The Gina Sigman Gallery

More corona virus humor no one will see.

After years, of "showing up", posting, emailing, and failing to get recognized or admitted to any art galleries, no matter how large or small, I'm faced with the fact that I am a FAILURE as an artist.  What does it mean to be a successful artist?  I don't know because I've never been one. But if I had to say what accomplishments constitute a good artist, I would have to say being in a gallery, being recognized in some way either by a contest or by media and most importantly, having a healthy number of followers.  Take this blog for example.  It has a following of ZERO. (Maybe one if I count myself)  This cartoon drawing I did this morning is an example of the mediocrity I project as an artist and why no one bothers to look at it.  It lacks the dimension and pizazz that good artists have and believe me; there are many good artists out there. This drawing got a couple of likes on Facebook and a big fat ONE on Instagram.  My daughter thought the st...

Sorry folks, I have plummeted into an artist funk. I'll admit it. I got myself this way as I often do by talking myself down and lumpjng myself into the Bob Ross genre of artists. Cheap, kitschy and average. My husband says I'm my own worst enemy. He's probably right. This latest funk I'm in, started with this drawing. When I first embarked on it,  I thought it would be the most fun and possibly the easiest to draw. After all I was hot and on a roll with the whole Lucy thing. I was excited about drawing Lucy's wide open smile and her bright red bell hop hat. Turns out it was neither fun nor easy. In fact, it turned out be an exercise in frustration with an outcome of THUMBS DOWN. It took me 6 to-dos to get it even close to the original picture and as you can see, something's off. I thought my days of bad drawings were behind me, but this one proves they are not. In fact it was so bad, the moderator of the the Digital Artists Guild wouldn...

When we moved to sunny California from rainy Houston more than a half a decade ago, I realized how much I miss the rain. A storm here in Santa Barbara county is a few gray clouds and a little spit from the sky in the wee hours of the morning. By the time you get up, the sun is out and you never get to enjoy it. People here like it but, I pine for those Gulf coast soakers where the sky turns navy blue and it looks like the end of the world. Rain drops the size of peach pits pummel your windows while claps of thunder as loud as a sonic boom, energize me like a shot of B12. I need to be watered, I think to myself as I lick my desert-dry lips. So, since mother nature will not honor my requests, I create it on canvas. I love rain and I love New Orleans so if you can't find me today, I'm vacationing inside this painting. If you like wet weather,  there's more to come at The Gina Sigman Gallery.

While Lucy stretched the muscles of her face, turning out this pathetic pout, I was busy at work, stretching my skills in drawing facial expression. It's pretty easy drawing a flat expression or a slight smile but emotion like this takes a very focused eye and a sharp pen. 

Lucy was the queen of deception! This hilarious disguise was one of the classics. Ricky wasn't the only man to get caught in her web of deceptive schemes. William Holden got a good dose of it in this episode. How do you draw fire? With a cool hand. That's how. 

Lucy was always scheming to get into showbiz. That's what made the show, right? In this episode, she did it in a BIG way.  That head dress must have weighed a ton for real but Lucy made it look easy and hard at the same time. Painting this was a similar experience for me: easy and hard at the same time.  The easy part was, I got to paint my favorite things: Lucy, pinkness, feathers and bling. The hard part was bringing pulling her expression, likeness and all of the details together.  It was a meticulous labor of love.

My husband doesn't know it yet but in 2 weeks, he will be getting a Tshirt with this painting on it that reads "I love my husband so much, I drew this."  And it's true! He is always buying me little thoughtful gifts and while I'm not trying to compete with him, I just want to show him how much he means to me too!  March 3rd, 11 years ago, we met each other face to face for the first time.  After months of texting and phone calls, we finally met in person and from that day on, our love was sealed.  This rendering was taken from a photo of our wedding in Vegas.  I get chills just looking at it.  We are both as in love with each other as we were that chilly day in March when I stepped off the plane in Santa Barbara and fell into his arms.  I remember him saying to me once when I said, "I really like you but I'm done with relationships."  He replied, "so...you're just gonna throw love away?"  I'm so glad I didn't.  The only thing...

3 days ago, I plunged into creating Norton and Ralph after a request from one of my clients who runs an air b and b. She collects work from artists who paint TV memorabilia.  When faced with this project, I cowered with the thought of using a palette  of black and white value shades. It forces me to have to think in shapes, measurements and proportions. Painting in color is a little more forgiving. The process of creating the lines for Ralph's ample frame seemed to just flow from my pen with very little corrections. Nort was a different story. I went through a 24 hour mental block, trying to understand why I couldn't get the right proportions on him! Yes...black and white will continue to challenge and stretch my artistic skills.

If there was one thing Lucy was notorious for, it was going to extremes.  In my last blog, we found her locked in a freezer.  Then in this classic, she burns to a crisp just so Ricky will feel sorry for her and buy her that Don Loper dress. That look of pain and shock as Mr. Loper pulls the collar up over her sunburned neck was one of the most difficult facial expressions I've ever drawn but, if I'm gunna draw Lucy, I'd better get used to it!

The first time I saw this episode, I felt sorry for Lucy.  Poor Lucy; freezing to death in that freezer.  This rendering was a challenge.  First of all, I wanted to make you feel as cold as she looked which is why I chose a limited palette of teal, gray, white and aqua, adding a tinge of yellow and pink to give it a spectral glaze.   The next challenge was to embellish it with icicles to take the drawing a few more degrees below freezing.  So, grab a fork, a knife and a bottle of ketchup and follow me to the biggest barbecue in the whole world!  Waaaaaaaah!

Indeed, Lucy wasn't afraid to look bad or messy when other actresses were always fixing their hair and looking glamorous.  Somehow though, even through the comedy, I manage to see her real beauty shining through.  I mean, just look at those legs! In keeping with the body of work I've compiled in this series, you'll notice I feature Lucy and Lucy only.  The stocky lady who appeared in this scene would have been fun to draw too but again, the focus is on Lucy.  Arrivadirci!

"Lllllllet er rollllll," the head candy maker says. Honestly, who hasn't seen this one? And how many times have you laughed even though you've seen it for the 20th time? This day, April 26th, 1989, we lost our beloved Lucy.   I drew this one while watching this episode but, I might as well have drawn it with my eyes closed. She is emblazoned on the silver screen and in my memory,  always. We miss you, Lucy.

Two weeks ago, I was at a political fundraiser for my friend who was running for county supervisor.  The event was at a grassy little park in Isla Vista on the Santa Barbara college campus.  In case you're not familiar with this cute little area of California, grass is a precious oasis in the midst of cactus, rocks and succulents.  Let's face it: a lot of California is just desert.  I am used to the thick green St. Augustine grass of Houston, Tx that promises a lush, splendorous romp but delivers chiggers and fire ant bites on the ass.   I sat myself down in the cool, gentle rye grass with nothing but a pair of jeans between me and the earth.  The nationally famous Jonathan McEuen was sitting under an oak tree, playing an Elton John cover, the sky was a perfect blue, and the temperature was a balmy70; a typical Saturday afternoon in sunny California.  As always, my trusty Galaxy Note 8 flanked my right hip pocket like a pistol in one of those old...

Like many other teens and preteens of the 50s, 60s and 70s, I used to come home from school; brain-drained from algebraic equations and  reciting Robert Frost poems.  My refuge was a 12-inch Panasonic black and white TV, propped up on an orange night stand across from my bed.  I'd plop myself down with a Fresca and some Charles Chips straight from the can and have myself a rerun fest to relieve the pressure of all those calculations, poems and adverb clauses crowded between my ears. The hours between 4 and 5 pm were occupied by I Love Lucy and Gilligan's Island.  I love those shows to this very day and so, in tribute, I offer you the bumbling Miss Ball, wielding her magic elixer of alcohol, vitamins and mirth, guaranteed to make you laugh until you hurt.  A toast: to classic TV reruns.  Raise your shot glass of Vitameatavegamin and hang on for a wild ride through TV-Ville.

Contact me: (832)884-8114 email: stit60@live.com