Cardboard and Colored Pencils
After returning from a glorious vacation in North Baja, Mexico, I worked 12 days straight, most of the days were long - 10-13 hours a day.
By this Friday at 5 pm, after my last client call, I was done. My spirit sagged. Five On Friday has been a magical hour for me ever since I started an advertising agency in 2004, so much so, that I bought the domain FiveonFriday.com to honor the hour. (You can check it out if you want.)
I've been an avid recycler since the early 70's. Recycling cardboard - I totally dig it and have kept a few choice pieces in my studio. This Friday, I pulled a piece from the shelf, got a pair of scissors and my Prisma colored pencils, sat on the floor in my family room and proceeded to do this sketch.
I don't know if you can see it, but I scored the outline and features of her face with the scissor tip before I started sketching with the pencil. Corrugations of the brown cardboard show up - the texture felt good as I used the pencil on the side scrubbing color on, back and forth.
By this Friday at 5 pm, after my last client call, I was done. My spirit sagged. Five On Friday has been a magical hour for me ever since I started an advertising agency in 2004, so much so, that I bought the domain FiveonFriday.com to honor the hour. (You can check it out if you want.)
I've been an avid recycler since the early 70's. Recycling cardboard - I totally dig it and have kept a few choice pieces in my studio. This Friday, I pulled a piece from the shelf, got a pair of scissors and my Prisma colored pencils, sat on the floor in my family room and proceeded to do this sketch.
I don't know if you can see it, but I scored the outline and features of her face with the scissor tip before I started sketching with the pencil. Corrugations of the brown cardboard show up - the texture felt good as I used the pencil on the side scrubbing color on, back and forth.
Right now, she's sitting on the same pink formica table where I have my Mac laptop, a lighted candle and my morning cuppa java. The photo shows the scale of the piece. I feel solace when I look at her.
hi honey, love the picture, it's very cool-I've been saving cardboard too to experiment. I miss you - I'm getting used to my new schedule at the gym-knee is still not great. later,lv Carole
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Rearranging studio space this morning, making room for new cabinets and shelving - I found a little something that I couldn't bare to toss away - an empty fabric bolt (tube). Just as I was about ready to dispose of the magnificent tube - Visions of embellishing the slender piece prompted me to bring it back into the studio! All the way back from the trash bin, with empty tube in hand, I'm thinking, why are you saving this, your space is limited, where will you store it, etc(oh those trickster voices). I hushed them politely, and smiled. The icing on the cake was your blog treat Viktorya! You always save the day. To read about your artful adventures with cardboard and recycling put the stamp of approval on me saving the cardboard tube! Mind you, nothing as brilliant as your (self) portrait and still life on pink Formica table will be presented, it is the process, oh that process, you've gotta trust the process, right? And yes, I can see quite perfectly the 'scores' on the cardboard painting. Thank you for your never ending stories...........
Respectfully, forever,
Leslie
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A play day sounds in the making, doesn't it? Cardboard to score, paint, collage -- how about it? Let's cook something up? Thanks for the idea -- wonderful!
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Oh, the process, yes, and trusting it - your comments are at the very heart of creation! Ridding those red-stop-sign voices and letting the green-go-for-it light inside us prevail. I am so on the same page with this.
Your fabric bolt-tube is a modern accomplishment, isn't it? We are so familiar with the weight and scale of it and now a sculptural essence waits for your description.
Thank you so much, Leslie, for the reminder to trust the process.
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Okay, I'll save my 'tube' for the possibility of a creative-cardboard-celebration! A vision of an installation of a cardboard housing project for the homeless in downtown Sacto just came to mind. Donations could be made to the homeless in some form or other.
carry on
Leslie
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