TLF

Monochromatic-Front Cover.

2012-01-16T10:10:00.003-05:00

Monochromatic #32-ROY G BIV and The Neutrals.

2012-01-16T09:28:00.005-05:00

My 2012 Sketchbook Project: Monochromatic has
come to an end with this last entry: ROY G BIV
and The Neutrals. I choose the theme monochromatic
for this second sketchbook project (for 2011, I was
randomly assigned Science Project Gone Wrong) and
learned many things along the way while working on it.
I decided to work chronologically, page by page this
time. I also decided to work with one monochromatic
color scheme for each page...after a few pages in it
was difficult to decide on the next color and the theme of
the sketch. Working in order created pressure that
hadn't existed when I worked on my last sketchbook.
I missed creating color relationships, particularly
compliments and analogous schemes.
I think that is why there are such gaps in time from my
first entries to these last. As the deadline, approached
(January 31st) I had more ideas and was excited to
start the next page. I work more effectively with a
set deadline. I tried gouache for the first time ever
(after admiring Jacob Lawrence's paintings and textile
plans from the Bauhaus in gouache for years and years)
and found the flatness of the media to be really
exciting. As an artist, I sometimes need a new
project from outside myself to be open to trying new
mediums. After looking over all of the pages, I am
reminded that I am first and foremost a narrative artist
because #18 an #19-Fossil Fuels is one of my
favorites in the sketchbook. The monochromatic
theme limited my ideas for visual stories for some
reason. I love drawing houses (something new in the
past few years) and have always loved experimenting
with color and shape. In a few days, I will send it off
to Brooklyn and in April it will go on tour. Mailing and
sharing my art have always been important to me.
Maybe it will be in a city near you.
http://www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject2012

Monochromatic #30 and #31-Rabbit to Dragon.

2012-01-15T17:30:00.000-05:00

Monochromatic #29-Dogtrot Dream House.

2012-01-14T19:19:00.000-05:00

Monochromatic #28-Green Lines.

2012-01-14T19:16:00.001-05:00

Monochromatic #26 and #27-A Fan of Red.

2012-01-08T18:15:00.000-05:00

Monochromatic #25-Winter.

2012-01-04T20:57:00.000-05:00

Monochromatic #24-Pink Tile.

2012-01-03T21:40:00.002-05:00

Monochromatic #23-Snow.

2012-01-01T16:16:00.002-05:00

Monochromatic #22-A New Year.

2012-01-01T16:15:00.001-05:00

Monochromatic #21-Urban Suburb.

2011-12-31T16:35:00.002-05:00

Monochromatic #20-Measuring Time.

2011-12-31T16:34:00.000-05:00

Monochromatic #18 and #19-Fossil Fuels.

2011-12-30T11:27:00.000-05:00

Monochromatic #17-Essex in Blue.

2011-12-29T20:39:00.000-05:00

Monochromatic #16-Orange Juice.

2011-12-29T20:37:00.000-05:00

Monochromatic #14 and #15--Green.

2011-12-28T14:59:00.003-05:00

Monochromatic #12 and #13....Views from Upstairs.

2011-12-27T20:42:00.003-05:00

Monochromatic #10 and #11-Backyard Views.

2011-12-19T19:10:00.001-05:00

Monochromatic #9-Neighborhood.

2011-11-06T09:35:00.002-05:00

Monochromatic #8-Watercan Man in His Flowerbed.

2011-10-30T19:47:00.001-04:00

My Feet

2011-10-23T10:38:00.000-04:00

Busy Squirrel Checking Out My Relatively New Corn Wreath

2011-10-21T17:15:00.002-04:00

Monochromatic #7-Purple Paisleys.

2011-10-04T17:48:00.001-04:00

Monochromatic #6-Neighbors in Green.

2011-10-03T17:07:00.001-04:00

The 6th entry in my "monochromatic" themed
sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project 2012 is a view
of our neighbor's houses from our back porch in
gouache.

Monochromatic #5-Yellows.

2011-10-02T11:46:00.002-04:00

A collage of yellow with gouache.

Monochromatic #4-Telephone Blues.

2011-10-02T11:44:00.001-04:00

After a bit of a break from the Sketchbook
Project, I've started back up. My theme
for this book is "monochromatic" and I've
been working on it page by page in proper
sequence. In the 2011 Sketchbook Project
I worked throughout the book at random.

Bullfrogs

2011-09-29T19:17:00.002-04:00

Bullfrogs at a supermarket.

Well, Summertime is Over.

2011-08-21T17:35:00.004-04:00

Summer is almost over. I grew some tomatoes,

saw some penguins at the Maryland Zoo,

watched the elephants go for a swim on one of the
hottest days in Baltimore while running the youth activities
for the OI International Convention,

rode the Trailblazer (my favorite roller coaster because
of the nice trees) twice at Hershey Park,

fed some ducks,

rode the monorail,

taught a non-traditional printing workshop at MICA,
visited with good friends and family, made some art,
read a lot of books, and on the last day of summer vacation
I bailed out the cellar stairwell during an intense thunderstorm
after grocery shopping. Overall, action packed and time
well spent.

Monochromatic #3-A Sacrifice

2011-07-06T18:34:00.000-04:00

My third sketch in my sketchbook is of
the tomatoes sliced up in gouache on
a watercolor wash background. I've
always wanted to try gouache and can't
believe I've waited this long. I love it!

#2-Moonlit Tomatoes.

2011-07-02T17:24:00.000-04:00

Non-Traditional Printing Workshop-July 12th.

2011-07-01T21:18:00.001-04:00

Come by and learn Non-Traditional Printing with BEST member Tricia Lane-Forster of Tlane!
Our partnership with Etsy and MICA (see "I Heart Art" side bar) continues to bring wonderful workshops to the community. We will be holding another BEST-led workshop on Tuesday, July 12th at the MICA Fox Building, Room 218, from 7-9pm. In this workshop Tricia Lane-Forster ofTlane will be demonstrating a wide variety of printing techniques to embellish fabric surfaces. Lino-cut (using erasers), collograph, found object printing, and freezer paper stenciling will all be demonstrated.

Those attending will be given one cotton tea towel on which to experiment and will be provided with silkscreen ink.

Attendees should bring:

one rectangle plastic eraser
a pencil for drawing, a sketchbook
one sponge, an ex-acto knife
cotton fabric to print on

There are only 20 spots, so be sure to RSVP!

For more information about the I Heart Art program, see our sidebar to the right or visit the I Heart Art website !

Another Sketchbook Project-Monochromatic is the Theme.

2011-07-01T21:06:00.001-04:00

Sketch #1-Summer Tomatoes.

Last Day of School.

2011-06-18T11:06:00.000-04:00

Old fans in the hallway before the big move.

A rubbish shoot on the second floor.

Inside the old elevator.

Goodbye Old Classroom.

2011-06-18T11:02:00.001-04:00

A final view of my old classroom on the last day of school.

Before packing....with bikes.

I will miss the green floor.

No more chalkboards, dry erase next year.

Weird Old Art Supplies.

2011-06-17T20:15:00.003-04:00

I couldn't believe the things I found in my classroom as I cleaned,
sorted, and discarded. From a mink stole, to fake rubber food,
enough driftwood to build a house, and by far really cool, weird
old art supplies with really cool packaging.

Closet and Drawers....The Storage!

2011-06-17T20:07:00.000-04:00

I will miss the closet, the cabinets, and
the drawers in my old classroom because
they reminded me of the history of the
school and the many art teachers who
taught there before me.

Things I Will Miss After the Renovation Continued...Patterns.

2011-06-15T19:58:00.002-04:00

The inside of my classroom's closet..ceiling.

An old linoleum cutting board.

The floor in the hallways.

My classroom's floor, an old lunch tray, the sink.

A View of Parkville in Late Spring

2011-06-12T14:34:00.001-04:00

More Things I'll Miss After The Renovation

2011-06-04T12:04:00.001-04:00

So, as strange as it might be, I'm going to miss this
door vent. The letters are a little bit worn and I thought
the vent said "Panflouvre" leading me to write a short
story about Panflouvre: The Floppy Eared Bunny from
France. Later I did some research and it turns out that
the label says Pan Louvre, which just means door vent.
Still the real wood doors and lovely tiles may not be around
after the summer and I'll miss them.

Again, strange, I know, but I'll miss this
metal sanitary napkin dispenser that probably
hasn't had Kotex in it to dispense for
decades. There is just something lovely
about the aesthetic here. The blue tiles
and the font and the 5 cents price.

Idle Hour

2011-05-31T17:33:00.001-04:00

My novel is finally complete and is now available through createspace.

https://www.createspace.com/3585333

Suburbs of Baltimore--a Sketch

2011-05-16T19:25:00.001-04:00

A Portrait of My Mom in the Town of North East

2011-05-01T21:32:00.002-04:00

Essex #2

2011-04-26T19:10:00.001-04:00

Essex #1

2011-04-23T19:39:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter!

2011-04-22T20:05:00.000-04:00

Wooden Easter bunny family...antique? German? I bought them in the town
of North East, Maryland at a cool antique store. I really like them a lot.

The Sketchbook Project Tour Visits DC

2011-04-16T19:02:00.000-04:00

I got to visit my sketchbook today at the Hillyer
Art Space in Washington, DC. It was good to see
that it is doing well on it's many travels...still intact!
It was also great, great fun to check out several
sketchbooks. I could have sat there all day looking
at the different interpretations of all of the themes by
artists from all of the world.

A Visit to the National Arboretum

2011-04-16T18:48:00.002-04:00

Today I visited the National Arboretum in Washington, DC for the first time.
You can buy a handful of special food for 50 cents to feed the koi. Not only
were they beautiful, they were very hungry too!

There were many bonsai on display, all amazing, but this azalea bonsai in bloom really stood out as a sign of spring on a cold, rainy day.

Due to the windy weather and impending rainstorm, we headed out after seeing the bonsai trees. I'd love to go back to explore more of the arboretum on a sunny day. I'd even like to ride the tram to hear the history.

The Bradford Pears on 695.

2011-04-12T18:49:00.002-04:00

The pear trees are in bloom along the beltway.

View of Courtyard 2011

2011-04-03T12:20:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure how much the courtyard outside of the classroom where
I teach will change during the renovation, but next year I will no longer
be able to see the courtyard from my new classroom. I will miss the
magnolia tree and the stone walls, so I painted this little painting.
My new view on hall duty will be a cinder block wall? I hope the view
from the inside of my new classroom will be of the cool neighborhood behind
our school because I've always wanted to paint it during the fall.

Cap'n Pepper and Old Salty

2011-03-26T19:38:00.000-04:00

Cap'n Pepper and Old Salty looked pretty in the
morning sun today.

So did the view of shadows in the backyard.

The Old Bells.

2011-03-14T19:44:00.001-04:00

Another thing I will miss after the renovation are
the old bells and fixtures around the school. They
remind me of robots.

Ribbit, Ribbit, Hop, Hop, Hop.

2011-03-13T19:02:00.000-04:00

I made a frog themed scarf for my aunt today. She and
my uncle rescue frogs each year as they hop across
the road from their pond to the woods on the other side.
They catch them in buckets and save them from getting
run over by traffic.

Jerusalem Mill, Jericho Road Covered Bridge and Vinegar Hill Road

2011-03-12T19:33:00.000-05:00

Jerusalem in Maryland.

Just past Jerusalem Mill on Jericho Road.

Approaching the Jericho Road covered bridge.

Jericho Road covered bridge.

Vinegar Hill Road bridge over Little Gunpowder Falls.

The Phone Booth.

2011-03-11T18:10:00.000-05:00

I'll miss the phone booth after the renovation.
Sure, it hasn't had a phone in it for years, but
I will always think of phone booths as
magical. To remember a time when a phone
call was a private event which required
a quiet space in which to talk is almost a
whimsical idea. Where would Superman go to
change if he needed to save the day?

Things I will miss after the renovation.

2011-03-09T20:11:00.000-05:00

The high school where I teach is under renovation and there are
many things I will be sad to see go. I will miss my classroom's
very serious art sink (made of stone?) with a built in soap dish and
two basins.

Late February, 2011.

2011-02-27T10:40:00.005-05:00

When a tree's roots
grow deep,
it's hard for the wind
to blow it down.
But when a young tree
is felled by an ax
or something sudden
like a strike of lightning,
pain ripples through the forest.
Branches break from the sides
of the older trees
as they try to catch
the young tree as it descends
and the saplings bend
from the weight of loss.
The fallen tree settles
onto the forest floor
and time passes
and seasons change.
Until one day the whole forest
is nourished and strengthened
by the memory
of the young tree's life.

The Sketchbook Project: 2011 » Art House Co-op | We build art projects and communities

2011-02-21T08:12:00.001-05:00

The Sketchbook Project: 2011 » Art House Co-op | We build art projects and communitiesThe tour has begun! Starting with Brooklyn, NY and maybe coming to a town near you.

2011-02-19T09:58:00.003-05:00

I'm in the mood to garden, but it is still winter.

Sets and Pairs

2011-01-30T16:15:00.001-05:00

I've started adding sets of place mats and pairs of tea towels to
my Etsy shop, plus I've introduced some new colors and tea set
themed flour sack tea towels.

Rabbit Valentine 2011

2011-01-26T10:25:00.001-05:00

This is #6 out of 29 hand painted Valentines I recently
finished and will soon mail out. It is the year of the
rabbit after all.

Universal Order of Armageddon

2011-01-26T10:21:00.000-05:00

An old friend's band reunited after many, many years and played
a beautiful set the other night. A few days later I drew this after
having their songs stuck in my head all week. This is what they look
like when they play. It would be fun to animate this drawing (flip book
style) to one of their songs.

The Sketchbook Project-Cover

2011-01-02T21:47:00.000-05:00

The Sketchbook Project #41

2011-01-02T18:10:00.003-05:00

Anatomy.
This is the final entry into my
sketchbook for the sketchbook
project. Soon, I will mail my book
to Brooklyn, New York and from
there it will go on tour. I will try
to visit it when it is in DC.

The Sketchbook Project #40

2011-01-02T18:09:00.000-05:00

Germinate, Flower, Pollinate

The Sketchbook Project #39

2011-01-02T13:55:00.000-05:00

Views of the Heart

The Sketchbook Project #38

2011-01-02T13:54:00.000-05:00

Bell in a Vacuum

The Sketchbook Project #37

2011-01-02T08:39:00.000-05:00

Archimedes-Bouyant Force

The Sketchbook Project #36

2011-01-01T20:03:00.002-05:00

Virus-Observation

The Sketchbook Project #35

2010-12-31T23:17:00.000-05:00

Bees-Study of a Colony

The Sketchbook Project #34

2010-12-31T10:11:00.002-05:00

Magnetism

The Sketchbook Project #33

2010-12-29T17:59:00.000-05:00

The Stars and Planets-Observation

The Sketchbook Project #32

2010-12-29T17:58:00.000-05:00

Identification-Vertebra

The Sketchbook Project #31

2010-12-29T11:11:00.001-05:00

Page 24. (9/21/2010) I went to see the science teachers at the
high school where I teach in search of imagery today. I told the
Physics teacher my sketchbook theme was "science project
gone wrong." He said, "You don't need books for that. Just get
a camera. It happens here every day."
Page 25. (10/31/2010) When I was in 10th grade, I took Biology
(Honors) with Mr. Phoebus. We dissected a fetal pig. I had a lot of
questions? Where did the school get the pigs? Slaughterhouses,
but then from a science catalog. So, they would have died
anyway? Yes. Mr. Phoebus was one of the smartest people I'd
ever met (still today, I'm not sure if I've met a smarter person) and
I respected him, so I dissected the pig. And I really enjoyed it.

The Sketchbook Project #30

2010-12-29T10:06:00.000-05:00

Sight

The Sketchbook Project #29

2010-12-28T20:48:00.000-05:00

Cell Division

The Sketchbook Project #28

2010-12-28T17:28:00.001-05:00

Trebuchet

The Sketchbook Project #27

2010-12-20T19:51:00.000-05:00

Circuits

The Sketchbook Project #26

2010-11-21T16:19:00.000-05:00

Robots for Robots Sake.

The Sketchbook Project #25

2010-11-17T19:38:00.001-05:00

Horseshoe Crabs-Conservation.

The Sketchbook Project #24

2010-11-14T20:37:00.001-05:00

Newton, Isaac. 1642-1727

The Sketchbook Project #23

2010-11-14T11:52:00.003-05:00

Identification-Insects.

The Sketchbook Project #22

2010-11-11T17:01:00.001-05:00

In the Lab.

The Sketchbook Project #21

2010-11-09T17:33:00.001-05:00

Can Turtles Learn? Animal Behavior.

The Sketchbook Project #20

2010-11-07T07:35:00.001-05:00

Marie Curie. November 7, 1867-July 4, 1934.
Radioactivity.

The Sketchbook Project #19

2010-11-07T07:32:00.002-05:00

Items needed to perform science
projects: WARNING: Purchasing
items does not guarantee that your
science project will not go wrong.
Good luck.

The Sketchbook Project #18

2010-11-06T07:56:00.003-04:00

Canaries-Animal Behavior.

The Sketchbook Project #17

2010-11-02T20:53:00.003-04:00

Microscope View #2.
I'm still coming up with lots of ideas for pages
related to the theme "science project gone
wrong." I'm about 3/4's of the way into the
book and I've started to think about what I want
to put on the cover. I may do some collage
pages in the weeks to come, but I have enjoyed
painting and drawing so much who knows
what I'll do. The Sketchbook Project has
extended their sign-up deadline until November
15th, so if you still want to sign up you can!

The Sketchbook Project #16

2010-11-02T10:11:00.003-04:00

Potato Clock vs. Solar Power.

The Sketchbook Project #15

2010-10-31T18:38:00.003-04:00

Owl Pellet....Robots?

The Sketchbook Project #14

2010-10-27T18:20:00.001-04:00

Identification-Leaves.

The Sketchbook Project #13

2010-10-26T17:06:00.004-04:00

Collection.

The Sketchbook Project #12

2010-10-26T17:05:00.003-04:00

Atomic Structure.

The Sketchbook Project #11

2010-10-23T16:41:00.002-04:00

Benjamin Franklin. I'm sure he must have
had at least one science project go wrong?

The Sketchbook Project #10

2010-10-23T16:39:00.003-04:00

Barometer and Thermometer.

The Sketchbook Project #9

2010-10-16T10:55:00.004-04:00

Rat Race. Intruder.

The Sketchbook Project #8

2010-10-16T10:52:00.007-04:00

Identification-Butterflies.

The Sketchbook Project #7

2010-10-05T17:46:00.003-04:00

Sound vs. Noise.

The Sketchbook Project #6

2010-10-02T14:37:00.002-04:00

Test Rocket.

The Sketchbook Project #5

2010-09-29T19:31:00.002-04:00

Identification-Birds

The Sketchbook Project #4

2010-09-27T22:17:00.006-04:00

In my fourth entry, I drew a microscope and focused on

the contained views. On the second page, the organisms

are outside of the slides and on the loose.