Bringing Fire


Prometheus, Rockefeller Center
Prometheus , Paul Manship (1934), with the fire in his hands in front of the Rockefeller Center in New York with lines from Aeschylus inscribed

Well, in the cracks of the day--I am beginning to make some headway. I have one valentine done and down. I have another one almost tinted. A third in a very 2/3 mode where I thought it was done, and its not. My tiger is getting an overhaul with color and clouds. Thanks to some coaching from Will Bradley, this spot illustration is beginning to be more. Textures, simple backgrounds, environments to ground the figures. I have another bird and another bee one planned.I have one with a squirrel (reference done) to do in the Will Bradley simple chapbook style. So, as I said, I needed to blast through the "I'm going to jump" phase with more work...and it will keep the gyroscopes going so I can do this thing. I am really loving this work--its level of finish--using the first drawing as a starter. Cleaning it up on the computer, outputting it and then working color layers (really quick) in ink on lovely, thick vellum> scanning it in in greyscale and converting it to single color layers I merge in photoshop. Much faster than drawing them online...and still maintaining the handmade. I will add highlights and small details in photoshop (drawing with vectors), but I am trying to keep that to a minimum. I feel confident I could have a dozen by San Francisco with a New York piece (perhaps a valentine to Greek coffee and hot dogs? or the statue of Liberty pastiche valentine? or the architectural valentine?or or or...inspired by Rockefeller Center Valentine!!). That's it...the Prometheus at Rockefeller Center.

Snow days for every school in the area except for Tburg. I guess they figure we are made of stronger stuff...and have us doing school because the last legs of the regents tests are today (3 hrs in the pm for Kitty) and midterms for others. Kit can walk...but I cringe to think of the schoolbuses trundling down the slippery streets with the happy, chattering kids in it. Being a schoolbus driver is a heroic job...and miraculous on days like this.

On a terrific note, The Chicken Chokers will be playing at the Pourhouse on Saturday. R wants me to start working with hand drawn chickens and choking hazards as there is much potential there. We will be there as it is always a ton of fun, the music extrodinary and all our pals at our Tburg Clubhouse, the Pourhouse. A treat!

Off to pour another cup of the most delicious coffee in the universe, and settle in for a morning with animation in powerpoint (something I know very little about...and have a project in!). Onward.