"Beauty will save the world" -Dostoyevsky

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watercolor and pastel pencil

9x9in

2010

Series: Choices

In part one of this topic, I talked a lot about Wulf, but Wulf has played a major part in my being an artist and my doing what I do now.
I was able to go to Italy in 2011. I loved it, I got to see famous and beautiful art that I'd studied and loved. I got to see works of masters like da Vinci and Durer. I also got to see the remains of cultures and civilizations that valued beauty far more than we seem to do these days. Buildings were made so that they still stand centuries later, buildings that were made to be beautiful, not just to be a building.
I hope to bring beauty to the world with my art, for the world to perhaps be a little better for my art being in it. I probably haven't fully managed that yet but I have goals to work towards.

Piece of the Week

I've been trying to keep the piece of the week more recent pieces but today's piece of the week is from a few years ago, but I only recently was able to take a decent picture of it.

Joachim and Boaz
watercolor and pen and ink
9x9in
2010
Series: Choices

This piece is called Joachim and Boaz, the names of two columns/pillars that I believe were in/at Solomon's temple. I believe that pillars/columns as the above, can be symbolic for a transition, moving from one thing/place/etc. to another.
Update, so after I wrote this post, I went to Wulf's exhibit at the Springville Muesum of Art I noticed this painting of a similar title.

This is what the little card by it had to say about Joachim and Boaz.

I was recently talking to a friend and fellow artist who shared that in the new year he hopes he'll be able to quit his job and support himself with his painting. I'm so excited for him. It's always great to hear about a friend's artistic success, so many times that doesn't happen, or maybe that's just what the world says and I've heard it so much that I started to believe it. A lot of times I get discouraged and feel like a failure. There's always the opportunity to improve upon the past, meanwhile I haven't been a total failure, I had the privileged to be included in a great show this year, with artists that I respect. I'm going up from there and not going back.


Finally, here are pictures of the piece that was in the Springville show.

Enlightened
graphite pencil on arches 88
2010

This is an older piece but now that I've learned how to crop my photos, I finally have a pretty good picture of it. It's from the choices series. I'd love some feedback.

Watercolor on Arches watercolor paper
2010
9X9 in.
Series: Choices

This is another older piece, it was also photographed by David Hawkinson.

Unity
Pencil
2010
Series: Choices

This piece is not a part of the sketchbook, it's an older piece and looking back through my posts I was surprised to find that I hadn't already posted it.

Life
Watercolor
9inX9in
Series: Choices

P.S. I forgot to mention this in earlier posts but the all the professional images (the ones where all you can see is my art and no background) were taken by David Hawkinson of Hawkinson Photography.

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Watercolor and Pastel
9X9in.
2010
Series: Choices

I was told that the symbol in read above (a cross/plus sign inside a circle, inside a square) stood for the temple and that one double square was on earth and one was in heaven.

Three Degrees
Watercolor
9X9in
2010
Series: Choices

Openings
graphite
2010
Series: Choices

Detail of larger image
Pencil
2010
Series: Choices

I've been told that the checkerboard between black and white represents choosing between good and evil. There's a compass rose to help navigate the choices.

Compass Rose
Watercolor
6X6in
2010
Series: Choices