Torn

Torn, Brenda Clews, 2012, 11" x 15", charcoal and watercolour on archival paper.

Everyday I am going to try to work on a drawing or painting (I've been working long hours on a painting video; other times, I'm reading, or writing).

Today I tested charcoal and then drew a skeleton from which emerged a woman. Since she has a basket of fruit, which are probably apples, she's come in from her tree, whose shadow I almost drew next to her too.

After I made the little drawing I understood that the woman was shredded in some way internally, where you can't see. The paper was torn deliberately along certain pathways to enhance the internal state in the way that you see here. I will glue it leaving those edges detached so that the shadows of the paper itself remain.

A few sketches and a cleaned-up back yard!

A very few pieces this week to share.

A poem should go with this. :) 

In my little charcoal sketch book.

 (Lovely orchids my niece gave me for my birthday nearly 3 months ago drawn in charcoal.)

'Woman at the Window,' 2012, small charcoal and watercolour sketch. Really just a doodle, like the above post.

I have a blister in the middle of my right palm from digging weeds for a couple of hours! I neglected my tiny bit of back yard, and then the heat, and suddenly I want to have it - only the weeds! Eeek. They produce burrs by late summer and I have a doggy whose fur is a favourite of burrs. Mostly they're all dug out now - my son came and raked too, and we filled about 4 garden bags - and a new bag of shady grass seed bought - to be spread just before a rain storm (no water out back). Doodles, heck, yes! Even with blisters in the middle of your palm. :))

So pleased with myself! In 2009 I smartly stapled up two bamboo mats to block the view from the lane way into my little back yard. They began seriously shredding last summer and were fast becoming mulch after this last winter. I mulled a trip to Chinatown for more mats, which, with my wrist, I would need help with carrying back. I checked tarps at the hardware store. The young sales clerk there had the very good idea to weave it into the planks of the fence. The colour though - bright white! Definitely no! Then I found camouflage tarp at the dollar store for considerably less. And I wove and stapled it by myself! Without straining my wrist - getting a very strong right arm! Now my son won't have to help. And I'm sipping a strawberry rhubarb cider on a chaise longue in wonderful privacy!

Tangled Garden painting finished!

Tangled Garden Painting, 18" x 24" compressed charcoal, watercolour pencils, a touch of acrylic but mostly oils on triple-primed 100% cotton canvas sheet.

My Tangled Garden painting is finished. Or is it? I painted without have any pre-conceived notions about how I wanted the final piece to be and so I am having to accept what has transpired under my paint brush. Yet it works in the video of this painting's process that I have been concurrently working on. Can't believe I've been painting this painting for over a week! Usually I'm done in a half a day's hours, with some tinkering later.

Taking you back though memory lane below. :) And I'll subject you to a video of the process of this painting in the next week or few weeks too! Enjoy!

Tangled Garden, close to 900 views since Jan 25th as of this moment (unheard of for a loong videopoem featuring original poems - most videopoems maybe reach 100 views in a year), is a slow art film of a triptych of earth poems, Surreal, mythopoetic, a rhizoma of images, metaphors, explorations, philosophies (with English subtitles). -A Floral Opera (2011) -In the Hands of the Garden Gods (1979) -Slipstream, the Tangled Garden (2006) (with impromptu speaking between the poems, which each end with ~~~ in the subtitles): http://youtu.be/OG37qWh4rTM

Tangled Garden painting continues to in-process

Where it could be if I had the courage to invert all the colours! The other one is closer to the way it is. I just took these in not enough light and there is also too much shine (that's why matte fixative was invented). Tangled Garden, a painting that's not a gift anymore since it's not working the way I had envisaged. Also, I'm not really thinking about painting or anything when I work on it; rather, letting it paint itself. I sort of follow along (though I do take responsibility you understand).

I likely overdo the sharing-of-process, but here's a little clip (45sec!) from this morning (uploaded to another of my YouTube sites).



direct link: http://youtu.be/DkbvmCyWrIU

Tangled Garden painting in-process

Tangled Garden Painting, in-process (7), 18" x 24" compressed charcoal, watercolour pencils, oils, and other stuff (yeah, the catch-all: mixed media) on triple-primed 100% cotton canvas sheet.

I am not happy with how this painting is developing and likely will not offer it as a 'gift' when Tangled Garden reaches 1500 views. I'll think of something else.

Anyhow, the blue sky and green grass are painted in oils, the colour on the mask was drawn on with watercolour pencils and I can mostly rub it off if I like.

The good news is that I am working on a video that I hope will be interesting when it is finished - I bought long "Ladies Sexy Fishnet Mitts" for this and future painting videos (which alone should qualify as 'interesting').

'Tangled Garden' is a slow art film of a triptych of earth poems, Surreal, mythopoetic, a rhizoma of images, metaphors, explorations, philosophies (with English subtitles). -A Floral Opera (2011) -In the Hands of the Garden Gods (1979) -Slipstream, the Tangled Garden (2006) (with impromptu speaking between the poems, which each end with ~~~ in the subtitles): http://youtu.be/OG37qWh4rTM

Gift Tangled Garden painting in-process

Tangled Garden Gift Painting, in-process (2), 18" x 24" compressed charcoal on triple-primed 100% cotton canvas sheet.

Last post, with earlier sketch and video embedded: http://brendaclews.blogspot.ca/2012/05/beginning-painting-as-gift-for-tangled.html

Tangled Garden is a slow art film of a triptych of earth poems, Surreal, mythopoetic, a rhizoma of images, metaphors, explorations, philosophies (with English subtitles). -A Floral Opera (2011) -In the Hands of the Garden Gods (1979) -Slipstream, the Tangled Garden (2006) (with impromptu speaking between the poems, which each end with ~~~ in the subtitles): http://youtu.be/OG37qWh4rTM

Beginning a painting as a gift for 'Tangled Garden' (47sec)

I have been absolutely flabbergasted that 'Tangled Garden' has reached like 800 views already - a 22min art film of 3 long poems, unheard of - and I want to celebrate!!! So I am offering a painting as a gift. I will choose someone by raffle out of the many comments this videopoem has received. If you like the videopoem, do let me know that you've watched it by leaving a comment on Tangled Garden at YouTube:

  direct link: http://youtu.be/OG37qWh4rTM

Leaving a comment here so I can add you to the raffle here is fine... the drawing or painting I'm working on as a gift is 18" x 24" on triple primed canvas sheet that you can pin to the wall or mount on board and then frame - this video is a test run. I am going to try to make a better video of the painting in process! yes! It's quite a bit of work, a painting, and a video - but you, my audience, are more than worth it!!)

Many thanks! xoxoxoxo ♥♥♥

Little 47 second clip I made today to see if making a video of the process of the drawing/painting might be interesting (not sure if it would be of interest to you, the viewer - if there's not much of a response, I won't go to the trouble of hooking up a camera but will just work on the painting).


direct link to this on Facebook

Later: Where it's at past midnight. Cell phone pic. If you don't leave a comment before this painting is gifted, don't worry! I'll offer another at 5000 views. :)