sometimes progress is slow

In a week I have managed to complete his left eye, and add some minor shading here and there. It's not much, but considering that he is a 61 x 92 cm (approximately 24" x 36") piece of pointillism and I have a full-time job, I think it's ok. I hope to finish most of his face this week, but before I do that, I'm off to the Greek border in search of some geese. The skies are the clearest cerulean, and it would be a shame to stay indoors on this pseudo-spring day. I'm not sure what I'll find out there, but hopefully I'll have some lovely landscape photos for you tomorrow.

forgotten drawings

Inevitably, when you're split into so many directions at the same time, some artwork gets forgotten on a shelf or in a dark portfolio stashed somewhere out of the way. These are some close-ups of work that has fallen by the wayside— stories of heartbreak and the desire to prune one's feelings before they grow out of control.



I hope I can get back to them soon. Right now I'm distracted by a giant bumblebee and pools of little octopi...

snowfall

As Istanbul is slowly swallowed by snow and my mind is likewise, having its own share of snowfall, I decided to try and get somewhere with my simitçi ink drawing. He is approximately 2ft x 3ft— I can't remember the exact dimensions of the paper, and I can't find my ruler. I have been working on and off on this drawing for several long months, and hope to finish it soon. The end is in sight, but still feels so very distant and obscured by its own snow.

the line

Just a small section of an approximately 28 in x 40 in, or 70 cm x 100 cm drawing. I'm only on my second bottle of ink. I have a looong way to go.

greedy artist

Lately I feel like I've been a greedy artist. Reluctant to let out the images in my head, reluctant to use my hands for anything except holding a book or knitting. Sometimes this happens, and it's not like artist's block— I have plenty of ideas and feel quite inspired— I just don't want to do anything about it. It's a stubbornness, a greed. I want to keep it all to myself.

So today, today is a work day. I've poured myself a delicious cup of Darjeeling tea and I've got my pen and bottle of India ink ready to go. Staring at all these inches of white paper, I am feeling a little discouraged, yet determined to get back to it. Sometimes I want a bit of instant gratification; to be done with a piece in a day or two, but that's just not possible with the kind of work I do. It often takes weeks, months— one piece even took me three years to complete. It was eight feet tall and composed of tiny words in ink.


Alright. Let's get to it.