Sundrip Journals
‘What the Crows Left Behind” is a surreal scene of empty bodies holding their hands up to the wide spread wings of the largest crow. The sky is a river of color boldly contradicting the color next to it. While some of the bodies are beginning to shape shift and morph into crows, others remain empty.
Feathers encircle a figure in all black, some have the beginnings of white feathers, others black. Continue reading “What the Crows Left Behind”
She is the Wind’ is primarily a finger painting. The blue hair and the hills as well as the larger parts of the tree were created with my fingers. Details were added with other tools.
The large figure is searching for a part of herself that is missing. She and the warrior that blows in her blue hair, into a white sky, will search and bring her home. Behind the white tree she sees her, weary, cold, wrapped in hills of colors under a burning sky. She has found her. Continue reading “She is the Wind”
I started this piece in 2010 but didn’t finish it until this 2014. I couldn’t figure out exactly where to go with it so I put it up. I pulled it out and returned it to a sleeve at least three times until one day it hit me, I know what to do.
Please let me first explain why she’s in the Ugly Girl Collection and why her name is Pamela.
This young girl, like my other Ugly Girls, is different. She’s not visually appealing. No one wants to be her. They look at her inquisitively, maybe even with fascination but they also pity her. That is the idea behind the collection, to paint those little girls thought to be ugly, the little girls who hear about their blotchy skin like Pamela has or have adults and children alike point out this and that imperfection within ear shot. Pamela used to hear the giggles, used to see the pointed fingers, but no more. She is strong within herself, but most of all she is kind. Continue reading “Pamela – Ugly Girl”
In addition to the emotional process of creating this painting, there is a storm of art mediums. I do enjoy experimenting with different types of media.
In this 6 x 9 painting on paper, I’ve mixed acrylic with sawdust and sand. There is also ink and gel with a final matte acrylic seal. If you put all that together and mix it up on sketchbook paper, you get the aftermath of a thunderstorm.
In the painting you see a black face woman with lips and eyes like the sea. Her hair flows into the waves and becomes them. Her body floats until it too becomes part of the sea. You see the burning of the salt and the sun and her yearning for land. There is wave after wave after wave with the impending boom and resulting lightening. Or is has the lightening already shown itself in her eyes?
It’s a brutal war to fight one’s mind and body, but that is what I do with chronic pain and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. My body fights to keep going. I feel as if I’m losing that battle. My mind fights itself. I sometimes wish to wave the white flag.
But what if, suppose I could overcome some small part of this turmoil? Suppose I could learn even more coping skills, even more ways to overcome and have a better quality of life? Suppose I could.
This painting is the third and final piece from a series called Suppose I Could Fly. She’s a young girl with dreadlocks looking straight forward. Her eyes are tired but she’s determined to pull through. She holds on to the flowers beside her with strength and a vow, she will continue on, she will let her inner self fly.
 
This Cubist, abstract drawing of a fish was created with Crayola markers and crayons. There are lines upon lines with color between lines, on lines and through lines. Right smack in the middle is a big eyed fish swimming his way through the stream with ease. He shares his aqua world with two people in the right corner who greet each other with open arms. Continue reading “Fish on Line”
I played. That’s how this painting came about, I played. This is a combination of handmade paper from India, a cut out, a sunflower and rubber stamps made by yours truly. I just started stamping and layering then came the elephant, the tall leaves and the sunflower.
I sat looking at the painting. I knew it needed a focal point then it hit me; light. I layered blue, white and yellow to create a beam of light that came from the sunflower to the elephant. It’s intended to appear that the elephant is drawn to it, walking steadily towards it. Continue reading “Ancient Pathway”
Present and accounted for. I am here.
Painting details: She is coming of age and realizing her value. She is made of every fine gem and precious metal hue. Her hair stands tall like that of a sunflower, her eyes look straight ahead into the now and the future.
Dripping from her ears are strikes of green meeting cobalt blue and royal purple. Her dress is orange and red with a design that puts an x right over her heart. Her very skin is shades of growing into who she is now: layers of beauty, vibrancy and strength. Around the young princess girl in her glory is a white fog or mist, or maybe just the clouds that honor her presence in a frame. Continue reading “Present”
She’s been a long time coming. I don’t know why it took so long to finish her but, here she is. I present to you, ‘Sweet Anna Bell – Ugly Girl.’
Scribbled on the back of the paper she’s painted on dated June 10, 2013, I wrote:
She’s tall, skinny and lanky. She’s wearing second hand clothes and second hand shoes. She knows she’s ugly. She doesn’t need to be reminded, yet they do, as if somehow it’ll change things. Sweet Anna Bell – Ugly Girl.
Verbal abuse is what that is and what this sweet child holds the bruises of. But notice this, her eyes look up, not down in shame. If you look at them closer you’ll notice hope shining. She holds her head up. She hopes. The edges of her mouth turn up in a slight smile. She hopes. Continue reading “Sweet Anna Bell – Ugly Girl”
A few strokes here, a few strokes there and she’ll be done. I’ve got so many projects going on at one time. I love it though. I like working on a bunch of pieces at one time because it lets me leave a piece and come back with clearer eyes.
I wasn’t sure what to do with Patience so I sat it aside and worked on a few other projects. I’ve also been doing something I call freestyle where I simply put paint on paper for no reason other than to release tension. Here are a few of the freestyle art pieces that I’ve created recently. Continue reading “Patience – in the works”