Monday, August 29, 2011

08-29-11. A frog that we found on August 20th.


citrine: Karen Walker citrine and enamel pansy necklace


This post is the first part of a new thing that I'll be doing from time to time. This week, in addition to my usual daily sketches, I'll have a series of blog posts related to a single theme. These will lead up to the completion of my current painting and a video, both also related to this theme. So... my first theme is "citrine". Citrine, the rare, golden hued variety of quartz. According to Wikipedia, natural citrine is so rare that most of it is actually heat-treated amethyst.

The necklace above was made by New Zealand jewelry designer Karen Walker. It costs $389 (not sure if those are NZ or Australian dollars, or maybe US dollars). It has a citrine in its center.

Peridot, AZ (West La Bamba) - SOLD


Peridot, AZ (West La Bamba). SOLD

This is a second version of the "peridot" painting for my "AMBER" series.

Monday, August 22, 2011

08-22-11. My Dad.


Lights of Amethyst (Owls)

"Lights of Amethyst (Owls)", $35 on Etsy.
A pair of spotted owls (Strix occidentalis) perch on a branch. The word "amethyst" floats in front of them, and the chemical formula for amethyst (a form of quartz) overlays the whole painting. Hidden behind the birds is a cryptic tweet by Twitter user OskarPui. He follows only one woman and that one woman only follows him. They tweet back and forth in public, but the tweets don't make much sense to outsiders. This particular tweet listed four different names with four different gemstones. I highlighted just the word "amethyst" and obscured most of the rest. The title "Lights of Amethyst" is derived from the poem "The twilight turns from amethyst" by James Joyce.

Monday, August 8, 2011

08-08-11. Orange chicken with broccoli and Service Center eggplant.


Turquoise Parrot

"Turquoise Parrot",  $50 on Etsy
This painting is all about turquoise. A turquoise parrot (Neophema pulchella) perches amid an ornate pattern in various shades of turquoise and green. The chemical formula for turquoise, the semi-precious stone, floats directly on top of the bird. The bird's scientific name is in small print in the upper left of the image. The painting is meant to be a visual synthesis of information related to the word "turquoise".

Monday, August 1, 2011