New Art -> New Tools

 I collect hobbies. It's both bad and good, but I can't help it. My good friend, Liz, owns a ceramics teaching studio in Moab. Seeing her with her passion has me curious as to what it's all about. A local ceramics studio in Topeka, The Mud Room, has classes so I signed up. The first time they offered them I had time conflicts with the six classes, but this recent offering was perfect. Mostly hand building: pinch pot, coil and slab. 

I found out I really LOVE it. Making all kinds of things. Now I have a pen holder for the two fountain pens I keep loaded on any given day, and another holder for pencil and ball point pen, all at my little desk off of the kitchen. Then a tilted slab that holds my planner, and a couple small spice bowls, and on and on.

If I kept all the work in their studio I wouldn't NEED to buy tools. However, I WANT to do some hand building at home. The studio is about 15 miles in to town and has certain hours of operation. If I could do it at home, too, I could set my own time and have better control over the drying process. 

I'm in.

YouTube Bingeing

 Until now I have successfully avoided binge watching any particular YouTube content provider. But then I found Matt's Off Road Recovery. I have tasted the sweet nectar of 4x4 off roading in Colorado many moons ago and I liked it. However, I didn't like risking our family vehicle just for fun, so I stopped. I've been interested in the use of line and pulleys to gain mechanical advantage to move heavy objects. I love watching mechanics build vehicles to meet specific performance objectives. I love wilderness scenery and appreciate good cinematography and videos of real people in real off road work. Thus I hit pay dirt when I found this YouTube family. 

Matt's heavy wrecker is a work of practical art and I love watching it do its' thing. Their home base is southwest Utah, high desert country. However, they will just about drive anywhere in the western US to retrieve stuck or broken vehicles. He claims this is the worlds largest off road wrecker and that now job is impossible. Maybe hubris but I haven't found him wrong yet.

I snapped a picture from the TV to work from. This wrecker never stands still for long. I also departed from my ink-only approach and did some light pencil layout to be a little less wonky. Then on with permanent markers and watercolor pencil/waterbrush. 

Old Soldier

Just had my regular eye checkup. While waiting in the exam chair, waiting for the doctor and for the eye drops to do their magic, I noticed this plain-Jane instrument to the side. It won't be required for my visit but it piques my interest. Doc is a very thorough doctor who keeps up to date on the medicinal art and equipment used in the care of the eyes. He keeps updating his equipment and it's not rare to see a new piece show up between visits. This simple black instrument looks to have quite a few years on it. The style of the knobs, the color and aesthetic, etc.  So, this old soldier must do something better than it's newer counterparts.

So I ask, and, sure enough, this old soldier does a better job measuring the curvature of the anterior surface of the cornea. It's a manual keratometer. He feels it does this job better than the newer automatic versions. 

I can't help but see this as a metaphor that growing old may show some out-of-date visual style, yet when it comes down to function, we may still be superior in some ways.

To Remember

 A somber day for me. Three years ago, today, Wilma died. I've been in a funk today and can't focus on anything constructive. So, since I'm thinking of her, I thought I'd sketch something with that theme.

I am holding on to the key fob she used since we were dating 47 years ago. She never was without it. She showed it to me back then and said we had to question authority. That meant we should question what the government says, what the cops say, any authority figure. I tended to be more traditional and not so rebellious but I  loved her for that independent spirit and critical thinking.

She was the best partner and mother to our kids. I'll never forget her.

A Comfortable Place

 The first sketch of 2025! I had a couple things to get in Lawrence. I also have to prepare for a presentation I need to give next week to some land surveyors. Hoping to also have time for a sketch. The Nostalgia Room was recently recommended to me by a friend and she was right. This place has a nice neighborhood vibe and eclectic furnishings. The music is laid back. Two other patrons with others that come and go. 

I settle in and do my studying. Then I have enough time to sketch. Decided to keep it as pen and ink (no color). Some drawings just have that feel. It was a good day. I'll be back.

Drawing with a fude nib fountain pen and Noodlers Lexington Gray ink, text with marker.

Coffee Shop Time

 A friend and I took a lunch break at a local coffee shop. We talk a lot and sketch some. This time I HAD to get some sketching done. The year is wrapping up and I didn't realize until now that I haven't sketched in December. Oops. I like the sound of having a sketch-every-day goal (as Koosje Koene suggests), it doesn't work for me. However, a month is WAY to long of a lapse.

So, we sit down. What to sketch? It's not exciting but I liked this potato chip bag. I love the yellow/red color choice. I also had a new pen to try out. In a recent post by Vicky Williamson I noticed she used a short fat fountain pen. I left a message to find out what it was and she told me a Majohn Little Fat Man with fude nib. I suffer from a common ailment of art supply envy. I HAD to have one, so I got online and bought one. Just got it. Had to use it. This is the first sketch with it. It won't be my favorite but does have a fun factor when using it.

Outdated (Continued)

 These have been around the house a few months waiting for me to sketch them before I threw them away. As software and technology marches on, in it's wake are many devices destined for the landfill. 

This radio console was part of our PC home network and I could stream Internet radio stations. Pretty cool for ten years. Then they stopped updating the software . . . death. 

These two trail cameras were used by the Kansas Trail Council and our Kanza Rail Trails Conservancy for trail user counting. When the cell towers switched from G3 to G5, these stopped working . . . death.

In their day these were gee-wiz technology. Now they are has bens with absolutely no salvage value. Once I post this, they will be in the trash can for Monday's trash service.