogger distorting my pictures. Turned out it was the ISP server The Kids internet used. When I got home the problem disappeared. Probably not the problem in your case.
WOW! Great work JJ! When I first saw this work of art (before reading your post) I thought you were exhibiting a Caribbean artist!
It remids me of the work I've seen in Jamaica and other islands. I always liked Haitian art for the bright colors. I'm dumbfounded!
Kulkuri---I think Doug is most likely correct...something embedded in them because of the way I oriented them with my iPod camera. See my note to Doug below.
Chimp---If it would get me to the Caribbean, then I AM!
Nice compliment. Thanks!
Doug---I tried removing embedded info, but it didn't work. But, I solved the problem by taking a snippet of the pieces. Now they are displayed correctly.
You can fool Blogger some of the time.
squatlo made a comment...for some reason it isn't showing up...the comment:
I've never had the joy of having a fish hook removed from my back, or leg, or arm... but I HAVE hooked a kid who had ridden a bike up behind me while I was fishing on a dock, and later that summer I hooked his coon tick hound in the right rear leg. The kid's mom wasn't too pissed about it, though, 'cause she hired me to babysit him a couple of years later. I was about 14 at the time... lost two good lures, that's how I remember THIS story.
Squatlo---I guess the baby sitting gig got you off the hook, eh?
Who needs to waste time setting up the perfect shot when you have a phone that does everything but take and make voice calls?
I do like all of the drawings who woulda thunk American had talent!
I really like your artwork. I don't know anything about art (I'm a musician but I couldn't draw my way out of a paper bag), but these are really cool.
There was an Eastern European school of painting -- I forget the name of it -- and your pictures remind me of that same style.
holy shit, your talented..very talented...and for some reason..I love the tennie shoes.
w m---Yeah, except my phone is a dumb phone. Dumber than a teabagger on election day.
Glad you like the drawings.
Tom---All this time reading your blog and I didn't know you are a musician. Maybe I just missed that fact?
Anyway, thanks for the kind words. Oh, the school doesn't strike a bell with me. Let me know if you think of it.
YD G---The shoes are my favorite too. Not so much in real life. They are my teenage daugther's "I'll-die-if-I-don't-have-them-for-my-birthday" shoes.
I like 'em all. Very impressive.
I received photoshop with my new scanner several months ago. Definitely could use a hands on tutor.
Leslie---Thank you for the kind words.
And alas, Mr. Charleston is the resident Photoshop guru. Much more up on it than I.
quite evocative images..... nice work.
i especially was taken with the waiting in the ER and Hannah's tennies....
Harlequin---The ER was quite poignant. They were an older couple, and obviously concerned about whomever they were waiting for.
Hannah's Tennies...very stinky subject.
Puns will be the death of this great nation.
(stinky subject my ass)
Nice to see you drawing. Always good for the sole.
(see!!!!)
Keep it up. You become an inspiration.
Punch---I believe that's "funds"...or lack of.
Stinky? Your ass? No comment.
Thank you for the compliment. Maybe you aren't the "heel" all those exes say you are.
JJ, I'm the last person to comment on artwork, because I have a history of not "getting it" most of the time.
These, however, are really good!
Keep at it, and keep sharing your work with us. Someone might toss an offer at you to ship one to their humble abode. Wouldn't surprise me in the least!
squatlo---Thanks for the good words and encouragement. I've been painting and drawing for a very long time except for the last couple of years. These represent my getting back in touch with that...and it feels good.
I enjoyed these very much, JJ. These days the only time I get creative is when it's dinner time and there's nothing in the fridge.
iWench---She's alive!
Now dear one, I beg to differ...I have read your poems and eloquent writings and I assume none of them had anything to do with the fridge. So eat those words because I know you'll get your mojo back ;-)
I am glad you like the drawings.
I like these pieces.
yellow fringe---Thanks, I appreciate that.
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