| I'm particularly proud of this portrait. It was a real challenge. Everyone knows about Marilyn Monroe. I've seen a few of her movies, and love the many beautiful photographs of her... I felt only now, after being an artist for 25 years, that I was ready to try and capture some of her essence, by drawing her in full color. Marilyn's incredeble beauty made her a joyful subject to spend 140 hours of drawing time, over a three month period. I did the hair last and it was somewhat difficult to get her hair to look cotton candy soft. The original is a third larger, and I was pleased with this print, as I felt nothing was lost in quality from the original. I usually don't write about the drawings I create, but she and I sort of bonded on this one, and I was a bit sad upon its completion.Thanks Marilyn, for a special artistic journey. |
Over a 4 month period, I spent aproximately 180 hours drawing "Age of Understanding: Saving the Sea Turtles". The majority of my drawings are done in Black and White. With this great subject, I had to capture this wonderful woman in color, using Prismacolor pencils.Her name was Ila Loetscher and she resided in South Padre Island, Texas. She devoted her life to saving the endangered Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles that would return annually to lay thier eggs near her home.She saw first hand how the turtles try to help each other. Once she rescued a sick turtle with a collapsed lung and put it in with other turtles in a specially built tank. The other turtles helped raise the injured turtles head out of the water so it could breathe. Ila believed we could learn a great deal from the kindness of the turtle groups. Also ,she raised rare full sized turtle for scientists and daily opened her home to as many as 285 visitors, mostly school children, to whom she lectured about loving turtles and thus, understanding how we can be"saving the sea turtles". I read that Ila passed away several years ago at age 95. She left a legacy of caring and understanding; I hope I have been able to somehow capture this feeling in her portrait. When people view this drawing, hopefully it will strike a cord just as Ila touched those around her with her caring heart. |
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| NASCAR and all forms of sports car racing are becoming more popular each year. And Dale Earnhardt was the Top Man! The last couple of years, many people have asked if I would do a tribute drawing. The timing felt right now, after sketching a design that I could be proud of, and to try to capture some of the spirit that was Dale Earnhardt. This Limited Edition print mixes graphite and colored pencil, and was printed the same size as the original. So I guess it's time for new glasses after spending many hours drawing a 3 inch trophy.I dedicate this project to my cousin, Cal Johnson, who inspired me to do this drawing, and who has been so supportive of all the work I create. |
