So Long Chi-beria!

Between Polar Vortex and some smaller storms before and after, Chicago earned the nickname "Chi-beria" this year. It wasn't just my little Southern soul shivering in a northern winter, schools and business actually closed because it was too cold!

Chicago and melting Lake Michigan

Now, I come from a glorious portion of the the country where the daffodils bloom by mid February at the absolute latest, so two inches of snow the first day of March was just a bit too much for me. Despite my best efforts to go and do, when there aren't flowers blooming by the end of February and I haven't seen the ground for months because of the snow and ice I start to panic.  Immediately my subconscious decides that spring didn't survive the winter.

It's a pretty silly thing to think. As long as the earth is still rotating, the seasons will keep changing. After all, Hades cannot keep fair Persephone with him the entire year. I know that spring will come, but also I don't know that it will come. When the dark days drag on and the occasional sunny day is below freezing, it's hard to remember green growing things.

Teeny-tiny baby leaves!

But today, today was sunny and warm. When I ventured out with my paints, there were tiny rivers beginning on all the sidewalks and the grass (though dead-looking) had appeared. The main sidewalks were full of people out jogging or walking their dogs and they actually smiled.

Closer to Lake Michigan there were more rivulets and a few trees even had the beginnings of buds. Out on the lake front joggers, cyclist, and dog walkers were all frolicking and so were the birds. From the apartment windows I only see distant pigeons and once I saw a titmouse investigate our trees. Out there, the air rang with birds singing, calling, chiding in many voices.

I settled in and began painting. Just as I was becoming engrossed in the colors I heard a noise I didn't recognize and looked about. Not seeing anything unusually I turned back to my painting. Again the noise and again I didn't understand. After the seagull, who'd been begging for the paintbrushes he assumed were food, left I realized what it was: ice breaking!

Spring is still awhile away (more snow to come this week) but the ice is breaking and the buds are forming.

My sketch from the lake front

Drawing Lab: Color

Though my silence belies it, I'm still working my way through Carla Sonheim's great book.

20 drawings of the same dog with a chisel tip marker

I've already confessed to my awe of the blind contour, but some of the other techniques seemed deceptively simple. (Not the one of drawing the same dog in the same pose 20 different ways!)

Drawing and coloring a monkey with three to four "mystery tools" seemed simple enough. Draw, then color.  What I didn't expect was that forcing myself to use the given colors would help me break from the constraints of reality.

It sounds a bit dramatic, but it was surprisingly effective in helping me work through my paralyzing standards for realism in color. Of course, I still hope to return to realistic colors and master them. But, by breaking from reality I've given myself the freedom to see and capture other elements first.

Monkey with "Mystery tools"

Following artists on social media and even meeting up with professional artist often leaves me disappointed at how far away I still am from the realism I love. Taking the freedom to change colors and the looseness required to draw on index cards with a chisel-tip marker, I've been able to explore slightly more refined water color renderings. I hadn't expected it to help, but stepping away from my attempts at realism I am slowly coming to understand the pieces that go into making up a realistic piece.

"Twinky"