nine feet of art

I just wanted to share this video with you that fellow Moly-X artist Tim Clary took of my Moleskine Exchange 13 book, which is currently on display at Minnesota Center for Book Arts. The fabulous artists I collaborated with on this wonderful project are (in order of rotation) Anna Denise van der Reijden, Emma Kidd and Laura Martin Ansa. I am so proud of our little group, and knowing my book is showing in a gallery is an amazing feeling— if only I could be there in person to see it!

Thank you Tim, for enabling me to share this book with the world— and an enormous thank you to Marty Harris, founder of Moly-X, for getting us into the MCBA!

pencils, markers and paint

Here's my entry into Chris' book for Moleskine Exchange 34. I'm not sure what was going on in my mind as I was drawing this, and I'm not sure I like it very much. Chris, I hope you like it. Perhaps I need to add some gold ink to it... I don't know. Any suggestions?

the queen of hearts

This is my entry for Moleskine Exchange 55, the Alice in Wonderland exchange.
I decided to give the Queen of Hearts a little makeover. What do you think?

Click on the images if you'd like to see them larger.

getting back into it

After Moleskine Exchanges 64, 24 and 29 fell apart and one of my books disappeared somewhere between Australia and Mexico, I must admit I had become a little disenchanted with the whole exchange experience. I've been participating in Moleskine exchanges for three years, and I think I just got a little tired— and life eventually got in the way.

Lately I've felt something was missing in my life and the little black books piled on my desk with blank pages waiting for me, reminded me of how much I had loved participating in these exchanges. I had befriended so many artists from around the world and we had shared our artwork— a truly magical experience. I realised I needed to get back into it and hopefully, inspire some of the other disenchanted artists to do the same. So much beautiful artwork has been produced in three years, and it would be such a pity to let it all just fall apart.

Well dear Rose, here is your book. I am terribly sorry for keeping it empty for so long— I do hope you will like it.



Above is the entry in my missing book... Where in the world could it be?

the cat and the hammer

My two entries in Emma's book for Moleskine Exchange 48, part of Moly-X, the International Moleskine Exchange. I took way too long to complete these two little drawings.

Guess who inspired me?

a few recent portraits

While I've been back in Istanbul, I've been busy with a few portraits— two for the Moly-X Portrait Exchange, and one drawing of Melissa drinking a tea. I snapped the photo of Melissa when we stopped at a little tea house on the way down from our Shivapuri hike, taking shelter from the pounding rain. I really liked the photo, and planned on using it as a reference for a future drawing that I'd send to her as a gift— which is precisely what I did.

The portraits in the first Moleskine below are of artist Emma Kidd, accompanied by yours truly, getting away with stealing your Love letters. I've been holding onto Emma's book for a while now, wallowing in a creative block. I'm such a huge fan of Emma's, and while we're in several exchanges together, I got nervous every time I put my pen to the paper. I really wanted something bright and exciting, with an element of fantasy, reflecting her artwork. I must say I'm quite proud of the result. The book is now on its way to America, to be drawn in by another artist in the exchange.



In the second set of portraits above, I'm standing beside the multi-talented artist Jan Allsopp, staring in awe or expectation, at the mischievous crows who are stealing our necklaces. I'm not sure why I've been into the concept of thievery lately— I suppose the idea of taking something that doesn't belong to you fascinates me. It's not something I really understand.

tuesday

Nothing like a few wasabi peas, a hot cup of jasmine tea, a pen and some ink. Oh— and a tin of colour pencils and Moleskines. I've been trying to catch up on some work for various Moleskine Exchanges I'm in. The lovely Mr. Behemoth in the top Moly is Emma's book for Moly-X48. I happen to know that she's a fan of The Master and Margarita, so I wanted to draw a few of my favourite characters for her. The book below him is my second Moly for Moly-X13.
I hope to finish these soon and send them on their way to the next artists.

someone's got a new tube of paint

...and a lousy webcam!

This is my Moly for Moleskine Exchange 34. I've been adding some arteries, blue waves, black swirls and branches throughout the book to tie the work of our creative group together. I think I'll draw a little something in that big black swirl beside the lovely lady drawn by my friend Yoda Navarrete.
Not sure what yet...

completion

After a little over a year, and passing through the hands of four artists in six countries, my Moleskine for Moly-X13 has come home. It's a surreal feeling; I remember ripping off the plastic wrapping and looking at the blank paper, wondering what on earth to draw. I was in my little apartment in San Francisco, sitting on my little Ikea sofa with a cup of tea when I picked up a pencil and drew the first lines. I recall the anxiety I felt when I handed over the package containing my book to the woman at the post office, hoping that it would make it safely to Anna Denise in the Netherlands. Now my book is in my hands, in Istanbul, where I did not imagine I nor it would be 15 months later.


Click on this to see it larger.

this week's work

Above is my entry in Carlos Ascensio's Moleskine for Moleskine Exchange 34. I love the vibrancy of this exchange, and have been having a lot of fun with it. The heart tree is part of an ongoing theme in my work, and the wolf-mask was carried on from Yoda's beautiful previous entry. I highly recommend checking out our exchange's blog so you can see the incredible artwork that has been making 34 so special.

Below are some sketches from around town this week.

Click on the images to see them larger.

the danger of a crush

Click on the images to see them larger.

and finally...

My entry in Ramires' book for Moly-X34 is complete.
I am so happy with the way it turned out.

Please click on the image to see it larger.

sunday

I am back to drawing again, thankfully. I drew all day today and Saturday.
And my coffee grounds predict a rather hm... exciting future.

four to go

Here's my final entry in Anna Denise's book for Moly-X13. Once Anna finishes the last two and a half pages, the book will be completed and we'll start all over again with new books. This is the first exchange I have participated in, an exchange I put together myself, so it's been a really special one for me.

I used a Micron Pigma pen, Winsor & Newton India ink and white ink, watercolour and gouache. This Moly is so beautifully vibrant that I wanted to use some subtle and soft colours to bring it all down to a close, like in a symphony. I don't know the proper term— diminuendo?

Now my stack of Moleskines has gotten down to a more manageable four. I'll be working on these during the next few weeks.

salted green apples

There was a brief bit of blue today which felt encouraging. Then it rained again. Torrential at times, complete with rumbling thunder. After snapping this photo, I turned around to discover a group of about 80 white storks flying in the distance. They were easy to spot with their outstretched necks and legs, silently floating beneath the clouds. Spring is on its way.

My 365 Challenge has fallen behind due to a nasty three-day migraine I've been recovering from. I felt devastated that I wasn't keeping up with the painting, but I just couldn't. I've decided that I'll paint an extra painting a day to make up for those missing days, since my goal is to have 365 pieces. Tomorrow I'll have some work to post— still lifes and a Moly entry. I have four Moleskines I'm working on right now: Anna's from Moly-X13, Jan's from Moly-X48, Chensio's from Moly-X34 and my own book for Moly-X64. I know I've got some more on the way, this is the challenge of being in eight exchanges, but I love it and feel that I keep the books rolling.

Anna Denise's Moly for Moleskine Exchange 13.

india ink

Here is my first entry in my book for Moleskine Exchange 50. I wanted to go back to black and white, working with Winsor & Newton India ink, and old love of mine. Here's a close up:

And here is a preview of my entry in Jan Allsopp's book for Moleskine Exchange 48:

happy wednesday

The sun finally came out and I went to the Yeniköy Spor Kulübü for a little sketching. There is this elegant old lady that always sits at the same table in her dark fur coat and pearls. She reads everything in the paper over a glass of tea. As I was sketching her in my Moly, the sweet elderly gentleman that I believe might be the owner, came up to me with a sheet of paper and motioned to me to draw his fabulous customer. Once I was finished in my sketchbook, I drew her again for him. When I was done, a big smile spread across his face and he rushed off to give the drawing to her. I always get a little nervous that people might not like the way I've drawn her, but when I saw look of shock turn into happiness, my day was made.



Once home, I started working on turning a spare room into my new studio. It has plenty of light in the daytime, and is large enough to do whatever I please on whatever sized canvas I choose. In addition to the beautiful large canvases, I bought some 15 cm by 20 cm canvas boards that I am going to use for my attempt at doing a painting a day. I don't know how long I can keep it up, but I am going to try my hardest to do 365 small oil paintings. Here's the first:


The day got even better when a package from Mexico arrived with two Mollies inside for me to work on. Fellow Moleskine Exchanger Yoda Navarrete, sent me a book for Exchange 34 and 48, both look more amazing in person than on Flickr. I haven't the foggiest what I should follow these exquisite entries with.

success!

I have finally found canvas! It seems that all the canvas I could dream of can be found in a part of the Asian side of Istanbul called Kadıköy. The tiny streets are full of art supply stores— with just about anything an artist could hope for. Prices are reasonable too. Unfortunately I was in a bit of a rush so I was unable to really explore, but it seems like a fun place to be at night with many colourful sidewalk cafés and bars.

Victory was achieved with the learning of three very important words: sanat malzemeleri and tuval— art materials and canvas. I forgot to pick up a bottle of linseed oil while I was there, being too excited about finding the canvases. Tomorrow I'll be laying down some paint to start the beginning of a new collection of fairly large oils. Meanwhile, here's a little preview of my entry into my book for Moleskine Exchange 50, one of the eight Moleskine Exchanges I am a part of. Back in January, I wrote a post about The International Moleskine Exchange, which you can read about here.

Please click on the image to see it larger.

exchange 13 and urban sketchers

The rain today was unlike any rain I have seen in a long time— massive drops flying sideways, up and down. It was a perfect day to stay in, drink tea and do some drawing. I finished my final entry in Emma's Moleskine for Moly-X13.


Please click on the image to see it larger.

Emma's work is so full of life, colour, fun and a looseness that I would love to achieve. The characters she creates have so much personality, they seem to leap off the page. I highly recommend visiting her site.

If you find yourself stuck inside on a rainy day, or curious to see what the world looks like through the eyes of its artists, Urban Sketchers is a great place to get lost in. You may have noticed our logo on the right side of this page. Urban Sketchers was founded in November 2008 by Seattle sketcher Gabi Campanario, to showcase the work of artists around the world who draw the cities they live in and visit. We've got over 70 correspondents on six continents— I happen to be one of them. The talent contained within Urban Sketchers is truly inspiring, and it's a wonderful way to travel to different countries and learn about other cultures. In addition to looking at all the beautiful sketches, I love reading the stories that accompany them.

Since I've posted all of my Istanbul sketches here, I thought I'd share with you some of the ones I did back in San Francisco.