The old barn, and getting back on the bike.

Posted on by Erik R Davis

Well, I was able to find, make, some time for art this weekend. I made several pencil drawings and few pen and ink sketches. I pretty happy with this one. I really like the junk pile I was able to capture in the lean-to. I thought the trees in the background – the horizon line – would give this some added interest, but I don’t think they really added anything to the over-all drawing. I kinda feel the same about the grass in the foreground. It seemed like a good idea, but once I added it in, I realized it really didn’t add anything. I didn’t want the barn to be just floating on the paper, but my choice of anchors weren’t the best. It’s all good though.

It’s kinda funny, getting back on the bike is pretty easy, but knowing what direction to go seems to be the big struggle for me right now. I’m kinda sitting at the end of the driveway wanting to take off and pedal, but I can’t go anywhere because I’m so unsure where to head. So I just sit there and think about how fun it would be to go for that ride.

I picked-up two new art books this week with the hopes of getting inspired to head in any direction I could. The one book was about keeping an art journal. I really thought that would help push me to move, but I just keep reading it and thinking how much I would enjoy drawing! HAHAHA! It’s really kinda comical.

Anyway…I think this is the time to push-off or park that bike. I ‘d really prefer to push-off and go like a crazy man, so here’s to one crazy bike ride…I think…

Erik

Time to grab the pencils!

Posted on by Erik R Davis

OK, so it’s been almost a year since I’ve held a pencil. I wasn’t sure if it was the same as riding a bike. But, it really is. And I gotta say, I see more pencils in my future!

I started this little Chickadee last year. I never really finished the fence rail or the foliage around the fence rail. I figured this would be a good subject to get the juices flowing again. I’m so glad I did this.

I’m planning on spending so much-needed quality time with the pencils and pens this weekend. I’m not sure what I’ll draw, I may go back to the days of art school and just randomly pick something in the room and say, “there it is, now draw it!”

I’ll post any creations I can come up with.

Thanks for stopping by…Erik

Lots of flower boxes!

Posted on by Erik R Davis

Well, I haven’t picked up a pencil or paintbrush this summer, but the flower box business is sure keeping me busy! I’ve had several sales thanks to Etsy, and I just completed a wholesale order for my new friends at Green Nest. They were nice enough to send me a picture of the display. Please stop by their Facebook page have a look around!

I still have plenty of plates left for those that want a true one-of-a-kind planter!

Take care everyone…Erik

Free Art Tuesday is coming!

Posted on by Erik R Davis

Free Art Tuesday is coming!

On random Tuesdays I’ll be giving away free art. It’s pretty easy to get in on the action. Just go to my facebook page {click here!} and “like” it! Then, all you have to do is be the first person to leave a comment when I post free art and the art is yours! Once the first comment has been left I’ll contact the lucky winner to get the snail mail address and free art will be on its way. Please don’t post your address in the comments though!If you like what you see and think your family or friends would enjoy some free art, please feel free to spread the word!

I won’t sell or publish any addresses that are given to me. It’s truly just to get  my art out to the public!

Good luck to all who participate!

Kidney Foundation of Northwest Ohio

Posted on by Erik R Davis

It’s that time of year again for the Kidney Foundation of Northwest Ohio to host their annual Wine Affair. The reason I like to donate art each year to this wonderful event is because the funds raised stay here in Northwest Ohio.

Wine Affair / November 19th, 2010 / 6:30pm / Parkway Place, Maumee

The Kidney Foundation of Northwest Ohio will be hosting a Wine Affair: A Vintage to Remember ~ celebrating 19 years. Tickets are $90/person until October 31st and $100/person beginning November 1st. A table of 10 can be purchased for $800. There will be wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres, and a silent and live auction.

This year, the artwork I am donating is Tater’s Tree Farm. When the artwork is auctioned it will be framed with acid free matboards and protected under Conservation Glass. I hope this year’s donation finds its way into a home where it bring a smile to all who can enjoy it!

I wish the Kidney Foundation of Northwest Ohio great success this year!

Time for some high contrast photography.

Posted on by Erik R Davis

It’s time for a change of pace here. I’ve been taking my camera with me everywhere for the last week, looking for that perfect fall tree or landscape shot. Unfortunately it’s either been too windy or too sunny for photos. But when I saw this I knew this is what I needed to break the photo-monotony I’ve been feeling.

This is the inside of an old rotted Chevy truck. It’s missing the seat, which left plenty of room for the spiders to move in. I shot this around lunchtime and the sun was coming in the back window of the truck. I didn’t use a fill flash or reflector, and the shot was focused and metered on the pedal. I was using my telephoto lens, without my tripod, big mistake. I need to get this shot again using the tripod to avoid the slight lens shake I had. I also didn’t make any digital adjustments other than a slight cropping. Now, I’m sure there are photographers looking at this thinking I should have used some fill light. But I love the strong contrast of the deep shadows and bright highlights.

When I took this picture I realized that artists and photographers are supposed to follow a different set of rules when it comes to highlights and shadows. Photographers work hard to avoid a lot of bright highlights and deep shadows, while artists who draw or paint work hard to keep a lot of contrast between the highlights and shadows. A still life of a single flower comes to mind as an example. To photograph the bloom you would want to get as much even flat lighting as possible. Yet to paint that same bloom the painter would keep some of the white paper and pour deep color into the shadows.

So with this in mind I’ve given myself a challenge. Instead of looking for evenly lit subjects and overcast days for taking pictures, I’m going to look for subjects with strong contrast. Now I know this won’t be an easy task to pull off. Some subject matter just won’t work, but I think this will force me to look at everything differently. Maybe even force me to be more creative!

I’ll post more images of my little challenge as I take them!

Art TAG continues!

Posted on by Erik R Davis

Thank you Beth for the Happy Squirrel! That’s what we’ve been calling him.

So the game of Art TAG continues! It was started by Ryan, here’s his wonderful site – http://asmalltowndad.wordpress.com/. It was then passed to Beth, this is the link to her great site - http://bethparkerart.wordpress.com/.

And now it’s my turn to be “it”! As the rules state – if you want to be it next, send me your snail mail address. When you receive my artwork, you post it, then pass along a piece of your art to someone else! Make sure you use the Contact Me link to send your address! Don’t post it here! The first address I receive will get a bit of my art! Lets keep this going! Who’s next?

Erik

Maple leaf for mom

Posted on by Erik R Davis

Here is my latest dip in the old creative pond. This little painting is for a birthday card I’m making for my Mom.

This is a break from my usual pen and ink method, but I really wanted to capture the organic look of the maple leaf. I was afraid if I used the pen I would get too caught-up in the line work and start to drift from the flowing colors I was going for.

I used a wet-in-wet technique for most of the painting. I painted a yellow wash on the entire leaf then started building colors on top of that. I had a few “blooms” where the paper started to dry out, so I just went back with a little more color and washed it out. While the paper was still damp I grabbed my drawing pencil and added the veins. I was able to get the nice delicate lines without really transferring any of the pencil lead to the paper. I then painted over those lines with a few more colors and the paint just flowed into the veins perfectly. Once everything was dry I added a little shadow to the background so the leaf didn’t look too flat. Looking at the painting now I know I could have worked a little longer on the shadows, but I was more concerned with the bright colors and the contrast of colors in the leaf itself. And of course I had to finish it off with a little splatter!

I’m pretty happy with the way the colors came out on this painting.

To finish the card I’ll glue this to ivory card-stock, then I’ll grab a pen and add a thin outline to the card around the watercolor.

I keep trying to work large and create bigger paintings, but I always seem to get lost in them when I do. I’m not sure if it’s a time issue, or lack of wall space. Either way I keep coming back to the pen and ink and these smaller watercolors. I keep thinking I should try Artist Trading Cards, but there are so many groups to choose from, how do you decide?

Any ways…I’m done rambling for now. Thanks for taking the time – Erik

If I had a shed…

Posted on by Erik R Davis

 

For some reason I have an obsession with garden sheds.  I don’t know why, and I’m not real sure when it started.  I remember when I was a rather young tot I always wanted to explore the various sheds and buildings on my Grandparent’s farm.  I still remember the musty earthy/woody smell the sheds had.  They were always full of great things a ten-year old could hurt himself, or others with!  Anyways, when the old creative juices seem to be getting a little dry the old sheds always get things going again.

I was trying to capture the bright colors of the season with this painting, I think it worked, I’m happy with it.  There is something special about fall.  The colors are more vibrant, the breeze is crisp, you can smell a change in the air.  Soon we’ll have the smell of apples filling our kitchen while we listen to dried leaves blow around the yard.  I’ll keep looking at this shed and filling it with all kinds of great things, maybe even a table to paint on!

Happy fall everyone – Erik

Finally, some artwork!

Posted on by Erik R Davis

It seems like forever since I sat down with a pencil and some paper, but I finally did.  It’s true, if you haven’t held a pencil or pen for a while you can lose your touch.  I remember a time when drawings and paintings would just pour out of me, but it’s been a real struggle lately.  I find myself sitting and staring at the paper as if I were waiting for it to tell me what to draw.  But it never does.  After a few attempts I was able to get the juices flowing again.  It’s funny, once I started it was easy to move on to the next one.

The first attempts were a bit of a struggle, nothing too elaborate, just some small sketches.  I think I need to open the watercolors next and splash some paint on the paper.  Little by little the art-block seems to be going away.  I think I need to keep pushing myself though, otherwise I may end up just getting lazy again!

 

Pumpkins in Pencil

 

 

Pen and Ink Pumpkins

 

 

Colored Pencil Pumpkin

 

Since autumn is my favorite season I thought drawing some pumpkins would get me in the mood.  I love the colors of autumn, the smell in the air, and the way everything sounds different.

I drew three different versions of the pumpkins to get comfortable with the pencils and pen.  I do feel more comfortable working in pen, the line weight is consistent, and I can get the tight line work.  Pencil has always been a struggle for me, I feel I have less control of the line because it’s always changing as you draw.  I do like the challenge of pencil though.  I guess that’s why I need to push myself more to use it!

 

Chickadee in Pencil

 

For the chickadee, I wasn’t concerned about the background or the post he was perched on.  I just wanted to get the basic shape and shading down.  This was more of a study then a finished piece, but I think it’ll serve as a good start for a future drawing or painting.

Well, that’s all the rambling for now, I guess it’s time to stop talking and start drawing!

Take care – Erik