Indeed, the painting of this tugboat, active around wartime, is finished.
Then arises the question of whether an artist’s work is ever finished. But essentially it is finished. I may tweak a little after looking at it tomorrow. (Admittedly, I made a few changes since taking the photo you see below!) Comparing this image to the prior photographs, again we may observe the exquisite variation of dormitory lighting. Click to see a larger image.
We’ve marched out of March and into April — it may be May before we know it.
Despite gaining a second job at school for the remainder of the term, I’ve continued (albeit sometimes disjointedly) to work on art projects. At this point, it’s almost exclusively the M. Moran tugboat painting, which is coming along.
Click the thumbnail to see a bigger version. Click here to see the post featuring photos of an earlier stage in the process (“Tugging Along”).
Also, I learned that it was in fact Korea, not Japan, to which the tugboat traveled from the Continental US, stopping only in Hawaii.
On a musical note, today in my carillon lesson, my teacher showed me the summer program for Centralia Carillon — and what should appear on the cover but my drawing? Or what looks like my drawing. I say that because the program designer colorized it to make it “pop.” The trees in the drawing were tinted bright green, which is perhaps a few touches too bright, but there’s a goldish sort of yellow that makes the radiating light around the top of the tower stand out nicely. (I don’t have a picture, but if you visit Centralia, IL, on certain Friday evenings this summer, maybe you’ll get to take your own copy home. No fooling!)
Good news! Last night, I spoke with Bill Hermanson of MusicLearningCommunity.com, who picked up the long-awaited prints of Terry Treble Music Adventures on Monday. Once the MLC site is updated to include purchasing information for Books 1 & 2, I’ll add a link to Draws the Eventide. Stay tuned.
Also, in case you haven’t explored this site within the past few weeks, you might sally over to the Art Portal. I added two new sections:
The snow and sun in Elsah shine whilst I have art to fill the time.
You may have noticed that literary devices occasionally make appearances in the Captain’s Log. This week’s adventures are brought to you by rhymes. (Two weeks ago, it was alliteration.)
Boats
I started a painting of the M. Moran, a sea-going tugboat. The image is based on (a photocopy of) an old newspaper photograph, or rather, part of a photograph, since the stern of the tug is cut off. (At least I assume it is a colorized photograph; it looks like an old tinted poster or postcard but does not have the same graphic quality. At some point, I’d like look into it and learn about printing press graphics.) At one time, the M. Moran (designed by my great uncle) was one of the most powerful tugboats in the world. It traveled between Korea and the continental United States, stopping only in Hawaii.
Goats
As I practice drawing goats for my latest illustration commission, Do You Have a Pebble in Your Pocket?, a counting book for very young children, I am discovering how much goats, despite being ungulates, resemble dogs in certain respects, not exclusively a penchant for chewing.
Quotes
More accurately, quotation marks, which make regular appearances in the fantasy/science-fiction novel I am editing for an acquaintance. 7 chapters down, 15 to go.
Notes
A divertimento from visual art — music notes. (Not a surprise, given rehearsals and practice, plus playing the Chapel carillon before church & before hymn sing this past Sunday.) Again, when MusicLearningCommunity sends word about the Terry Treble print run, I’ll post information about purchasing Terry books 1 & 2.
Coats
We may soon abandon them — today was a tropical 30-40 degrees! Also, over the next couple of weeks, I intend to upload more art — flora, fauna, and merry weather* — to Draws the Eventide. I’ll include concept sketches from my ongoing projects so you can get a tiny taste of what’s developing (beyond general progress reports).
*Any Sleeping Beauty fans in the audience? Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are the three good fairies in Disney’s take on the classic fairy tale. Merry weather would also eliminate the need for coats.
Just more than a week has passed since I came back to the bluffs at Principia College, and what a week it has been! Things are swiftly scurrying along (squirrels and shivering students as well as writing work & program development) as afternoon temperatures approach Arctic averages.
Arctic alliteration notwithstanding, this wintry Week One bore witness to several art-tic adventures.
Captain’s Log Subscriptions! Readers can now subscribe to updates via the subscription page or the sidebar. If you subscribe, please check your email for a message from Draws the Eventide — read it and weep confirm. (Kidding about the weeping.) Cue 18th century fanfare.
Also, as articulated in a prior post, I made another paper Olaf. As promised, he dons his “In Summer” hat and carries his cane. If he’s feeling dapper, he can hang his cane on his arm. (It’s not glued.) My brother is very pleased with his happy snowman, but perhaps not the room traffic he now gets — clusters of Frozen fans knocking on his door and exclaiming. But it’s worth it.
Big post. Bigger smiles.