Timbuktu Tea

I finally pushed myself again. The house was quiet, so I took a moment and said to myself: No judgement, just draw.

So I opened by box of photos from Mali for inspiration and found a man from Timbuktu pouring tea. 

Cultural side notes: 

1) Tamasheq (Tuareg) men cover their mouths as a sign of respect. 

(Women do not cover as a cultural requirement)

2) The Tamasheq people are also know as the Blue People due to their deep blue indigo garments tinting their skin.  

My rendition
Faber-Castel colored charcoal on paper

Original Photo
(Tea  ceremony)
 

Self Portrait in Charcoal

Ah... The self portrait. Sometimes the easiest person to find to sit still for you... is yourself. So here's a late night charcoal of me... However, since I was sitting back and trying so hard to be a good still model, this is what I thought I was drawing:

(Picture taken from a low angel where my eyes were when drawing) 

And this is what I actually drew 

(Picture taken from above) 

I totally elongated my forehead and smashed my my facial features like a child's. But I finally drew! Here's to art.

Statue: Ode to Starbucks

Darn it. I knew life gets in the way of play time. I've packed, shipped, stored and unpacked my crayons, among other adventures. But I found them, and this pack of black paper I must have purchased over a decade ago while trekking through South Eastern Australia. (Why buy a pad of art paper while traveling? Addiction and hopeful aspiration: Although I'm sad to say this is only the second page I've used.)

Ode to Starbucks (Right Hand): Conté on Black Paper

Close Up (There is a chocolate bar in the left hand)

Landa Park, New Braunfels, Texas
January 15, 2012

Raison d'être

The problem with adults is that we're all grown up and they take life seriously. It's really quite disappointing, this 'serious' stuff. So many of us value mature activities; like making money or entertaining ourselves by spending it. But what about all the adults that loved to make art as kids? Where did the art go? 

When discussing serious adult themes, like life paths and professions, my dad likes to add one sentence, "Well, I always thought you'd make a good artist." Even though I've never seriously considered the option, my dad's words remind me of the little girl who loved showing her latest masterpiece to her daddy. 

So, I'm not Picasso. I'm not an aspiring artist trying to make it big. I am, however, an adult aspiring to be a child. All the artwork, photographs and other medium are mine, unless otherwise credited. And yes, some may come with stories. This is a conté crayon flower based on a photo I took. 

conté crayons on paper

close-up of flower

Old Salem, North Carolina, July 4th, 2011