Tuesday, June 7, 2011

A Conglomeration Of Natural Rhythms

NCR Trail, 9X12", Pencil on bristol

That's my girl.  Valerie.  Taking a break while the old man snaps another one of his crazy pictures.  But that's all the fun of a bikehike, especially on the old North Central Railway bed, converted not long ago.  Everywhere you look is another incredible composition.  This one caught my eye because of all the wild patterning of light and dark, directional shifts, spatial relationships, patterns within patterns--a wild mod podge of stuff all going on--to say nothing of the colors.  I like a good visual feast.  OK I guess you had to be there.

Val's such a good sport.



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17 comments:

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Val's a good sport and YOU are an amazing artist. Just love the mood you have created in this one.

Sonya Johnson said...

Wow. This is just masterful, Bill! This makes me want to do more work in graphite, except that I'd be disappointed with the results. But, boy, this is a stunner! And Val with her bike are what make it even better.

Jane said...

THIS really speaks to me , even without color you get an idea of the incredible shifting of light/dark in the foliage. Beautiful!

Celeste Bergin said...

truly a lovely piece..it is "restful"

Debu Barve said...

Brilliant sketch William! How much time you took to complete it? I particularly loved the foliage on the left side.

Autumn Leaves said...

What a gorgeous, amazing, and so much larger than life piece, William! I love this!!

William Cook said...

Thanks Bonnie, for stopping in and for your kind comment. Always a pleasure.

Hi Sonya--I bet your pencil works would be just as exciting as some of those b&w photos I've seen in your archives. Thanks for checking in, and for the camera info. I have a little Nikon Cool Pix that fits in my shirt pocket. It's OK, but I'm starting to take an interest in something better. Interesting comment about Val. She does add sense of scale to the piece, doesn't she? Have a great day!

Thanks Jane--that value shifting and patterning is what I was so engaged in. Maybe I just like all the visual tickling going on. All the best.

Hi Celeste--Nice comment! It's amazing how invigorating rest can be. Thanks for dropping by.

Hi Debu--As I recall, probably 10 hours or so over a period of 2 or 3 days. I remember continually getting lost in the subject matter and forgetting the main mission to just record the natural rhythms being "performed" in front of me. That foliage on the left needed a lot of "tuning" in that struggle, and I agree, has become a particularly interesting part of the piece. So wonderful to hear from you!

Hi Sherry--Such an interesting comment--larger than life. The little figure does seem to give it all a sense of scale. Thanks for stopping by.

John Brisson said...

I'd like to mention the composition and balance and all that artsy stuff, but really, I just like it. Great that there are people who still just draw!

William Cook said...

Thanks John--Always a pleasure.

joan coch said...

Molt bo, saludos.

RH Carpenter said...

Bill, I have just two words for this one: Oh, My!!! (Well, that's if you don't count the words leading up to those two words.)

William Cook said...

Thanks John, best regards.

Hi Rhonda--You're so kind--and congrats on making the best 50 list--I bet it was the salt in the watercolor trick that got you in--that and the guy loves peeps. Seriously, you deserve all the recognition you're getting. Thanks for checking in!

illustration poetry said...

ooohhh hello!!!!
i like this ALOT.
have no idea where she was, in the forest?

im so jealous, your forest is so goddamn beautiful :)

i am now obsessed with forever yellow skies, hahaha, like 2mountain2valley :D

i wish you a good weekend in the forest, okay, byebyeeeee!!!

JANE MINTER said...

love the way you've dwg the trees bill

William Cook said...

Hi Mita--Glad you like it. Thanks for your note, and have a great weekend too. \\///\ [:

Hi Jane--So great to hear from you. I was trying three different weight pencils with this--and tried to keep it all loose enough that I didn't get frustrated with the detail. Interesting exercise. Thanks for your comment!

Linda Roth said...

Isn't foliage great! I love the play of values in the woods--and in your drawing. Your drawing makes me want to pick up my pencils again. Encouraging Bill. Thanks.

William Cook said...

Hi Linda--Thanks for checking in! I agree, everyone neglects the simple pencil as its own medium. Seems like it always gets gets used for the more utilitarian functions. I need to do some more of this too. Always a pleasure, Wm