Skip to main content

Baucis and Philemon

Sketchbook Project 2011 -Baucis and Philemon

It has been a busy week, but I managed to get two more line drawings added to my sketchbook.  The more I work on it, the more it becomes mine.  The thought occurred to me of not sending it in to the permanent arthouse collection.

Photographing the sketchbook with my digital camera has been difficult.  I need to get a scanner, so the pages will lie flat.  With better digital images, I'll be able to offer prints.

How do you photograph your sketchbooks or journals?


The Process

Exploring my theme, "Adhere to Me," has lead me on to relationships and memories.

I covered the pages with old dictionary paper. I ended up pasting the right side upside-down.

The two portraits were first drawn on washi with sakura pens. I then adhered them to the pages and sparingly painted with acrylics. The acrylic background further joins the couples. The upside-down and right-side up dictionary pages end up giving a yin and yang feel to the couple.

I still need to sew thread from one image to the next to join them. These images are at the end of the sketch book. There is one page after these images which will be of the intertwined trees.



Looking for a Title
Baucis and Philemon - Sketchbook Project 2011

I wanted the title to communicate how this couple are soul mates.   I titled this set after the greek mythology couple from Ovid's "Metamorphoses," Baucis and Philemon.


They were granted a wish by Zeus for their hospitality, the couple chose to be together forever. When it came time for death, they requested death as a couple and to become an oak and linden tree intertwined as one.

Links

Click to viiew other participants in the Sketchbook Project 2011

Click to view my arthouse profile

Click to view my blog sketchbook entries

Comments

Tanya said…
wow! these drawings are fantastic! Love that you used book pages to paint/draw on!
GalleryJuana said…
thanks tanya:)
Marlene said…
Beautiful pages and unique backgrounds. Your sketchbook will be wonderful. I have been scanning mine, I take horrible pictures so avoid it when I can.
readingsully2 said…
Great work, Juana.
GalleryJuana said…
marlene, yes I think scanning is going to be better. I need to get a hold of one.

marlene and reading, thanks for stopping by.
Anonymous said…
That thought that occurred to you, of not sending in the finished sketchbook, also occurred to me. It seems a shame to have to part with something we put so much work into!

However, I have resolved this by opting not to invest too heavily---or too personally---into the sketchbook itself as a finished product. I've made a conscious decision to focus on the process. This sketchbook is just a playground, a place were I can play and experiment with ideas, collect and transform images in a very exploratory way. What I learn is the thing, not what I make.

You mentioned in another post the struggle to keep pages neat and clean. My approach is, this is a learning space and that viewers should expect typical sketchbook work, which is often tentative, exploratory and messy!

Cate
GalleryJuana said…
Hi Cate,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

You're right about this being a sketchbook and a lack of neatness should then be expected.

I like your idea of your sketchbook being a window into your art process.

I look forward to seeing your sketchbook.
Ciera said…
I love your work! I am doing the sketchbook project as well and sharing on my blog here: http://cieradesign.com/category/blog/sketchbook-design/
ZenDotStudio said…
I love these pages, especially the young man. I must admit to being a sucker for any artwork containing text. There is something I love about the mix of word and image. And I can see how hard it is going to be to part with this fabulous sketch book, especially whenit is bursting full of these wonderfu images.
Angie said…
Love your work! I would scan & then maybe undo the journal (I know that other artists have done this) then take original pages out & pop in the scanned ones. Just a suggestion.
GalleryJuana said…
Angie, that is a wonderful idea about sending the scanned copy. I'll have to think about that one!

Popular posts from this blog

bird watching and staying home for the summer

Usually summer means several bicycle-camping trips, but with COVID19 still around, we are staying home. In the meantime, I have been pretty productive with my 100 Self Portraits project. Watching the birds that come to the bird feeders has been my daily dose of joy. fledgling House Finch  Chestnut- backed Chickadee Dark-Eyed Oregon Junco Usually summer means several bicycle-camping trips, but with COVID19 still around, we are staying home. In the meantime, I have been pretty productive with my 100 Self Portraits project. Watching the birds that come to the bird feeders has been my daily dose of joy. View my art blog here: https://www.juanaalmaguer.com I have my art works available here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/galleryjuana

Blue-eyed Siamese Cat flies to Japan

Today was filled with my art and time with Sputnik. She was bathing herself which gave me the chance to catch a photo of her. I actually adopted Sputnik as a kitten in 1998 when I was living in Mexico. She made the long trip with me to Japan on July 25, 2004. It took me about 6 months to plan the logistics of bringing her from Mexico to Japan. Since I had to fly via the U.S. on Mexicana Airlines and Korean Airlines, that meant 4 countries and two airlines would need to approve her transport. There were many details to keep track of for each country and airline. After 6 months of stressful planning, 16 hours of two airline flights and layovers, She made it to Japan safely! Korean Air allowed her to fly with me as my carry-on luggage, which was a relief for me. No worrying about whether she was scared or left at the Los Angeles airport! I didn't give her any tranquilizer to sedate her. Yet, she was quiet the entire flight and went unnoticed by other passengers. I h

Cat Drawing, Sunday Sketches

Sputnik, February 05, 2011, pencil on paper While Sputnik was getting ready to curl up on her bed, I drew this quick sketch of her. To view more sketches, hop over to Sophia's blog .