Cay Denise

This effort was done starting with a 5-minute sketch while process photos were taken along the way.  My intention was to work on color selections and to complete the jewelry/dangles to stand out without overtaking the female image (and maybe even getting a sense of dimension with their use).   This is the second project in which a straight line across the page has been added to interrupt the wavy/curved lines -- and to show that using subtle color adjustments on each side of the line.  (The first project that incorporates a line can be seen in the August 23rd post,) I'm pleased with how this came out. There are a few areas where the decoration looks sparse, but I notice it seems restful to my eye, since the balance of the Sharpie-painted areas are much busier.  What is your experience looking at it?  What draws your attention first?

As I continue easing into more activity, I've watched some additional movies and am sharing the following reviews: *A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum (with Phil Silvers and Michael Crawford) - This movie is a musical comedy from a few decades ago.  It is light-hearted though I didn't laugh much.  That said, there are a couple of nice musical numbers in it.  I won't be watching it again though. *Beasts of the Southern Wild - The young actress does a very good job.  That said, this movie is disturbing because of the poverty and filth the 'bathtub community' live in and the skills they have to teach their young to survive.  Finding joy is loving the land they live upon by using others junk to set up inadequate housing; find sustenance from fish they hand-catch in contaminated waters; and, drink alcohol to excess for entertainment and connecting with other community friends.  I didn't like the movie.  But it does speak to those who are or choose to be h

For this effort, the 5-minute sketch was done in pen.  The finished work took an additional few hours.  It is mostly colored in with Sharpie markers.  Other details were done with white Posca Pen (for the eye highlights), a Micron pen 01 (for the eyelashes), and Golden's Iridescent Pearl acrylic paint (for the pearls). I'm delighted with how this one came out!  When I look at it, the hat looks a bit like a stained glass design because of the color choices.  I also like the face color choices especially the bright yellow nose...that really works.  

This has been a multi-day Sharpie effort with a bit of iridescent acrylic paint added to finish the jewelry and headpiece elements.   In looking at the top photo, I'm thinking the piece might look better in a round or oval format. To make that kind of change means sacrificing some areas that may be appealing.  To see what it could look like with a change of substrate sheet, I've taken the image into Photoshop Elements and cropped it to an oval image.   Of the two below, which do you like better?  

This a recently-completed asymmetrical mandala.  As it is, there is a sense of balance to it as well as some symmetry.   I love the color choices, spontaneous as they were, and the mix of shapes and their placement in this piece. Together, they combine in a way that plays with depth too.  It was such a delight to watch evolve! Using three shapes (quadrilateral, circle and triangle), how would you design a round mandala? 

Having one hand out of commission for a few weeks has put the squeeze on the pace of my art-making. In the meantime, I've been watching lots of movies and streaming programs,  So, here are some reviews in case any of these shows are on your 'to watch' list: * The Portable Door (wtih Sam Neill) - This is an adventure fantasy that is quirky, quite mysterious and odd at the beginning, and entertaining.  The Jim Henson Company, run by Jim Henson's daughter, was involved in making some of the characters in this film. * The Triplets of Belleville (animated) - It is amazing that this film has so little spoken language in it.  The animation (cartooning) is great in terms of conveying story, place. depth, and emotion.  I loved the opening song by the trio and if you aren't aware, it received two Oscar nominations in 2004 (one for best original song and the other for best animated feature). * The Most Reluctant Convert  - This movie is the story of C.S. Lewis' conversio