Its Fun..

'Its Fun Being a Kid'

Dads fortune cookie message he got when we were at Jimmy Wong's, the local sushi restaurant. It was rather amusing he got that as there were four of us there including my eight year old sister, and out of all four of us Dad was the one who got this particular fortune cookie. As they say;

 'You are only as young as you think you are.'

or

'Age is just a number..'

In this case it couldn't be more true.....

Sketchbook. August 29, 2011 (Insomnia)

'Always Sleep with one Eye Open...'

Insomnia Drawings by Louise Bourgeois

I thought as Insomnia seems to be a frequent topic on my blog at the moment, I'd post some of Louise Bourgeois's Insomnia drawings. I know there are more artist who have created a collection of work thanks to the inability to sleep, but I seem to be unable to find them, I'm pretty sure there are some books on them in my college library, but I wont be able to check that until college starts. For now these will have to do.

"I am an insomniac, so for me the state of being asleep is paradise. It is a paradise I can never reach. But I still try to conquer the insomnia, and to a large extent I have done it; it is conquerable. My drawings are a kind of rocking or stroking, and an attempt at finding peace. Peaceful rhythm. Like rocking a baby to sleep."

-Louise Bourgeois

~

*The Book*

Louise Bourgeois: The Insomnia Drawings

Insomnia has been a lifetime companion of Louise Bourgeois' night hours. Between November 1994 and June 1995, she has committed to paper whatever thoughts, memories, and images surfaced during her long sleepless nights. The resulting 220 drawings are the quintessence of all the impulses, sources, and motifs inspiring her work. "The Insomnia Drawings" show the artist's mind at work: drawings and sketches alternate with poems and aphorisms in both French and English, interspersed with notes referring to the hustle-bustle of everyday life. The series is a unique mirror of an extraordinary woman's life and work: beautiful, disquieting, passionate, inquiring, and imbued with a quirky sense of humor. As soon as the artist agreed to entrust "The Insomnia Drawings" to the Daros Collection, it was clear that this extraordinary work should be presented as a book. The result is a handsome slipcased two-volume publication, edited by Daros Services, Zurich. The first volume contains facsimiles of both the recto and verso of the 220 drawings. The second volume provides the reader with valuable background information on this complex and exhilaratingly beautiful work of art. Marie-Louise Bernadac, a leading Bourgeois scholar, places "The Insomnia Drawings" in context of Bourgeois' oeuvre, providing biographical references for many notes, and pointing out the leitmotifs of Bourgeois' imaginary universe.

Sketchbook. August 28, 2011

These are the first two insomnia drawings I did about two weeks ago now.Don't really know whats going on in my head when I am doing these, the one below was the first and is a bit mad.

Sketchbook. August 27, 2011

I wish I felt more Human..

I was looking at how individual the hounds are, they are all different, their faces holding such character. They are so human in there own way.
The hound above is one of my favorite bitches called Heather. I wanted to give her a face, a human face. She reminds me of the thin librarian type, not strict, just happy and in her own world. I couldn't get the face right, so it ended up being a mask. I had been looking at a lot of Leanora Carrington's work also, so I wanted it to be sort of ghostly and surreal.

This is something I would like to come back to and work on further.

Polaroid, August 27, 11

'Brothers and Sisters,
Here, in this Place, We are Safe.'

Polaroid



'I Sail Along the Forest Floor.'

I am proud to present my first Polaroid photo, taken with my new Fuji film Instax Mini camera. I have to say it is very cool. I always loved Polaroids and have been dying to get my hands on a Polaroid camera. The photo is half the size of the original Polaroid. Even though the photo is small it is just as intriguing, and adds a bit of character. I'm looking forward to spending more time with this camera.

Sketchbook. August 24, 2011 (Insomnia)

Sketchbook. August 21, 2011

A portrait of a hound puppy called China.

Sketchbook. August 20, 2011 (Insomnia)

I've been a bit behind on updating my blog at the moment, so there is a bit of a back log.

The drawing above was done late at night. I seem to do quit well with my insomnia drawings, I guess its becuase I'm not quit there, so I am a bit more relaxed about the marks I make. I used watercolours, colouring pencils, and ball point pen for this piece.

The Carnegie Museum of Art

Some of my favorite works from the Carnegie Museum of Art..

Stairs leading to the Exhibitions

Nightmare of Faces, by Andrey Ainoff

Andrey Ainoff

Landscape, by Francis Bacon

Number 4, by Jackson Pollock

Yellow and Blue, by Mark Rothko

Nudes by Arthur B. Davis

Amaret in the Garden of Adonis by John Dickson Balten

The Old Fence, by John Currin

Tran Duc Van by Jeff Wall

Rothko and I

I went to the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh yesterday, and by complete surprise I came upon a Mark Rothko. More pacifically, Mark Rothko's, 'Untitled (Yellow, Blue and Orange), 1955.

I never thought I would have the privilege of seeing one of his paintings, I at least thought I would have to go to New York.

It is true though, the emotions you feel when looking at one of his paintings. It might have just been  the surprise and the joy I felt from stumbling across it, but there was definitely an over whelming sense of emotion, a feeling of lightness and happiness.

I hope that is an emotion I can frequent upon often.

I will definitely go back to the Carnegie art museum, even if its just to see, Untitled, (Yellow, Blue, and Orange) again!

Butler County Fair

Some photos I took while at the Butler County Fair, on the 4th of July. I have to say I was not happy with the quality and mostly they did not turn out so well, I do not get along very well with the camera I was using. The top photo is my favorite!

Sketchbook. August 5, 2011

Sketchbook. August 4, 2011

'Were Raising Kids That Raise Themselves.'

Sketchbook. August 2, 2011

This is what happens when you are really bored, and have nothing to draw except the apple that's sitting on your desk....

If one wants to be clever about it, I'd say it referred back to the Garden of Eden, and the forbidden fruit. 

The apple is no different than Pandora's Box.