the only way to do great work is to love what you do. if you haven't found it yet, keep looking. don't settle. as with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.

~steve jobs~ 
 

 layering darks now...getting close to finishing! i have an elephant and tree drawing i'm just hankering to get to once this is done!

small collages i started creating this past week. just got an itch to do some collaging, which i haven't done since last january. when i get these urges i think that there must be things going on in my subconscious (probably cuz there's a lot of change going on in my life right now) that are really needing to get out...i try not to analyze it (too much!), i just jump in and follow my creative impulses until i feel satisfied! 


 i'm having a blast with writing my drawing book lately. i've taken all my thoughts and notes and sketches and am doing the actual writing of it now. i have to say it's going super well, and i'm very happy with how it is turning out so far!!

wishing you all an art-filled weekend!♥K

sunset at the observatory

 ~noticed an abundance of clouds in the sky in the late afternoon. 

~a burst of rain. 

~i just knew there would be a glorious sunset that evening. 

~raced up to the griffith observatory after work with my sleepy daughter by my side. 

~OMG.

 ~one of the most magnificent sunsets i've ever seen.

 ~a double rainbow to the east...my daughter reciting the words to the double rainbow guys youtube video.

 ~people with cameras of all sizes on tripods snapping away.

~hushed conversations.

~a feeling of appreciation and gratitude wash over me.

 ~empty bellies now need nourishment after such a spectacular sight!

It’s all a big game of construction, some with a brush, some with a shovel, some choose a pen.

 ~Jackson Pollock~

 

making some good progress on this drawing despite the busy week i've had! hoping to get a lot more accomplished on sunday, in between soccer games!

have a super weekend!!♥k

things that caught my eye yesterday...

 ...a pair of sleeping feet hanging off the bed...

 ...the air soaked and saturated with moisture...

  ...an abandoned water bottle on the sidelines...

 ...and...

...at dawn, while sitting at a stoplight, a flock of pigeons swirling in a circle, again and again... 

start at the very beginning

a few posts back i had mentioned that i was in the process of writing a small book on graphite drawing. i am still hard at work on it but it's really caused me to pause and become aware of just exactly how i begin a drawing. 

after years and years of drawing it's just become an intuitive process for me, i don't think about it at all, i just jump in feet first!

i really have no exact method of starting...some begin with an over all tone (like the drawing above) building up layers of darks...others i start in one section of the piece with high values, tones and details, each area fully complete before moving onto the next.

so it's been a very interesting challenge to pay attention! it has oddly effected how i began this commissioned piece above and in writing my outline and notes for my book.

it really is an exciting project i've embarked on!! i'm learning so much along the way!!

wrapped up in fog

 this lovely hike in the fog was the only thing on my to-do that actually got done this past weekend!!

it was an art filled weekend, just not with drawing or working on my pile of photo blocks, but with music. 

i unexpectedly scored tickets for moulin rouge at the hollywood bowl saturday night...box seats right up front and middle. it was a spectacular show from the orchestra to the can can dancers, parisian singer and synchronized fireworks!! then sunday night again i lucked out and got an opportunity to see celtic bands at the ford theater. i was sooo inspired by these concerts, i just wanted to jump up on stage and start playing my violin along side them cuz heck, they looked so joyful, having the time of their lives up there!! but since i haven't played in more years than i can remember, i would have cleared the house!! so i just had a fantastic time in my seat instead!


i'll get back on track tonight with my art!!

an animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language 

~martin buber~

(c) 2011 raccoon by kathryn hansen

i'm super late in finishing up and sending out this donation to the california wildlife center...they'll still get it in plenty of time, but i hate cutting it so close!! 

their information is here if you live near malibu and want to attend their annual fund raiser or just donate...it's an absolutely wonderful non-profit organization that helps rehabilitate native animals. i've been out there heaps of times for open houses and let me tell you the facility and people are just amazing! if i lived closer i would definitely volunteer there, i think it would be sooo rewarding to help out!

see past donations here.