noodles

Hairhopper,Q. Cassetti, 2012, pen and ink.I am sniffling and choking and coughing. Not pleasant in the least bit. Its nice that I can sit up here in my princess tower and drink cups of Gypsy cold care and hope that the phone is on the quiet side today. It was just that.

It must be “Get Free Design Services” Day somewhere. They are beating on my door this week and I am starting to say no. If I offer up the design/illustration, that is one thing…however if it comes artdirected and with a deadline…forget it. Lessons from my theatre project. I have to have happiness around this work in order for it to be worth it. 20 hrs on a free, art directed illustration is not how I want to spend my down time for a few weeks. 

Rob is back from the city today. Alex has another day of play practice. I have two roasting chickens in the oven for dinner and then for the bones tomorrow. We need to open the boneyard. We have eaten all the stock this week with our larger than usual lunch crowd (lots of construction happening with the kitchen and interior steps. electricians, painting and sawsalls). Yesterday I made a big ginger, garlic, carrot, potato and one turnip soup (with my stock). Every drop consumed. Today was celeriac, onion, potato, garlic soup (and my stock). Almost daily, an entire loaf of bread is consumed with sandwiches. So we are back to the big feed. Hello winter share from the CSA. We are going full bore into rooty soups.

Finished the delightful Hardboiled Wonderland book. Cannot recommend it enough. Just started the Hunger Games, recommended by a zillion people though the premise did not seem to be as good as the book is developing. Yay!

Chocolate Chip Painting

Sirin 2 colored, Q. Cassetti, 2011, pen and ink, digitalI was purusing my Painter Wow book. Painter is a program I know a bit and feel that there would be a lot there, but it just seems so filled with bells and whistles that it becomes a struggle to do something tasteful. I think its great for me to add surface texture, create masks, and create swatches. As I was saying, the Painter Wow book was talking (and showing) these brushes made from a photo of chocolate chips….thats a WOW for me. Imagine, painting with chocolate chips…? What if Rembrandt or Picasso had these tools? Would their work be any better? any more original? or would it settle into the realm of mall art that much of this Painter stuff looks like. But, I need to remember, the tool is a tool, its the hand (and head) attached to the tools that are making the taste judgements.

Was fiddling with tinting these line drawings (as shown to the left). I took the line drawing and dropped in grey tones (like real painters) and then went in with color to get where we are now. I am not sure of it…but figured its work, and work in progress…

Am working on a portrait (saved it out yesterday) in a line drawing approach. I have saved it to vectors as it will go up in size, and i think we are close on that.

Divine Devi

Ganga Devi, Museum of New Delhi, 1989, muralCow work yesterday. We had a mini SooperBowl party with all sorts of junky food, teenaged boys jumping up and shaking their fists at the tv screen, great ads and fun. Everyone stayed until around 10:30 when it was time to turn off the tube and quiet down for the night.
It was cows yesterday and the other project Saturday….Did a little somethin’ sompthin’ to the Squint blog yesterday to tie the headers more closely to the new website to be launched in April. Need to get work done today along with finalizing the panels for the Library exhibit.

Ganga Devi drawingDon’t you love this picture from my new Ganga Devi book to the left? (Ganga Devi, Tradition and Expression in Mithila Painting by Jyotindra Jain). This image is a detail of wall paintings of kohbar-ghar  (marriage ritual in Madhubari). Look at the color, the floral/lotus trim, the curlydoodles on the edge of her veil? And then to remind us that its a Mithila/Madhubani painting, there are fish and birds (parrots) even in the brilliant yellow fabric of her sari. And what about the image on the right with the fish, turtles, crab, frog and snail…with the swirly water… Another poem to nature from that wonderful Ms. Devi.

 

Sun Day

Study after Ganga Devi, Q. Cassetti, 2011, sharpies on MoleskineBrilliant day. Cold blue sky with brilliant bounce off the snow with the spiky walnut trees reaching up with dark fingers into the cloudless above. Just looking out the window has made me run to my pocketbook and pull out my camera and pop off some shots as the shadows are truly bright purple and rich lavenders combined with edges of cream. I never believed that shadows could really be purple and blue until living here on our plateau, and there they are…not obsured as they were in the valleys, but out there for all to see. I can be an Upstate impressionist—or at least pretend to be.

The roads are clear so errands will not be frightening as they were the other days. New wonderwagon does not have snowtires…so snow is a bit risky. I should get snowtires as they give me more comfort than not having them.

I had half the panels designed for the Library display and then my illustrator CRASHED. So, hopefully today, I can rejigger and get out as they need to be in the curator’s hands by the 21st. Not a ton of time, but enough for output/mounting and fasteners.

Interesting news….and a reminder that all this social media, networking, Behance etc. pays off. I posted all my vital info (learned from a Twitter colleague) on about.me.com. A little advertisement about.me (here is my page>>). About me is sort of a web business card. It links the viewer to all the outlets you post work/ network/etc. Plus, it has an email button without one having to post your email. So, it makes you accessible without putting all the details really “out there”. Well, back to my story…. I got a note from about me from a really good designer who wants me to work on a really cool project with them…something really up my alley. I am so psyched. I hope this works out. Too cool for school.

Speaking of Behance, I posted a  bunch of these odd illustrations I am doing yesterday calling the body, Embroidered Line. I really do not know where these images are coming from, they are streaming…fed by the work of Ganga Devi. I am surprised by the oddness…weirdness, creepiness…but am just going to let the hand hit the paper to see what happens.

More later.

snow watch

Study after Ganga Devi, Q. Cassetti, 2010, sharpies on moleskine.Rumor has it that we are getting a pile coming our way. The white stuff that is. Shady Grove is psyched. Deeper coldness to dive into, in search of the frozen cones. A divine place to plunge her muzzle deep and frosty to sniff and sniff for the divine pine. And there is the hope that springs in having a snow day, an unplanned day of sleep and cocoa and all the Xfiles one chooses to devour. Who knows, like an unbidden holiday, we never  know until the school closings are called…A,B,C…..South Seneca….T…..?

Got a ton done today. Bunch of things to look at and remark on. Bunch of people to talk to. New understandings about projects. Boxes off to Kitty Cat with stuff for artclasses and fashion to help make valentines day more wonderful.

Had a good chat with the school about Alex and his abilities and how to assess them. I feel that I was not only heard but understood and communicated with. This is always reassuring as, as always, I am not on my own on this one.

A. has play practice this evening, so because I was busy getting stuff out today, I do not have time to chat with you about the Banksey movie we saw yesterday (“Exit Through The Gift Shop”) or other mental ephemera that is floating through my thin skulll. An early dinner needs to be cooked to my lovely boy so he can go to sing and dance and hang out with beautiful and talented teens.

Onward for tomorrow. Turn your jimmy jammies inside out..and cross your fingers for snow. I am.