Daily Drawing for Mom Artist

For the past year I have been creating art on a daily basis. I find a bit of time every day, perhaps two hours, more likely half an hour, to focus on my artwork, drawing, painting, something creative. I also started taking printmaking class again after ten years out of the classroom. And I post on Instagram my artwork progress each day, which makes myself accountable, to myself. Interacting on Instagram with like-minded artists really helped me to continue to work on my art, especially on those tough days when all I wanted to do at the end of a long day is curl up with some hot tea instead of drawing. A little animal critter drawing or a simple botanical painting could be all I have the energy to accomplish, but it was something.

Finding a balance between being a mom and an artist can be challenging. So I found that including my son in my artwork or asking him to help (with ideas and input) has been a great way to combine the two. He asked me to draw me giving him a hug. I drew a sketch and he loved it. Later on I made a linocut from this sketch idea and many moms who saw it were moved by it. For all those moms out there who find it hard to get back to their art, I would say, it takes time, but even taking a small amount of time will be worth it. And as a result of me showing my son my artwork, he really enjoys seeing my artwork and art in general. 

When I organize my artworks over the past few months, I am amazed the amount of diversity and mediums I have used. I'm so glad I have spent a little bit of time each day to pursue my interest. It is like training for a marathon, or any long-term skill. Each day I work on my art, even when I did not really feel inspired on a daily basis. After a year or so of getting back to drawing, painting and doing printmaking, I can finally feel comfortable with art again. Of course there's still room for growth and I keep my daily practice routine.

I'm currently showing works in two art shows in Woodstock, NY (at the Woodstock School of Art student show, and at the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild members' show). I also have a number of pieces available at the Emerge Gallery in Saugerties, NY. I have another few projects in the works, including a children's book I will be publishing as an ebook. All of these events would have been impossible to imagine two years ago before I started my journey.

For me, there are a million reasons and excuses not to create art each day. But I show up to work. All for one goal: to be a better artist. Do I create a masterpiece every time? No, because most of the time, they are only practice pieces. Every artist has artworks they would rather keep in storage. I can see many imperfections in my artwork, but I still keep them and know they helped me. Without the willingness to make many mistakes there can be no improvement. Each day and every drawing is a new footprint on my path towards better art. 

Childhood Nostalgia

Childhood memories are often seem surreal - a mix of fantasy and reality.  Everyone, not just the creative artistic souls, has interesting and personal childhood memories.  I chose to share a few of my artworks that are based on childhood recollections and observations.  

Hedge Animal Dream (2017)

The first one is based on a very vivid dream I had as a child.  I dreamt that I was in a very large garden (think English maze) and giant hedge animals came toward me and started to chase me. And interestingly enough, I was watching this in the third person, meaning I saw this happen to me as if I were in the audience watching a movie.  It was not exactly frightening, but it was overwhelming.  To this day it is one of the few dreams from my childhood I remember in detail.  I tried to capture the sense of awe and wonder in my dream micron pen drawing.  

Snail Carrying Home

The second drawing is based on a combination of what my son mentioned about snails carrying their houses with them and my fascination with snails as a child.  I grew up in urban setting when I was very little, so farm animals and wild animals more or less only existed in stories and zoos.  But we did get lots of snails and other insects near where I lived.  I used to spent a long time watching a snail move around slowly up the side of the tree bark.  These little pieces of nature were so fascinating to me.  Really glad that I now have the ability to create some of these interesting creatures based on my memories and my imagination.

Now that I am a mom to an imaginative three year old son I get to see the world through his eyes.  While I am often surprised by his creative mind, at the same time he reminds me how interesting the world was to me when I was little.  I try to create some artwork based on funny or moving ideas he comes up with.  These artworks entertain him now; but I hope ten or twenty years down the road they will be even more meaningful to him.  I am very happy to create something that is special for us as mother and child.

Mole in Rocking Chair (2017)

One of the drawings that is based on my son's world is the Mole in a Rocking Chair.  One day he was eating a piece of toast and in the process it made an interesting shape.  So he told me that it was a mole sitting in a rocking chair.  That great image stuck in my mind and later on I did a drawing based on his idea.  I like the character and maybe one day when I have some more time to do a series I could write a short story and illustrate it.  

Mom and Son Astronauts

Recently my son has been fascinated with space and rockets.  He even dressed up as an astronaut for Halloween last year.  He told me in all seriousness that someday he will go into space, and take me with him.  I was so moved, first by his determination, and secondly by his willingness to take me with him, no matter where he is headed.  I treasure this kind of love he has for me and hope it lasts for a few more years.  I created a space scene, with the two of us as astronauts on the moon, taking in the beauty of the cosmos.  

Interestingly enough, I did not realize all of these drawings are black and white until a friend pointed it out.  My memories tend to be more story and mood based.  The composition and the feeling of the piece tend to be more important to me.  My brain focuses on those areas and forget to leave room for colors.  The mind tries to form the image, and my most basic visual sense tends to be in black and white.  I like colors, and try to incorporate them into my artwork. But I have to confess the most personal images to me tend to be in black and white.  Maybe the printmaker in me is to blame.

Do you have any beautiful childhood memories that always stuck with you visually?  They are usually very personal and we always associate many layers of emotions with them.  I may do a few more childhood dream pieces, probably again in black and white.  

Movie Impressions

Movies move people in much the same way as artwork.  They are personal and create very strong impressions and associations in our memories.  If you talk to a new acquaintance about his or her favorite movies you can find out a lot about that person.  So I thought it would be interesting to create some artwork based on some of my favorite movies.  I have special memories associated with them and that usually translate into good artwork.  I guess that these are my equivalent of fan art.  

In the Mood for Love (Watercolor, 2017)

The first artwork I created was a very impressionist style watercolor based on a scene from the Hong Kong movie "In the Mood for Love" (2000).  The movie was visually breathtaking and the main character's numerous gorgeous Chinese style dresses were truly memorable.  Really, her dresses qualify as characters in themselves.  The mood of the movie itself was melancholy and definitely no Hollywood happy ending.  Still, even after all these years it is one I would recommend to people who like visually beautiful movies.  

Strictly Ballroom (Watercolor and pen, 2017)

Strictly Ballroom work in progress

The second artwork I created based on a movie was the Australian movie "Strictly Ballroom" (1992).  It was an unusual movie and gained some cult following over the years.  I saw this movie when I was a young teenager and really fell in love with the idea of learning ballroom dancing.  Later in college I did take ballroom dancing and swing dancing lessons.  I was good but never got into competitions like in the movie.  I always thought Fran was wonderful because she was brave enough to step outside her comfort zone.  The scene where they practiced their dance in front of the giant Coca-Cola sign was again visually memorable, so that was the scene I based my watercolor on.  I liked the micron line drawing I did first.  The watercolor turned out all right, but I think the line drawing in itself was more striking. Artwork can be like that, sometimes too much work can detract from the finished work.  But overall I enjoyed creating this piece, and to me I will always remember watching the movie for the first time and being mesmerized by all the dancing and crazy costumes.  

Arrival (Pen, 2017)

And in honor of the Oscars I did an image related to the only nominated best picture movie I saw in the theater this year: "Arrival."  I chose to do a micron pen drawing as the photo reference I used had strong contrast and I felt a more stylized approach would be interesting. As for the movie itself I was moved by the deeper meaning within the story, and it raised some strong questions regarding mortality that I am still pondering.  Basically it was much more meaningful than your average alien movie.  Hopefully next year I will get out more and actually get to see more Oscar nominated movies in the theater.  

I may do a few more movie based artwork in the future.  Possible choices: "Lost in Translation" and "Bridget Jones's Diary" (please don't judge me for my silly chick flick choices).  Do you have any favorites movies that you would watch over and over again?