This Day's Daubs

 "The Boy from the Souq"     pastel      6" x 10"

Above...he's the boy on the right in Muscat Souq posted Feb 7th.  Better but still too small to capture facial details.   Next stop - larger on sanded.

Below...continuing challenge, or fiasco!   Winding river in Wyoming canyon.  

"That River"            pastel          8" x 10"

Enjoy!

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Sketchbook

Today & Before       Pastel/Color pencil         sizes various

Clockwise from top left:  Jenny - Boy - Unknown Pooch - Jenny pretending to be a plate

The boy is from about 10 days ago when I was working on the Suq in Muscat, the other 3 are from today.   Lots of photographs too of Jenny with legs all twisted up.   May choose one of those for tomorrow.

Enjoy

Fan's Horse - Best Scratching Post in Miles

Fan's Horse - Best Scratching Post in Miles     Pastel      8" x 10"

Another "been wanting to do this for ages".   Photo taken in 2009, always loved it.    A blissful and energetic scratch for this gee-gee.   Ain't we lucky that we don't have to rely on the perfect post?   Mane and forelock unclipped so they flew in all directions.

Enjoy!

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Fluffy, a Pomeranian

"Fluffy, a Pomeranian"   pastel   8" x 10"

Sadly Fluffy died this past week, of natural causes but still devastating.   Fluffy lives in Beirut, Lebanon, so this portrait has a long way to go before it reaches "home".   He was a rescue by one of the founders of BETA (the only animal shelter of it's kind in Lebanon) and then given to a family member.   BETA are an incredible group and many of their dogs now have homes not only in Lebanon but also Canada and the U.S.  Not just dogs, any animal.

April 20th. 
Fluffy arrived and is hanging on the wall, where he is ALWAYS visible.  I understand, on first seeing in the morning, the picture makes his owner cry - but for the rest of the day, it makes her smile!    And soon I hope it will be smiles ALL the time.


Enjoy!

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Off the Beaten Track

"Souq, Muscat ca. 1960"     pastel     8" x 10"

My father took the photo, I sketched it today.    Always been fascinated by it - so narrative:  in the dark centre, two men looking at my father and grinning; the boy leaning against the wall with the serenest of smiles; and the orange turbanned men who are, I'm sure, the boy's uncles.  Anyway they're clearly enjoying a very amusing conversation. (And if you can't see that from above, look at photo below)

Rifles were an essential prop for the young bloods.   And the reason I suspect boy is nephew of orange turbans is that he's bullets in his belt.   The boy's wand suggests he had a camel, or a donkey or some goats around the corner.  I say camel, the BMW of Oman at that time.

I've loved this photo for 52 years and always wanted to paint or sketch it.  It's so Rembrandt!   I did it way too small thus wickedly diff to capture facial expressions, or any detail come to that.

What pleased me most?  Hard to say.   #1-I DID IT!   #2-Perhaps the boy's feet.

The Photo - a broader scene, I tightened it up in mine.

Another "Blue" Day

"Mountains & Lake"      pastel        8" x 12"

In BC, Kinbasket Lake and it's guardians.  Following on from yesterday, blue again!    I love real mountains but as a subject in a painting I find them - umm - trite.   However I did like this particular view:  one mountain dominating, others receding, and all with the lake at their feet.  The light was nice too:  sun and cloud.


Enjoy!

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Blue Jen

"Blue Jen"        pastel          10" x 12" (incl tape)

Jen was lying on blue chair in corner.   She's really grey and white but that's not what this is about.   Initially, drew her but no chair.   Tonight, when I added chair, I had to guess how that shaft of light fell on chair and her.  I think it's about right.  Also note size ratio rather off...she looks the size of a medium dog!

The photo is to show you just how cruddy the surrounds can be pre-edit.   Photo Verité I call it - no crops, no photoshop.

She sat and watched me finish this, and is now asleep on my work table.   The good life for Sweet Jen.

Enjoy!

Geodha an Fhuarain - Cliff, Rocks & Sea

"Geodha an Fhuarain - Cliff, Rocks & Sea"      pastel        11" x 16"

Fun to do.   A lot of scribbling but somehow it seems to work.   A lot of the color comes from the base paper, which is most visible in lower left corner.   The original photo (credit below) is one of hundreds of irrestistible images by credited photographer.   MORE interesting is geograph.org - photographers take part by committing to photograph items in a "square" of a topographical map (I think it's one square mile), and post it with any extra info they can provide.  More than one photographer might do this for same "square".   Anne's posts are particularly fascinating since she digs up amazing background detail.   She does this in Scotland, which is wild, wet and full of strange rock formations (she's geologically very knowledgable too) and, of course, loads of history. 

Enjoy!


copyright original photo Anne Burgess through Wiki Commons

Simba the Magnificent

"Simba the Magnificent - Sharpei"   pastel     16" x 20"

Simba means Lion in Swahili.  This Simba is a Longhaired Sharpei, and her mane makes her truly leonine and majestic, perhaps queenly is the word!  I did her portrait (below) in the summer of 2010, the above was a "getting-to-know-you" sketch.   I kept it, almost threw it away, fell in love with it, framed it and hung it...right where I could see it.  This past week I figured she had to go "home" plus I need more space on my walls.  So she's leaving soon, to join her real self. 

A lovely dog, gentle and sweet.  Very Aslan.

Enjoy!

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Updated Humphrey

"Humphrey's Head - Updated"      pastel      10" x 18"

Did a tad more work on this and am glad I did - see below for small version of original post.  Improvements, at least I think so, are:  the sand;  sky now extends furthe up; and Humphrey as it (he?) meets sand on right.

And the original post:

Enjoy!

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Loch Sarah

"Loch Sarah"   watercolor    9" x 12"

It's good to just slosh paint around sometimes!  You never know what you'll get.   SO, this is Loch Sarah, so named since inspiration was view looking across a loch from Sarah's holiday cottage in Scotland.  

Below is a pastel of same view done several months ago.

Hmmmmmmm.         Enjoy!

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