After doing the charcoal garlic below, I completed a lose up of a scallion. I was not completely happy with this one and had a lot of frustrations along the way to it’s completion. However, I’m glad it’s finished and more importantly this piece taught me a few lessons regarding the do’s and don’ts of herbal… Like don’t attack the paper with heap white chalk because you’re unable to create the proper white spaces and see the tone values… uuh yeah don’t do that… Anyways, what will it be net, revisit that garlic or move on to a  few other still life objects… Stay Tuned!

I started a charcoal picture of a two garlic bulbs. In this first picture I’ve just completed the first bulb. I’ll post the finished piece by end of week.

And here is the finished piece a week later. I’m pretty happy with this one. I think I’d definitely like to revisit Garlic again, and maybe do a mini series with 3-4 pieces

Here is the very first piece from my class, and my first ever charcoal piece. It depicts two women hanging out laundry…

Working with charcoal is so much different from the techniques I use with pencil. When using graphite you typically start with your lights and gradually build upon them to make the necessary sections darker, however, with charcoal it’s the eat opposite where you first begin with your darks and subtract to gain the lights.

And of course charcoal is MUH faster so I an essentially complete a piece in a few days, as oppose to a few weeks. I just need to do a few more of these to gain a better understanding of how to find the various light/dark values in any photo and transfer them into the piece.

Love this! You can create your own collage at Wordle.Net

For the past year I have been trying to get into a local art school/organisation called The Sharon Wilson School of Art. I finally got into the Saturday classes, a small group of no more than 8 where I’ll be able to expand upon everything from references and exposure to various mediums along with techniques through to personal style and vision. I absolutely can’t wait! And if any of you know my struggles to find time for work this is the perfect opportunity for me to bring art back into it’s place in my life, feels like I finally got to take  a deep breath and it feels good. 2010 is going to be a great year for me…

Sharon Wilson is in my opinion the MOST INSPIRING Bermudian Artists in regards to not only her work and talent but her attitude and view towards art in general.

ABOUT THE SHARON WILSON SHOOL OF ART

Students of the The Sharon Wilson School of Art are a unique group of artists who come to art after having careers in other fields. Many are retired, some are still a part of the local work force. The school began more than 12 years ago and it is evolving into a community of conscious minds. Many students are asking difficult questions both personal and philosophical for the first time in the context of artist and social commentator.

As the teacher and facilitator, Sharon believes that students need to bond with each other. The comfort of shared experiences in play is often a trigger which generates deeper discussion. The intent is to create an environment through many activities which is conducive to encouraging meaningful dialogue on race, gender, religion etc. It is through dialogue that important questions are asked and answered. The artist as problem solver, sets problems which he or she then attempts to solve artistically. The artist uses his or her tools to communicate ideas to the world. To consider the role of the artist as merely a painter of pretty pictures is to severely minimize the role of the artist.

Students of the Sharon Wilson School struggle as do all artists to clarify for themselves what is fundamentally important to them. These artists are the “Intuitives”. They are mature adults who bring to art a broad view of everything from corporate life to life in the police force. Sharon teaches technique and the fundamentals of the discipline but as she put it “There is very little point in technique if in the end one has nothing to say.”

The average length of stay at the Wilson School is about five years. Classes never exceed eight students. Often they are smaller. Some classes are executed while listening to an audio book. On cold days a pot of soup is often on the stove. Good music, small groups, these are some of the sensual pleasures which help to set the tone, nurture the spirit and allow Sharon’s pupils to enjoy three hours of meaningful artistic activity. These students come unencumbered by dreams of sell-out exhibitions. Most are learning to give something new to themselves – time and attention.

Source: http://www.sharonwilsonart.com/school.html 

My first class is tomorrow, January 2nd, 2010… I’ll be back to tell ya all about it!

I saw this lined journal in Borders Book Store and just had to have it! It has a cloth cover with a beautiful floral design as seen below. More than likely I will use it as both a journal and sketchbook for absolute randomness.

So I’ve been gone from this blog for a while. And I’ve come to realise that I just don’t have the time to do an illustration a week never mind every few days. It’s just not going to happen. But I luv blogging and visiting other’s websites so…

I’m making a few changes. My post won’t always include new artwork, illustrations, photography or perhaps any art references at all… and instead the only criteria I have set for myself is to be creative, somehow in any way shape or form…

With that said, I hope to see you more often! Onwards to 2010!

I went to Trinidad for a few days and had to share a couple photos of these majestic hills.

About Blog Action Day

Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.

Climate Change – The Effects and How You Can Help

Growing up on a warm tropical island always left me fascinated with what lived in the exact opposite environment, Polar Bears! Below is a quick sketch I did today of a polar bear and cub.

I couldn’t help but think of these mystic animals during this years Blog Action Day topic.  I was shocked when I came across some research stating that polar bears were in fact drowning! It’s quite saddening how we are each destroying this beautiful planet and the beautiful animals that occupy it along with us…

Polar bear deaths due to global warming are of increasing concern, and new studies speculate that Polar Bears may face possible extinction by 2050.

Scientists estimate that 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears live throughout the Northern Hemisphere in areas that are covered by sea ice for extensive periods. As of September 3, 2007, sea-ice extent in these areas had fallen to 1.70 million square miles (4.42 million square kilometers)—beating the previous record low of 2.05 million square miles (5.32 million square kilometers) set on September 21, 2005

The largest terrestrial carnivore on our planet is in danger of disappearing forever. Polar bears are facing greater trouble as the ice sheets they rely heavily for survival are melting. More than a fourth of the world’s polar bear population is in sharp decline and alarming evidence of the impact of global warming on polar bears continues to grow

As the ice sheets melt, valuable limited hunting grounds are reduced. Polar bears eat mostly seals and other fatty marine mammals and prefer to hunt from the ice that hangs over shallow continental shelf waters, which contain more prey than deeper waters offshore. But as the ice retreats farther from the shoreline, the bears may have less success with their hunts. In addition, as the sea ice melts sooner each summer, the bears will be forced to come ashore earlier and face food shortages before they have stored enough fat to last through the season. Scientist have found evidence of cannibalism among polar bears due to the reduced number of successful hunts and lack of adequate nutrition.

As their habitat disappears, polar bears have greater distances between them,threatening reproduction.

Even more disturbing, the rapid movement of sea ice in these regions may leave some bears stranded in food-poor areas, often requiring them to endeavour upon long and exhausting swims from food-rich areas back to ice. There are many accounts of Polar Bear, global warming deaths attributed to drowning due to the long exhausting swims.

One of the best ways to prevent the affects of global warming on polar bears is to stop (CO2) Carbon Dioxide emissions. Everyone can do their part to cut down on these terrible wastes and help save the planet. You can find ways to cut back on (CO2) Carbon Dioxide emissions from recycling and reusing products to using energy efficient appliances. The only way to see a halt in global warming is for everyone to make a change, no matter how small those changes may seem, because it adds up! It is everyone’s responsibility to do his or her part and give Polar Bears a chance.

Regards

References: The Wall Street Journal – Is Global Warming Killing The Polar Bears, National Geographic – Most Polar Bears Gone By 2050, Studies Say

Time is running out, and our planet can’t afford to wait. So take action! Please visit the WORLD WILDLIFE FUND to see how you can SAVE A POLAR BEAR! Also to determine how you can make a difference on a daily basis, please read these TEN SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE

Illustration by Chris Riddell, a political cartoonist at the Observer, London

Blog-Action-Day: DO YOUR PART AND TAKE PART!!