travelling and drawing and painting

Staying entertained on an airplane is not too difficult when I have a sketchbook with me.  During each flight I decided to make drawings with my eyes closed, and I quite like how some of them turned out.  

These drawings were done in a 4x6" book of 90lb paper, using a fine-tip Sharpie marker and a gold Slicci pen:

I also made some portraits of fellow passengers during my flights.  One must be very surreptitious in order to avoid anyone realizing they have become an artist's model and so begin to "pose".  People who are just being themselves are generally more interesting to draw than people who are trying to hold still.

Finally, a few portraits of family members and friends which I made during my stay in Ontario.  These were done in a 9x12-inch sketchbook of 130lb paper, using the Sharpie marker, oil pastels and gouache paints in quinacridone red, raw sienna, pthalocyanine green and cobalt blue:

Whew!  That was a lot of art-making over the course of one week.  It's always exciting to be somewhere different, and I prefer drawing over taking photographs as a method of recording my experiences.  Drawing takes more time and so contains more feeling, and in that way is a more "accurate" record for me.

Returning home, I'll be teaching a couple of classes straight away next week and working a shift at the art-supply store.  

Then, finally, I will get back into the studio to install some lighting and finish painting the ceiling.  Have I mentioned that I am in the process of moving into a *new* studio?  My studio will now be in the garage instead of in the basement of our home, which is a great improvement.  Having a work space separate from the house - even if only by a few meters - feels so wonderful.  More on that in my next posting, if all goes according to plan.

:)