Art Can Happen Anywhere
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 western movies, ready for a "quick draw", pun intended of course. And there she was: the perfect subject, bathed in pale sunlight and shadow, waiting to be sketched and painted; my friend's adorable 2 year-old grand daughter, Claire.
I love drawings like these. They teach me that colors aren't always what they seem when exposed to light and shadow. I love the challenge of value shading, that is applying a spectrum of true colors to what the mind knows to be only one.
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 western movies, ready for a "quick draw", pun intended of course. And there she was: the perfect subject, bathed in pale sunlight and shadow, waiting to be sketched and painted; my friend's adorable 2 year-old grand daughter, Claire.
I love drawings like these. They teach me that colors aren't always what they seem when exposed to light and shadow. I love the challenge of value shading, that is applying a spectrum of true colors to what the mind knows to be only one.
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