sketchbookofbalderdash

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

Book Drop, a noun

I propose the term 'Book drop' for the times when you've just come off an exceptionally excellent book, and you can't get into any other books yet.

Book Drop 

Noun

The feeling of disinterest in all other literature due to the emotional or intellectual high of a previous book. The lack of enthusiasm for any reading material because of the exceptional quality of a preceding read. 

#booklr #booknerd #new word #book drop #book tumblr #literary community

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have yet to be discovered.

“Fortune of the Republic” (1878) by Ralph Waldo Emerson, born 25th, 1803.

#fortune of the republic #ralph waldo emerson #quotes #quote #literature #literary quotes #literary quotations #literary #literary quote #birthday #birthdays #Sketchbook of Balderdash

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

Tomorrow (April 11th) is National Pet Day 🐶🐱 in the US, so my pet portrait painted magnets are 20% off. Here’s Keen’s magnet and reference photo as examples.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/692572037/custom-pet-portrait-original-fine-art?ref=shop_home_feat_1&pro=1

#pet portrait #pet aesthetic #pet art #etsy sale #dog art #pet decor #etsy artist #etsyshop #pet portraits #dog portrait #art #acrylic painting #dog #pets #pet #dogs

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

It’s been almost a year since I’ve posted! In that year Tumblr has changed a lot, and in that year I’ve made some progress with my Gàidhlig studies (slowly and not nearly as much as I would like, but that’s because I’m a working perfectionist), my mom got a new puppy, I made some great art and I opened a new Etsy shop.

These are pics of some listings at my shop. I have a hodgepodge of Celtic carvings, pet portraits and still lifes that are sometimes kind of eccentric, like the skull Santa. So if that’s your thing or things, feel free to take a look!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CnickArt

#celtic art #skull art #pet portrait #etsyartwork #etsyshop #etsyseller #acrylic paintings #art #painting #update #etsyhandmade #etsyartist

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

I'm currently doing some ink drawings for my first ever art festival! 🤩 It’s happening later this month. But the 4th of July is a good time to share this portrait of Capt. Edith Standen, a member of the MFAA.

I feel she must have been quite the individual as most of the Monuments Women were. I admire her sense of justice and her willingness to stand up if someone transgressed it no matter who that someone was. For example, she was one of the MFAA officers who signed the Wiesbaden manifesto on Nov 7, 1945. The manifesto was an act of protest against orders by the U.S. government to send German owned art to the United States. It was called “the only act of protest by officers against their orders in the Second World War,” and it declared,

"We wish to state that, from our own knowledge, no historical grievance will rankle so long or be the cause of so much justified bitterness as the removal for any reason of a part of the heritage of any nation even if that heritage may be interpreted as a prize of war."

She didn't stop at just signing the manifesto though, she also distributed it to various offices after the art had gone. After a long three years the paintings were sent back.

And I think that this is a good reminder to Americans about what makes America great. It's not our money, nor our weapons, it's the amount of discourse we can have with the government and the government listens, even if it takes three years. Without a government that listens we have nothing.

Happy 4th of July to all the fellow Americans out there! Be safe and be sane,

#fourth of july #independence day #captain edith standen #women in history #MFAA #Women in the MFAA #women's history #ink portrait #ink drawing #art #america #world war two

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

Here’s the video of our chalk mural at Pasadena Chalk Festival 2018. We did Lilo and Stitch because they’re awesome. My mom and sister helped filled in the background and Lilo’s hair. Tapadh leibh, a mhàthair agus a phiuthar!

#lilo and stitch #disney fan art #pasadena chalk festival 2018 #pasadena chalk festival #chalk #chalk art #chalk mural #chalk festival #sidewalk chalk #sidewalk art

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

These are all my finished sidewalk chalk art I've done this year. They’re all mostly just practice to get everything flowing before the chalk fest. I may not have any finger tips left but chalk festival here I come!

#Jack Skellington #aisling #the cheshire cat #nightmare before christmas #Alice In Wonderland #Alice's Adventures In Wonderland #disney's alice in wonderland #the secret of kells #sidewalk chalk #sidewalk art #chalk art #crayola chalk

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

Welcome to my alchemy lab! 🧙🏻‍♂️💀

#I finally have my own alchemy lab #Yay #art studio #skulls #skull #skull jar #green and blue skull #pretty #green jar #blue jar #jars #art studio organisation #green and blue

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

Brackets in and shelf up!!! I am so happy this project is finally finished. 🤗

#diy projects #diy shelving #art studio #organization #celtic knot #celtic knotwork #woodworking #woodcarving #wood shelf #repurposed wood

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

The board of my shelf is done. Yay! I love how the green Celtic knot turned out. It also has a thick clear finish so that any spills can be wiped clean easily, which is great for an art studio shelf.😁

#celtic knot carving #shelf #diy shelf #diy shelving #diy projects #woodworking #wood carving #carving #celtic knot #celtic shelf #celtic carving #celtic art #green celtic knot

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

Money often costs too much.

“The Conduct of Life”, Chapter 3, “Wealth,” p. 107 by Ralph Waldo Emerson, born 25th, 1803.

#quote #ralph waldo emerson #quotes #the conduct of life #wealth #literary quotes #literary quotations #literature #literary #literary quote #birthday #birthdays #lit #Sketchbook of Balderdash

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

Monday’s Much-loved Works of Art:

Ruby Loftus Screwing a Breech Ring by Dame Laura Knight

Year: 1943

Medium: Oil Painting

Location: Imperial War Museum, London

#monday's much-loved works of art #ruby loftus screwing a breech ring #dame laura knight #women artists #woman artist #woman artwork #women are strong #war effort #world war 2

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

This is my second sidewalk chalk drawing of the year. I wanted to focus on practicing shading and creating a soft gradient with this, so I automatically thought ‘Jack Skellington!’ as one obviously does. His eyes and mouth are perfect for it. A little fun thing, if you look closely in the first pic you can see the outline of Aisling’s body right under Jack’s head so it looks like Jack has the body of Aisling. 🤣

#sidewalk art #sidewalk chalk art #jack skellington #tim burton movies #nightmare before christmas #sidewalk chalk #nightmare before xmas #fan art

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

First chalk drawing of the season! I needed to start with something simple to get acclimated to the heat. Aisling from The Secret of Kells was the perfect choice. No passing out around here and I did it in about an hour! 🙂

#the secret of kells #aisling #sidewalk chalk #sidewalk art #chalk #chalk art #chalk mural

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

Detail of a pet portrait I did last year. I made the yellow ochre paint that I used in this painting. 🙂

#art #oil painting #artwork #painting #paintings #pet portrait #dog portrait #painting detail #detail #details

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

Gàidhlig book haul! Since my Gàidhlig course ends in May I bought some books from Comhairle nan Leabhraichean. I got a range of levels starting with Oidhche Shamhna to a’ Choille Fhiadhaich (I think, though it might be Fo Bhruid, I haven’t looked at them that closely yet), so they'll be with me as I progress. I’ll be busy for a long while at least. 🤓😏

At the bottom of the pic you can also see the first draft of my next project. Hint: I've taken the Exploring Filmmaking course from Futurelearn.

#gàidhlig #gàidhlig books #comhairle nan leabhraichean #the gaelic books council

[sketchbookofbalderdash]

Imagine stumbling on a meticulously made work of art on a hike out in the middle of nowhere. How thrilling would it be to suddenly be in the presence of something massive, monumental, almost megalithic. Or perhaps chance upon something on a slightly smaller scale. A hidden gem, that becomes a personal friend and that feels like your very own. A flash of colour surrounded by trees or a shape embedded in an old sheepfold.

Recently, I've taken an interest in Land Art, most probably because I  live in a shoe box and have no land of my own to speak of. So for me, there's just something about the way these artists work with and against nature to create their art. Sometimes creating a living piece like Ash Dome by David Nash. It brings up ideas about how art doesn't have to be the reshaping of dead or lifeless material, but can be a benefit to the environment, can actually be the environment. Think about the sustainability.

But not only that, at times the art world seems –like a lot of other worlds– driven by, and for, extroverts. I admit we have seen a shift with the internet, but so much of how we talk about and connect with art seems to be about high intensity. Museums and Galleries tend to have work from a lot of different artists, pooling a whole lot of different ideas and evoking many different emotions. And on the other end, so much of the time artists are expected to talk, schmooze and be interesting. There's a misconception that they're excitable and high energy (I know I don't fit that description a fourth, okay maybe sixteenth, of the time, do you?). But Land Art, to me, is less about the artist and more about the landscape, man and nature, our own ancient but ever-present struggle for balance between mastery of and subjugation by nature, think Julie Brook's Firestacks (https://vimeo.com/209803621). It hearkens back to a past long ago but not entirely forgotten, like the Crawick Multiverse by Charles Jencks. Land Art evokes thoughts and feelings but is less about the cult of personality and more about an individual alone finding inspiration in nothing but the natural world around them. Artists that took their work to nature quite literally. They've proven that you don't need to be in a gallery or a city or a studio even to make important and moving art. That you can be out in nature by yourself. Theirs, to my mind, is the ultimate form of artistic introversion.

And to be honest, seeing all of these in person is now on my bucket list.

Images:

Stone rows at the Crawick Multiverse, Charles Jencks by Rosser1954 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Stone House, Andy Goldsworthy by GailLeenstra (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons