Sketching

I've been watching on YouTube a series called "Portrait Artist of the Year," out of Britain.  Apparently, it began in 2013 with some lapses in the years.  I believe there are 2013, 14, 17 and 18 and there is a series on landscapes that I will look into eventually.  Goodness, I'm obsessed yet again on something to watch.  First it was the British baking show and now the portrait series.  I've devoured 2017 season and part of 18 then will go back to 13 and 14, eventually.   What this has done is to make me obsessive for portraits, in particular self portraits.  

A couple of weekends ago I sat out on the screened porch at the cabin and sketched this lovely, it was incredibly inspiring and fun.   

Then this past weekend we stayed in town and I pretty much stayed out on the porch (not screened, damned mosquito's) from Friday afternoon till Sunday evening.  It was hot but honestly I go outside to get warm this time of year and LOVE IT!  I brought home from the studio my drawing supplies and set up shop, so to speak at the table, sketched and read an entire 350 page book.  MY kind of weekend.  

This sketching and self portrait videos has brought me to an idea that I think I want to try.  Can't seem to get a flower painted lately so portraits it is, self portraits. 

I've gone through my life in photos and came up with a few that I want to capture, and maybe make it a self portrait show somewhere, "The Evolution of Carla."    I sketched one of me crying but can't find it on my phone and it's at the studio but I've sketched the one below of probably my first selfie, so to speak.  It's of the baby me in my daddy's arms.  I love this photo and will work on it to make it better.  Then today, after scraping off some flowers I've been working on, I had that uncontrollable itch for the selfie thing.  The above photo I can almost give you a roundabout date of July of  2007.  The year before, 2006, was the hardest year of my life.  We became empty-nesters, we moved, I lost my best friend, lost my mother, our dog died and I turned 50, all within 7 months.  So, that photo I took of myself at Lake Austin Spa.  I had decided that it was time, that I had dreamed of going there and I made it happen.  Plus, I so needed a break because I was not in a happy place in my mind.  There was too much loss and I needed a place to go away and try and heal.  So, that photo represents me trying to come out of a dark place.  It would take a couple more years after that, with a bit of therapy to finally, FINALLY find my happy again, and that happy place is creating, drawing and painting.  

It has been 10 years now since I started in this crazy world of creating images.  I really had no idea that I would take my new endeavor down this path that I have but I would not change a thing.  My next blog post, I hope to delve into something that has been rolling around in my head about dreams, wishes, goals in life...you know in my head stuff.  Stay tuned.