Museum day

I treated myself to a day out today. I've been working on the memoir but not really sketching lately, and it's good to do work that's looser, not for publication, just for myself. (Not to mention that I don't want to show too much of something I'm hoping to publish, so I haven't had a lot for the blog lately.)

The Mary Sims exhibition at Dixon is amazing. I've been several time with various people, but I hadn't take a bunch of time just to drink it in slowly. I went round the whole thing, sat and looked at various pieces, and finally figured out a couple I'd like to sketch. I love her crazy intricate still lifes with shadows that are as robust as the objects themselves, but I knew I'd make myself crazy trying to capture one (especially with the pencil/crayon I'm limited to inside the museum). So I headed back for my other favorite works, which were the early portraits. The top one is maybe my favorite piece in the whole show, but since Dolph Smith is one of my favorite local artists, that may not be an objective assessment. I love that he and Mary, both lions of the Memphis art world, are united in this piece. And his sweet wife Jesse memorialized as well.

I also sketched this graphite and acrylic portrait. It's so minimal (flat background, as all hers are, just not something I could catch with dry materials). She uses graphite so extensively on her canvas work, which isn't something I've tried at all. The effect is wonderful. And I loved seeing her use so much gold paint. I'm always drawn to the metallics and then wonder if I'm just being cheesy, but it's good validation to see her love them as well.

It's been a rainy day off and on, and there was flat NOBODY in the cafe at early lunch time. I went ahead and actually ate inside, which was a treat. Usually I'm wearing a mask indoors. And I had fun doing a quick fountain pen sketch at the same time. I really should get out and draw more people as I'm working on the memoir, which is so figure heavy. It's never been my strong suit, but I am having a good time. This was actually my first sketch of the day -- I was starting a new sketchbook with a short, happy memory. You can see the spot for my name and information (which I ALWAYS fill out in case I lose a book) in the bottom left. Now that I'm home with my waterproof ink, I'll attend to that.

I was heading out, and the rain suddenly burst back on the scene in a pretty impressive downpour. I decided to sit and sketch this scene I'd been eyeing anyway. I love drawing Rodin. I started with the crayons since I'd had them out for the museum pieces but added some real watercolor on top. It was a lovely way to pass the time until I could walk more easily to my car.