Drummin' and Drawin'

Just finished the third drum circle, there were seven of us, three new from Plattsburgh.  It went well, there were about four or five long rhythms and we sampled all the different drums and toys.

I'm putting together a workshop package.  Instead of offering the workshop here over the course of six weeks, I'm going to be offering a 2 - 3 hour workshop, including the score and a cd with practice parts on it at three different tempos.  This will enable the participants to remember what they learned from the workshop.

Unfortunately my hands are sore, I let them get dried out and I developed some cuts, I really should take a break for a couple of days.  The problem is, I am drawing in the gallery these days.  I sit in the recliner, by the window, have my pencils and everything right on the table, it's very comfortable.  When I finish a session (there not as long as they use to be, my eyes really need to look away quite often) boom....the drums are there.  Calling me.

So I'm working on, "Bather and Tree on John's Brook".  One day while hiking I was crossing the John's Brook trail on my way up to Bushnell Falls and there she was.  I love the contrast of the rough wilderness forest and the rounded rocks and female form.  I'm doing alot with trees right now, so I put that big ole tree in there.
I've learned alot of pencil drawing tricks over the years, I go from an H to a 6B usually.  I love paper with a little tooth because I can manipulate it better than smooth.  I love making the illusion and knowing that eyes will see what is really not there.  For some reason I'm back into pencil drawing big time, that and drumming is all I think about creatively these days.  I think it's because it's one of those disciplines where you can totally disappear into it.  I quite often write little notes on the border of a drawing and sometimes these notes turn into poems or other drawings......sometimes not.

Here's another drawing I just finished.  That's me making the "Discovery" of a pitfired object, while a tree looks on under a waning moon.

I think after the bather I'm going to do a couple of paintings and try working on a couple of clay objects at the same time.  I've got some challenging ideas I want to pursue with the painting and this might be the right time.

Oh, and I really need to make some time for several pastel drawings I want to do.  Martha S. gave me as a gift for my birthday last year three sheets of wonderful toothy colored pastel paper.  I want to draw trees on all of them, as a matter of fact I want to buy more of this paper, I just know I'm going to love it.
The only way this can happen is if I don't get too busy with the web business, which I don't think is going to happen anyway.  So this is a very good time to eat some art and play some drums.