Tuesday, November 27, 2012

deep sea Crow


I haven't really gone anywhere, at least no further than usual, but I must admit I've been spending too much time attempting to draw and paint some pictures in the style of someone else entirely. It doesn't matter who in particular as there are a number of watercolor artists whose work I admire, but in the long run all we can do is what we know how to do.. and perhaps try to improve.

Meanwhile, I thought I'd share with you a portrait of Crow enjoying the sea with a friend. Crow himself suggested you might enjoy some memorable quotes by Douglas Adams.

“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”

“The story so far:
In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”

“There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.
There is another theory which states that this has already happened.”

“For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons.”

“The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.”


Now I'd better warm up Crow's brandy. He enjoys a swim but hates being wet - obviously it's not just people who are full of contradictions (but don't tell him I told you).

36 comments:

  1. Synchronized swimming at its best! Does this mean we don't get to see the other drawings? Doug Adams is my kind of philosopher. yes, I'm scattered.... Hope you're keeping warm.

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    1. They were paintings that just didn't work and couldn't be scanned either.. so, no. I hope you're keeping cozy too :-)

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  2. I hope that pocket watch is ok.

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    1. I'll let you know after I finish cleaning and lubricating it.

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    2. after reading your reply to Linda's comment, i, of course, had to google Wulfing and Rackham. Luscious! and, most delightfulest of surprises! Rackham's drawings are old friends... i just didn't know the artist's name. we had a little library of children's books from the time i was a toddler, all in a 'children's classics' collection, and all illustrated by him. i used to pore over the pictures before i could read, then pore over the stories AND pictures once i could read them. i loved those books; they were my dearest childhood friends... Alice in Wonderland, and all of those princesses and virtuous maidens, wicked sorceresses, magical beasts, heroic princes, and exotic far-off places. i think i can see their influence in your work, though your style is distinctively your own.

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    3. It's wonderful to learn you've rediscovered a Golden Age artist who brought magic to your childhood. How lucky you were to have those books. I don't think I saw Rackham's work until I was older but there were a few that drew me in again and again. John Tenille's illustration were my introduction to Alice and it was Edmund Dulac whose style I tries for years to emulate. In a way, I'm still trying but in the meantime I do my best to entertain.

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  3. As a Bear, I take pretty naturally to water. And to Brandy (though it's an acquired taste). Do you think Crow would share? I don't mean the water; gently warmed brandy sounds wonderful, especially when the weather includes -22°C and overcast, with lots of snow on the ground.
    Then Crow could tell me about his swimming, and the amazing pictures you draw.

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    1. Both Crow and I are grateful to see you've come out of hibernation for a visit. Crow will be delighted to share the contents of his decanter in pouring a snifter for you - and he's even asked me to cut an extra slice of fruitcake in your honor.

      Naturally, he prefers flying but he's in the habit of going anywhere to visit a friend.

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    2. I shall eagerly await this opportunity to share, and to get to now him better. You too, of course.

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  4. That is indeed a good book and I love your picture of Crow and Dolphin! :)

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    1. He was a most sardonic character. Crow is happy you like the portrait :-)

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  5. Crow seems to be enjoying mimicking the complementary curves of his companion. What fun! :)

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    1. When you're Crow you can take any form that's fitting :-)

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  6. Now there's nothing wrong with a little careful purloining.

    I think I'm one of six people on the interwebs who has never read anything by Mr. Adams.

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    1. We stand on the shoulders of giants.

      When he was good he was very good but he wasn't consistently funny.

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  7. Lovely synchro swimming, hopefully in tropical waters. In a way preferable to being soaked by November rains, though then the brandy would be handy! Lovely art, and hope to see some of the other pieces you are working on - enjoy! And thanks for the quotes to mull on over a brandy.

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    1. Oh yes, the water had to be in a warm place. You certainly wouldn't want to swim around here these days although there's no snow and ice quite yet.

      I'm glad you like the picture. I've finally got a handle on illustrating the little story I've mentioned before. Hopefully it will be ready to show soon but even if it takes a bit longer there's always Crow to add a little color to the situation.

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  8. i couldn't comment last night on this but had to say about the red boot. :)

    your lovely painting style is becoming more lovely and i like how you are breaking up the paint with what seems to be salt? i am dying to know who you are emulating and why. you have so much talent in one little finger let alone thinking you need to do another's style. unless i misread this. i love how they are swimming together and that crow never really changes no matter what. it reminds me of children's books where no matter if they are bathing, catapulting through space, sleeping, they always have the same clothes on. maybe a different pair of socks but you know....

    anyway wanted to come by and read your reply to my reply. much love to you. it's pouring rain here and we've lost power twice already. cannot wait for tonight. seems there's storms bearing down on us for the rest of the week and all the trees are still covered in leaves because it's been so mild. the line broke up in back of us and sent the whole mountain dark earlier this morning. then they got a big truck stuck, as they always do and husband had to help haul them out with the tractor....sigh...winter. i am already sick of it. :) xoxo

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    1. You're so sweet to say so. I'm feeling a lot looser these days when I draw and I'm trying not to care so much that everything isn't so perfectly painted as I used to do. What matters is getting the feeling across. Crow really has become a part of me - simple as he may be :-) and he always keeps his boots on (unless he's wearing swim fins). One of the artists whose work I was staring at was Sulamith Wulfing and, of course, Arthur Rackham. I still can't figure out how they did what they did but oh well.. it never hurts to admire.

      I'm sorry you lost your electric power. Even living in a city (hah, I mean Halifax) that still happens to us from time to time. You have an extremely cool husband - a hundred years ago he would have brought out the matched draft horses!

      Much love and God bless.
      xoxoxo

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  9. ust so long as crow never says at any time"So long and thanks for all the brandy!"

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  10. Your talent never ceases to amaze me. What a great gift to all of us who get to see your work! I'm in awe.

    The last time I saw a bird floating in the water, it was a Sunday morining and a baby robin fell in our pool and was looking just floating around the whirlpool made by the filter. So, I rushed downstair and pulled the poor wet guy out and put him in a warm towel. He looked totally spent. So, I had to leave for Mass and figured I would come home to a dead bird in my laundry room, but he was just standing up and chirping away when I got home. He was then dropped off at a wildlife care facility and they kept him until he was old enough to fly...even sent me a postcard of his date of flight. My good deed for the bird kingdom. :-)

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    1. I'm glad you enjoy seeing them.

      That's a wonderful story and I'm sure he made sure to raise his family far from backyard swimming pools.

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    2. M.E., I love that story, especially the happy way it turned out.

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  11. What underwater flights of fancy! Those swim fins are perfect.

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    1. Crow always find the perfect footwear for the occasion.

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  12. Sometimes the best friends are hard to spend time with...

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    1. What's worse is finding ourselves hard to spend time with.

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  13. I like the twinkle in Crow's eyes. He is positively beaming. Looking at this rushes up the feeling of receiving a postcard from a dear friend - Crow. :-)

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    1. Crow always has the brightest eyes for his friends.
      xoxo

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  14. I just noticed Crow's pocket watch, which must be nearly as amazing as he is to operate at this depth. And on this visit I grinned at the appropriate "salt water" technique.

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    1. That is an amazing watch - a marine chronometer presented to Crow by his friend Thos. Mudge in 1772. He finds it preferable to the sundial given him by Alexander the Great. Of course, he still expects me to clean and oil this one after immersion.

      Salt did seem appropriate here.

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    2. AH HA...it was salt...well of course it was. xoxoxo and why won't steve come leave me a few words once in awhile. the logic escapes ... those on blogger seem allergic to WP...makes me sad. :(

      xoxoxo

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    3. I don't use the stuff very often but for a fast painting like this there was no way I was going to spend time painting the depths :-)

      As to your question, these things are a mystery to me too. It's always a treat to see anyone here but good friends are the best.
      xoxoxo

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