Cay Denise

Ornate room interiors are 'not my thing' when selecting reference photos for art inspiration.  But I found a photo of one recently that looked stunning, and I just had to draw it. To start, the photo was printed on copy paper.  I then made a rough line drawing of the major lines/elements on top.  Eye-balling that line drawing as a guide, I did a cleaned-up version in my sketchbook.  Doing it this way did distort the scale, however.     Using Faber-Castell Polychromos Colour Pencils, the sketch was filled in.  Some blending was also done.  For example, the green was made with three layers: yellow then light green then turquoise blue. There were many challenges with this effort.  The capitals of the Corinthian columns were difficult because of where they abut the walls in the photo.  Their gold ornamentation was hard to distinguish where one capital ended and another began.  Another challenge was perspective.  This drawn view of ...

For those of you who don't know Lynda Barry, she is an American cartoonist and an Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Creativity at the University of Wisconson-Madison.  She has also received a MacArthur Fellowship.  Her work is stunningly imaginative.  Her drawings complemented by her writing is the reason she has published numerous books...my favorite so far being 'What It Is'.   I'm only a third of the way through her 'Making Comics' book, and what I've accomplished so far--is filling a Michael Roger Decomposition Book of my work based on Barry's Daily Diary practice.   The first part of her course and that I did was to create a caricature-like image of me using the principles of Brunetti.  The result is not as sophisticated as a caricature and not as simplistic as a stick figure.  Rather, it is inbetween and has characteristics of how I think of myself (like having short hair, wearing glasses, my hands drawn as mittens, etc.).   The daily...

During the last weekend of June, my latest class' wrap-up call was conducted by the curriculum creator and instructor, Louise Fletcher (an English artist), and her coaches for Momentum 2026.  The class was six months (having begun in January) that followed Creative Reset and Find Your Joy last fall.   At the start of Momentum, students chose a subject to focus on.  Mine was tree bark.  Many of the pieces in the photo below were based on that focus.  Mid-way through the course, we also started a three-month project after writing a project brief as a way to keep us on track.  Mine is an exploration of grief and darkness, and the project is still in-progress. That said, in looking at the work in the this collage I see that one of my shape preferences is curves.  That is a valuable insight--because it means I'm more likely to be happier with my creative works when they have curves in them versus those that don't.  A footnote to the class is that Louis...

This is a great little book focused on how to treat oneself with the care of a loving parent so that one's wild, creative child within -- comes out to play! The book includes a chart about how to talk with your kids about art.  It has some suggested questions (using a curiosity approach) that can prompt 'real' conversation versus questions that can come across as if the child isn't doing something right or his/her work looks unrecognizable.  (The suggested questions would work great to aid in real talk between adults as well.  I'll be trying some of them out soon.) Austin also includes a number of photos of his sons as they play-work and some of the art they've made.  In addition, there are a number of Austin's clever newspaper blackout poems that I happen to  like for their wisdom. One of my favorite quotes in the book is attributed to Caitlin Moran, and it reads, "If you eat enough books, you start pooping out words."  I'm just tickled by thi...

  Not that I had any plans when I applied surplus paint for the first background layer.  Nor did I have any plans when Bombay India and Acrylic ink layers were added next.   But then a watercolor tulip scrap got my attention.  It was stowed in a transparent storage bag propped up against a bookcase in the studio.  The firey orange glared at me, and I imagined it might be great contrast to the darker and chaotic background.  It passed the test when it was auditioned.  Aside from that, I like orange and maroon together. Then I found some other collage and watercolor scraps to use for leaves that could help the florescent green in the background 'pop'.  So down they all went...glued in place.  Afterwards, I found a gradation study from a couple years ago in that same scrap bag.  The scrap was painted yellow-green to purple.  So, I used the yellow-green end to cut out the pieces for the stem and bottom of the bloom.  They added piz...

 Do you remember making paper snowflakes when you were young?  What reminded me about making them were the instructions in the book 'Make Every Day Creative'.  They are pretty easy to make, although decorating them is something else.  It is certainly a departure from what I normally make, but it was fun!

Binge-watching a show makes you feel like you're in the 'thick' of the characters' situations including getting a feel for their individual strengths and weaknesses that make them who they are and why they choose certain paths of actions.  Doing so, you grow in empathy or disgust of them more quickly because you have far fewer interruptions than if you were watching one episode each week. That is the way it was for me watching "Travelers" that is currently on Netflix.  The show ran from 2016-2018 (34 episodes total) and has an interesting premise.  That premise is that a super AI from a distant future monitors all actions/non-actions in the then current time as it tries to save humanity.  (As you might imagine, things are not going well for humans in the future.)  That said, the AI has the ability to transfer the consciousness of a being in the future to a person in the then current time--at the instant just before that person is about to die.  Those sent, ...

This is an exceptional video of a fine art restoration...just beautifully done (and the music is lovely too)!

Sunday, I drove downtown early and parked for an hour before an event to sketch while waiting to go into the venue.  So, with a sketchbook, pencil and pen, I worked in the car...something I've not done before.   The basic sketch was rough (see photo below).  Given the available work time, it had three light poles, a sidewalk outline, three building starts and a couple of Palm Trees. Yesterday, I added more content--much of it from memory.  (Working from memory is something I don't normally do either.)  Today, I finished by adding color and more detail (see finished photo).  The tools used were pencil, Muji pen, watercolor and acrylic paints. In looking at the finished image, it appears that the cars are facing downhill with a rise just beyond the first light post as the pavement curves to the right.  The opposing lane could be viewed as downhill from this roadway.  In fact, the scene that I was sketching was on level ground.  So I have to fig...

  Austin Kleon has a new book coming out this June titled 'Don't Call It Art'. As part of promoting pre-sales, he is providing some goodies that include five zines containing some of the materials cut from the book.  This description of the book is a quote from Zine #1: "In this book, I'm going to help you learn to treat yourself with the care of a loving parent so that the wild, creative kid who still lives in you can come out and play." I think that says it all.  As you may guess, I pre-ordered the book.  If you do so, make sure you go to his website and look for the promotion.  You'll need a receipt to submit for the goodie package. 

I really liked the first half of this book while the second half had more stories that supported her themes and wasn't quite as fun to read.  There are some great lines in this book that are worthy of keeping as quotes to review every now and then.   I love the author's way of looking and dealing with things in an unusual way.  Some examples are how she has a conversation with fear before a project begins, how she created a ceremony when young committing to the life of a writer, how she sees ideas as disembodied life-forms, etc. For creatives from all disciplines, this is a worthy book to read.  There are truth nuggets throughout, and the author authentically shares how her perspective on creativity has been developed throughout her life as a writer regardless of, or maybe in spite of, success.

I've had the source image below for over a year.  This month has been the first time I've attempted to sketch a likeness of it in pencil.  My reason for not doing so before now....was a lack of confidence in my ability because it looked too hard (so many darks to be able to distinguish)..  That said, my first try began with a line to show the edge of the face on the right from forehead all the way around the chin.  The effort below was done over several days.  Even though it is 'finished', the hat could benefit from much more work in order to be a strong likeness.  But overall I'm satisfied with the sketch where it is now. There is a difference that can be seen in my piece compared to the photo.  The face in the photo is shorter [vertically] than mine.  But it's not enough to make me want to re-do it. The challenging areas were the eyes followed by the hat.  What I learned is that I'm seeing shapes better as well as in more detail which adds ...

Boy, I have a much greater appreciation for the artisans of this elegant, physical, difficult, and time-consuming art form than I did before my beginning class! My post-class questions include, "What would the artisans of the past be able to create with the tools now available that weren't during their time?"  Also, "How in the heck did they do it with the tools they had??" Stained glass-making is not easy.  Cutting glass is a trying experience.  Glass is finicky, and not all glass will break according to its scoring (initial cutting that doesn't break the glass).  Each type of glass is different.  It's better to cut on the smoother side (easier), but that doesn't mean it's easy nor does it guarantee a great or clean cut. Then, there's the process of preparing the glass for soldering so that it fits into the cartoon (design/ pattern) image of the final product. Soldering is an art form as well...with the goal that it doesn't detract from ...

I was expecting more from this book.  I liked the section titled 'Book One'.  It articulated quite well what resistance is and how it shows up.  That included a couple of ways that surprised me.  In 'Book Two' I was disappointed with how the author defined the differences between an amateur and professional.  For me, the professional can be more constrained than the amateur,...constrained in the sense of less freedom to fully express himself or herself in service to delivering a product.  The author's suggestion in this book quote, "To the amateur, the game is his avocation.  To the pro it's his vocation." is that the pro has quit (or has no) full-time employment and works seven days a week on his/her creative venture.  He doesn't speak to what happens if the pro isn't successful (meaning selling his/her work and earning enough to support himself/herself) unless the pro is loving what he/she is doing and accepts that living as a pauper is a pos...

After taking Find Your Joy 2025, an online course from Louise Fletcher (a British artist), I signed up for her Momentum course that started in January 2026. It has been a fascinating exploration so far doing more in-depth work focusing on a specific subject area.  My original focus has morphed since January, and the work is changing daily.  One of the techniques I'm working with is mirror or backwards writing -- inspired by Leonardo da Vinci.  Separately, I've noticed my recent work has flowing and curving lines that are uncharacteristic of pieces done in the past.  There are hints of flowing line work, though, in the fractured/neurographic-like faces I drew a few years ago.  The piece below was inspired by a painting (no artist signature unfortunately).  In my version, I love how the gown's skirt appears to sway with the flowing line-work, and how the curved banisters and her arm positions work to invite the viewer to imagine she is stepping gracefully up ...

I haven't drawn a face in a long time.  So, today my play was drawing one using a sculpture photo as a reference.  Doing this was to remind myself that I can still do it. French hairstyles for women in the later 1700s called for high hair that sometimes included wearing cushions on top of the head for heightening the style that long locks or wigs were formed over/around.  This reference photo has an elaborate hairstyle that is quite nice as is the pattern in the garment. After drawing the face/bust in a large sketchbook with pencil, I drew over the lines with black pen and decided to leave the drawing as is for the time being.  Taking a photo of it, I used Photoshop Elements to add color for the background and a few elements.  Other than that, it has been left pretty much as the original sketch.  Contrasted with the source image, the head could be larger.  But I started with the head first and apparently didn't alter the body area to compensate.  ...

It was such a delight to see and listen to Julie Fowlis and her accompanying musicians perform in concert over the weekend.  It is the first time I've heard her Scottish folk music that she sings primarily in Scots Gaelic.   The concert was full of energy and great sounds!  In some pieces she'd be singing so fast you'd wonder how she could do it.  The video below has the last piece we heard at the concert and is with the same group that is on tour in the U.S. with her now.   We, in the audience, were impressively entertained!

People have great ideas!  They may be friends, colleagues, artist contacts, or even strangers.  In this case, it was an artist friend who provided the genesis of this new Blurb magazine through a conversation over zoom.   The magazine contains 151 of my favorite photos taken over the years.  I'm using it in an art class where the assignment is to review the photos we are drawn to -- for the qualities that draw our notice.  Easier said than done, you may ask?  Yes, it is.   However, by looking at and thinking about why I like these photos, there are some common attributes.  They may have patterns, textures, depth, play between light and shadow, and/or an overall pleasing composition.  They all have a sense of 'quiet'.  The occasional quirky and whimsical images are always a delight, even though more rare.     In sum, the photos in the magazine (examples below) are one element of my point of view.  That is to bring unnoticed...

Visiting a new-to-me recycled bookstore today -- with a huge art section -- I made some finds.  Among them was a book printed in 1893 titled "Saskia: The Wife of Rembrandt". Having visited Amsterdam in 2024, I was introduced to Saskia through reading about Rembrandt.  Then I saw her tomb in the Oude Kerk (Old Church) while there.  Based on the book, they had a happy life together until she passed on at the young age of 30 leaving her husband and an infant son.  Her father, Rombertus van Uylenburgh (a lawyer and burgomaster), in his early adult years, was having dinner with Prince William of Orange and his family on the night Prince William was assassinated (a long story).  Also in the book, it mentions Rembrandt was commissioned to paint a gallant captain and his company.  The resulting painting was his "Night Watch" that hangs in the Rijksmuseum.  It further says the soldiers were not pleased with the painting.  They ended up going to anothe...

After completing Find Your Joy (FYJ) in December 2025, I signed up for Momentum, a follow-on to FYJ that lasts six months.  It is intended as a springboard for students to identify and navigate our own creative path (clarifying our preferences, likes, etc.); areas of interest/focus for doing our work; practicing a system for exploring new ideas, benching ways of working that don't work or yield successful results, or have worn out their welcome; and, working through blocks, negative thinking, and the things we may have repressed that can surface during the creative process. So far, students have had exercises to draw our chosen subject, explore constraints, and to simply play.  My chosen subject was tree bark (initially Redwood), but the Redwood bark is too dense, layered and fibrous to draw easily.  So, I drew the rings of a Redwood tree stump that includes the bark edging.   The image (above left) was created  by doing a blind contour in white pen first (blind...

For the fun of it, I took a black Sharpie (chisel tip) and filled an 8"x8" piece of mixed media paper with random shapes over the entire page.  Then, the shapes were colored in using a variety of markers with no limit to the colors used. The Sharpie outlines bled through to the back side of the mixed media paper.  So, those shapes were also filled in but this time with a limited palette--5 colors only. It's so interesting to see the results.  Just for the fun of it -- here are some questions.   Which one looks busier?   Which looks quieter?   Which looks more organized?  Which draws you in or repels you?   Is there an emotion(s) that comes up for you when you look at either one of these or both?   How does your eye travel around each piece (where it enters, the path it moves along, and where it exits), if it does?   Is there a particular shape you love?   Is there a particular color you love?   Do you think the limited palette ...

After finishing a great book, The Soul of an Octopus, I created this zine with things I want to remember from it.  Due to a couple pages glued together, the photos are a walk-through of the pages from front to back. One of the images was created as part of a comic-making art diary and another was done for fun in a painting class.  This zine only capture tidbits of the book's 'deep dive' into the life and behavior of octopuses in captivity as well as those less visible to man in the wild.  They are elusive creatures who are so much more than smart and clever. I highly recommend reading the book!  It is such an impressive piece of narrative non-fiction and well-researched.  Thank you, Susan W., for suggesting it. 

From British magazines, I find interesting and sometimes classical imagery.  These are the sources I like to use for collages.  The images I cut out can include drawings, costumes, buildings, patterns, colors and text -- but I only harvest things that appeal to me.  There is seldom a plan or idea in mind at this point of the process.   The collage below came from clipped Tatler magazine images.  It looks a bit like a theatrical stage set with a somewhat off-beat message.  The main problem putting this piece together was bubbling of the magazine paper--though not too noticeable in the photo.  It seems the problem may have been the adhesive...matte medium.  It caused the collage pieces to immediately stick to the page and they became difficult to move and to smooth out.  Next time, I'll return to using glue sticks.   I've heard the suggestion of dipping magazine pieces in water to remove any coating on the paper before using them.  Ha...

Since the beginning of President Trump's second term, I started creating zines for every two-month period to reflect the articles, analyses, photos, and videos, etc. about issues arising with the new administration. So far, I've completed six zines (through December) for this year.  These are photos of the last two. As you can see, they look pretty busy and chaotic.  Each one has the primary topics of the respective period added with labels.  Can you guess how many there are across all six?  Here is the list of more than 85 of them selected for inclusion: Mayoral coercion;  Government payment systems;  Ukraine; USAID;  SSA; Tariffs; Immigrants; Musk, DOGE, Data Capture, Data Impacts; Pardons; NATO; Project 2025; GAZA; Protests; Lock-outs; The Gulf of What?; Prices; Nuclear Stockpile; Bird Flu; Quid pro quo; Measles; FAA; Cartel family sanctuary; Purging history; ICE Raids; Corruption; FEMA/Disaster Unprepare...

This post is about a recent article from Colossal, an online art and visual culture magazine.  In its December 6, 2025 newsletter, there was a short article highlighting a new video from the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum.  That video includes multiple V&A curators unboxing a collection of 19th-century objects common in Victorian mourning traditions that include garments, ephemera and photos.  These were part of elaborate rituals and rites that people once practiced to honor the dead.  I'm aware this may seem a strange time of year to speak of death--at least in a way.  But this video is really interesting.   The question raised by the old practices no longer observed is how do we, as a culture, process grief and loss now?  Colossal writes that "our contemporary culture of grief and loss has turned inward and is something managed privately rather than shared with a community."  Does that ring true from your experience?  Is there a t...

In my early junior college days, I was part of musical theater productions in the pit orchestras.  The productions were not done in a theater but at various sites related to the story.  For example, Oklahoma! was done on a farm, and 1776 was done in one of the State of Michigan government chambers.  It was remarkably fun to do because the real-life setting made each story more memorable. That said, this post is about scaling on-site productions up to an unimaginable level.  Today, I read an article in the September (2025) issue of Tatler about a new musical titled 'Anne Boleyn: The Musical'.  The origin of this musical was the brainchild of Princess Eliane de Merode and her brother, Prince Simon, of Belgium.  In the early 2000s, they came up with an idea of creating a theater company in Belgium and would call it Historalia.  The company, now the second largest in that country, stages immersive muscials based on historical figures at stately homes. Prin...

The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco posted this very interesting video interview with artist and engineer, Miguel Arzabe, earlier this year.  What is intriguing is his use of the inspiration he notes -- to create woven paintings that are actually two of his own abstract paintings woven together.   Here is that interview: To see more of Miguel's work, this is the link to his website: https://www.miguelarzabe.net/ What do you think of his work?

Louise Fletcher's 13-week art/painting course is about to conclude.  It has been a great class!   As part of our final week's assignments, we share photos of the course work we've done.  This is a collage of my efforts.  Woohoo!

  This book presents a completely different facet of Leonardo da Vinci's work.  As a polymath and genius in mathematics and engineering (as well as other disciplines), da Vinci was fascinated with knots!   Have you seen his Mona Lisa?  If you did, did you see the ornamentation (embroidery-like pattern) on the bodice of her dress?  In reality, that section is only 1" x 4" of the painting.  But he spent years (almost a decade) plus many sketchbook pages developing the knot pattern now known as the Mona Lisa Knot.  For the actual painting, da Vinci may have spent a year painting just that area.   Based on the book, a place that would have been impressive to see in da Vinci's time -- was the Sala delle Asse: The Room of Knots at the Sforza Castle in Milan.  He painted a floor to ceiling design in a circular ballroom of the north-eastern tower with thousands of mulberry leaves, hundreds of branches intertwining with a single gold cord meandering t...