Casual Day

I never realized how blue this sweater was until I paired it with a green t-shirt! This Tiny Outfit painting is available on Etsy.

Memphis Heavyweights

Last Saturday the Art Museum at the University of Memphis hosted Memphis Heavyweights, a collaborative project between artist Nick Cave and several local groups. It was an amazing spectacle, and I had a great time sketching it. I think they should do this every weekend.




















This group was being led by someone in a crazy costume with a mask that looked like a giant tin can. The group was carrying a river of fabric on poles.






















The little kids dressed like trees and dancing were super cute. It's difficult enough to draw people when they are not dancing, so I tried sketching this guy playing 5-gallon plastic buckets like drums, but the crowd crowded in around him and I had to move on.






















Giant metal cornucopia being carried by more people in crazy costumes.






















Another angle of the cornucopia. They also had people with them who were dancing and they were fantastic, but impossible to draw.






















Up top are Aztec dancers in these lightweight structures that they were inside of. On the bottom are the folks from the Natural Learning school. They had these huge puppet-like structures covered in cloth, with some crocheted leaves hanging off of them, made by yours truly.






















There was a float/car with an environmental message. I'm thinking bikes might have gotten that message across a little better. They also had handouts that ended up littering the sidewalks.

On the right is local sculptor Eli Gold inside of a giant metal costume. I was sketching him as I walked backwards alongside him.






















These folks were awesome: Danza Azteca Quetzalcoatl. They were the same ones marching inside the lightweight structures. I was actually leaving after the parade and was drawn back by the sound of their drums. The dancing was amazing!

Flowers and Flower

More pre-accessorized clothes from the Tiny Outfits series. Also a buttercup necklace I got for an anniversary.

Listed on Etsy here.

Flowers and Loops

Another in my Tiny Outfits series.

This series makes getting dressed for work more fun. It's a lot more fun when your sweater comes with accessories already on it!

Click here for the listing of this painting in my Etsy shop.

Little Van

Little Van not related to Tiny Outfits.

New Series: Tiny Paintings

I've been hinting at this for a while: my new series Tiny Outfits.

It started with trying to think of a "thing-a-day" project, though it is really a "thing-every-few-days-or-at-least-once-a-week" project. Here's how it works:

1. I try to make a more interesting-than-usual outfit.
2. I take a picture of myself. (I've gotten very good with the self-timer.)
3. I make a tiny painting.

When I say tiny, I mean tiny. The image measures 3" by 5" and is painted in oils on gessoed paper. The paintings each have about a .25" border on all sides, so the paper measures about 3.5 by 5.5 inches. Sold unframed, but they prop up on your favorite shelf nicely.

These are now available in my Etsy shop, also conveniently called Sketchwork.

Expect to see the first few on Sketchwork (the blog) this week, and many more to come in the future!

See, I told you they are tiny!

Soldier of the Day

Soldier

Pose

Soldier with Kid

Shoes Glorious Shoes

Getting Gas and Testing Stamps

Somerset's Soccer Game

Somerset played goalie for a while when her 3rd grade Bumblebees played the 4th grade Bumblebees. S's team lost, but she blocked 2 goals!

















Joshua watched his sister play while sitting on a bench looking like his dad.

Soldiers - Medics

On the Patio after a Spaghetti Dinner

Soldier with Camels

There are still approximately 90,000 American troops in Afghanistan.

Sunshine at Lunch

Art Openings

On April 1st I went to 5 art openings! The first 2 were here:

Sketching Life

It is not too late to sign up for my sketching class at Flicker Street Studio! It starts next Thursday, April 14. Click on this link to see the class schedule - you can sign up online, or email flickerstreet@gmail.com

Here's the class information:

Sketching Life: Using Your Sketchbook New Class
Elizabeth Alley – Instructor

This class will help you to get in the habit of quickly drawing in your sketchbook from life to document a subject while capturing the a feeling of the moment. We will focus on shapes, mark-making and shading, while experimenting with a variety of materials.

3 Sessions – Thursdays April 14-28
6:00-9:00pm
$135
Materials Included
Call (901) 767-2999
Email us at flickerstreet@gmail.com

Spain Trip 2010: 10

On April 5, 2010, we sadly left Spain. But the day before, which happened to be Easter, Toby and I went to a bullfight. It was an incredible experience, and one of the highlights of our trip.

In order to keep myself objective (though I'll admit to rooting for the bulls) I drew everything the entire time I was there, including the bulls in various stages during all 6 bullfights. I'm only posting 2 here because, well, you get the idea.





















































What really made the experience special was the man on the left of this photograph. We called him "The Ambassador of Bullfights." He came over to us to greet us and ask us where we were from (I said "Estados Unidos" and he said "Yankees!" My response: "Nu-uh!"). He offered us little bites of chorizo he had brought with him, as well as gulps of sweet vermouth from his Spanish wine bota bag. He really made the day unforgettable.





















The end.

Spain Trip 2010: 9

On April 3 we ALL went to Toledo together on the train. I sketched these while we ate our lunch. My lunch is pictured below. Toledo was lovely and it was fun to see buildings from my Spain poster.

Spain Trip 2010: 8

Took Toby to another museum, the Reina Sofia, where Picasso's Guernica lives. On the left are my notes about it, plus other stuff we saw there. The museum is huuuuuge, so there was a lot to see, including this stationary mobile (stationary? it sat on the ground) outside in the courtyard.






















We had a nice lunch afterward, and I took this portrait of the two of us. I'm on the left.

Spain Trip 2010: 7

Happy Birthday, Katherine! April 1, 2010, was probably the only time that I haven't spoken to my sister on her birthday, but I did manage to email her.
Went shopping with the girls at El Rastro flea market, where 3 of us bought matching cowboy boots, then I dragged Toby to another museum, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. I drew this woman from a Manet painting.


























Went back out with the girls to dinner and a flamenco show. This is a quick sketch of the theater. It is a very loose sketch for the same reason the last sketch in this post is very loose.