Hands Down #AtoZChallenge

Hands are the tools we work with above all others. I recently retired from a Hand Surgery practice. I know first hand (no pun intended...well maybe) how important our fingers are. Injure one and you will know what I mean. Our thumbs are what allow us to do the things we humans do. Grasp, manipulate. They are one of the most difficult things to draw.  

The above image is from a 15th century illuminated manuscript I got to see in person at the Walters Museum in Baltimore while at a Friends of Dard Hunter conference. What a thrill.

On to contemporary artists whose rendering of hands I admire.

Check out the front paws on these rabbits. They were on display at Carleton College. Made by one of the instructors Kelly Connole . I was there for a calligraphy retreat and was drawn to this display.

 

Justin Bua  His posters speak to me. The hands are always long fingered beauties.

Egon Schiele  Apparently I have a thing for long fingers. 

So much so I had to copy in my journal.

This articulated hand lives in my studio.

Remember it's not polite to point. 

Have you had a reason to appreciate your hands?

Glass Jars & Containers #AtoZChallenge

I'm a sucker for a glass container. 

Big, small, clear, colored, smooth, patterned, love 'em all.

Found these lovelies at an estate sale years ago, decades in fact.

They migrate around the house as storage, props in photography, or decorations.

In the studio I have a large assortment of jars mostly used for water to clean brushes & sponges.

One of my latest fabric bins was made specifically to house the collection. 

A shelf in my pantry is dedicated to glass. 

Do you have any favorite eye candy you use for storage?

Know When to Fold Em #AtoZChallenge

  A good accordion fold, it's a tricky business. 

Get it wrong & it looks awful. Done right & you feel you've accomplished something.  

This tutorial link gives you the proper approach.

I've had my share of fails on this but some have gone well.

This little guy was  an experiment in gluing to get a long enough stretch, 

& cutting an inside frame

I can't take credit for the accordion. The teeny tiny text block

for these teeny tiny books were provided in a workshop. 

The cover structure was our focus.

 This book, Urban Sprawl,  has been in several shows. I still love it

 but would be happy if it found a new home with someone who appreciates artist books. 

Happy folding!