In the pocket

A set of mobiles that marks the directions of the winds. I found this pretty lovely prayer to the 4 direction, which is modern, but have just enough old feel to it to make it feel all magical and beautiful. That's where I took the spirit animal for each direction. 

Ballookey's half page

It's funny to leave a half page in Ballokey's book for Ballookey. I guess that means I'm getting my own book next?!
As ususal, i can't wait to see how she finish this one.

Abraxas is a name of a daemon, I think originating in Jewish mysticism. I picked him over a million other daemons with  equally cool names because I used to go to a bar in Israel called Abraxas before I moved to NY.

The description, which I really like is, strangely enough, from Carl Jung, I really like the way he related to psychological and mystic ideas in much the same way and the fact that he was a scientist didn't make him stop relating this myth and his beliefs.  

In Ballookey's - pages 3&4

Those are from an odd text, part insightful, part rambling (much like everything else he ever wrote) By Aleister Crowley about Alchemy. 

In Ballookey's

It took me so long to finish my work in Andrea's book, and super quickly to finish Ballookey's. Mostly because I was working a lot the month I worked on Andrea's and got Ballookey's in the best time for a moleskine - waiting to hear whether I got a project or not...

So 5 days later, we found out that we aren't going to Vancouver to shoot a scene for a TV show, which is a bummer, cause it felt so close, and I was sure we got it. We might have a smaller part of working with the footage, but it isn't as cool.

Anyway, those 5 days, I just had to fill time cause I couldn't make any other work arrangements and so I finished my page's in Ballookey's.

The theme for this one, is totally influenced by Steve's last page. And it's about Miracles and myths from different religions.

The myth of st. Veronica is one of those miracles of seeing Jesus is a Tortia or a piece of toast. The story is that she wiped Jesus's face with a cloths and the imprint of his face remind printed in blood. 

The vail keeps popping up in different churches through the ages, and recently, was pronounce a hoax, since it turned out that a) the fabric is not as old as was claimed and b) the blood is actually red paint. 

Moleskine Exchange Smoking with Skeleton

Moleskine Exchange Smoking with Skeleton, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

First one in Aya's Moleskine

Robert "Bob" Gilbert Bob Stock 2013

Robert "Bob" Gilbert Bob Stock 2013, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

Framed going away gift for Bob!

SWA BARF BAG ART PROJECT

SWA BARF BAG ART PROJECT, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

Intense Man! Ballookey's pocket item,

Collaboration in progress!

, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

Mystery of the human heart!

Mystery of the human heart!, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

Ever wonder what they were thinking?

Collaboration? Insect robotic skull with bug eyes!

Collaboration?, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

Ballookey's Moleskine

What Next? Overwhelmed Man with Fish Tie.

What Next?, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

Ballookey's Moleskine now in New York.

Victorian Home (unfinished) collaboration?

Victorian Home (unfinished) collaboration?, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

I will complete this one and the collaboration next to it next round. Unless someone feels the urge to complete....

SWA BARF BAG ART PROJECT

SWA BARF BAG ART PROJECT, a photo by Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline on Flickr.

Ballookey's pocket item

Final Spoonbill/Duckbill Plus Envelope Plus in-the-pocket

Spoonbill, Hornbill and Duckbill
Acrylic, by Mary Stebbins Taitt
Click on this or any image to view all of them larger

Spoonbill and Duckbill
with their friend Hornbill
Rode a red wagon downhill
with glorious freewill
past the sawmill
and came to a standstill
at Frankie's doorsill.

 Frankie is my grandson.  One of four.

I can't find the paper with the "poem" on it, and I'm not sure I'm remembering it right.

I forgot to mention that my over-enthusiastic painting damaged the thin paper and I had to apply two patches.  If you click on the upper picture to make it bigger, you can see the patches at the top left on a smaller patch just left of center at the top--sorry about that.  :-(

I am working on removing the gutter between the pages
for my book for Frankie.
and tweaking it
(not quite done yet.)

Roseate Spoonbills envelope
acrylic, Mary Stebbins Taitt

Pumice Fish
Acrylic, Mary Stebbins Taitt

I never went to art school, so I have to learn everything by experimenting.  I bought some pumice medium and played with it on the envelope for the first time ever (dumb, I know).  It was so rough, like sandpaper,only worse, so, worried about the mail carriers and postal employees injuring their fingers, I put a couple layers of matte medium over it, but that made it look dull.   :-(  It has lots of texture!  But less than before. (I also used a tiny but of the pumice medium on the rocks and on the road in the Spoonbill hornbill duckbill painting.)

In the Pocket:

Twin Poppies
oil on Graham Cracker box treated with acrylics
Mary Stebbisn Taitt

Flute Practice
oil and Arches Oil Paper
Mary Stebbins Taitt

Flute practice, side view
showing topography of oils

Mike, take the oils out and let them dry some more.  I hope they survive the journey to your house!!!

Cassandra Elise Lapwing revisited yet again (I'm probably still working on this):

Riding the Storm; Andrea and Mary in Mike's

Riding the Storm
painted collage
Collab Andrea and Mary
click image to view larger.

When we were in Colorado, driving south on the east side of the mountains, a storm sat over the mountains and funnel clouds, sometimes a number of them, kept snaking down out of the clouds.  It was creepy, scary and fascinating.

Andrea added the house.

I made a college and then painted over parts of it.  The witch is my friend Gail Slaughter and Dorothy, the scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion are all friends of hers.

Cassandra Elise Lapwing: An Extra and a Collab in Mike's by Mary

I had a bout of fairly severe insomnia the night before last and was up for several hours between 2 and 6 AM, and spent my time painting. First, I covered the backside of the painting of Frankie and the spoonbill, hornbill and duckbill with a painting of Cassandra Elise Lapwing, in profile. I THINK she is played by Julianne Moore. This is acrylics, and it is an "extra" painting, to covered the bleed-through. Since there seem to be MANY pages in this Moleskine, I didn't think Mike or anyone would mind my doing an extra.  I used 3 "colors," black, Payne's grey and neutral #5 grey.

Cassandra Elise Lapwing profile
acrylic
Mary Stebbins Taitt
Click images to view larger.

Now I was really into Cassandra Elise Lapwing, so I did another HALF portrait of her for a collaboration with Mike.  This is entirely done with one black gel pen and some Faber-castel PITT artist pigment pens in 4 colors, black, sepia, sanguine and grey.

Cassandra Elise Lapwing collab
gel pen and Faber-Castelle PITT pigment artists pens

Mary Stebbins Taitt

Click images to view larger

Here is the two-page spread:

Two-page spread

Mary Stebbins Taitt

Click images to view larger

Here is the collab image doubled.  This is not what I expect from Mike; I'm sure he'll be much more creative.  Doubling it like this tells me there is something wrong with the original that I couldn't see (or didn;t notice) in the half-image.  That is one weird-looking chick, LOL!!!!  (I did not complete the process of doubling her because my main computer has died and the Cintique is still attached to the dead computer.)

 

Cassandra Elise Lapwing half doubled.

Cassandra Elise Lapwing half doubled
and slightly fiddled with

I really need to get the Cintique on the piece of junk I have to use for a computer now, since my Mac died.

I need to stop playing with this, pointlessly, and get back to the actual Moleskine. What remains to be done is finishing the paining of Frankie and the spoonbill, hornbill and duckbill and the collab with Andrea, which I have started on, but not completed.

Slow progress

I decided to post my slow progress on Mike's book because I'm afraid I won't be ready to mail on the 15th,

Session 1

First I searched for reference photos.  Then, because the paper is so thin, I sprayed it, then drew on it with a white "soufflé" pen. (I tried pencil and ballpoint, but they didn't show up.) I intentionally made Frankie and the animals proportionately a little extra big relative to the porch and door etc.

Session 2

I worked on the boy first.  He is my grandson,  Unfortunately, the ballpoint pen ink keeps coming through the paint, and unfortunately, I only used it on Frankie, on his face, legs and neck!!  :-(

Session 3

Frankie's face was too short in the beginning, but I overcompensated and made it too long.  This is a very slow process.  It will be a while before I finish it, and I have the two collaborations to do--I started on one, but not on the other yet.  I've had some health issues and family crises (including a kid in jail, a kid with a concussion, etc).  But I am plugging away.

Session 4

I worked on the mountains plus trying to get rid of the stupid white lines from my sketch.

Session 5, Monday Night, August 12

I worked on Frankie's Face, the trees on the hills, the logs, some of the clouds and fog in the mountains. I'm very slow--each session is a couple hours long.  You probably can;t even tell the difference.  None of the photos quite look like the actual painting.

Half page in Andrea's book

Can't wait to see what Ballooky does with this!

Eli as Eve - page 5 in Andrea's book

Beauty - page 4 in Andrea's book

This is Claudia, a really wonderful model with very Tim Burtonish face. We shot her for a lookbook for a friend who's a Jewelry designer.