That's What He Said....Picasso

From My Sketchbook -- Ink and Watercolor

In his own words:

     "Unless your work gives you trouble, it is no good."

Postit Portrait

     "I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else."

Another Postit Portrait

     "I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."

Sketch of Albert and Some of His Wisdom

From My Sketchbook
Albert Einstein in Watercolor  Pencils,  Ink,  and Watercolors

I never knew much about Albert Einstein.  Just learned that he was a pacifist and, towards the end of his life, a vegetarian.  Here are a few thought-provoking quotes from him:  (I especially like the one about the fish!)
  

     "The world is in greater peril from those who tolerate or encourage evil than from 

     those who actually commit it."

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      "Everybody is a genius.  But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will 

      live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

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      "Creativity is intelligence having fun." 

                                
(Click image to enlarge.)

More Postit Portraits

Artist David Hockney on  3" x 3" Postit Note
Ink and Colored Pencils

Artist David Hockney on 3" x 3" Postit Note
Ink and Colored Markers

After hearing an interview with the artist David Hockney on NPR's Morning Edition recently, I decided to do a couple of sketches of him.  The Tate Britain just opened a 60-year retrospective of his works.  The show will later travel to the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.  ...You can listen to Susan Stamberg's  interview with Hockney at the NPR website.  And if you like paintings of swimming pools and people in or near them, be sure to check out Hockney's "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)".

The sketches below are unrelated, they're just what I felt like doing at the moment!

Trying New Supplies

"Thoughtful Man" - Ink and Watercolor Pencils  on Paper
6 1/4" x 9"

It's always fun to play with new art supplies.  Here are some images from my recent experimentation with watercolor pencils (above), Winsor & Newton watercolor markers (below), and Tombow water-based brush pens (also below). 

"Thoughtful Man in Blue" - Winsor & Newton  Watercolor Marker on Paper
6 1/4" x 9"

What was especially enjoyable about using this blue watercolor marker from Winsor & Newton was taking a paintbrush wet with plain water to wet the blue lines after the original drawing was done.  The wet brush allows for the creation of different shades of blue, thus making a very simple drawing more complex.  And the bit of uncertainty of the process, not knowing exactly how the blue marks will run and fade is quite fun!

"Untitled"
Tombow Water-based Brush Pens and Winsor & Newton Watercolor Marker on Post-It Note
3" x 3"

Click any image to enlarge.

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Note: As of today, "A Path with Paint" is moving to a new publishing schedule.  Instead of biweekly postings, posts will now be published as the art spirit moves me!

As always, I enjoy and appreciate your support.  Your comments are welcome. You may email me directly for purchases and commissions: janecobb123@gmail.com.

7 Days of Post-It Portraits

These were all done on 3" x 3" Post-it notes.  I used a combination of Micron pens and brushes, Staedtler watercolor pencils, and Prismacolor colored pencils.

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Please note: "A Path with Paint" will be on vacation next week and will not be published due to an art field trip.  Stay tuned for new posts beginning  Monday, February 6th!

Still Stealing After All These Years...

With Austin Kleon, author of "Steal Like an Artist" and  "Show Your Work!"
at BookPeople, Austin

Last Thursday night I attended a book reading at BookPeople with Manjula Martin, author of Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living.  Manjula's book is a compilation of interviews and essays from a number of successful contemporary writers who speak about the challenge of making it financially as a creative person.  Among those featured in the book and present at the evening event was Austin Kleon.  Austin and his books have been pivotal in my efforts as an artist, so it was a treat to get to meet him and hear him talk about his path to creative and financial success.  In particular, I found his book Steal Like an Artist an exciting springboard to creativity.  Highly readable, it is filled with permission to copy or steal from other artists in order to learn one's craft.

"Austin Kleon" - Post-It Note Portrait in Ink and Color Pencils

Kleon makes a distinction between what he calls stealing or copying vs. plagiarism -- trying to pass someone else's work off as your own.

As he describes it, copying is intended to be a learning process: 

"Nobody is born with a style or a voice.  We don't come out of the womb knowing who we are.  In the beginning, we learn by pretending to be our heroes."

In my own experience, that has certainly been true.  When I encounter a painting or collage that takes my breath away, I often have an immediate, almost visceral reaction of "I want to do that!"  And so I try to paint like all my heroes.  It's actually a fun process that can lead to a sense of accomplishment and even connection with the artist I'm trying to emulate.  For me the list of my art heroes is endless -- Jane Davies, Chuck Close, Henri Matisse, Eric Fischl, Danny Gregory, Koosje Koene, Laurie Breen, Georgia O'Keeffe, Sabine Wisman, R. Crumb, and Tommy Kane -- to name just a few.  Sometimes I attempt to copy them, other times I just look in awe and delight.

I couldn't find my copy of Show Your Work!  I must have lent it to someone.  Anyway, you can find out more about it if you click on the link.  It's well worth reading!

Sketching and Reflecting

"Coretta Scott King" - Ink and Watercolor Brush Pens on 3" x 3"  Post-it Note

As I continue to sketch a post-it portrait everyday, here is one I did of Corretta Scott King.
And below is a quote from her worthy of thought and reflection:

      "Hate is too great a burden to bear.  It injures the hater more than it injures the hated."