The Clod and the Pebble

"The Clod and the Pebble" 18x24 Soft Pastel
The inspirations for this piece:

The Clod and the Pebble
by William Blake

"Love seeketh not itself to please,
Nor for itself hath any care,
But for another gives its ease,
And builds a heaven in hell's despair."

So sung a little Clod of Clay,
trodden with the cattle's feet,
But a Pebble of the brook
Warbled out these metres meet:

"Love seeketh only self to please,
to bind another to its delight,
Joys in another's loss of ease,
And builds a hell in heaven's despite."

Ecclesiastes 3:18 "I said in my heart with regard to human beings that God is testing them to show that they are but animals."

Time to Soak

Wading, 4x6 Soft Pastel

So, I haven't been so daily lately. I feel like this cow. Lazy, moving slowly, wading in the water. Ah, Spring! It makes me comatose. And I have so very much to do: the last week of preschool, new pastel classes and a workshop to teach at Forstall Art Center, art lessons at home, art shows, drop offs and pick ups and receptions, not to mention family matters that are ever present and ever moving. But I just want to close my eyes and sit; in fact, I'm having a hard time keeping them open. At the moment I am choosing to ramble on instead of get down to the newsletters and printing and drawing I have on my to do list. But, like my little cow, sometimes you just have to take a minute and soak.

Spring Farm

Spring Farm, 12x16 Soft Pastel

I was happy about the vibrance in this piece, which came unexpectedly. I also got to use one of my favorite, but not often used, techniques to get the yellow specks in the grass. My parents took the photo of the mule on one of their trips and I was glad to finally find him a home.

Screech Owl

Screech Owl, 5x7 Soft Pastel
This owl reminded me of those wooden carvings I remember from my childhood...I don't even know where I have seen them, but they are in my memory. I gave him a glow in the night, with a midnight blue behind him, using complimentary colors to enhance his presence.