Beer.

Beer. Sweet memories of a day in New York in ink and mixed media.
I used gold leaf and some sparkly inks. Tried to scan and end up just using my iPhone.
Otherwise, colors and gold just impossible to recognize.  
Used very special paper with deckled edges from the Handmade Watercolor book, my Birthday present. 

Here is the detail.

Bar Mitzvah.

I did this painting about Father and Son.  A moment in life when a boy becomes a man.
I used ink and mixed media on special watercolor paper, which I order from England.

Here is a detail of the painting.  I like to use sparkling textures, most of it doesn't read by the scanner.

I got flowers.

I got flowers for March 8. I love Hyacinth, they smell so nice, so strong. Here is a painting I am doing for someone. It is far from being done. I will need some hint of wings. The cat died, so early, young, he was loved very much. 

I got myself some art materials to brighten up my day 

and start using it right away. Brush turned to be a bit too 

soft  for my liking, but inks are gorgeous.

I am making a new site.

I am making a new site with different categories, with the new blog. Please come and check it out.

Nikiraart.com

Selfie with the toothbrush.

It is sort of a self portrait. Artists look so serious when painting self portraits. I was not joking. I was thinking if my inner pain ( and artists always full of that inner pain, because they constantly searching for ways and answers, so I told my daughter don't ever get involved with artists, :) one in the family is more than enough), so if my inner pain is looking at me in the mirror.
I used ink and Kuretake on Arches paper.

Glass and feelings.

Feeling pretty down sometimes and didn't keep up with posts and other things. Shouldn't be too hard...

to start being more active again.  Here is painting on a glass, where I can be free with color and use my imagination.

It is sort of floral.

Was pretty limited color palette, believe it or not. With bigger selection of colors possibilities are endless. Love doing it.

Playing with textures.

Carrousel Sin Fin.

Carrousel Sin Fin... My interpretation of one of my favorite songs by Federico Aubele " Carrousel Sin Fin". I have been carrying this image in my head for a long time, since the concert, it was on my to do list. I didn't know the lyrics, couldn't find translation online, so just obeyed the feelings from this song, just trusted the melody.

Here is the actual song. Carrousel Sin Fin.
May be someone, who understand Spanish, will tell what this song is about? I used ink, bits of gold paint, didn't scan well, few Kuretake pens. We should always do what we planned, even if t is not coming out the way see it in our heads. I feel better now, even it is not exactly what I was dreaming about. 

Machinery.

 Boy's room in a process. Machinery. From sketchbook to the wall.

Chanukah, glass.

Pencil sketches and pretty dinner.

Sketches on the "F" train and raw ideas for the boy's room with machinery.

Dinner, cooked by my daughter with turkey melt wrap and artichoke-spinach palmiers. Little Pig under the table trying to hypnotize me, so I will drop it all so he can eat it.

Glass.

I transferred drawing on the glass, my hand got numb from squeezing paint from the tube right away, so I wore that stiff old glove.

Applied some color, listening to new Aubele's CD. Needs more layers.

November 2 and Marc Chagall's exhibit.

 I drew people on NY Subway on the way to Mark Chagall's exhibit.
I think it is always good to give yourself different assignment when you draw. It helps to learn and grow and even discover new things about yourself. Here I forced myself to do first contour of the figure, ignoring all my knowledge about the anatomy, often trying to draw parts from the top or the bottom of the page, to train my eye to read general shapes. Then I can draw second contour, allowing myself to see the face, direction of the movement, connection of parts. To see what describes this person and his emotion the most. And than the fun part to see if I got it right in likeness.

Yesterday I went to see Chagall"s exhibit in Jewish Museum in Manhattan and I saw it in a new  new light, which was amazing to me. First, and I knew it, he painted what he felt strong about in his life, second, that all that fantastic images, painted on most of his canvases, based very strongly on knowing Jewish religion, where words in Hebrew, symbols and visual metaphors connected in a most amazing way.
I was not always agree with interpretation of his paintings, written near each work, but it was an awesome experience.

2 compositions.

Did another little rendering in watercolor in Delta sketchbook by Stillman and Birn. I was right leaving Stillman and Birn sketchbooks for color, it is not only takes washes like strong watercolor paper, but supports the color intensity. I used my old set "Winsor & Newton" 24 colors. And sprayed set with water, listening to Cathy Johnson advice, it revived paints.
I found this tiny spray bottles for a dollar in some pharmacy, like Duane Rid or CVS,  travel kit, it is smaller then Holbein and works fine, I keep it handy on the table.

This one colorful but maybe too simplistic in composition. I may need to do something else. It is pretty exaggerated. I may do the Wall behind or silhouette of the city. I was trying to depict pure emotion.

In progress.

So far thoughts in progress. Adding watercolor and searching for the right material. I know compositions should be simple and colors bright and blue prevailing.
I used Delta sketchbook by Stillman and Birn, it holds the color nicely and allows heavy application of wet media. Love this paper.

Just a day.

It was yesterday's today. I can rarely steal the shot. I am, probably annoying with my hunger for visual and I can't explain.

And the sunrise from yesterday, with electric light in the sky. When you experience things alone it seems to have deeper meaning, and often you don't even use the words to describe it to yourself.

Little sketch in pencil. Here I used my precious Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602, the original vintage one. It is a bit drier than Palomino version. I spend it, I waste it, what is the point to treasure when you don't own tomorrow?

Shabbat.

I have so many ideas for compositions, but limited time, that many shrivel without ever being sketched and fading in my memory. This time I decided to do a little experiment, even, thought, I am not fully prepared.
The idea of getting together, following ancient tradition, putting aside all worries and labors, freeing your mind and open it to embrace the spiritual presence in your life is very appealing to me.
It is so hard to look at yourself and your place in the world in everyday routine life.  And whatever is expected from you, do you really want it?
Anyway, I used ink and Kuretake pens on Fabriano Artistico paper.

Little restoration.

I  did a little restoration job in Manhattan, matching faux marble in the lobby. Was very interesting to see manhattanites in action, I thought again about a play, written and staged in the lobby, showing people interacting, pieces of their lives unfolding, accidentally witnessed by an artist painting a mural and left unfinished, guessed, questioned. I had this idea years ago while painting a mural (with horses, carriage, boulevard) in one of the lobbies in Manhattan. Would be very interesting decoration for the play, doors opening and closed with sudden light, silhouettes, cars honking...

It was white paint before above the door.
Than I went to Dick Blick Art store and got few watercolor papers and few water soluble pencils and one ink.  Got some delicious treats for my blind cat.  Had street food. Came home very late, call this day a pretty adventurous.

Early morning and happy to get my NavBAr back.

Early morning.

After loosing Navigation Bar, I was typing question in Google, found forum, 2 people gave me advice, it was accidentally applied HTML code in my post with sunrise, I deleted it and now back to normal view.
Relocation to a new place could be comparable to a painful illness,  stressful and scary. I still cannot find my brushes and paper, towels and salad spinner, but I am greeted by the sun every morning and it gives me hope that I can start drawing again.

:-)

Uneasy day.

Being bullied by consequences of my attempts to do renovation, fighting aggravation and high blood pressure, I am using hours of insomnia to surf the web and look and learn.

Running into Andrew Wyeth and, probably, getting his book with sketches.

I really enjoy this E-recipes site with clever designs and delicious ideas, hoping one day to be free enough to try it.

Subway sketches on the way to Williamsburg and back.

I don't mind trotting on a Subway as long as I can get a seat and sketch people. My pretty sketchbook got some abuse from splattered ink and few smears of metallic on the jacket from my dirty hands in gloves.

Few touches of color with Pentel Multi-8 pencil. One day I will go and ride on a Subway just for sketching.

Here is the wall, glazed in metallics.

A bit closer. They really like that finish and they usually don't like and don't know anything. So this is sort of champagne color. So I think I deserve a sweet roll with cottage cheese tomorrow for breakfast, for saving the day.

Bowl of soup.

Here is a story about bowl of soup, given to me by one woman, who I find very interesting and would like to keep friendship with, who seems so knowledgeable and deep, I hope not to loose her in my hermit style of life, but know too well that nothing could keep me away from drawing.
It is also a story about a fight between me and paper, strange, smooth, cheap, glossy, useless paper, which I ripped and burn and salted, to make it work for me. Ink and Kuretake change their colors, sunk in it, become unrecognizable and I am not sure that I was right to insist on using it, it would, probably, look richer on watercolor paper.
I like to draw simple things like bread and soup, tea kettle, because this objects carrying warmth and peace, same for everyone, it is about people without depicting people.

Here is the room I did for that woman.

Soft glazing with touch of metallic and small brunches with leaves. It is shimmering.