Going offline for awhile

E14studio blogspot is taking a short break. I will continue to work on my drawings and mixed media artwork.
Take care ~Sharon

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Update: It's been a week and a half since I've checked in - the longest I ever waited to post. My blog has been a way for me to catalog the last 2 years in terms of creative efforts and now as I contemplate where I want to focus in that regard, I see that I need some more down time to take a private inventory. I've been writing in my journal more often instead of my usual blog postings. I have pages and pages of stuff that I wanted to get out and it's very therapeutic but I'm sure you'd understand, it's not something I can post to the world wide web. So this is a chance for me to be more introverted and re-evaluate my needs and intentions and vent where I feel safe. I encourage everyone to keep a journal and as you probably already know there are many ways to do this but ultimately, it's whatever serves you best. One thing I know for sure, I will continue to persue mixed media art as a personal expression. Please hang in there with me and don't forget me while I kick back. Thanks!

Keeping the Faith

Here is a drawing Cully made while riding the subway in his Moleskine journal. I bought it from him while he was in Houston showing his work. At the time it was difficult for me to decide which drawing to choose because they were all so good. Now I know I made the right choice.

I take it to mean that the hands are holding a book that is holy simply because of the ribbon marker that is hanging over the binding. I wonder if the person holding the holy book is reading his daily prayers on the subway or if he's in a crisis and needs the prayers to get from one moment to the next.

Right now I am going through a very difficult time involving someone I love very much who I am praying for. As I ride the emotional roller coaster daily, I am reminded of faith and how we have to rely on our core beliefs to sustain us.
If you are so inclined, please keep me and my family in your thoughts.

UPDATE: (Feb 14, 2007)
One thing I know for sure when all this is behind us, some very powerful art will come of it.

From my O'Keeffe drawing series

Georgia was photographed by her companion, Maria Chabot while they were on a painting expedition in the dessert . Imagine what it would be like to camp out in the areas surrounding Abiquiu, New Mexico in the early 1940's. In the book Full Bloom by Hunter D. Philip, she writes, " Chabot often wondered if people admiring O'Keeffe's serene and seemingly effortless pictures realized that the artist endured driving rainstorms and freezing winds to gain a more profound experience of the landscape."

I took more liberties with this drawing than previous ones. I departed from the original photo reference in some ways. The photo shows more of the diagonals of the tent in the background, but I chose to fill in the areas with dark tones. I was struck by the pose of the artist combing her hair and added more detail to the hair than was visible in the photo. I also played around with highlights on the legs to make the seated pose look more believable in the picture plane.

Just when I thought I had enough from this series, another photo of O'Keeffe grabbed my attention and I ran to the art supply store for some more good drawing paper. I'm on a mission.