Drawing Bright Flowers

I can't resist a blank surface. It must have a drawing or painting on it.

Here's part of a painting I created on a leather bag. In order to sell art in Spanish Village, you have to submit five pieces to a committee of artists who are independent of the Village. If two of the three approve your work, you have permission to sell it.

I am making leather bags and drawing and painting on them with the hope that I will be approved to sell them. The deadline for submitting the application is the middle of August and the jurying, as we call it, takes place in September.

I love drawing and painting on leather. Medieval manuscripts were written and painted on it. I can see why. It has such a nice smooth surface, and nowadays there are such nice colors. This particular piece is made from a very pale mocha colored leather. It's an excellent off-white color for the paint. I also have pieces of leather that are pale pink, pale blue, and green. I'm looking forward to working with them.

All this leather started after watching a goth character on television. I decided to make some leather cuffs and chokers to increase my jewelry collection. Of course, I intended to make black pieces, but I bought some natural colored scraps to practice on.

But I can't resist a blank canvas. I've drawn on my jewelry, my tee-shirts, my sheets, my books. I have spent hours drawing. In fact, I could entertain myself on a desert island if I have enough paper and pencils.

I immediately began drawing and then painting on the leather. Then I decided I wanted to make bag for myself and things grew from there. Now there are people who want to buy my bags, and I have a place to display my drawings, someplace but in my sketchbooks which is where mot of them reside.

Look On the Bright Side

Last night I got together with a couple of friends and we painted the area around my worktable at Spanish Village. I love the bright colors. They make my work area look so cheerful and upbeat. Because the entrance to my studio is so hidden, I've decided to do various things to make it more eye catching.

I'd like to paint the whole world. Would we get tired if everything were bright colors? I know that colors are brighter in sunny parts of the world because the paler colors look washed out. But why does everyone's car, computer, phone, house, office building have to be such drab colors. I'd like a purple netbook, an apple green phone, a raspberry red car, and an electric blue television set. Oh, and by the way, I want a green worktable and the cabinet beside it. That will be great, almost like having a chartreuse office building.

Now I have lots more ideas for adding color to my area. I can paint back by my door and on the door. I can paint a great big piece of canvas to hang under the tree and some more pieces to hang on my table to make sort of a skirt. One of my friends suggested I paint my umbrella . You can't see it in this photo. It use to be a nice dark green, but now it's faded to pale green.

I'll paint flowers, big ones in magenta and fushia paint with long tropical looking leaves, vines, maybe a lizard here and there. To me, flowers are a symbol of the creative process, a new life in the making, a new beginning. That's what I'm aiming for with my studio: a new beginning. It's also an attempt on my part to take some control over my environment.

I know that there are many things I can't control, even ones I'd like to, but I'm finding that taking some control helps me not feel like a powerless victim. There are things I have to do, and even if I fail, I still know I've tried.