Lily S. May–Life with Art
The heat wave has now broken, but we had hot and extremely hot weather in Toronto over the past while. During that time, I took to walking in the streets in the evening to listen to the cicadas and crickets. I discovered, to my surprise, that I was present to listening to the sounds of… Continue reading Threshold
There's a young oak tree on one of the streets in my neighbourhood. I've brought home 2 sprigs of leaves that I've found on the sidewalk on my walks. I love oak leaves! And I've done a few drawings of them. The first two are of a small bunch of leaves that I drew first… Continue reading Oak Leaves
Here's 3 more drawings I made in Newfoundland in the presence of sweeping ocean views. The more dramatic the scenes became, I fewer lines I used. I didn't have any plan to do this. It was just the only way I found I could put anything on paper, so magnificent were the views. So a… Continue reading Further Drawings from Newfoundland
When we were in Newfoundland we hiked in Terra Nova National Park by the ocean. One afternoon and the following day, we went to Buckley Cove. I carried a sketch book and pens with me during our trip and sat on a rock to draw part of the cove. When faced with such beauty, I… Continue reading Terra Nova, Drawing and a Surprise in an Alley
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
I've been experimenting with drawing more cartoons. That process led me to a small drawing continuing with the theme of dreams that I began in my first cartoon. After having done a number of works that felt too controlled, I made a loose unplanned sketch that felt freer to me. Afterwards, I added colour to the line drawing with… Continue reading Dreams Drawing
Arts of May 