Other projects, subjects, and themes…

Over the years, I’ve dabbled with a number of subjects and styles—as any artist does. It took me years to develop a manner of looking at subjects that, I believe, is uniquely my own; I can only ever hope that translates to my final piece(s). I still enjoy working with some of those former subjects from time to time: portraits, human (-esque) figures, animals, and, to a lesser extent, “still life” scenes. I don’t tend to create much public art of these subjects because I don’t think I’m terribly … successful(?) … at interpreting them.

I still remember the first time I did a portrait with the intention of it being a formal piece. It will come as no surprise that it was of Marm; she was my Goddess, my muse, my constant cheerleader. I remember sitting on the couch - doing homework - while she was in her comfy chair doing some kind of needle-work. She tried very hard not to let me know that she knew I was sketching her in my “schoolwork” book, but, I knew that she knew because of the tiny smile that lit up her face. Her only concern about my final sketch was that the lines of the workbook would interfere with my piece. She loved it!!! Some time later, I submitted a full colour piece of “Yosemite Sam” to a noon-hour kids show that celebrated child art(ists). You can imagine my glee when it was showcased; I was now a “known” kid artist!!!

Finding subjects for human figure drawing took a little more … sneaking … on my part. Any artist will tell you that there comes a time when we want inspiration that doesn’t have clothes obscuring all the shapes, planes, and lines that the human body has; we need nude models. For better or worse, the post-Victorian world we live in makes that impossible for anyone not in university to access. I will never understand why the human form is denied - in an age-appropriate manner - to high school students, yet, we expect those same students to act appropriately when they graduate high school. As a result, I had to rely on the “Sears” Catalogue for the majority of my figure studies as a teen. I did gain access to some pre-owned XXX magazines as I got older thanks to the generosity of playmates that had direct access to them (you can fill in the blanks for yourself). Part of my … reluctance … about showing current figure pieces is the remnants of the disapproval and secrecy that surrounded them when I was younger. Judgement experienced in our youth stays with us.

I can’t help but smile when I think of my first serious animal subject - Moritz. He was my first furbaby, my introduction to the “Ambassador of Felina” program, my best friend for over 15 years, and a boundless ball of energy encased in the fur of a Russian Blue “housecat”. I would happily sketch him for hours - often long past the point where my hand had begun to cramp up. I have yet to meet a human model that has the … stamina … to just lay there, for hours, moving nary a muscle, while I sketch. However, he didn’t take direction terribly well. He tended towards being a bit of a diva, actually. I’ve heard it said that many Ambassadors of Felina share those traits ….

Anywho, I hope you enjoy these lesser known projects that I still occasionally dip into.