Sketchbook Word Drawings - Nov & Dec / 2013

I have continued to work in that sketchbook with crappy paper, which happens to be pretty good for short pen strokes. Which is ideal for word drawings. I sometimes wonder if I will ever run out of words for these. So far, so good. The combinations seem endless.

Fair Ball - Nov 19, 2013

Mission of Mercy - Nov 27, 2013

Respite - Nov 20, 2013

Razor Burn - Dec 1, 2013

Reflex - Relax - Dec 3, 2013

Vintage - Dec 18, 2013

Net Gain - Dec 6, 2013

Smog of War - Dec 30, 2013

December Funnies

Here are a selection of sketchbook cartoons from last month's drawing sessions.

Three New Abstracts

Here are three new abstracts that I've completed over the last several weeks. For Chatter and Kalamazoo, I started the canvases covered with words and symbols respectively. My thought was to energize the surface before adding gestural brushstrokes. Since it is left to chance as to what words and symbols are still visible, I think it adds another level of serendipity.

Chatter - Acrylic on Canvas - 30"H × 42"W

Kalamazoo - Acrylic on Canvas - 31"H × 54"W

Bix - Acrylic on Canvas - 30"H × 31"W

Word Sketchbook Drawings

I have an adage: Never fall in love with an art product. As soon as you fall in love, said product will be discontinued and unavailable and you are left with a broken heart and the task of finding a replacement. This has happened to me time after time with sketchbooks. I had just finished a case of books made by Creative Mark called Relexions.(8.5"W ×11"H, white linen cover) and when I went to reorder, I found that that particular book had been discontinued. I did some homework on the web and did find another book that I was hopeful about. Another book by Creative Mark, again called Reflexions, but this one had a black cover. So I bought three. Much to my chagrin the paper was inferior and my crow quill pen ripped the paper. It was a terrible book for my purposes. So I took to Facebook to bitch about my sketchbook woes and received the following level headed reprimand/advice from my buddy Rob Dunlavey, "Hey, buck up Hal! Listen to your media (inferior or excellent) and make the images that result from the dialog." He was right, of course and I discovered that these sketchbooks were pretty good for word drawings.

For the last several years I have been making layered word paintings. The words in these paintings are free associated and touch on popular culture, geography, literature, art, history and what ever else pops into my head. I'm sure a psychotherapist could have a field day with these paintings. I have also done alot of sketchbook work along these lines. So I will devote these inferior books to word drawings. To finish the story, I was able to find a reasonably priced sketchbook with suitable paper from a company called Stillman & Birn. And all is right in the universe once again.

Here are some pages from my this new word sketchbook, drawn in my morning sketchbook sessions from Nov 5 - Nov 12, 2013.

November Funnies

Here's a selection of sketchbook cartoons culled from the last month of drawings. I send out an email blast of sketchbook cartoons every month. If you'd like to receive them, let me know and I'll put you on my list.

Sketchbook to Watercolor

Lift - pen, ink and watercolor - 9.75"H × 12.75"W

Here are some fairly recent watercolors. When I have time to do a watercolor, I'll look through my sketchbooks for ideas that appeal to me. I like to keep them simple, as I translate the sketchbook ideas directly to the watercolor paper without preliminary drawings. I thought it would be fun to include some sketchbook drawings upon which these watercolors were based.

Triad - pen, ink and watercolor - 8.75"H × 12.75"W

Recurring Thought Patterns - pen, ink and watercolor -8.5"H × 12.5"W

The Name Escapes Me - mixed media - 8.75"H × 12.75"W

This last one came about a little differently. I started this at the end of the day and was disappointed with the penwork under the letters. So I bagged it and went back to the house for dinner a bit bummed.That evening I tuned in Gerhard Richter Paints, a wonderful film about German artist Gerhard Richter's process. (Available on Netflix) After watching that for a bit I felt reinvigorating and headed back to the studio and applied heavy black to the problematic linework and proceeded. Seems I needed Gerhard's permission to work with my mistakes.

See more of my watercolors at: www.halmayforth.com

A Productive Week

Last week was a productive week for me. The weather was nice, sunny with a crispness in the air. Mornings were cool in the studio. A blanket over the snoozing poodle. I had some good sketchbook sessions as well, and I'll be posting some of those drawings later. Afternoons I continued to work on my big wall and finished two abstracts. Here they are. Click on captions below for more information.

Meadow - Acrylic on Canvas - 29"H × 53"W

Jubilee - Acrylic on Canvas - 31"H × 55"W