Modern Art Quote: drawing

Showing posts with label drawing. Show all posts

Drawing, "Chicken Thing in a Bear Mask" by Ed Tajchman

Edward Tajchman's "Chicken Thing in a Bear Mask". As I am preparing for the fall semester this summer, (I went back to college a year or so ago), I have been contemplating what kind of concepts and forms I want to create for my second semester of sculpture. I spent a long time running away from education and focusing on my own approach to art. Well, I must say studying sculpture has made me fall in love with art all over again. So, being in heavy brainstorming mode, one of the front running sketchbook entries to possibly be made into a large sculpture this fall is this guy. A chicken type creature with a long neck and a bear mask on. The shape and texture of chicken and turkey feet (and other similar bird feet) have always fascinated me for some reason. Maybe it's because you can see the link between lizards, dinosaurs and modern birds. Scraps of ancient DNA still present in our world today.

"If one cannot catch a bird of paradise, better take a wet hen." -Nikita Khrushchev

Drawing and Poem: Trans formative Thought Man

Collapsing polarities keep reforming in the folds surrounding that event. Pounding in the brain, get the new thoughts down when they present. Perpetually caught in the moment just fading away. Staying fraught at the thought of staying slightly ahead , completely different then what was read last autumn. Still knowing that the summer is almost free, so say yes. Who will confess? No more obvious decrees revealing molded archetypes with thoughts ripe, already before the person out of the inside understands. Eyelid twitches, remembering all the stitches sewn into the skin.

Explode onto the grass, spiders in-between the toes no one knows those peripheral notions waiting like potions inside your brain. Do not refrain there is no stain deep enough that it is not a layer of a prayer in a new way. Day to day through every night reveals no more moons as we drifted without a planet beneath us. But not us only me I realized after much too long. Maybe still some day a heart song. No more wrongs take me back to any place I could know. Only forward is every thing there is that I must go to. So many arms still waiting to receive my chest against them, my words exchanged between our brains, disdain waiting to be resolved inside each others hearts. Deliver unto us a rhythm of raucous laughter how many faces caught in a schism blend their tension like daggers barely piercing the heart. Every last minute of the new day falling away.

Charcoal Self Portrait from Age 17, Poem July 2014

The self portrait below is me at age 17. Three aspects of self, with the shadow self grabbing from behind. This was a frustrating time for me, like many people. The poem is written and edited July 2014.

"Between The black ink shining as it dries, and the pink morning light fading from your eyes, between the dried root finally cracked and broken, and the hoots from the owl awoken. Between the dried paint on my fingers, and the feint whispers echoing in my soul that linger

A memory stirs of when a few strands of her auburn hair hung over her eyebrow. I hope she remembers to use all ideas from all moments. Seeking the shiners in her every where now.

Whole world optional alone rolls forward, from the breath of a clenched brow when the pharaoh hound returns the favor. The world and everything inside of it seen on the shelf yesterday. Every small moment glued to the walls carefully"

-Ed Tajchman

Charcoal Self Portrait age 17 by Ed Tajchman.

Ink Drawing by Ed Tajchman

This is an ink drawing of mine that I just completed (Feb. 2014). The winged figure is someone who has appeared in many of my sketchbooks. You can see his brain connecting to a star-like shape with rays extending from the brain and from the star. This suggests he is creating reality in cooperation with the external symbol (star). The figure on the right is holding his hand over his chest. The empty circle on the far right has waves of cascading symbols that extend onto the figure holding his chest.

Drawing by Ed Tajchman "Cure For Pain"

"Cure For Pain" by Ed Tajchman, oil pastel, pencils, ink.

Tentatively called "Cure For Pain". I am in a mode where I am finishing things I started years ago. The medium is oil pastels, pencils and ink. On the right written in pencil if you were wondering it says, "to know that nothing matters after all, to know it young and be a poet". One of my favorite quotes from Jack Kerouac. Also the painting is partly based on a song by the Rolling stones. I will see if anyone out there can guess which song, it should be pretty easy to guess based one huge clue.

Drawing - "Heart for Brain, Soul For Body" by Ed Tajchman

This painting is a work I completed late 2013. It is ink and watercolor on a 22 x 28" piece of watercolor paper. It is called "Heart for Brain, Soul for Body". It is a sequel to a work I did when I was 18 years old. Keep reading here at my art journal for a future update discussing both works.


"Heart For Brain, Soul For Body" by Ed Tajchman 2013 ©

It is a person with 2 faces, which could indicate past lives for example, with a more energy like being opening up a space between the faces like he is going to occupy the body. You see the energy of the being at the bottom flowing through the mouth of one of the faces, indicating possession of the body by the energy. The blood is flowing upward towards the heart, which is where the brain should be. Also you can see the heart is connected to the moon on the left. This could symbolize an attachment to, or way of understanding based on the cycles of the natural world.

The Quiet Man is Now Framed

And Ed's Art Frameshop cranks out another one. Read about this ink drawing below a few posts back. Now it is framed. The matting and frame definitely add dimension, depth, and a great overall enhancement to the piece. That is what good framing is - adding to, but not overwhelming the art. Some interior designers or aggressive frame salesmen might push four mats 5 inches wide with a fillet and some ridiculous frame that matches the wallpaper not the art, etc. This is bad. Don't do this. Good framing doesn't have to be over-simple, but it shouldn't be ridiculous either. Always frame to the piece of art itself and don't worry about anything else.

The Quiet Man by Ed Tajchman. Ink Drawing. Framing by Ed Tajchman

Cat-Man and Cyclops-Bot by Ed Tajchman

You can see below a watercolor work that is a version of a quick painting I did on the cover of my current sketchbook. That is where I first did my new signature mark for my paintings. You can see the mark in the lower left of this one below.

You can see in the painting, a large-headed cat-man, a purple bird, a robot with strange antlers, all on rolling blue hills under a penetrating red sun and yellow sky. The large face is an evolution of a lot of similar faces I have done over the years, you can see this in my past works. The cyclops robot doesn't have a mouth, so I imagine his strange antlers can transform, providing his only means of communication.

I like this signature mark because it takes up less space then signing my paintings Ed Tajchman. I also sign the works on the back with a full cursive signature. So you know it's a work of mine if it has both the mark on front and signature on back. Some of my earlier paintings will not be signed like this.

Cat-Man and Cyclops-Bot, watercolor & ink, by Ed Tajchman

The Quiet Man, Ink Drawing by Ed Tajchman

For a year or so in the late 90's I worked as an overnight care-giver in group homes for the mentally challenged. I was the rotation sub, which meant I went to whatever house the company wanted me at for that night or week or whatever. I took care of 3 - 8 (depending on the house) severely to moderately mentally disabled people. By myself. Every night. My point is that it was a very hard job to do. Not on a physical level but on an emotional and mental stress kind of level. It takes a special person to do that kind of job well.

Anyways, here is a kind-of portrait of one of the men in one of the houses, that I took care of. He was very thin, very quiet, very gentle. For some reason his demeanor and face always kind of stuck with me. There were many people in various stages and levels of mental illness that I came in contact with during this time. Which, for a young man like I was, was quite the learning experience. Maybe like Ken Kesey working at a mental hospital and writing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, ( but not that severe.)

"Quiet Man" by Ed Tajchman. Ink drawing. 2013 ©.

After a while of working with the mentally ill/disabled, one can get to know the individuals on a more personal level & it is a really great thing. So many interesting people that are usually written off by society. If I had not worked for this company, I never would have had this experience myself. I started to understand the people behind all the stutters, ticks, seizures, and various mental, physical disabilities. I started to understand their personalities, getting to know them like you would anyone else. It was a great opportunity and I learned a lot. Alas I can admit I was not emotionally and mentally ready for that kind of job when I was 19 years old, and only lasted about a year before moving on to other means of employment. But I will never forget the people I took care of during that time.

Art Found On an Amsterdam Train

I am always going through old photographs I have taken, and sorting through old artworks as well. This is a photograph I took when visiting Amsterdam, Holland. I found this exquisite piece of art on the train I was riding in-between Schipol Airport and the city.

I really like the design, and the first artist it reminds me of is Basquiat. Nice abstract shadow portrait with some abstract symbolism and lots of energy. The artist only used 3 tones (4 if you count the background), and I presume it was done in a hurry since it was on a train. I kind of like the fact that the crown of the head is on a different plane, kind of lending an almost mystical aspect to the composition. How does that Grateful Dead line go....? "You get shown the light the strangest of places if you look at it right". This day in Amsterdam was definitely one of those moments for me.

I don't know who the artist is, but if you are familiar with the street artists of Amsterdam, please tell me who it could be. The chances of the piece still being there are slim, and if it is, it is definitely faded. You could look at me as an art conservator of sorts!

Art found on a train between Schipol Airport and the city of Amsterdam.
Artist unkown, photo by Ed Tajchman.

A Sneek Peek Into the Creative Process of Artist Ed Tajchman

Here I want to show a bit about my process. I keep a sketchbook (an artist's tool numero-uno) and a lot of times I'll pull figures, faces, & various ideas from there to make a more formal ink drawing on nice paper. Even from a sketchbook that is year's old sometimes.

Or I might just go right into the ink drawing with no direct ideas, that is fun, more of a free-form style. The ink drawing as you can see below becomes a full blown color painting. In this case a watercolor and ink painting. The transfer from sketchbook, to ink drawing, to painting of course is never quite the same twice no matter how hard I might want it to be.

I've given in to enjoying doing it slightly different each time. See the rest of my new art and visit my website: Ed's Art Workshop. Or the facebook page: Ed Tajchman's Art, or even hang on my every tweet at: @EdTajchmansArt.

Female Spright, 2013 by Ed Tajchman. Ink Drawing on left, Watercolor & ink on right. ©

Street Chalk Art Fair in Round Rock Texas

I was recently in Round Rock, Texas (next to Austin) and found myself looking for a place to eat breakfast. In so doing I happened upon a sidewalk chalk art fair, with artists early in the morning filling their 'squares' of the street with various designs using sidewalk chalk.

You can see the empty coffee cup in the corner there, haha! Ready to go. I neglected to get any of the artist's names, so if you see yourself here feel free to email me and I would be happy to give your name(s).

This square is from the children's section, I like the fact that it has the sun and moon in the same picture with the rocket. More children's squares below.

This car must have belonged to one of the artists or vendors participating in the fair. Close-up of the key design on the door below.

Last but not least we have a purple frog, some fish and lily pads in a pool. I really like the vivid color in this one.

Digitized Pencil Self-Portrait

I don't really like to have my photo posted on the internet (no particular reason) but here is a pencil drawing self-portrait I did a number of years ago. I used some digital tools to alter the photographed pencil drawing, to add that green color amongst other things.

Go Conan... Go Conan...!

I fully support Conan O'Brien in the recent Tonight Show debacle that NBC executives caused. Conan says he will not accept the show moving back to accommodate Jay Leno, and I say right on. You know it's Conan's dream to host the show, and to step away, or at least do what's best for the show in his mind and publicly decry NBC for trying to give him the shaft is a ballsy and righteous move. I mean it's not just his ego talking (see Jay Leno for that), Conan worked his whole life to get to where he is right now, and he is willing to walk away from it rather than see the show further ruined by NBC's shenanigans. Check out this poster designed by the artist Mike Mitchell just recently to show his support for Conan.

Artist Mike Mitchell's drawing above is in support of Conan O'Brien (Coco is a nickname of Conan's) Mr. Mitchell says he encourages fans of Conans to share the artwork in support of Mr. O'Brien.

Artist Cristina Clarimon from Madrid, Spain

To me, artist Cristina Clarimon's work combines classic modern styles of drawing, painting, collage, and printmaking with a truly unique voice and aesthetic. In this digital age I still find myself being drawn to work like this; uniquely textured and well-thought out designs done by hand. Her work has an ephemeral dream-like quality that draws your attention into the work and keeps it there for a long time, and that is one key element of any great artwork.

From the words of the artist herself:

"My work has no single influence. I like simple, well edited final images. I borrow from dreams, memories, folk tales and found images that capture my attention. Thematically, there are a few elements that my pieces seem to have in common...Empty landscapes, houses, fire, people (mostly by themselves)...I try to achieve a sense of melancholy, of past events that are now mere recollections...Places that were and people we knew..."
-Cristina Clarimon

I really like the aqua-blue color with the bright red in the two paintings shown above, and at the top. They both have that element of almost telling a story but being mysterious and unanswered at the same time. The layered, carefully textured work, gives this viewer a kind of haunted feeling that is quite interesting. We thank Mrs. Clarimon for sharing her work and her words with us here at Modern Art Quotes.

Drawing: Not an Angel

This just another doodle from several years ago. It's funny looking back through my work and seeing what worked, what sticks out, what I liked. Sometimes just the quickest scribbles turn out to be the most interesting work. Trying to capture that free mode of expression can be tricky though, so often my mind is analyzing, over-thinking, trying to hard. That's why I like sketchbooks, they are at least a little bit less intimidating than a relatively expensive piece of fine art paper.

It's kind of in response to a song named The Noose by the band A perfect Circle, from their album Thirteenth Step. There's a line in the song that talks about something to the effect of pulling someone's halo down around their neck, forcing them to realize their deadly mistake. What it made me think of is the decision by the Bush White House to have a preemptive war. And especially in the way the war was framed and sold to the public; they tried to make it seem like that preemptive warfare was a very necessary and patriotic thing when clearly they, (Rumsfeld, Bush, Cheney) had interests besides finding weapons of mass destruction. But that's old news now. I am not sure if that is what the song is about but that's how I took it, the drawing is also just generally about that idea of checking intentions, ego, and pride; knowing that all aspects of life-altering decisions must be fully realized and to do less is dangerous and ignorant.

Are quotations Purple? These Ones are in Green

I was just doing some research the other day and came across this quote from Rudyard Kipling. It was a little disheartening to read it, I felt like I was being called out, lol.

He wrapped himself in quotations- as a beggar would enfold himself in the purple of Emperors. - Rudyard Kipling

I am not sure if Kipling's statement is a compliment or a critique. But in reference to my blog here, It may have started out somewhere along those lines. Using quotes as a jumping off point for philosophy and inspiration, and still is somewhat - I guess today's entry is a perfect example. But it has evolved a lot since then. A lot of times I pull the quote myself from my own actual paper (not digital) library to illustrate a specific point I am trying to make, or as an example in the discussion of an artist. This blog is more about the creative process, sharing my own artwork and discussing it, and art history; specifically looking at art's journey from from merely 'reproducing nature' to a much more open-ended and boundless adventure.

Arthur Rackham, from Rudyard Kipling's Puck of Pook Hill,
published by New York, Doubleday, Page and Co. 1906.

This illustration is by that great early 20th century English children's books illustrator Arthur Rackham, from one of Rudyard Kipling's books - Puck of Pook Hill published in 1906. As I've said before I really dig Rackham's style - kind of almost gothic, heavily detailed, an eye for the simple and the extraordinary; his contrast between fantastical and foreboding in his compositions.

"Shapes and Figures"; Combining Ideas

Another entry in my endless series of sketchbook drawings; this one also is from several ago. It stuck out to me because I like the contrast between the large abstract colorful shapes and the figures and line drawings. I have always wavered between total abstraction and figurative abstraction in my drawing style. I really like the look of combining the figurative elements over a piece that might seem like it was meant as a total non-objective abstract image. Although this quote from Helen Frankenthaler is talking about learning new materials, it can be applied to combining different styles I think.

"Whatever the medium, there is the difficulty, challenge, fascination and often productive clumsiness of learning a new method: the wonderful puzzles and problems of translating with new materials." - Helen Frankenthaler

I like her use of the word translating. Translating what exactly? One's personal creative essence? One's artistic developed style? One's method of creative process? All of that and more I imagine. I am not one that is too big on academic method in artistic creation; of course knowing traditional techniques gives you a good foundation, but I am more impressed with raw creative ideas and passion for the work. And then whatever method or materials you choose to work with, the passion will come out in the work.

Drawing From My Imagination

Although I find the following quote from Georgia O'Keeffe inspiring (she is one of my only favorite landscape artists, I'm not real big on landscapes usually, although it's her large flowers she is most famous for) I'm not sure I completely agree, at least for me on a personal level.

To create one's own world in any of the arts takes courage. - Georgia O'keefe

I've always had an active imagination. You could say I've always been a bit of a daydreamer, and that's a good and bad thing. It's good to have a strong imagination of course, but that can also be very distracting. The point is, for better or worse, I've always loved to create and dive into my own world, or the worlds of others in the form of sci-fi and fantasy books.

This is another sketchbook entry from a few years ago. I used to go crazy with color in my paintings and drawings, but have also experimented with using just a few colors sometimes. I like the green and blue in this one with all the pen texture. There is no real intended meaning in my doodles, they are mostly just a fun way to pass the time.

Speaking of daydreaming though, does anyone else out there remember that old Warner Bros. cartoon short where the kids are in school, methodically chanting math problems in unison, (2 + 2 = 4, 4 + 4 = 8, 8 + 8 = 16, etc.) and the one boy stares at the fish tank and drifts off into a daydream where he is saving the teacher who's in a sinking submarine? I always loved that cartoon and have never been able to find it anywhere. Maybe someone knows the title?

Jumbled Faces

This sketchbook entry of mine dates from a few years ago and is from the same book as other recent entries featured here at Modern Art Quotes. Like a lot of artists and people in general, I am sometimes drawn (pun intended) to drawing faces. As humans, face recognition played a vital role in our evolution as a species. Astronomer and author Carl Sagan proposed that humans are hard-wired from infancy to recognize the human face. There is even a technical term for this behavior: Pareidolia.

"Theoretically it should be possible to 'peel' the collective unconscious, layer by layer, until we came to the psychology of the worm, and even of the amoeba" - C.G. Jung, Collected Works.

Aside from the aesthetic fun of drawing faces, this drawing is also playing with that idea of the collective unconscious. I have had dreams before where I suspect that some of the players in the dream are not mere figments of my imagination, but are somehow really there. I am not saying this is a regular occurrence, but it does happen once in a while, which I don't think is unusual for people and their dreams, what do you think? And this might sound crazy to some people, - but I know I have stumbled into my cat's and dog's dreams once in a while on accident - I would never usually dream about chasing rodents, jumping around like an animal, or interacting with large wolf like creatures.

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