Always ready to bring my inner child out to play, today I grabbed my box of crayons. With my sketch book in hand, I played the game of loop the loop with every color in my box. What better way to bring in the weekend than coloring outside the bird. Enjoy.
This was unexpected. Back on Day 302, my granite bird was a chalk drawing on the back of a big slab of granite. Well, yesterday, I laid that granite bird down on the black sofa in our garage “upside down”, by mistake. Then realizing what I had done, I quickly picked it up off the sofa, only to discover the chalk had imprinted the sofa. And I actually liked it more than the granite bird. As I like to say, a little bit of chaos – encourages creativity. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Here is a piece of scrap wood from the art studio that had been used as a tool or support for a number of random art projects. As a result it ended up having what I like to describe as textural character. And that inspired today’s Bird-A-Day art. So I took out my box of pastels and quickly dashed away here and there until I had a bird. Enjoy.
After having fun with yesterday’s book spine bird, I found inspiration on my book shelves. Three books which have absolutely nothing in common, became a challenging surface for my paints. These books can now be found in the nature section, under the heading “Bird-A-Day art”. Enjoy.
Now less than 50 days left in my 2012 new years resolution. With less than two months on the calendar, I am feeling pretty confident about making my personal pledge of creating a Bird-A-Day in 2012. Today’s bird was inspired by a library book my sweetie was reading yesterday. I picked a book from my personal collection as the canvas for today’s Bird-A-Day art. The spine makes a nice landing spot for this cactus bird. Enjoy.
Sometimes you have to improvise. You never know when inspiration will strike. It might happen when you find yourself with no art materials to express yourself. When I came across this handsome, rugged rock, it inspired me to draw, but I didn’t have any chalk or paints on me. So I went MacGyver and used a soft white rock laying on the ground as my medium to draw today’s Bird-A-Day art. Enjoy.
Last night, my sweetie and I watched the latest Denzel Washington movie, FLIGHT. Denzel is remarkable in his role as pilot of the doomed airplane in a movie that is not easy to watch. The over-riding theme of the film is the pilot’s addiction. And the ending comes with a rather ironic twist. Today’s Bird-A-Day art was created from found broken glass. A symbol of the broken life of pilot Whip Whitaker. Overall, I give FLIGHT, three tail feathers out of six.
This was a complete accident. I dumped out shavings from a pencil sharpener and a bit of broken lead landed here and there. When I used my hand to clear away the shavings, bits of lead started making scratch like marks on the paper. Those slight scratches inspired today’s Bird-A-Day art. Enjoy.
I really like a wire brush that I bought at the hardware store. This brush can scrub away the dirt from nearly any surface, including concrete. Not that you would ever want to scrub-clean old concrete. But I could – if I wanted too – and that’s pretty cool. Enjoy.
Back by popular demand, (by my sweetie,) I have revisited a favorite small alternative canvas. This BEHR paint chip from Home Depot made for an interesting sketch pad. Today’s Bird-A-Day art was happy to find some strong lines to land on. Enjoy.
Today’s Bird-A-Day art represents a fond memory of mine. I remember so clearly, sitting across the kitchen table from my mom at her house in Sun Valley, Arizona. Even in her mid-seventies, she was excited as a kid, staring out the large bay window, to catch a glimpse of her backyard guests. In the heat of the Arizona sun, we watched as dozens of baby Quail shuffled across her gravel yard, from one shady spot to another. Appearing suddenly out of the blue, like a flash mob. Performing for a free meal and disappearing just as quickly into the shady line of Oleanders.
Yesterday I stopped by the hardware store for some Drano, yuk, and found a bag of wood shims. I never knew they sold shims in bulk. This is one of those little secrets of the handy man, to get that door jam, appliance or cabinet perfectly level. And it comes in handy for creating today’s Bird-A-Day art. Enjoy.
Saturday, I took my Mazda in for its regular maintenance. Knowing that I would be sitting in a lovely customer lounge next to truck tires, floor mats and car fresheners (piña colada fragrance) I decided to take along my sketch pad. Today’s Bird-A-Day art helped me pass the time, one dot at a time. Enjoy.
Last night after getting home, I was walking to our garage when I looked down and found a surprise. The wind had blown leaves into one corner of our driveway. There at my feet, nestled in the corner was a familiar shape. I could not have planned it any better. I guess this means the season for leaf raking has officially begun. Enjoy.
Let the trick or treating begin! One of the first traditions my sweetie and I made together as a couple, was handing out candy to kids on Halloween. Every year, we sit on our front porch and greet throngs of kids, dressed in the most adorable and creative costumes. I remember one very young super hero, with padded muscles around his chest and arms. I told him he looked really strong. He turned around, looked sadly at me and said, “there not my muscles. It’s just a costume”. Kids. They are so wonderful. Enjoy.
Another scary day closer to Halloween on this eve of trick or treating. And what can be more eerie than spiders. One should never trust anyone who says they are not scared of spiders. Those little crawlers give me the creeps. Luckily for me, I was able to trick all these spiders into creating today’s Bird-A-Day art without getting bit. Hmm, strange, there’s something moving in … in my hair….. Oh nooo…
It is Halloween week, a time for many long-held traditions. Great traditions like pumpkin carving and debating whether pumpkins are fruits or vegetables. That time of the year to let your skeletons out of the closet. Leave the cobwebs up in the corners. And start to stock pile miniature sized versions of your favorite candies like they were survival food before the fiscal cliff brings our economy to a screeching, scary halt. Truth be told, it’s one of my favorite holidays. Mostly because it lets me stock up on sweets. For the kids. Enjoy.
Always looking for unusual drawing surfaces, this might be the most expensive. On the back side of this large piece of granite, I discovered a toothy, rough canvas like surface. The downside to using granite for canvas, if you happen to let it slip out of your hands, like me, you will walk like injured Cowboy Linebacker Sean Lee. Ouch. Enjoy.
Arrrrrrrrg. We had a fun time last night at our first Halloween Costume Party of the year. Our friend Jennifer Henderson (J.O.) knows how to throw a party. They transformed their offices into a hall of tricks and treats. My sweetie would have turned Captain Jack Sparrow, (hmmm Sparrow) into a fan with her pirates costume. Afterwards, I was inspired to use her Pirate bandanna for today’s Bird-A-Day Arrrrrrrrrrt. Enjoy.
Today marks a milestone for my blog. This is now day 300 of my 365 day art blog project. It feels like I have finally made it onto the green of my personal challenge. Today’s Bird-A-Day art was inspired after a meeting yesterday in the room we call “Under Pressure.” There were two golf putters leaning against the wall, just begging to become the legs of some exotic, rare white board bird. Enjoy.
I felt rather guilty about yesterday’s Dust Bird, and felt compelled to do some cleaning. So it was quite by accident that when I sprinkled some Ajax Cleaner on this cabinet top to scrub it clean, that I found today’s Bird-A-Day art. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Enjoy.
It’s down right startling how much dust can collect on something over time. The lesson here kids – always keep moving. This piece of furniture is stored in our garage, waiting for our next big garage sale. As the afternoon light came streaming into the garage, I saw the dust and thought, “wow, I need to clean that sofa”. No, actually I didn’t think that at all. And I know that’s wrong. Instead I thought, hey there’s a good spot for today’s Bird-A-Day art. Enjoy.
The crunching sound was a familiar one. The winds have blown so many pecans down onto our yard and driveway of late that it’s almost impossible to not step on one. But this time, I actually looked down and was glad that I did. Today’s Bird-A-Day art will never make its way into a pecan pie, but it’s still pretty sweet. Enjoy.
Closing in on the big 300 this week. Today is day 296 of my year-long art project. I made a new years resolution in January of 2012 to create a new piece of art every single day this year. A one-of-a-kind personal challenge, every artist should try once. Today’s Bird-A-Day art was inspired by an inner tube we had bought as an art prop for my sweetheart. It has been in the art studio for a while now and it just hit me, what if I create birds circling the inner tube. And what would happen if I were to spin that tire? Would it look like my bird was flying? Check out my new video on my YouTube channel to find out.
DOh! Appears it was user error. I have changed the video settings to public.
Enjoy:
After watching some great college football on Saturday, I am looking forward to watching some NFL football today. Our TCU Hornfrogs almost pulled off a miracle win yesterday, but lost in a third overtime. Today’s Bird-A-Day art marks the drama and joy of football season. Amazing how they will sell field spray to anyone. Enjoy.
You could say I was playing around – with today’s Bird-A-Day art. My inspiration came from one of my favorite games, Monopoly. On second thought, it’s not really one of my favorites, since I have yet to win a single game of Monopoly – ever! And that’s a long time. But like a glass-half fool optimist, I just keep thinking – this time. This time I will win. Not. Why do I suddenly feel like Charlie Brown. Enjoy.
As a professional graphic designer, I know that coated papers are not very friendly to write on with a pen. That’s why stationery is always printed on uncoated paper. But what I liked in this exploration was the very effect that I try so hard to avoid – as a graphic designer. This blue paint chip is coated, and so while I was drawing, my pen lines slowly dissolved right before my eyes. Even though I just finished the drawing, the paper gives my Bird-A-Day art a unique aged quality. Fun. Enjoy.
Last night after work, I visited my sweetie’s MFA studio at TCU. Her latest series, easily the best work she has ever done. Which is saying a lot. Before leaving, I was inspired by the colorful top of one metal cabinet, covered by many years of random paint daubs by art students. A sort of collective performance art piece. Well, I just couldn’t resist. Enjoy.
This was a fun exercise. The idea was to put my pen down to start a line and then draw with a single, continuous line – without ever lifting my pen. If you look close you’ll see my pen started at the bird’s-eye and ended at the top of the leg. Not as easy as it looks. This took me a number of failed attempts of twisted, lifeless illustrations before I landed on today’s Bird-A-Day art. Enjoy.
Glidden has hundreds of paint colors to personalize your nest. Ironically, it turns out they offer a paint color called “Clear Blue Sky”. And we know what really likes clear blue skies. I couldn’t let this chip slip by me. So I – painted the paint chip. Enjoy.
This weekend I wanted to get some fresh air and exercise so I went down to the Trinity River. Inspiration for today’s Bird-A-Day art came from seeing some rocks in the shallow areas of the river, near the shoreline. And I certainly got some exercise. It took me a while to move these large white rocks into the river to create today’s waterfowl. If you don’t see it at first, look near the shoreline at the lower part of the photograph. I took this picture at the top of the hill, about 25 yards away. This bird will be perched along the shoreline for a long time. Enjoy.
Inspiration for today’s Bird-A-Day art came right out of the blue. More specifically, it hit me on top of my head in our backyard. Pecans were raining down on me, thanks to strong winds shaking our Pecan tree like a rag doll. Until today, I had not noticed that our backyard was literally blanketed with pecans. Our dog Maddie had given me little hints but I had failed to notice. The last couple weeks, she had turned into a Nutcracker, leaving pecan shells scattered on the back porch. It’s only now, I realize she has been living it up, walking around in her own All-You-Can-Eat pecan buffet. Enjoy.
Saturday breakfast is served. Today I scrambled two eggs – or should I say, sculptured with scramble eggs. No doubt there is an artist somewhere in the world, this very weekend, preparing for an art show with original egg art, but for me this was new. And more importantly, it was very tasty. Especially with a side of Joe T. Garcia Salsa. Enjoy.
I had some left over carpet padding from an earlier experiment and wanted to try something else. I love the colors and subtle pattern of what is the backing of carpet padding from my local Home Depot. I guess that makes this a DIY Bird-A-Day art. enjoy.
From hard, cold steel to soft cotton balls. That’s just how I like to roll. On a trip to the medicine cabinet I came across a big bag of cotton balls. It’s amazing how many years a bag of cotton balls can last. Almost as long as a big box of Q-tips. Enjoy.
Revisiting rusting steel but with a new twist. This time around I just left the steel out in the rain and weather long enough to get a good coating of mother nature. Then, taking very shiny, enamel paint I brushed over the steel allowing only my Bird-A-Day art – to hum. Enjoy.
Last week on our vacation, we visited an interesting arts flea market. My sweetie found some beautiful stones she used to make a one of a kind necklace. And just before leaving the market, I came across this bright assortment of colorful small stones that inspired today’s Bird-A-Day art. Enjoy.
Always cleaning, that’s me. Not. Yesterday, I went with my sweetheart to pick up some new panels from her MFA studio. And while wandering around the classroom, I accidentally got some paint on me. Paint is attracted to me like metal to a magnet. Paint can find my clothes from 100 yards away. It’s a gift really. So while washing my hands in the class room sink I noticed the liquid soap spilled out into a favorite shape. Just having some clean fun. Enjoy.
Here is a game that has gone the way of the Dodo bird. As a kid, I remember my parents playing the game of dominoes. They tried to teach me once but it never stuck. Gaming in general, has never been one of my favorite past times. Today there is an APP – for playing dominoes. What’s that all about? If my dad was still alive today, I could imagine him staring at the phone – shaking his head. Enjoy.
Today was an experiment with a color theory. This particular theory says that saturated colors are brighter and more vivid, when next to muted, neutral colors. So I used my watercolors and painted with warm, pure hues next to a dark gray background. The theory works. As today’s Bird-A-Day art is brighter because of the surrounding neutral color background. Enjoy.
My first day back from vacation and inspiration strikes at work. Looking across the office, an explosion of magnetic words on this metal cabinet was calling out to me – spell bird! Thanks for indulging me Mr. Zumwalt. Enjoy.
Using left over things for art is a favorite habit of mine. Today, when I was about to trash a scratch board that was used as an experiment, the backside of it looked appealing to me. Funny, but the backside of the scratch board was a wonderful drawing surface. Enjoy.
Years of paint drips off the side of this metal cabinet in the art studio, inspired today’s Bird-A-Day art. The background for my chalk drawing created the look of a freeze-frame out of a video. And the soft edge of the chalk drawing after rubbing it with my fingers, added even more motion to this very still image. Enjoy.
When I was just a kid, grandma Edna, would often refer to me as a tumbleweed. Almost like a nickname. Mostly because I would roll through the kitchen leaving a mess behind. I’ve never heard anyone else use the word tumbleweed since childhood. So when I saw this broken off remnant from a tumbleweed, rolling across the highway it felt nostalgic. Right after I took this photo, a gust of wind came and it flew away. Enjoy.
On a scenic drive into the mountains yesterday, we came upon a spot called White Rock. While strolling along the top of these white rocks my sweetie spotted this little guy running out from under a boulder. Enjoy.
This is without question my favorite season. I love everything about Fall. The change of temperatures, the freshness of the air, that crispness of the breeze. Today while on a long walk, I came across this wonderful fall sight. Vivid yellow leaves collected among some flagstone rocks, creating today’s Bird-A-Day art. Enjoy.
Today’s Bird-A-Day art was inspired by a gorgeous Aspen tree. Looking at the dark markings on the bright white bark, it appeared to have a bird’s eye looking back at me. I took out my pastel stick and gave it some legs to stand on. I think it’s much happier now. Enjoy.
Whenever I walk anywhere, I am always searching the ground for birds. Which is ironic since birds tend to live high above the ground. But today’s Bird-A-Day art is a perfect example. I saw how a leaf had fallen and left its imprint on this driveway. Right away, it reminded me of an exotic bird. It just needed wings to get up off that ground. Enjoy.
