DRAWING THE CURTAIN

Roses in Lace

Drawing the Curtain?  What does it mean?  Close the curtain on a chapter of your life, a memory?  Open the curtain to a new sunny day, a new beginning, a new perspective?

Years ago in art class, we penciled, crayoned, charcoaled, and painted "drapery studies."  What value does this have if any?  We painted draped sheets, clothes, patterns in colors and blacks and whites.  We learned about the grey scale and how to paint and define shadows?  What?  I learned about sharp edges and soft, about thick and thin, about solids, transparents, and translucent effects.  I learned against my will.

I love lace curtains.  I love them from ages past.  I remember my mom stretched newly washed sheer curtains on stretcher boards to dry before hanging again.  I stayed away from stretcher boards because I might easily prick my fingers on the needle sharp projections. 

Mrs. Harris, the cat, studies shadows and light.

*Pretty Lace with Green Plant

I love patterned lace, some with wheels, or rosettes embedded into the designs.  Drapery study techniques are useful in this painting

Curtains of Light

One midmorning, lavender light came in through the window.  The sheer white curtains, tinged with a blend of red and blue light rays, blended into a stunning hue in the spring sunlight.  Patterns shifted and vibrated, almost like mountains and water and rays of light.

Use the sky as your blank paper....

Related Posts:
* Absolute Magic, painting Colby Jack, the kitten

Resources:
Art: Nickolaides, the Natural Way to Draw, drapery, gesture, outline and more 

Music: Simon and Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park and The Best of Simon and Garfunkel, provide a peaceful backdrop with Sounds of Silence and Scarborough Fair (with and without canticle).

Dahlis Roy:  Visionary Artist Author and Tai Chi Instructor

Images by Dahlis:
Roses in Lace, photo
Shadows and Light, photo
*Pretty Lace with Green Plant, detail of lace from Colby Jack's kitten oil portrait
Curtains of Light, lavender light through sheer white curtains

TOGETHER AND ALONE

* Neon Wolf


Sifting through Archives, I pull out a paper.  On it is a poem written by a friend.  I read the message and marvel at the words and rhythm of the moment. 

* Wolf I am

Wolf I run

Peaceful and Serene

Wolf I am

Wolf I rest

Quiet and Serene

Wolf I run

Surrounded by Friends

Pack mates all

Howling at the moon

Wolves we are

Together and Serene

Wolves we are

Moonlight Above

Running together

Wolves we are

Peaceful and Serene

Together and Alone

I got a picture in my mind.  I hunted it down.  Here it is~

             Kerry and Black Wolf

It turned "pink?"

Wait a minute....The black and white painting is not tinted pink~  Kerry looks his usual black and tan.  I'll leave it as "pink" or other color or colors your device may pick up.  Go Figure.

The above painting is a remake of the one below, the original watercolor dream, painted from a different angle.  Will the wolf cross the pond?  Is it frozen?  Is it solid?  His coat is shaggy with snow.  His slanted eyes show deep intent.  Spring  snow?  It is still present in some areas of the USA mountains.

Who is Black Wolf? 

Originally Black Wolf was an image that came to me years ago. I had a dream vision of a black lone wolf coming to a frozen pond.  I sketched a watercolor.  Crossing or Not?    

               Thin Ice


** Meanwhile I saw a video called the Rise of Black Wolf, a wolf like no other, a wolf who broke all the rules, from National Geographic Wild.
Eventually I painted a portrait picture of Black Wolf, surrounded by blue and green.  Later a friend took Black Wolf home.

                    Courage

Who is Kerry?
Kerry is one of my three German Shepherd dog plastic sculptures from ***Breyer, sold as portraits of Roy Rodger's dog Bullet from the TV series, for kids who liked animals.  Naturally I named all the dogs and marked all them differently.  Each had his name and personality.  Kerry is the dark coated one.  Kerry is more playful than Jerry, his sire.  I also still have Prince, Jerry's lion-like brother.

I loved pencil sketching endless drawings of the dog models, teaching me how to draw and how to shade the muscular bodies and practice fetching expressions.  Collies had lots of coat, covering their structure.  It was easier to learn from a shorter coated dog model.

Kerry and the Wolf Shadow

Kerry remembers his timeline....



Key Word, blogger search:   Wolf

Related Posts: Background for this story
Thin Ice, crossing the pond?
Kerry and the Wolf Shadow
Courage, Journey of Black Wolf
Creative Energy, guest blogger Francesca

Resources:
* Neon Wolf, painting and original Wolf Poem (copyright 2006) by Francesca, photo by Francesca

**Rise of Black Wolf, National Geographic Wild, "a wolf like no other."

*** Breyer, models of many breeds of horses, dogs, and more

Dahlis Roy:  Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor

Images:
Neon Wolf painting of Shadrach by Francesca, photo by Francesca.  Photo displayed with permission.

Thin Ice, water color sketch by Dahlis

Courage, oil painting by Dahlis.  Look above the head of the wolf, there is an unexpected spirit wolf appearing there along with an aura around Black Wolf. 

Kerry and the Wolf Shadow, photo by Dahlis