Paper and Threads

 There is a new Superheroes Exhibit at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art - part original movie costumes and part fashion from the major designers inspired by the Superheroes.  My grand daughter Sydney and I saw it Saturday morning when we went to play with the Museum computers in the Education Center and she loved Clark Kent who morphed into Superman - and then back to Clark Kent, so we had to go back with brother Henry the next morning.  They were so cute - such little people in that big Museum.  All of my grandchildren learned how to walk better in the Temple of Dendur and regularly throw pennies into the pools there and the fountain in the new Greek and Roman Galleries.  This is one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to spend time with them when they are staying with us during really cold or awful weather in the city. 

Posted by Shirley at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I moved from my second childhood home to a college dormitory.  This is the 3rd in my "My Homes" series.  I lived in this specific dormitory for two years, an adjacent identical dorm in the same quad for one year, and then up on the hill in a modern dorm for my 4th year.  We had to live in the dorms or at home and had very stringent curfews.   No boys were allowed beyond the living room.  When my children went to college both sexes shared bathrooms and had rooms on the same floor - quite a change.

I drew the bottom of the dormitory facade before I realized that I didn't leave any room for hedges - or the tree  - and my transparent watercolors couldn't possibly fix my error.  Only the first floor had an interesting floor plan and I lived on the second and then third floors, so I stopped here. 

Posted by Shirley at 7:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This is my year to practice drawing faces - and I alternate between photos and works by other artists.  Yesterday was complicated - with Grandparents' Day at nursery school for 3 of my grandchildren and then work.  Because of an evening program at work I didn't get home until 9PM and while watching the last episode of Medium for the year, I turned to Leonardo for inspiration.  This drawing is in the Uffizi (and on my postcard!).  The face is too long, but before I started sketching daily in Jan. 2006, I probably wouldn't have even tried this sketch.  I am putting all figure and face sketches in my second recycled book which is dedicated to this 2008 goal.  The first book for figures and faces was a recycled Michaelangelo sonnet book in which I incorporated some of the original pages of his drawings.  This is a book entitled Painting Made Easy.  The original pages left among the watercolor paper folios don't provide the same inspiration!

Posted by Shirley at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

EDM Challenge #169 Draw a Piece of Cake: This loose interpretation of the challenge was done the last day of April and never posted because of the Every Day in May Challenge which started the next day.  So I uploaded it now with EDM Challenge #170.

EDM Challenge #170  Draw a Zipper:  This is a still unused Swarovski crystal zipper.  Each zipper tooth has a rhinestone set into it creating a single line of rhinestones when the zipper is closed.  I wish I could have captured the sparkle in paint, but that is totally beyond my skills!

Posted by Shirley at 7:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We had a weekend filled with grandchildren - all 4 who live in NYC on Friday and my daughter's 3 children for the whole weekend.  When the two oldest are here overnight (ages 4 and 3), we try to have at least one movie night to allow them to stay up late and see a favorite classic movie from our children's childhood.  This Saturday night it was Pete's Dragon - released in 1977.  Elliott, a flying dragon, helps children in trouble.   In the movie he protects the orphaned Pete and helps him find a new family - tranforming the town of Passamaquoddie in the process.

Posted by Shirley at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)