Lily S. May–Life with Art
I've continued doing line drawings. I find the practice helps me focus--literally and figuratively. Last week, I began paying attention to a carving we've had for years. The plaque has been done very skillfully and with great care extending even to its back that is covered in soft chisel marks. We found it at a yard… Continue reading Shepherd Carving
I haven't done line drawing in a while and thought it would be helpful to begin again. It's a way of grounding myself in the present and seeing what's in front of me. Here's several drawings I've done this week with black pigment markers. I found them calming to do. This first one is in… Continue reading Some Line Drawings
Here's what I'm working on now--a variation of the piece I showed in Learning. This time, I've used only the watercolour crayons, both wet and dry. I'm slowly building up colour and texture and paying attention to shapes. I believe the piece is a work in progress--the more I contemplate it, the more aspects I see… Continue reading Learning 2
This week, I happily received the copy of Clive Hicks-Jenkins' book, Hansel and Gretel. In it, he has brilliantly reimagined the fairy tale. I ordered it last week from the U.K. and it arrived faster than some packages from other parts of Canada! Clive Hicks-Jenkins is one of my favourite artists. He shows a wide array… Continue reading Hansel and Gretel
Last week, while I was home with a cold, I began experimenting with an old water soluble crayon set I have. I find painting/drawing on an easel a lot easier physically than printmaking with the pain of repetitive strain I've acquired from lino and woodcutting. So, I'll return to the latest print after a break.… Continue reading Learning
In honour of summer and the Pride Parades here in Toronto and around the world, here's a hot pink and rainbow coloured gouache painting I made several years ago. It's called The Swimmer.
As I'm going through my old journals, I find forgotten elements--particularly the content of dreams. A few weeks ago, I came upon a curious and appealing dream fragment from June of 1993. At that time, I awoke with words telling me that centuries would pass before we discovered that the "L" in "Lion" was understood… Continue reading The Lion’s Birdnote
This week, while out walking under trees in my neighbourhood and admiring other people's gardens, I came upon some tremendously beautiful clematis. This spring I've been restraining myself from photographing every flower I see, particularly those that I have many photos of. I've been doing better this year at stopping to admire scilla, crabapples, lilacs,… Continue reading Abundant Clematis
I have kept journals--diaries--on and off for the past 40 or more years. In the 1990s and early 00s, I hand wrote a huge amount in dozens and dozens of lined notebooks--mostly recording my dreams and feelings but also world events and my activities. I've been working on a big project, going through my journals… Continue reading The Nature of Making Art
Last week, I printed the Sisters of Mercy linocut with the violet ink tinted with white. It's on a pale blue Japanese paper with long fibres that I like. Then, on the weekend, I was out of town in Prince Edward County in Ontario. The countryside was filled with lilacs--lining the roads and lanes and… Continue reading Violet and Lilac
Arts of May 