Robin Lace

I am in between things and the holidays have interrupted my schedule. I  am suffering from studio withdrawal and can hardly wait to get back to my new series…. So, today I thought I would share another drawing that I did recently for the Miniature show at Centre d’Arts Visuels. This is one of the four I have completed in the series called “Robin Lace”. It is called "Closeup". This fall I was doing the usual clean up before winter set in and as I removed one robin nest from under the balcony it crumbled in my hands. Evidently it had been from the previous year. I was about to throw the other one into the bag when I noticed the intricate design a line of blue polyester made among the branches and the mud. It reminded me of lace. With that in mind I searched through my box of lace and set up a still life. As always, the negative space was the part that intrigued me. I had learned long ago in order to paint or draw a believable bit of lace I had to concentrate on the negative spaces and the different values those spaces created. I also knew it did not have to be perfect. I set up my tripod and screwed on my drawing/painting board that I use for ‘en plein air’ work, took out my pen and was soon lost in the mark making. Standing on cement in one spot too long hurts my feet. My husband suggested I place a piece of carpet at strategic points around my studio and that helped quite a bit. The other thing I did to reduce my discomfort was discard the shoes that had long since lost their support value. Still, after an hour and a half, my legs begin to complain. I stretch, have a cup of coffee, contemplate a different project and return to it in the afternoon or the next day. It is so much easier to draw with a little practice. I plan to continue….but first….