Putting it out there… That is what an artist does.

Every artist writes his own autobiography.
                                             ~ Havelock Ellis

Putting it out there… That is what an artist does. I am realizing that more and more, I am writing my autobiography. An artist does put it all out there.

Quakers (the Religious Society of Friends) has been taking more of my time lately. I just finished the Northern Yearly Meeting eNews for July. For the past few years, I edited and produced the eNews for the yearly meeting.

For most of my writing now, I am using Grammarly. Yes, it is AI, and since I am dyslexic, it is very helpful. However, there are still mistakes, mostly because of reading errors. I get impatient and skim. I found that it is not good for proofreading. I am considering writing more about my life, but I don’t know how open I want to be. 

Derwent Inktense pencils and blocks have captured my attention as a new medium, and I am playing with them in combination with other materials that I am comfortable using. Applying the Inktense color with a brush was a concern because it has been quite a while since I last used watercolor or a brush. After playing with them, have a handle on the ink, but not a tight grip. : ) My pen work over the last couple of years has been beneficial.

I think of my friends Joe Sinness and Andrea Carlson, artists who are adept with wet media and can create sharp lines and crisp edges. 

I am drawing more and finding it rewarding—it allows me to center, and it is a meditative practice for me. Over the last few months, I have created three or four new pieces.

Below is a fun and quirky piece I created by playing and experimenting with Derwent Inktense pencils and my pens.

IMG_4582-Color Study 06202024
IMG_4582-Color Study 06202024

How do I use Social Media?

Does the word how also ask the question why?

How do I use social media? The short answer is not well if I am serious about branding and marketing myself, but my primary purpose is to document my work and share with others what interests me.
As an artist, it is a great way to share my work, get feedback, and comment on others’ work.
I like to document my work on ArtChangesLives(Dot)Com on my blog. It is incredible how long I have been posting there. A few years ago, Blue Host took my site down, and I had to move it to WordPress.com. So, some of the pictures are still missing, but it is becoming whole again.
I have two pages called Art Changes Lives on Facebook and LinkedIn. On those two pages, I share my artwork and other artists’ work or shows. This posting will be found on those two sites and on Tumblr.
I tend to use my Facebook account for more personal postings, such as saying hi to friends or sending birthday wishes. I also post some about my art interests and personal connections, such as birthdays and other messages.

Nice to have an opportunity to share why and how I use social media.

Sharing Some Recent Work

Art is the expression of those beauties and emotions that stir the human soul. ~ Howard Pyle

A drawing that I call Life Map - 042023. Drawn with Sakura Pigma Micron pens. Abstract Surrealism
Life Map – 042023, Pen and Ink – 9″ x 6″

 

One Sketch but Two Paths

Doodling serves as a means of keeping the hand or fingers limber, so that they are always ready for serious work.
~ Charles E. Burchfield (https://www.azquotes.com/)

One Sketch: Two drawings-Two Approaches

Two drawing from one sketch, image showing one done with Pigma Micron Pens and the other with Procreate
One Sketch-Two Approaches, Hendricks©2023

Nothing special to say. I wanted to share some work and one of my favorite artists, Charles E. Burchfield, the feeling he could evoke and the many communication signals he used to communicate through his work, experiences, time, and period.

 

 

Red Green Formed

Beginning to Work with Affinity Photo—Good Photoshop Alternative

Experiments with Affinity Photo
Affinity Photo Experiment, Hendicks©2020