PENGUIN

Penguin

12" x 18" Mixed Media Drawing on Antique Parchment

This drawing has been on the easel of my studio for nearly a month waiting on me to get it finished.  With the start of school, special travels and most recently - a case of pneumonia, it has gathered some dust.  I don't like to let a piece languish this long and I sure don't like to keep a customer waiting.

An old friend purchased this commission for his mother at the start of the summer so I feel badly that it's taken me weeks to complete.  I actually love working on pieces like this where I get to take creatures and give them a little personality.  I also enjoy finding hidden colors in blacks and whites which I think gives those drab colors some vitality.

Over the summer, I have working on a variety of pieces in my booth during art festivals.  I start everything out with an ink drawing.  From time to time I have people suggest I stop after the ink drawing and not add any color to the work.  Here's what the penguins looked like after I finished drawing them.  I like the look of the ink drawing, too.  I tell my students all the time that a good painting always starts with a strong drawing.

I am finally done with my antibiotic and about to stop my cough syrup (which is wonderful by the way - better than most cocktails) and I am about to feel like myself again.  It's a good thing, too because my studio has stacks of work which need my attention.