New Work in Progress or A Continuation of my Autobiography?

“Every artist writes his own autobiography” ~ Havelock Ellis

Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) was a pioneer in the study of non-normative sexual practices. He is known for his objective study of homosexuality, which did not characterize it as a disease, immoral, or a crime. Ellis believed that “abnormal” expressions of sexuality were congenital and harmless. He advocated for the reform of laws that criminalized homosexual acts. (Source)

This drawing is in progress and titled Ribbons. It is mixed media... drawn chiefly with Pigma Sukura Pens
Ribbons, Mixed Media, Sakura Pigma Micron Pens, Hendricks©2024

I’m back in Minnesota, settling in, and back in my studio. The last few days have mostly been spent reorganizing and participating in a few meetings. I started a new drawing, pictured above, and am learning Armorpaint. It is a free, non-subscription piece of software to texture 3D models that competes with Substance Painter, another software purchased by Adobe and now available by subscription only. Don’t get me wrong, I think Adobe products are great, but the subscription model and their dominance within the design community are unhealthy for visual artists and designers.

A blimp created and the materials assigned in Blender
Created and the Materials Assigned in Blender

 

Art isn’t complete until it’s shared—Wondering what you think?

Stern Expression, as the gazer peers through various dimensions.
Stern Expression — Ink on paper — 7″ x 5″ approximately

Art isn’t complete until it’s shared.
                          ~  Seph Lawless 

As some who follow ArtChangesLives(Dot)Com know, I retired almost three years ago. I knew I would begin building a body of work. So, I began drawing before retirement. At the Friends General Conference (FGC) workshop titled Photography as a Contemplative Practice, Peter West Nutting jumpstarted my process. That workshop was followed by a Zentangling Workshop with Sadelle Wiltshire the next summer at the FGC Gathering. Both workshops provided a sufficient role in giving direction to my work.

After retirement, besides exploring my artistic leadings, I supported my meeting, the Minneapolis Monthly Meeting and Northern Yearly Meeting (NYM) (Quakers), designing and producing the yearly meeting’s monthly e-news and a quarterly publication, NYM Journal, with two skilled editors Doug Kirk and Tom Darrow. The journal features poets, articles, and artwork produced and shared with members of the yearly meeting.

I am excited to share some of my work in the journal’s current issue. I hope you enjoy it; along the way, you might enjoy several articles and poems.

Northern Yearly Meeting Journal/Winter 2024

Light—Tis the Season

“Light is not so much something that reveals, as it is itself the revelation.”
—James Turrell, (James Turrell, Art21, PBS)
It’s the season to think about Light.  Wishing all a wonderful holiday season.
The Tree of Life is a drawing that I completed yesterday. It is 6″x 6″ inches drawn with Sakura Pigma Micron Pens.

A surreal image... Three Trees, a ribbon, a bowl, and faces. It is 6"x 6" inches done withSakura Pigma Micron Pens. The title of the work is Tree of Life
Tree of Life –> Hendricks©2023

One Sketch; Two Paths

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.

Heraclitus

One Sketch; Two Paths was an exploration using two different approaches and two different media, as Bill Hendricks worked on them simultaneously.
One Sketch; Two Paths

been-a-minute

Been a Minute, August 11, 2023

Man in the Window, ink, drawing by Bill Hendricks, 2023
Man in the Window, Hendricks©2023

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;

~ “If” – Rudyard Kipling

I can tell you 101 things that have kept me away from this blog, but with the help of people and, most recently, the Mighty Mo helped with a few more adjustments, I will begin to post more frequently. 

I have been organizing the images I can post for the last few days. I have been drawing, exploring various tactile media, and focusing on 3D software for the past two years. I am at the point where I can start showing my work. So my last push is to get the blog up and running again.

Bear with me; you will see more of my work and other posts soon.

Bill : )