Do birds growl? (Progression Drawings 2013)

February 27, 2013
pen and ink, coffee and watercolor

February 28, 2013
pen and ink, coffee and watercolor

Bird Woman Drawings (Progression Drawings February 2013

February 24, 2013
Pen and ink and paper collage

February 25, 2013
Pen and ink, acrylic paint, word fragment

February 26, 2013
Pen and ink, acrylic paint, paper collage

Little Collages on the Red Work Table

 I have been busy at work on my little postcard collages.  I was kinda dreading making them time.  I'm not going to lie.  I felt a bit DONE with the collaged weird creatures.  I felt a bit bored with them.

Also, I have been having a recent love affair with pen and ink.  This love affair blazes every once in a while and they whittled their way back onto my work table.  So the little collages for this quarterly mailing event will be mixed:  some will be collaged creatures and some will be odd little drawings.

I've made about 38 little collages so far and will be making about 15 (give or take) more.  Would you like to receive one?  I'd love to send one off to you.  Send me a message with your address to bridget3000(at)live.com.


I'll be sending these and a bunch more off in the mail on March 1, 2013 as part of the Snail Mail Event!  Bring Back the Stamp!  (I always love to get art postcards in the mail as well- hint hint!)

The Struggles of a Snake Charmer (Progression Drawings February 2013)

February 21, 2013
watercolor, pen and ink, pencil and paper collage

February 22, 2013
pen and ink and watercolor

February 23, 2013
pencil, pen and ink, paper collage with word fragments

Words like daggers (progression drawing February 2013)

February 20, 2013
Pencil, pen and ink, collage

 Art is often a call and response even if one is talking to one's self.  These pieces represent a conversation I had with myself.  The book I have been using in my collages is "Hollywood Wives" by Jackie Collins.  I didn't read it before I began using it to make art.  But currently when I cut pages, I read chunks of it.  Collins has a lovely mastery of word phrases that makes me perhaps, want to read the book for real. These word phrases sometimes propel the drawings.

For example, the progression drawing piece started with an open mouth with teeth. The portion of the book I collaged onto the piece was very visceral and talked about domination and suppression...specifically about a man who raped women.  The open mouth became a moth open with rage and anger.

The piece became quite cathartic for me.  But I needed to wrap myself back up.  The drawing below did that for me.  The little girl in the drawing is protected with information and intelligence and space.  She knows the danger is out there.  But she is well insulated from it...and able to grow and become with what she has.

Books not Bombs
pen and ink

Profile flip grimace and fake noses (Progression Drawing February 2013)

February 17, 2013
Pencil, pen and ink, coffee, watercolor, word fragment collage

February 18, 2013
Pencil, pen and ink, coffee, colored pencil, paper collage

February 19, 2013
pencil, pen and ink, paper collage

Bird Beaks Devolution (progression drawing 2013)

February 12, 2013
graphite

February 13, 2013
graphite, colored pencil, word fragment

February 14, 2013
graphite and colored pencil

February 15, 2013
graphite, colored pencil and word fragments

February 16, 2013
graphite, pen and ink, coffee and watercolor

Interview at Bearded Bunny Blog...

Hey folks!  William Hessian over at Bearded Bunny Blog interviewed me recently.  I'd love for you to check it out!  While you are there take some time to look at William's work as well as it is all sorts of wonderful and playful.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

"I am still sane" an Interview with Bridget McAlonan

http://beardedbunnyblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/i-am-still-sane-interview-with-bridget.html 

Blue after Blizzard (Progression Drawing 2013)

February 10, 2013
pencil, coffee, colored pencil

February 11, 2013
pencil, watercolor, coffee
paper was rotated  to horizontal referent

Blue after Blizzard
watercolor on paper
16" x 16"

So we had a blizzard here on Saturday.  No big deal.  I like having a reason to stay home.  But here's the big deal in my world: the blue sky on Sunday (the day after the blizzard).  WOW!  This blue is my favorite color hands down.  And it was all over the sky.  Beauty strung out above my head.  LOVE!

Also, the massive amounts of snow made all the sunshine on Sunday bounce even more into my house.  This made all my houseplants happy.  So what do I paint after a blizzard?  ...a creature with many eyes gazing out from her cozy plants into that gorgeous blue...  Snowy landscapes are overdone after all.

Magical children and emerging reptiles (Progression Drawings February 2013)

February 8, 2013
pencil, colored pencil and ink pen (stream of conscious writing)

February 9, 2013
pencil, colored pencil and coffee

Subtle Hints (February 2013 Progression Drawings)

February 5, 2013
pencil, watercolor, coffee, collage

February 6, 2013
pencil, watercolor, colored pencil, collage, coffee, ink pen, sharpie

February 7, 2013
pencil, colored pencil

I have learned to use pencil last in my progression drawings so that I don't feel like I am cheating when I start with pencil the next day.  I love my pencils.  ( I love other media too...but pencils are just kinda like breathing.)

Postcard Mailing on March 1...

I'll be mailing out postcard collages on March 1.  To do this I'll be making 50 little postcards and sending them out to various folks... to whomever requests them (and to a handful of folks who I think might like them).

 Last mailing I sent out about 40ish.  They went out all over the United States and one was sent to Ireland.  If you would like a postcard, I'll send you one.  Message your name and address to bridget3000@live.com and I will do my best to get a postcard out to you on March 1.

Happy almost the end of winter!

Progression drawing: My, what big teeth you have!

February 3, 2013
Vertical paper presentation
used acrylic, pencil, pastel, coffee and paper collage (with pencil being the last medium used)

February 4, 2013
Vertical paper presentation (new image positioned slightly high up on page)
used pencil, paper collage, colored pencil, rapidograph pen, coffee (with coffee being the last medium used)

Progression Drawing a Day (February 2013 Drawing a Day)

February 2, 2013
graphite and acrylic

February 1, 2013
graphite

My idea for February's drawing is to begin with a crude, simple drawing on a 9 inch by 7 inch sheet of paper.  Then on the following day I will roughly trace the previous day's drawing and expand upon it.  The orientation of the paper and exactly what part of the previous drawing is trace is up for grabs.  Also up for grabs is medium/a as long as the last medium to be used on the previous day's drawing is the first to be used on the present day's.  Sounds simple enough in my head.  We'll see what happens.