What do a building drawing and a clay fish have in common?

The visual element in each which reveals form is light and shadow.

Netting Pattern on a Box of Berries

Broken Plate and First Tomato

Studies of Light and Dark

Yesterday, I went to an interesting exhibit of Edward Hopper drawings at the Whitney. He emphasized lighting a lot.

Cartoon of Annunciation Painting

My drawing:


The original:



My housemate left this painting in the studio, and for lack of any other inspiration, I decided to draw it. My drawing is more of a cartoon representation than a drawing in this case.

Medusa and the North Atlantic Coast

This is Medusa:


And, this is where she lives:


This is more stuff along the lines of interior characters. See this post:
http://newsfromthestudio-bethanylee.blogspot.com/2013/07/possibly-to-be-continue.html

Ten Minutes in the Morning

Pen drawing of the studio curtains.

Yes, Martha. They were cosmos.

A week or so ago, I did not know what plants these were that I planted from seeds Martha sent me. Well, they flowered, so now I know. Thanks, Martha!
See post:
http://newsfromthestudio-bethanylee.blogspot.com/2013/07/plant-images-for-martha.html

The Dividing Line (Unfinished)

Or, beautiful fences make good neighbors.

The Pensive Guitar

Teapot and Towel

Similar idea to Still Life with a Bottle
http://newsfromthestudio-bethanylee.blogspot.com/2013/07/still-life-with-grapefruit-and-bottle.html
, but with color being the focus rather than form and texture.

Up the Stairs

One of the reason's I think my house feels peaceful is that there is lots of ambient light on hard surfaces.

My Sandals

I bought these shoes several years ago to wear in an office. They are from Nordstroms. They wear like iron. In the past six months, they have seen the streets of San Fransisco, the subways of Manhattan, the polished wood floors of nice restaurants, the linoleum of the welfare hotels of the Bronx, earth of garden, rooftop, rain, sun, sand, sea, and the carpet of my bedroom. Thanks, shoes for holding up on me.

Poses of a Black Umbrella

I asked a relative not long ago if there was any sort of artwork he would like me to make for him. I had in mind not a commission, but some sort of labor of love. He mentioned a few works to which he had been attracted recently. After giving these works some thought, I decided to abandon (for now) the attempt to make a piece that he would like. The reason is as follows (and it has to do with the black umbrellas).
I like the saying, "Write what you know." The sorts of things I am exposed to and notice inform the visual art I make. For instance, I take pleasure in domestic beauty - the light through the curtain in my kitchen in the evening, a cat walking through the garden, a Shasta daisy in the window. Many of my subjects are domestic subjects. The umbrella is a domestic subject. It is also a sculptural object. That is another frame of reference from which I approach things visually. The art pieces my relative mentioned did not contain much overlap with my visual experience and sensibilities. Granted, it would be an interesting experience to try to find some overlap or to enter into those sensibilities, but sometimes, I think it's more fruitful to follow the lights you have been given. And, thank God there are many kinds of artists in the world. I only have to be the kind of artist I am.

Cast Iron

Which are unfinished because my housemate needed to cook with them.


I think the soft texture (visual texture at least) of cast iron is pleasing.

On the Street Where I Live

The Sea at Night

Plant Images for Martha

My friend Martha gave me some seeds for my garden. Here is what one of the plants looks like to me:


Vs. what it looks like on my camera:


Hey, Martha. By the way, do you know what this is? I forgot to mark it!

Free Association Drawing on iPad

How I Feel in the Summer Heat

Still Life with Grapefruit and a Bottle

I think a still life is satisfying because it shows objects at close to their original size and is drawn from real life (as opposed to a photograph). The objects are also often solid, enclosed shapes like fruit or vessels. They have a touchable surface with a particular texture. To view a still life is like taking hold of those objects in the moment and saying: this object is real.

4th of July Drawing in the Park

One of the studios in Manhattan had an event today: free model drawing sessions in the park. The models all had costumes.
Here is Uncle Sam:



And a couple of my drawings of him:





And, this is a drawing of Harriet Tubman posing with a Minute Man:

Bernini's David

Drawing of Bernini's David Statue. For my own aesthetic satisfaction. And because Bernini is the bomb.

Possibly to be continued...

Experimenting with Non-White Paper

Oh course, the subject would probably laugh if he saw it! I used a family photo for this sketch and turned my brother into an old woman.