H'Artful of Fun, Nightfall, this Friday

The Living Arts & Science Center’s 24th Annual H’Artful of Fun, Nightfall, will set the stage for an elegant and unique evening of fabulous entertainment, delicious appetizers and desserts, wine, beer and bourbon tastings, and, as always, incredible art. 

©LASC, Nightfall Poster

Building on the excitement and energy of last year’s event, the 2014 H’Artful of Fun will be held again at the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park on Friday, February 7 at 7 p.m. It's my favorite art party of the year. Many artists have donated art in support of Living Arts & Science Center.

©Kathleen O'Brien, Hermit Thrush Song, 12x9"

One thing you have a chance to buy is Hermit Thrush Song. This artwork was chosen to hang in First Lady, Jane Beshear’s office for the Kentucky Treasures exhibit, June 1 – October 28, 2013. I was fascinated one day to discover several bird songs that had been transcribed into musical notation. This inspired a series that included  drawings of a bird, its notes and egg, and local botanicals. Two separate drawings were then fused together with beeswax.

5 things I am grateful for

Happy birthday, Alyson Stanfield. and thank you for posing a challenge to us on your day. You know, I always like to play. So here goes, with challenge #5, my gratitudes.

©Joe King, A & B in 1982

1. My 2 children, shown here years ago at the Washington zoo. And added to this, my wonderful son in law and grandchild.

©Kathleen O'Brien, Greg with our first Corgi pup

©Kathleen O'Brien, Greg doing his favorite thing, driving in Big Sur

2. My wonderful husband, who is unconditionally loving and kind, supportive of all things positive. 

©Kathleen O'Brien, various papers I use in art making

©Kathleen O'Brien, Studio storage and inspiration shelf

3. An abundance of art supplies that reside in a perfect studio.

©Greg Orth, Alyson & I at Art Sale Soiree last June 

4. For Alyson Stanfield coming to my Art Sale Soiree while in Boulder last summer.

©Greg Orth, me cooking on the wood stove during a power outage

5. For our trusty wood stove keeping us warm in Arctic Vortexes. And for the security of knowing we can cook and heat water for watering can showers during power outages.

So I hope your day is full of surprises, Alyson. Thank you for all you have taught me.

Artists; if you need help with your business, Alyson's site is the place to start.  

Year of the Pencil

When I asked myself what I really want to do this year, art wise, it is to draw. When I count up my colored pencils it comes to 694. This doesn't count the graphite ones. I almost HAVE to draw.

©Kathleen O'Brien, a bunch of pencils & a waterbrush

Then my dear spouse disobeyed me and got me the Cadillac of the pencil world, Caran d'Ache Luminance for Christmas. The direction was cinched. In large part that was the impetus behind going to Twinrocker Hand Made Paper to get the best paper available in the USA.

©Kathleen O'Brien, Caran d'Ache Luminance colored pencils

I want to say a few words about my experience with different pencils.  For years my favored choice was Prismacolor. They still are in many regards except for the pesky tendency for the points to break upon sharpening. They are soft, waxy and blend easily. The Art Stix are great for covering large areas quickly.

I like to use Faber-Castell Polychromos when I need to keep a sharp line, as they are harder. One nice consistency between the 2 is the shaft is round. This helps to differentiate between them and the watercolor pencils, which are hexagonal. The Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils are very vibrant. It is exciting to activate them with a water brush. 

These new Caran d'Ache Luminance are really wonderful to use, even over other colored pencils. They have the highest rating on the market for light fastness. I also recommend Caran d'Ache Supracolor II Soft Water-soluble pencils and their Neo-Color II Water-soluble Crayons.

Please tell me about what favorite pencils you like to use. Must go draw now....

Twinrocker Paper

Last week during the arctic vortex we drove to Brookston Indiana, to visit the Twinrocker Paper Mill and store. It was a pilgrimage to see where America's most beautiful paper is made lovingly by hand one sheet at a time. Their client list has included the giants of contemporary art, such as Rauschenberg, Johns, Rosenquist, Motherwell and Dine.

©Greg Orth, Paper making room

The photo was difficult to take, as the front of the building was graced with light coming through glass block. Notice the shine on the floor. That is excess water from the paper mould after lifting out of the pulp vats. The 100 ton hydraulic press is the dark shape on the left. It presses water out of the post of couched papers.

©Greg Orth, choosing papers with Fran's help

We learned how a paper is hot pressed. It does not involve heat at all, but rather the paper is burnished between 2 pieces of metal. It makes the paper smoother, which I need for drawing.

©Greg Orth, Fran hot presses sheets of May linen for me

 Twinrocker makes many types and sizes of paper. They are recognized worldwide for their "Feather"© deckle edges - gorgeous.  I chose some smaller "Simon's Green" sheets.

©Kathleen O'Brien, Twinrocker papers

I have ordered their paper from New York Central Art Supply, but being there to feel it, see it and meet the dedicated people who make and sell it is a cherished experience.

©Kathleen O'Brien, Twinrocker papers, 100% linen, May linen, peach, lavender & Mica Rose

10, Decad, Happy Sixth Day of 2014

Following in yesterday's track, here is Decad, the nature of number.

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Decad, 12 x 7.5"

Decad is a Golden Rectangle.

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Decad, detail, square

"Based upon the appearance of the first 4 numbers all other numbers emerge. Step by step they approach the decad, or number 10. Step by step we move beyond the ordinary numerical interactions and geometric relationships and find a new beginning with the decad, the beginning of a journey into limitlessness."* Taking this square away, the next Golden Rectangle remains;

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Decad, detail, Golden Rectangle

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Decad, detail, square

The Tetraktys, an equilateral triangle made up of 10 dots,

.

.     .

.     .     .

.     .     .     .

displays that the power of 10 lies in the number 4. (1+2+3+4=10) Taking this square away, the next Golden Rectangle remains;

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Decad, detail, Golden Rectangle

The ephemera is of Pomegranate, and the ten botanicals are little white flowers. What are your associations about ten?

*Words in Quotes are from Divine Proportion by Priya Hemenway

5, Pentad, Happy Fifth Day of 2014

Following in yesterday's track, here is Pentad, "the next level of cosmic design... symbol of life itself."*

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Pentad, 12 x 7.5"

Pentad is a Golden Rectangle.

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Pentad, detail, square

The method of construction is complicated, was kept secret until Luca Pacioli (da Vinci's teacher) published Divina proportione in 1509. Taking this square away, the next Golden Rectangle remains;

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Pentad, detail, Golden Rectangle

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Pentad, detail, square

The geometry of the Pentad is see often in nature, like the seeds of the apple, a starfish, our own hands. Taking this square away, the next Golden Rectangle remains;

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Pentad, detail, Golden Rectangle

The ephemera is of Forget-Me-Not, and the five botanicals are Forget-Me-Nots. What are your associations about five?

*Words in Quotes are from Divine Proportion by Priya Hemenway

4, Tetrad, Happy Fourth Day of 2014

Following in yesterday's track, here is Tetrad, which relates to 3-D volume.

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Tetrad, 12 x 7.5"

Dyad is a Golden Rectangle.

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Tetrad, detail, square

A square is formed within the vesica piscis when two lines are drawn between the two midpoints of the circles and the intersections of the vesica piscis. Taking this square away, the next Golden Rectangle remains;

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Tetrad, detail, Golden Rectangle

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Tetrad, detail, square

"Four is the first number formed by the addition and multiplication of equals (4=2+2 and 4=2x2). The square represents justice"* and the earth. Taking this square away, the next Golden Rectangle remains;

©Kathleen O'Brien, The Mystery of Numbers, Tetrad, detail, Golden Rectangle

The ephemera is of Hellebore, and the four botanicals are Lilacs. What are your associations about four?

*Words in Quotes are from Divine Proportion by Priya Hemenway