College Days
November 06, 2011
One of my favorite classes in school was Art And Activism. Not just because I had an awesome teacher and we spent most of the time discussing The Sims 3. The class was a great way to discover a few of the ways art work can help a community or touch other people’s lives for the better. The class really helped to show that artistic talent can help make the world a better place by more than just decorating it.
I came across this article today and was reminded all over again that there are countless ways to use what you have to effect the lives around you.
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First Painting of November
November 01, 2011
I thought it was time to start another portrait. I love portraits and the two Thailand paintings kept me from doing them for awhile. Yeah, I started the one of my Grams, but you know….
I thought I would share with you a junky cell phone pic that I took of my latest endeavor. I started it tonight and it is the first painting of my November portion of Sharon’s End Of The Year Push Challenge.
(Yes, the orange stuff is frisket. No, I did not learn my lesson. Actually, this is Blick brand. I could not find my Winsor Newton. I am removing it tomorrow instead of waiting until I’ve almost finished the painting though.)
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New Brushes!
October 31, 2011
I was a little worried after I ordered these brushes. I’m used to going to the store and weeding through the stock in order to find one that has perfect bristles, i.e. none sticking out, away from the main bunch or bent back because of the plastic cap. After I ordered these, I realized I wouldn’t get the chance to do that. (I know, a bit late.) I was so very pleasantly surprised to find that all 4 brushes I ordered were perfect! I’m happy to know I can get my brushes from Utrecht.com with no worries.
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Maine Photos
October 29, 2011
I have realized I neglected to ever upload photos from the SOT’s Maine trip. I did not take as many as I have in the past for two reasons: 1. I was actually busy sketching this time, if you all remember, 2. The weather was nasty and cold and rainy and nasty and cold and rainy and… you get the picture. (No pun intended.)
As always all images on this site are © Elisha Dasenbrock (2011 in this case) Feel free to share my photos, just make sure you link back to my page. If you intend to use my photos for anything else, please ask first. I probably won’t care, but ya know, just in case.
Here is half of our kitchen and the lovely Diana Terry’s back. The other half of our kitchen consisted of a HUGE table made out of a barn door. It was lovely. And a fireplace that opened into the main seating area. We pretty much only used the kitchen though.
This is the main seating area. I know it’s dark, but I wanted to show off the chandelier and the view! Amazing. That is actually the river where Jason and I tried to kayak to the ocean in inflatable kayaks. Oh, such misadventures.
A random house that I really liked. I even made a sketch.
Here is the view from the deck of Sarah’s in Wiscassette. Only the best food (and a place I am going all the way back to the hell’s of Maine for!) MMMM crabcake burger, you’re so delicious.
The view from the back of the house.
One more.
Remember the fire alarm? I wasn’t lying.
A fire fighter in the kitchen.
Pirate boats! In Camden.
Near all the boats in Camden.
The other side of the green building.
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2nd Painting For The Month
October 28, 2011
Boats At Phi Phi Island ©Elisha Dasenbrock 2011
Well, it’s officially finished. You might be saying, “Elisha, it looks fine… great job,” but you would be wrong. The frisket would not budge. I applied white acrylic at Katie’s wonderful suggestion. Unfortunately, this did not have the outcome I was looking for.
Yup. That’s the close up. That is also why drawing was my major until I discovered watercolor. Acrylic is not my friend. It looks so awful. Both of the Thailand pieces I was working on are now garbage bound (although a certain person may take the boat off my hands still and if she really wants it, she can have it.)
At least it will look decent on some business cards.
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Yea For Internet Shopping!
October 26, 2011
Today my rubber cement remover arrived (and my brand new brushes!) Unfortunately, yestserday, when my Aunt arrived (she was bringing my Grandma back after a week long road trip) she brought with her germs. I slept until 12:30pm and have had a head ache and chills all day! Which means I did not trek out to the studio for painting.
Oh well. Tonight I will curl up on the couch with my puppies and watch the train wreck that is Work of Art. Knowing tomorrow I will wake up feeling fantastic and ready to roll into math class. While I will most likely not get my Master’s in Art Therapy, at least not any time soon. I still want to finish all the math classes required for a Master’s since I’ve already started.
I roughly video taped (what do they call it now that it’s digital?) a tour of my current studio, I think I may redo it and post it over the next week. But whenever I say I’m going to do that it ends up being a few months.
On a side note, remember how I mentioned living in a camper in the middle of the woods? Well a couple of weeks ago I mentioned to a friend that I wanted to live in an RV and just drive around. I had read a blog about a woman who did this for awhile and last week or so, thanks to Yahoo! I came across another blog by an RV dweller. If you are interested in learning about that kind of life, check it out. His photos are awesome. I’m pretty determined that this is the route I will be going next winter.
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Diptych Finished?
October 19, 2011
I think I’m finished, but I’m not entirely sure. I’ll wait a few days before I make a definite decision. However, I will say I’m extremely glad to be technically finished with this. I started it late 2008 or early 2009 and it’s been hanging over my head the entire time. Since I was pretty much finished with the red dog (Maxi) I am only counting this as one painting for this month so far.
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WIPS
October 17, 2011
This is the latest version.
Work In Progress
Previous version.
Latest version, although a very blurry image
Previous version
Unfortunately it looks like the brand of frisket I used was a poor choice as it will not come off. The parts where it did come off seem to be stained. I don’t think I will be able to save either one of these paintings, but maybe I will find a solution. I was maybe another half hour away from finishing the boat so I’m pretty disappointed. That’s why I usually stick to Winsor and Newton products though. I never had a problem with them and either the store didn’t have any when I needed some or I was too poor that day. Never again though.
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Just Call Me Catch-22
October 07, 2011
I freak out about not having a job. If I had a job I would freak out about not having time to paint.
I will still be living with my Grandma for the next 9 months. If I could grow a baby in my body in 9 months, I can start making money* with my art in 9 months.
*I’m not saying I will be living solely on my art, but that part of my income will be from my art work.
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Copy Right
September 28, 2011
If you have read my blog for awhile you will know that I like copy rights. I am definitely not a part of the Facebook Generation that thinks everything is free game. However, this morning as I ate my breakfast I saw a story about Bob Dylan possibly stealing photos for some art. I didn’t read the article, just saw the side by side.
It had me thinking though. If I took some so-so pictures (no-longer referencing the article) and someone came along and used them in their work and that work made those images extraordinary, would I only be mad because I was jealous?
I would definitely be upset that the second artist saw something I didn’t. I would be mad that the other person was getting all the credit. And I would probably feel like less of an artist because I was right there, I could have taken it to the next level, and I just missed it. Granted, the second artist does not have real control over my feelings and it would be up to me to use them to either hold me down or push me to work harder.
So I though, is that enough to make me change my mind about copy rights? Should we all just shrug it off if someone takes our ideas and send them off with love. Should we no longer ask for the rights to our work after it is finished? (Only thinking in terms of this kind of situation.) Should we take our mothers’ advice and consider it flattery that they were so inspired by our work as to create an even greater piece?
After thinking about it I realized, and maybe you have come to the same conclusion, that at least when it is not out right copying, the reason copy right is so important, is because we all want to be recognized for our contributions. Not just to art, but to society. Is that not what many people strive for? To be remembered, to leave the world a little different than the way we found it? Maybe not everyone cares to have their name in the art history books, but many artists I know, we want to be another Da Vinci. So when someone doesn’t give us proper credit or ask for permission, it is down playing our role in their achievement. It is saying we didn’t exist. Thanks for the stepping stone, but you don’t really matter.
Art forms are a beast all their own, always changing, always growing. That is because of ALL the artists that are contributing at any given time. We are a community. There is a reason communities are formed, it is because a single person could not do it themselves. Whether that “it” is to survive in the wild, raise a child, or create something that speaks to everyone.
If I learned only one thing from Sesame Street, it is that please and thank you go a very long way.
What do you think? Do you think everything is fair game? Why do you care or not care about copy right?
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