2/18/11

Orchid

Orchid 
Sketched in pen and Prismacolor colored pencil on Strathmore 400 Drawing Paper in my hand bound sketchbook.

Yesterday one of my students brought me a BEAUTIFUL orchid!!!  We had fun painting it in class, and last night I did this contour drawing.  You can see the patch on the right side of the drawing where I glued a piece of drawing paper over a botched try at that blossom.   I've had people ask if it's okay  (ethical) to patch, cut out, rip out, whatever, something you don't like in your sketchbook.  Yeah, of course.  Unlike life, you don't have to live with your mistakes in your art world.

I have been terribly unmotivated lately.  I have tried to turn this unproductive time into something positive, so I have been going through old sketchbooks, scraps of painting demos, and lesson plans written on pieces of paper here and there.  Organizing and sorting  gets me geared up for the next round of painting and upcoming classes and workshops.

Life is not maintenance free, and sometimes I have to look back at what I have done in order to figure out what I need to do  -  or want to do.  But what I want to do today is sketch that orchid some more. 

7 comments:

Cynthia Schelzig said...

What a lovely sketch of these orchids.

Mary Lou Peters said...

Your "unproductive" time sounds very productive to me. Call it research and redirecting for future projects. Love your orchid!

Diana said...

Oh I love orchids and this sketch is wonderful!! So beautiful! So glad you get to enjoy more orchid sketching today! Diana

annie said...

So lovely, Catherine.

2-20- I do hope that this storm coming in west of you is not also burying you in Michigan.

annie

Catherine said...

Thanks Cynthia. I've never had an orchid like this - it's fun to sketch, lovely to look at.

Mary Lou - thanks. You've made me see my unproductive time a little more positively.

Thanks Diana - it's fun to get acquainted with new (to me) flowers :)

Annie, thanks. At the moment, we have very little snow on the ground and none in the air. We could use a little "whitening up", but that's all. However, now I notice that the wind is coming from the east, which often means "something" is coming.

Marj said...

It did...it dumped 10" on us (downstate-SE Mich). It really freshened things up! But I had to dig out the birdfeeders this a.m. Your orchid drawing is gorgeous!

Sand Hill Art said...

The paper patch: super idea. My journal will be filled with them!