December 13, 2008 | Filed Under sketchbook, wanderings | by Sarah Blank | 11 Comments
While I have been away….
Dreaming of wintery things and taking long solitary walks through icy fields and woods.
Dreaming of ancestors and lace, ice and wildflowers, little gardens that withstand the snow and cold, honeybees and the sea…and art (this is where I tie it all together!)
And it’s not even winter yet! The iciness is lush to me, lusher than the greenest well-kept garden. And I love the color grey so winter and I along just fine. Today:
It was too cold to walk and daydream at the same time today, which broke my heart. I thrive off of long walks and daydreams.
A section of a delicate embroidery wall hanging that I found last week. I can imagine this the Queen Anne’s Lace is covered in icy and frost. A frozen field of wildflower remains.
Like this…
An abandoned nest covered in snow in a wild rose bush. I came home the other day with bloody hands from taking these photos. The thorns tear right through the mittens and destroy anything wool!
Personal imagery from the sketchbook. Been working with these particular images for some time now so we’ll see where they go. I normally don’t feel comfortable posting images from my sketchbooks/ journals but I think it’s important to show parts of the source, the process, the innerworkings…
March 1, 2008 | Filed Under etsy, sketch, sketchbook, tea, vintage | by Sarah Blank | 19 Comments
Where did the week go? And someone tells me its March already… spring will soon be here! I am so awaiting the sweet colors of spring and sitting out in the grass. Anywho, lots of inspiration and sketching here. I have been collecting pictures of flapper-ish women, muses and models for paint and sketching maybe. This one I had for years. I found her in a cigar box in an antique shop (I have another photo of here too, in a differernt pose!) She had a very, very sad life the past couple of years though. You see, she went missing, but the good news is that she was found last week. I was cleaning out my wooden box with drawers, and she was wedged between the underside of the bottom of the drawer and the dresser. She was all folded up, like an accordian, which damaged the photo and made me very, very sad.
To make me feel better I bought this gem of a little photo on Etsy, just look at these sisters! The photo came in a set which included a boy but I threw him into my scrap box, as I really don’t care about photos of boys that much. But these two sisters..I am definitely going to use them in my painted imagery.
They fulfilled my criteria for the photos I collect.. post victorian (preferable 20′s and 30′s)…soft waves in short, shiny hair, slightly out of place and frizzy…a certain facial expression that I can’t quite put my finger on, and oh the sepia…
A very cold windowsill this morning, strange little bird family, icy outside
Oh my and I bought the most pretty golden teacup earrings, at the thrift shop of all places!
They have these little saucers and even little golden spoons! And my hair always tangles all around them.
My friend bought me this pretty mug yesterday during out treasure hunt.
and the other side, sewing machines!
hehe for pure fun and whimsy… a love of tangled hair in strange places…
Which leads me to share a new love for wooden hair sticks! I bought these from Etsy and they are in need of beaded ends, which I will add. I looooove hairsticks (and my hair loves them too, they are really gentle on the strands!)
Been filling the pages of my journals with sepia tones watercolor sketches, which helps so much with underpainting and its a good reference source too. Creating a visual log of my own personal imagery for more narrative pieces in the future.
I am SO inspired by this painting by John Everett Millais:
Isn’t she a dream? She’s been a springboard for some new ideas. More sketches and other things to come!
January 10, 2008 | Filed Under sketchbook, Uncategorized | by Sarah Blank | 4 Comments
Tried painting with a feather today. Fingerpainting is much more fun.
Just two little playground pieces. I am most happy painting tight details but these loose concept sketches and assemblages sometimes get the create juices flowing. I usually keep them to myself but why not share once in awhile?
January 9, 2008 | Filed Under sketchbook | by Sarah Blank | 8 Comments
just two, fragments of yesterday’s sketchbook, stitching, sketching, whitewashing, cutting.
