I think of you while you're away
and as night dances on the day
and failing light segments are strewn
as orange beams that chase the moon
I think of you as silhouettes
can etch the land as day forgets
and blue, then red, once more regress
and night presents its sweet caress
DEE GRANT 2021
art
#Art – Hibiscus at the Beach Shack
As the tide of information dissipates thumbnail sketches appear like cocktails at a resort
After many years of university study, words become scrawl. Scrawl becomes a treasure trove of inspiration. Text turns into it’s own motif. The greater the need to focus the more text becomes a rhythm. A rhythmic sea of text that appears and disappears like waves on the beach.
Unexpected words from a speaker cause a flurry of scrawl barely readable. Then, as the tide of information dissipates, thumbnail sketches appear like cocktails at a resort.
Drawn at a professional development weekend on teaching ethics. Discerning the Message was drawn on a Best Western notepad while listening to a keynote speaker.
BY DEE GRANT
Art Yoga – Warm Up
BY DEE GRANT(with audio) I have a great treat to get your mind thinking outside the box. This sketching warm up exercise is about giving a bit of a yoga stretch for your mind. Are you ready?
Equipment
- Pencil
- A4 pieces of paper (4 pieces)
- Pencil sharpener
- Capsicum (I am using a capsicum. Capsicums have an interesting shape)
1st sketch
- Sketch the vegetable how you normally would. (5-10 min)
2nd sketch
- Sketch the vegetable again but this time without lifting the pencil off the page.
- Without lifting the pencil off the page, draw an outline of the vegetable so it takes up most of the page. (3 minutes)
How did you go?
OK, lets challenge your brain a bit.
3rd sketch
- This time put the pencil in the hand you don’t normally use, your least dominant hand. You know what comes next!
- Without lifting the pencil off the page, draw an outline of the vegetable so it takes up most of the page. (3 minutes)
I’m always intrigued by this exercise. There is a totally different feel to each work. It’s almost like it was drawn by another person.
Use your other hand
Game to take it one step further?
Continue reading#Art – Create to Frame
How to choose department store frames to exhibit your student artwork. If you are doing art school save money. Get savvy. Create to frame!
The goal for this post is for you to try out creating your artwork so that it will easily fit into a standard frame. A frame from a department store. The example here is framing a 12 x 12 painting.
I could cry when I think of the amount of expensive custom frames I’ve had made up in my days as an art student. This was all because I created artworks that didn’t look right in standard size frames. For an art student that’s ‘flat out rubbing two sticks together’ framing is a necessity rather than a luxury.
Think neat and tidy.
Think neutral tones so that you can use and reuse the frame/s for various presentations.
Think about something that scrubs up well in your student exhibition. Are you better to have 3 or 4 the same size and colour so that they can be grouped together?
Continue reading#Art -Watching Pencil Muddy the Paint
(with audio) “Every artwork is a potential masterpiece” but you don’t always know what will look good, especially when you are starting out. I never want to set up people for failure so today I am sharing some tips on life drawing when you’re starting out.
Difficulty spells disinterest
My students one year were given a 12 inch square canvas to paint a picture of themselves and something that identifies them. One student showed me her detailed pencil drawing drawn directly onto the canvas.
In my mind all I could see was the frustration she would be setting herself up for. Having to paint such detailed information onto that small canvas. Watching the pencil muddy the paint or the paint beading over the graphite. Watching the paint go in spaces not intended. Alarm bells as difficulty spells disinterest at the early stages of artmaking in my books.
You live and learn as a art teacher. I bet the next lot of students were bored to tears when I advised on keeping it simple and not too detailed.
Continue reading#Poetry – Why artists paint
It’s colour, it’s form, it’s shade and technique. It’s the artist personified, original, unique!
We’re all just creative and passionately draw. We’ll draw on your woodwork, your wall or your door. Just give the OK and we’ll be there today, drawing pictures and paintings ’til the day gets away.
Did you want a commission? We can help you with that. We’ll pull out our paints and put on our hat. With berets in place we’ll draw up the plan. We’ll sort out the colours cause you know that we can.
At the end we’ll stand back with arms folded and beam. It’s no longer blank space…it’s an artists dream.
DEE GRANT 2021
#Art – The eyes have it – Fan
I came across a series of works I did ages ago. They are so quirky. This week it’s all about monotone.
#Art: Bright Painting – Create with 4 colors
(with audio)
The idea
The thumbnail was created in 2001. The painting in 2002. I used acrylic paint to get lovely bold colours. These are the 4 colours;
- White
- Daisy Yellow
- Rose Madder
- Phalo Blue
For this work it would be Matisse brand cause they have background paint colours I like.
Continue reading#Art: The eyes have it – Forlorn
My final share for the series.
I came across a series of works I did ages ago. They are so quirky. This week it’s all about monotone
