The Greeks

The ancient Greeks are credited with giving birth to western civilization. From the philosophies of Plato and Socrates to the writings of Homer. And also an art aesthetic that influenced cultures as far away as Japan.

Babylon

Egyptian Pharaoh and Queen

"Akhenaten a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC. He is especially noted for abandoning traditional Egyptian polytheism and introducing worship centered on the Aten, which is sometimes described as monotheistic. An early inscription likens him to the sun as compared to stars, and later official language avoids calling the Aten a god, giving the solar deity a status above mere gods."

"Nefertiti (ca. 1370 BC – ca. 1330 BC) was the Great Royal Wife (chief consort) of the EgyptianPharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a religious revolution, in which they started to worship one god only. This was Aten, or the sun disc."

Wikipedia.org

Ancient Egypt

Watercolor sketch

The lower Nile was home to arguably the greatest and influential ancient civilizations. The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River Valley. The historians have divided up the time periods into kingdoms and dynasties.

Predynastic period

Early Dynastic Period

Old Kingdom

First Intermediate Period

Middle Kingdom

Second Intermediate Period and the Hyksos

New Kingdom

Third Intermediate Period

Late Period

Ptolemaic Dynasty

The Pyramids of Giza are the iconic symbols of ancient Egypt.

Watercolor sketch

The Pyramids of Giza consist of the Great Pyramid of Giza (the Pyramid of Cheops or Khufu), the somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre a few hundred meters to the south-west, and the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure (or Mykerinos) a few hundred meters further south-west.

Paleolithic Images

"Lascaux cave paintings"- watercolor

Lascaux is the setting of a complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings. The original caves are located near the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne. They contain some of the best-known Upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are estimated to be 17,300 years old.

The cave contains nearly 2,000 figures, which can be grouped into three main categories — animals, human figures and abstract signs.

Working in the Sketchbook

I have been laid up for the past 3 weeks from a motorcycle accident. In that time I have started working in a new sketchbook. I have been thinking about the meaning of art and how it has shaped and changed societies. A lot of my thoughts have been germinated in my reading of Gardnier's Art through the Ages. The history of Art is the history of Us.

My first question was "What is Art?"

What do you think Art is?

Let's get this going again

Desert landscape 1, oil painting




















Desert Landscape 2, oil painting


It is not your paintings I like, it is your painting.
Albert Camus

"Down Winder" digital

Out of Rockwell's America.

""The Blues" acrylic

Bella is my blue dog. She is the biggest dog in the neighborhood, yet she is the most unassuming animal around. Bella is the master of the sad puppy face, which some people are surprised t see from this horse of a dog. I have done other drawings of her, and find her a good model to work from. Some times these animals are easier to relate too than most people. Their agendas go no further than food and some attention.

"Skull Study" indelible pencil

The human head is such a complex piece of not only biology, but also engineering .

"Etude" watercolor

This was a study at first of just messing around with the cool colors of blue and violet on a piece of scratch watercolor paper. I wanted to throw in a portrait to add some "gravitas". I have some reference photo's that I have taken over the years and in the folder I found this photo of a girl. This girl just felt right in the color scheme.

"Symbol 5" pen

What is the symbolism?

"Carrion Crow" pen

O' crow O' crow

your carrion is gone.

The hunter has left

because the season done.

Where wilt thou scratch

until your brood has hatched?

"Cowboy" pencil

Sometimes the simplest marks can convey the essence of the subject.

"Ponds Trail" charcoal

This is a small sketch of a from a trail that surrounds 3 ponds close to where I live.

"The Poorman" watercolor

I read a story in which birds and Valentines Day combine to predict the marriage prospects of young women. It was said that if a red breasted robin flew over the head of a young women on Valentines Day, it meant that she would marry a sailor. If a sparrow flew over head, it meant that she wound marry a poor man. If a gold finch flew across, she would marry a wealthy man. Now I am neither a sailor nor a wealthy man. So does that make me a sparrow? Well anyway my family can best answer that.

"Chateau dans les arbres" watercolor

This small watercolor is of a Chateau just outside of Nantes, France. I took artistic licence by taking the ruble of of the castles ruins and reassembling it to create a more noble or romantic building.

"Chicken Strut" watercolor

It has been way too long since my last post. Life seems to always come upon you and steal your time away. I know what you are thinking, "Another chicken big surprise" This is a watercolor started out as a sketch using a calligraphy dip pen. We are doing the whole calligraphy thing right now in my 2nd year art class. I think that it is pretty fun. This is something new for most of the students and they can really get into it.

"The General" pen

This is one of my goofy creatures that started out as a doodle of a bird.

"Golden" photo

Golden slumbers kiss your eyes, Smiles awake you when you rise.

-Thomas Dekker

"limbs" pen

In this dry winter day a tree shows use her bones freely.

"36957" pen

Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.

-Rabindranath Tagore

"Falcon Shield" acrylic paint

This was part of a demonstration of a coat-of-arms for my students. We discussed the things that can describe us. How do symbols show us meaning? How to motto's help us to live right?

"Peregrine en Blue" watercolor

I found a picture of a small peregrine falcon with these intense blue feathers and beak. I thought I would try it as a watercolor to make as a gift.

"Doodle Do" scratch board

"A rooster crows only when it sees the light. Put him in the dark and he'll never crow. I have seen the light and I'm crowing."

-Muhammad Ali

"La fille et un garcon" pen

A couple more meeting sketches. I really do pay better attention to speakers while I draw.

"Starlet" pencil

My daughter found these sun glasses while at a store and then she gave me the perfect pose. The expression on her face makes me laugh every time. This is about 36" x 24", so it took a couple days to complete.

"Round" pen

Just a doodle from a meeting.

"Ponderance" acrylic paint

The first post for a new year. This is just a funny little painting that I actually did awhile back, but it needed to be posted.