Catching up....

Art has its own reasons:

Acrylic on Panel, 24"x48"

We are slowly catching up on photographing work - it's kind of hard to focus on that when the weather is so spectacular (it's not snowing!), and I would much rather be drawing or painting - but I guess it has to be done.

(more below)

Hanna at the Piano

A few more piano pieces today, featuring selections from Chopin and Satie. Very good music to draw to! I hope to turn some of these into etchings or perhaps gouache, and I'll try one or two in the litho workshop this weekend...The lighting is going to be interesting to capture, as the piano faces into a corner with tall windows on either side.

Hanna playing Chopin's Nocturne 9-2:



A couple of Saties ( Satie gives strict yet ambigious advice - play the pieces in a manner "don't leave", "ligtly, with intimacy", "don't be proud", "dont eat too much", and "cooked". Hopefully we managed to convey this advice within the music, and also the sketches. What that would mean, I do not know):




This last one happened after we wrapped up, Hanna was putting on some makeup in the full length mirrors...

Hanna Poetess

I worked up these charcoal sketches (alas, on newsprint) from photos for practice, but liked the result, particularly the first.

Hannan Exercises

Once again, it's back to drawing from photos to get my hand back under control. Like the Hanon Exercises for piano, the practice might be of dubious benefit, and it might not. The point is to have a little fun while building speed and accuracy.

We shot the photos during the drawing session Thursday, and I spent Friday & Saturday practicing. Today was supposed to be another practice day, but with sunshine & shirt sleeve weather in Nova Scotia - in March, no less! - well, self-indulgence won.

The drawings themselves take about 20 to 30 minutes. Ideally that should get down to 5 or ten. Still a ways to go. But it's a definite improvement from the time it used to take.