this drawing pleases me.  i should track it down.  mixed media with foil on canvas.

it's snowing today.  these Sarto sandals had a lot of fun in the sun.

best,

stay snug.

will be on a posting binge today.

lots of stuff to share!

deb.

Walking to Work

                            ,

Captain Solomon Jacobs Park at The Head of the Harbor, Gloucester MA.  This far view towards Ten Pound Island always catches my interest.  So many things to look at from the up close to the far away, to the above, to the below, to the squeeze in-between.  I'm not inclined to paint this, to squeeze all of this into a flat plane; however, all of this informs my art.  Everything here, within, without, is in constant motion.  This is the essence, and yet so easy to forget, so easy to want to fix, but must surrender to:  change is the only constant.  the still point what binds all of this together is the between.

best,

deb

ps:  the top 2 pics are from my walk to work on Thursday morning April 18.  the bottom pic of the long view was taken yesterday morning April 19.  sometimes i sense the ocean breathing.

BIG FISH! up close and personal

detail of the blue-faced cichlid.  the original is on display at 100 Centennial Drive, Peabody.  image is close to actual size.  gold, silver leaf, oil paint on linen.

copyright clarke
2011
gloucester ma

USA residents:  make a $50 donation through my paypal to this site and receive a signed 8x10 epsom color print of this detail image.

hello dear readers, friends, followers and transient, random drop-ins to this blog

family matters have caused a hiatus in my updates to this nest; however, the art continues.  my travels bring me to  burlington where my baby brother has just undergone open heart surgery.  he is progressing well and should be out of hospital by monday (fingers crossed).

 i changed his diapers for the first time when i was 4 and he just wee..3days, 3 weeks?  one of my earliest memories is carrying his swaddled body from the center of a military double bed to my mother in the kitchen.  her mouth dropped at my simple words "i was afraid he would fall off the bed".  the next memory is my brother pissing in my mother's face, may have been a few days before or a few days after my intrepid carry.  he is a good man and should heal well.

thank you for sharing your time with me.  i will capture some pics of my art, when i can.  but, i think i will first share some pics of the Indian grocers that i have found in my travels.

eat your fiber, give up the salt. in our family it is genetics.

best to you all.
deb

btw:  know of any good Indian grocers in the Burlington/Woburn MA area?  let me know.  i have time to explore and compare.

now, a word from this sponser

Anne. R. Allen's Blog has several recent posts about blogging.  She has several useful tips; such as, PUT YOUR NAME IN YOUR BLOG TITLE!  Duh, I forgot the difference between blogging and journaling.  So, I promptly incorporated my name into the title.  Did you notice the difference?

lots of commonsense stuff.  not rules, just the lay of the land for those of you that are just starting out in the blogging world.

and my new friend Anne is not a facebooker.  i am.  her post about blogging came to my attention through a link to her blog by my good, longtime 'virtual' and real friend Kathleen Valentine.  She is a writer, designer, fabric/thread/yarn wiz.  get to know her too!

Kathleen Valentine's Blog

best,
deb.

and now, i will try to upload a clunky video of my butt planted in a chair, drawing the view this morning.

Flashmobs?

flashmob weddings, flashmob messiahs, flashmob dancing, flashmob?

so much potential.  flashmob art demos?  flashmob greetings?  flashmob protests?

bollywood flashmobs?

flash:  the flash of the camera?

mob:  a gang?

can 2 be a flashmob?

flashmob fishing?

what are your ideas?

mine?  flashmob=arthappening redefined

looking forward to your thoughts.  have you ever designed a flashmob event?  what was it?  how many peeps?  how long did it last?  would you do it again?

this curious mind wants to know.
best,
deb.

AHHT! or not.

This seen in Glosta!  AHHT or not?  Seen on Short Street.

 right around the corner, this pizza shrine.

the restaurant is available to rent.

 that's the scene last Saturday in downtown Glosta!

best,

deb.

Deb Clarke's Drawing Space!

YES! Just secured teaching space in downtown Gloucester. I met with Erika of the Cape Ann Business Incubator (CABI). They are going to build a room that can be used for drawing classes! Just one big room with 4 walls, no windows, privacy. Figure Drawing! Drawing Marathons!

I will be renting the space on an as needed basis until I get back on my feet. Maximum class size is 10 and I can work on the walls. I'm so excited!

Classes will be offered on Monday and Tuesday nights 6:30-9:00 pm. other nights or Sundays as needed. This is just so awesome. So much potential.

will need to find models, put up fliers, start enrolling folk...omg...just dancing on air.

Drawing, Drawing, Drawing.

best,
deb.

answers to a few blogging questions

A young friend recently asked me about starting a blog:

1: wordpress? blogger? why?

i use blogger and wordpress. this nest is my blogspot. my wordpress is somethingsketchy.wordpress.com.

i find wordpress a bit clunky and i have been having issues getting my photos to post from my flickr site, as well as from my computer. sometimes blogger is cranky...so i went back to the basic uploader. my suggestion: use the site with the editor that is the easiest for you to use.

i continue this debbieclarke blog, because it is a commitment i made to myself when i started it. a public blog to post art, art thought, engage folk's imagination, share my journey and keep customers up-to-date with any commissions that i may be working on. maybe make a bit of money along the way (NOT) through ads on my site. the monetary benefit dreams have been left long behind. now the only focus is art: what i'm working on, what i'm thinking about, work i am looking at, art materials/process and answering questions along the way. i am surprised by the growing audience of like minded folk that continue this journey with me. thank you for your company! your presence inspires me to put my best foot forward.

2: How do you get people to read/look at your blog?

good question...i'm still trying to figure this one out.

my suggestion is to first figure out your personal objective.

fame? fortune?

set your blog up first. get used to working with it. develop your focus. then let's talk about seo (search engine optimization).

i am not a professional blogger. i am a professional artist using blogger to enrich my art experience...in fact, i think of my blog as an art-in-progress, as varied and colorful as my experience.

following is a site to a pro blogger that has lots of great information. i refer to it frequently as i redesign this nest of mine. have you noticed the judicious use of orange?

the link doesn't allow a share here. it is onecoolsite.com. put onecoolsite in a google search and you will find it. it is a wordpress site.

best,
deb.

ps: if you view this blog regularly and would like to share your thoughts about why and other observations, let me know. and any thoughts about the design of this blog is greatly appreciated.

from the archives: 4 Stand

4 Stand with details. oil on canvas. circa 2003/4/5? looking at the inter-shapes. may redefine. faces? don't know. the line work interests me.

work in progress?

in process?

it's not signed so it must be unfinished.

best,

deb.

from the archives: Model in the Studio copyright 1997

I think this is Brenda Tredwell. She was my model and studio assistant for several years. This drawing is turpentine wash on acid free paper. Use blotter paper or absorbant cardboard as a palette, this will reduce the linseed oil. The reverse of this drawing has one small bleedthrough, with no sign of decomp. This drawing pleases me.

Brenda grew up on Monhegan. Her hair flames. She calls herself a rock rat. She modeled for Jamie Wyeth. I recognized her knees and hair that matched the color of Jamie's 'burn barrel'.

enjoy.

deb.

My Good Workspace January 24, 2011

reviewing old work, showing some current work, getting ready to do some new work. will stretch canvas soon. will show some work soon on main street in a very prominent window location. stay tuned for details. will photo work soon to send to a jury show. busy, busy, busy. and right on track.

Faces I remember 2011

this drawing is constructed with kodak laminate, aluminum leaf, silver leaf, packing tape. the face came through the media, which i defined with charcoal. i have seen this face in european drawings and paintings. i think of hans holbein the younger, da messina, ghirlandiao, titian. i tried to find 'the' drawing that this face came from, but discover it is a composite face drawn from many sources.

i searched 'master drawings' on google this morning. ugh. what a laborious trudge. yes, there were true master drawings and a lot of unmastered drawings. particularly amongst figure/portrait drawings. there is a lot of surface and technique, but no understanding. no bones, no muscles, tendons, ligaments. limp carrots.

my two bits: understand the underlying structure and the surface/technique/style will take care of itself. if you are copying someone's work, study from a master and study the works of the masters that artist studied.

best,

deb.

get thee understanding.mpg

this is a thought cloud introducing the first published words of ten years of research.

best,
deb.

Artist on Art

xmasshowrndrt2 008
Originally uploaded by debclarke art

that's artist Deb Clarke's reflection on the Randomarts window in beautiful, quiet , Lexington Ave. downtown Magnolia, MA. the artwork is by Deb Clarke, except the crying seagulls; which is a postcard by artist Kate Somers.

reception Sunday December 12. 5-8ish.
drop in and say hello, share some cheer. (usual artist offerings: wine and cheese)

artist in residence Sunday-Monday 1-5/6/7ish throughout December
for private viewing:  978-652-8273

best,
deb.

Nude Painters in Gloucester!

checking out search terms that land on my blog.  this one caught my attention:  nude painters in gloucester ma.  roflmao over this one!  haven't seen any nude painters lately, although i often feel naked when i am painting, have not taken my clothes off to paint in the nude.  yet.  maybe soon.  if i can find a warm private studio.  oh.  i have done some nude self portraits, a long time ago.  i'm so naked in them, they embarrass me.  just a few paintings, a drawing or two, with issues connecting the head to the body.

back to nudes.  if someone wants a nude painting, i can do this.  do i want to?  if the price is right.  i will paint whatever you desire. 

best,
deb.

ps:  today i teach little fingers to fold origami.  then i go to the Randomarts Gallery and put wires on my paintings.  re-hang the show.  going for critical mass.  must remember to leave room for peeps (i have a lot of work to share/unload).  there will be a free pile for those that wish to get something for nothing.

Randomarts Show

This is what I accomplished yesterday at Randomarts in Magnolia.  Today I will re-hang and adjust the lights.  the wall space gets smaller and smaller everytime I look at my work.  the backwall has my 'new' work:  the drawings from this past year.  need to get some putty to keep some of the work from 'moving' on the wall.  small detail of my favorite work follows.

4 mixed media 'drawings' with oil and leaf on 5x5" panels.  definitely need sticky putty to keep these from wobbling.  selling all work unframed.  folk can spend as much money or not on frames.  and get the art at a very affordable price.  these panels will be under a hundred.  still working out prices.

best to all,

deb.

New Work!

12x16" drawing: chalk, oil, graphite on canvas

copyright debbie clarke 2010

gloucester ma

The standing figure, again.. new work will be exhibited and offered for sale at Randomarts, 25 lexington ave, magnolia ma during the month of December. I will install the work next sunday, monday, tuesday. for additional information about the Randomarts Gallery and studios their link is in the sidebar under other places. if the address is familiar, it is the location of my former art studio 25. my life inventory is in the attic of the gallery (now owned by artist/life friend Katy Somers). I will show new work, old work. There will be free work, cheap work, paper work, mixed media, reverse glass, oils, self portraits, experiments, etc. and some very good high end offerings. look for my big boy fish! he will be in the show. I will be at the gallery 3-7 or so Sunday, Monday, Tuesdays beginning November 21 through December to greet visitors and friends. stop by if you're in the area. light refreshments available.

best,

deb

The Big Fish

This is The Big Fish (a blue faced cichlid we named 'fat boy') that hangs in our long narrow hallway.  The painting is oil with mixed media on linen, painted in 1995.  We had a 35 gallon fish tank.  This Big Boy ate every other fish in the tank, including several crayfish, then grew to an amazing size.  sometimes i think to sell this, several people have 'tried it out' on their wall, for a few years it was displayed at The Bookstore on Main Street in Gloucester.  Now, I say hello to Fat Boy everytime i hang a coat, store a painting, or head to the downstairs laundry.  

best,

deb.

spiral bound

spiral bound
Originally uploaded by debclarke art

this is another teaching sketch. lesson: the portrait.  the page starts with one shape, then two, then three, etc.

what interests me about this pic is the line drawing on the right created by the wires, my glasses, etc. says so much.

it says love. xox.

best and more,
deb.