Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Life's been rather hectic for me this fall, and I haven't quite developed the habit (stamina, discipline) of making drawing a priority when life is busy. But this gourd helped me. When I saw this decorative gourd showing its age, I couldn't resist drawing it.

I flipped the gourd around and around, studied it from different angles, and finally settled on looking at it straight on from the bottom. The design reminded me of a fanciful sea creature more than a vegetable.

I'm grateful to this decaying gourd for luring me back to my colored pencils. The gourd is now in the garbage, but my pencils are arrayed right here next to my on my desk again.

23 comments:

  1. What a thing to find beauty in - and you do it spectacularly! Makes me grateful, too, Resi, and leaves me with the renewed resolve to go through this day with open eyes.

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  2. Thank you, Pippa. So nice to "see" you again!

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  3. I have missed your postings! How nice to see your return with such an amazing drawing, this is beautifully done!

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  4. You have been missed. This is a really nice drawing of a remarkable object. It really does look like it came from an ocean reef. I love it when you find something to inspire you to make art - it always translates well.

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  5. Oh, this is beautiful! Who knew a gourd, and a dying one at that, could be so wonderful. Exceptional drawing.

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  6. That's a great drawing! It does look like a starfish of some sort :) I love the colours!

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  7. Wonderful colors and shape. What a delightful experience for you and me. Good art.

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  8. Oh, now THAT'S fun! Abstracty, wonky and colorful!

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  9. aren't gourds wonderful subjects? You really caught this beautifully.

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  10. Like Chia, my first thought was something like a starfish. This is beautiful; I didn't know gourds could look like this. I'm so glad you're back!

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  11. This is great, not to be 'read' at a glance. What is it? A blossom? An ocean creature? A sculpture or ceramic piece? No, of course it's a gourd! Love it.

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  12. Hey Resi! Glad you found such a wonderful inspiration! Nice gourd, I like how you use colored pencils, don't put them away!

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  13. Missed you! Love the colors, textures and uniqueness of this one! So draw occasionally..your audience awaits.

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  14. I like your blog and think I'll subscribe.

    Thanks for stopping by mine,

    xoxo

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  15. Quite an interesting sketch of the gourd! That sure took some patience to stick with it. Welcome back -- I enjoy your posts.

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  16. Beautiful detail and colors, thanks to an aging gourd!

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  17. Very intriguing! Glad to see you back!

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  18. I've never seen such a beautiful gourd! Reminds me more of living coral. Lovely piece of art!

    I just awarded your blog an award -- I enjoy looking often, though I don't usually comment. See my blog for details.

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  19. You have lovely colors in your art! Very nice!

    What kind of colored pencils/pens do you use?

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  20. Beautiful drawings. Yet another facet of your creativeness! But I mourn the loss of your stories -- they were beautiful too.

    btw, no wonder you liked the horned melon I talked about -- I'm sure all of it's horns and seeds are interesting to an artistic eye! :)

    Sandra

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  21. This is gorgeous! Spectacular color! :)

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  22. Gorgeous stuff - design, handling of the cps, everything about it appeals. wow.

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  23. The gourd is in the trash and in your picture! What a great view. It's a gourd like I have never seen. Your drawing has an almost pinwheel feel to it. That made me stop and look more closely! Wonderful.

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