I love sketchbooks. I love seeing other artists’ sketchbooks. Watching their skill evolve over time and getting a peek at their personality are very appealing reasons why. Before I delve into my newer sketchbook though, I thought that I’d pull some bits n’ pieces out of older ones. These sketches were done quickly and from an emotional place so I figured, “Hey, why not share?”. I used to shudder at showing them to even the closest of friends so this ought to be an interesting experience for me. It feels like the right thing to do though, ‘letting it all hang out’ that is, being honest about myself. …This one is from around the time I moved to Scotland, about six years ago. Having been a city gal my whole life and suddenly having to adapt to a village of 1500 was an experience I hadn’t mentally prepared for. I was so used to just heading out the door to find some entertainment or meeting up with friends… I dealt with the change by becoming even more introverted and less confident about my social skills… Feeling quite isolated and definitely not putting myself out there. Not quite feeling like myself (pretty obvious, judging by the writing on the sketch). I struggled. Even drawing was a challenge as I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. I always kept my eyes open for inspiration though and loved this short poem a good friend wrote at that time: “Screaming at blank faces, Running endless races, Checking all the place, I thought that you might hide.” – Vaden Somers (Keep. It. Together, Alisa… Just keep it together…) “Vanity Vs. The Grotesque” A crowd has gathered. They stand around the front, staring at the “beauty”. Admiring, holding a mirror up in front so it can see what they see. Faces showing praise and love. But we can see its true self: bulging, oozing, freakish by the usual standards of acceptance – its beauty is just a barely-fitting mask. No one is willing to acknowledge this fact even though they can quite easily spot it if they just step a little to the side...
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Just finished a time lapse video on Vimeo for my recent large painting. Have a looksee. “Do You Mind”...
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Lovely to have received some good reviews from Northings – an arts magazine and social network for the Highlands & Islands of Scotland. (Hot damn Georgina Coburn can write. I covet her adjectives and may resort to begging her to be my voice wherever my work is being shown.) Check out the review HERE....
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So far so good at ig:lu. It was a good turn out last night despite Mother Nature trying to ruin the fun with snow. It was an interesting head space to be in, what with my first public appearance and feeling as though I had a piece of my soul on display. Didn’t feel nervous until I arrived. Making conversation can sometimes be my worst enemy especially when I’m a little on edge. Found myself keeping busy with some last minute preparations in the safety of the office downstairs which helped, but obviously didn’t make me face the issue. I vow to be a social goddess at the closing night Dec 21st (which means I will probably need to get moderately intoxicated). Come along and watch to see whether I squirm or soar. Make me uncomfortable by not responding to feeble attempts at chit chat or better yet, give me something to work with. Either way, it could be entertaining. Thanks to support of friends and hubby for making me sweat ever-so-slightly less. (Can’t believe I wore a...
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Show opens Friday Dec 9th at the ig:lu. Come check it out. Opening party starts at 7pm until… ? The weather looks shit, but if you aren’t scared, neither am I.
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It comes every year and yet every year it’s a jolt to wake up and see it has arrived. Hello winter. You’re pretty but please don’t stay too...
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Transporting a large painting today… Thought I’d show it some sights before bringing it into the gallery. ...
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November was mental. Short notice for participation in an Inverness mixed show (ig:lu gallery) meant a whirlwind of arting in a short amount of time. Three detailed drawings, one big painting and one even bigger mural (72m²) in the building itself. Sanity intact… just. I enjoyed every crazy minute. The show opens Friday, Dec 9th and runs until Dec 21st. If you’re in the area, come check it out. I’ll post some time lapses of my work so you can see how it...
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