My Apologies To Anthropologie / Channelling Paul Klee
“Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible.” ~ Paul Klee
The Passing Time
I’ve been laying low the past while. Last month I suffered a concussion playing hockey and I’m still pretty foggy. I haven’t been able to watch TV, be on the computer, or exercise. To pass the time, I’ve been rediscovering my art books … and I created the above image.
Channeling Paul Klee
Paul Klee is one of my favourite artists and I’ve always loved flipping through his books. His ideas and artwork really connect with me. Some of the titles of his paintings are like snippets from a whimsical song and I’ve always been fascinated by his use of colour, shapes and personal symbols. Below are a few of his inspirations behind my image.
Paul Klee Images: Ancient Harmony (top left), Ad Marginem (top right), Ad Parnassum (bottom left), Comedians’ Handbill (bottom right)
Van Gogh’s Mosaic Brushstrokes
I have a few gorgeous coffee table books of Van Gogh’s paintings. His creations of night skies are mythical and legendary. A major inspiration is his brushstrokes in the painting Starry Night Over the Rhone. I’ve enclosed the image below with a zoomed detail. Check out those big blue brushstrokes … they reminded me of pasted “collaged” squares.
Photo Collage and David Hockney
A few years ago I also purchased a beautiful book called Hockney’s Pictures. I was familiar with Hockney’s photo collage imagery, but I was really blown away by some of his recent paintings. Seriously, check them out. It might be a wonderful surprise. Enclosed below is one of his photo collage images.
My Apologies to Anthropologie
My sister loves the clothes from Anthropologie and my wife started receiving their printed catalogues. I was really impressed by the art direction, photography, colours and textures. To create my image, I started snipping out swatches and glueing my colour chips together. Below are some of the wonderful imagery that I hacked up. Once again … My apologies ;-P
Copyright Note:
I only own the copyright for the top image. I do not own any other images in this blog post. They are shown for research and educational purposes only.
Brainstorming
Early morning … getting my wheels turning …
Seasons Of The Year
With the arrival of summer recently, my wife created this wonderful drawing for Jade.
Visiting Unikitty at Cloud Cuckoo Land
Jade’s been talking about The Lego Movie for months now … Jade’s gone Lego Movie crazy !!!
Jade still isn’t very comfortable using scissors so we brainstormed a project. She really wanted to create something with the Unikitty character (I had nooo idea what she was talking about). After some internet research, we recreated Unikitty’s home in Cloud Cuckoo Land.
Finally, last week we purchased The Lego Movie DVD … and now I finally “get it” !!!
I asked for “Pressed Pants” not “Plants” !!!
All joking aside, Jade and I had a blast at StrongStart yesterday.
StrongStart is a FREE early education program in BC, Canada.
The top drawing is a fun doodle from our pressed plants (shown below).
Jade really loved being in the trails and picking leaves and flowers.
And I really liked drawing from our exploration.
This exercise helped me focus on unique details and shapes of our local plants.
Visiting Grandma’s Home
We just came back from Grandma’s home in Saskatchewan.
Grandma is “old school” and doesn’t have any cable tv or internet connections.
Because of that, we spent a lot of time drawing, going to to the playground, etc.
Jade had a wonderful time seeing all her cousins, aunts, uncles …
And Jade especially loved seeing her Grandma again.
Splish Splash Water Park
Cutting up some old drawings and splashing around some cool summer colours.
Jade’s Hotel Transylvania Birthday Party
Happy Boo-Day !!!
My daughter Jade absolutely adores the animated movie Hotel Transylvania.
It made a super fun theme for her 4th birthday party.
Enclosed are a few memorable pics from the day.
Group Mural
The party craft was a giant 8 foot wide poster.
Each kid drew a monster and decorated their own bat.
Even some parents joined in the fun.
In the end, the mural was like a HUGE card for Jade.
Group Photo
Everybody smile !!!
Jade and her happy friends with their finished product.
Pin the Head on Frankenstein
Jade was the 2nd closest.
The game was a “monstrous” hit with all the kids !!
Birthday Cup Cakes !!!
Of course, no party is complete without some sugary goodness.
Jade had a great time but was COMPLETELY exhausted by the end.
She went to bed at 4:30 that afternoon … And didn’t wake up until 5:oo the next morning !!
Caterpillar Daydreams
When they close their eyes, they feel their wings …
The Wildest Rose
My little daughter has so much energy.
Jade’s my wild flower.
She’s the wildest rose.
Drawings For Jade 