From Lines come Lines

So I'm lying already. The Oneadaymotivationaldrawings are not done every day. But often enough that they are a sort of tiny discipline and practice. We can almost all of us use a little more practice. And because the only rules are: Draw the Title - put the date - the paper is free to accept anything that comes its way.

I try not to whine. I try to find some words or actions that another shares. Monday daughter Tara shared her lovely markers and I proceeded drawing My Bright Orange Bedroom Wall Looking East. The mirrored wall was on the west side of the bedroom. On sunny mornings it was a seriously bright room. I was seventeen. This color kept me sane. I sat at the desk and drew horses and my left hand - badly and not so badly. Beam forward lots and lots of years.



My bedroom is no longer orange but I'm still drawing. Instead of hands and horses it's bears and cats and now the occasional porker (in honor of those awesome art-filled years at UW-River Falls). From one goofing-off-at-the-antique-shop-while-making-model-horse-bridles drawing has come thousands of images and, more amazingly, thousands of customers. A whole different different life. (Yes, a couple differents in honor of those other real life lives I've lived.) Ya yust neffer know - as we'd say Up North...

Lines come from the lines. A recent display at our local bank shows a tiny part of what we sell. The original drawings morph into reproductions, magnets, greeting cards, tees, and bookmarks. I feel guilty because the promised sculptures and jewelry aren't out there yet. What's a hobby? I ain't complaining (at the moment anyway). It's a weird life, but a good life.

Time to quit typing, water the African violets, and get on to the day. The Chickadee Boutique in Shoreview, MN is opening soon and this weekend holds the second Spirit of the St. Croix Art Festival in Hudson, WI. Rain is forecast. We shall see. On to the Grand Adventure.

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Playing with Paper

Some days are made for goofing off. So pick up that bag of non-toxic art supplies and head for your favorite goofing off spot. Mine lately has been Stillwater's The Bikery, where for the price of a cup of very good coffee and perhaps a lovely cranberry scone one can grab a table and hang on to it for quite a while. (We don't do this sort of thing during busiest hours.)
Here is a trio who showed up recently. I have been lucking in to a variety of nice art papers at "throw away" prices so grabbed a bunch of stuff at random and didn't have worry about wrecking it. It's always more fun to make art when cost is not a thought. Only thoughts were Work Fast, Don't Worry, and Glue After Just a Wee Bit of Consideration Concerning Composition. And go get another refill on the coffee.
There was no moon at first. "We sure could use a nice moon on this black paper night," the youngest bear hinted.
"HUZZAH!," and "What a delightful orb!," and "I think I'm actually glowing!," said the three bears.

Of course, this is not the end.
But now it's back to work.
Commissioned bears, orders to fill, and this weekend's Marine-on-St-Croix Art Fair to prepare for are crowding out the goofing off hours.
But "we'll always have The Bikery....." and these bears are far from finished.
The collage adventure continues -

Sue the Glued

State Fair Daze

Gotta love those blue ribbon African Violets. They look the same to us every year and every year we have to go see the new winners.
Crop Art - yes! Gene Simmons of KISS and Miles Davis make for a lovely composition any time.
A bear at the fair.....
Big Fat Bacon. I think the Chicken-Fried Bacon was at a different location. Not sure. We have stayed bacon-free each of the days we've feasted at the fair. And after chowing on bacon get high on the Sky Ride. Summer's over. Sigh.