Ere's an ammonite fossil. Observational drawing makes me hurt.

These are some progress photos of my first attempt painting a self portrait. It is acrylic, on a thick watercolor paper, taped to the mirror which I sat in front of for two days.

Everybody tells me I look miserable.
I tell them, you try smiling at your self for ten hours.

Also, I enjoy the weariness in those eyes. It's a really honest picture, and I found the liquid medium capable of expressing the subtle innuendos, the curlicues of doubt, embedded in my reflection. Totally different from ink, pencil or pastel.

I have previously been intimidated by paint. It seemed beyond me. Now there is a fresh anticipation, perhaps it will be a future ally after all.

Here we go round the prickly pear
 prickly pear prickly pear
Here we go round the prickly pear
At five o'clock in the morning

Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the Shadow
                                For Thine is the Kingdom

Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow
                                Life is very long

Between the desire
And the spasm
Between the potency
And the existence
Between the essence
And the descent
Falls the Shadow
                                For Thine is the Kingdom

For Thine is
Life is
For Thine is the

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

 Thank you Thomas Xx
              

I have a passion for printmaking, in particular, silkcut carving. It's a recent development, something I was introduced to early last year in the beginning of my vis arts diploma.
I love the tactile experience of cutting away, and the process spent envisioning potential results. I love the unreliable nature, how I compromise and continually interact with the image.
Each design will spill from itself, a certain personality revealed outside of my intention.

This little lady is Sage. She is the first print for 2012.
It's a more traditional depiction than my usual efforts. No teeth or claws in this one. I like it though, I've always been attracted to botanical illustration and would enjoy practising this style.