The Art Fly

“Broken Shell”

Posted on by Norine


Silverpoint Drawing
7.5×5.5″ green-gray prepared paper

Here’s another “interior” piece that I drew a while back. This shell is one of my favorite things, a beautiful natural sculpture. While drawing this I thought of the curving walls of the shell, stretching across the missing parts. Tones in a silverpoint drawing are made up of layers of lines. I’ve been doing silverpoint drawings since the mid-’80s and I’m still searching for lines that best express the thing before me – and I suppose that’s how it will continue to go.

To learn more about this Renaissance-era drawing medium, please go to My Website or see others in The Art Fly archives.

Please email me if you are interested in this silverpoint.

“Inside Out”

Posted on by Norine


Silverpoint Drawing
5×4.5″ blue-gray prepared paper

This seashell was drawn with a silver stylus on specially coated paper, a Renaissance-era medium known as Silverpoint. Layers upon layers of lines become tones, and over time the silver gradually tarnishes to a metallic sepia. The drawing is heightened in white ink.

See more silverpoints in The Art Fly archives, and on My Website. Please email me to purchase this.

“Shaker”

Posted on by Norine


Silverpoint Drawing
4.5×6.5″ blue-gray prepared paper

Lately, I’ve been focused on working in wood, putting most of my energy behind some ideas I’m trying out in that medium…must get it while it’s hot. Every year the New Hope Arts Center (PA) holds a national juried “Works in Wood” exhibition. Following up from some previous blog posts, the wood-mosaic work I submitted has been selected for this upcoming show. For those who love wood this is the show! Very diverse offerings: unusual tables, chairs, cabinets, lamps, musical instruments, carvings, turned vessels, wood mosaic mirror frames.…The Opening Night is Saturday, November 14 – always a big and exciting event! Photos of that to come…

After periods of intense creativity I like to unwind by drawing in silverpoint, which is such a meditative medium, one that I’ve been using since the mid ’80s. A silver stylus (wire) is drawn over a lightly textured surface that gently abrades the silver, leaving metal lines. I prepare a color-toned surface and then add highlights in white chalk or white ink. The initial silver lines are gray, like pencil lines, but with time will warm up to a sepia tone – like tarnished silver.

An object could be interpreted in so many ways; this sculptural shaker caught my eye. The vase-like body of it fitting into the ring…

Please email me if you are interested in this silverpoint.

“Rooftops”

Posted on by Norine


Acrylic Painting
6×6″ panel

This is my recent contribution to the Different Strokes From Different Folks art challenge. A photograph is posted on this blog every two weeks – for reference only. Artists are encouraged to create with as much freedom as we allow ourselves. I went with my first impressions: abstracted shapes, angles, shadows and lights…and re-worked the shapes until everything related harmoniously.

SOLD.

“Currents” detail

Posted on by Norine


Wood frame detail

This is a detail section of the mirror frame that I spoke about in Sept. 22 “Woodcraft” post. The wide frame is filled with wavy, compound curves of natural woods: walnut, cherry, mahogany and poplar that are inter-woven. I was interested in fashioning shapely pieces (some very intricate) with the intent of creating a mirror-art piece.

While sanding each sculpted piece, after shaping it first on the band saw, then scribing the next piece, shaping it, sanding…the process becomes totally spontaneous that it simply flows.

I thoroughly enjoy working in my chosen mediums: paint, silverpoint, and wood. Please see the Sept. 22 post to see that intricate piece of cherry in its final resting place here.

“Woodcraft”

Posted on by Norine


Cherry wood
11.5″ detail

For the past few weeks, I’ve been putting long hours into preparing for Works in Wood, a national juried show held in the New Hope Arts Center. The deadline for this came sooner than expected! I wanted to create something that was fun, fine, and functional. So, I decided to design wide mirror frames that give me a nice area on which to apply wood mosaics.

This photo shows one intricate piece of a large frame that will consist of hundreds of individually crafted pieces of natural cherry, walnut, poplar and mahogany woods. I scribe each piece, and then cut the shape out with a band saw. Next comes the tedious hand-crafting and sanding through various grits of paper. Most of the wood strips have compound curves. The wood shapes are spontaneously created and not part of a pre-determined pattern. That would take the fun out of it for me. Very satisfying to work in this way!

More photos of these to come!

“Stanislaw”

Posted on by Norine


Silverpoint Drawing
6.25×9″ ochre prepared panel

This is the first silverpoint I drew of “Stanislaw” a couple of years ago. I borrowed this face from a painting by Polish artist Jacek Malczewski (1854-1929). I love the sculptural qualities of it! And, it’s high time I’ve added a new mustachioed fellow to my collection.

“Stanislaw in Silverpoint”

Posted on by Norine


Silverpoint Drawing
6.5×8″ blue-gray prepared paper

I’m always on the lookout for a good mustache! This portrait is based on a painting by Polish artist Jacek Malczewski (1854-1929); it’s a detail of a larger work. My version is done in silverpoint on a blue-gray prepared paper with highlights in white ink and chalk. Later, I’ll post an earlier drawing I did of him from the front. What a great subject! More of these to come!

Please email me if you are interested in this silverpoint drawing.

Send photos!