"Familiar and Comforting"

($40.00....6" x 6" mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)


"Familiar and comforting thoughts are found in those things symbolizing truth." This pen and ink drawing of a palm tree in our yard has been a symbol of truth for me. Palm trees symbolize "victory" and that is confirmed in an ordinary dictionary. I am sure that you have symbols in your environment as well. It's a good thing.

I drew this contour drawing of a palm tree in our yard while sitting on the patio having coffee. The odd shapes and angles are interesting to me and even without the shaded color giving it form, the average person can tell what it is. Contour drawing is simply drawing the outline of something with perhaps a few internal shapes. When the color and detail is stripped away, the juxtaposition of angles and shapes can provide a very interesting piece. Try looking at objects or plants in your environment and see what happens when you focus on the outline. Even if it's not totally accurate, it still has a lot of interest.

I drew it the first time with pencil and then, transferred the pencil lines to this piece in the same way you can transfer an image onto an eraser in order to hand cut a stamp. The graphite transfers quite easily on surfaces that have a bit of tack. In this case, it was pouring medium (the black, lime green, and cream color). I then inked over the pencil lines to really give the drawing some definition. It's a great thing to do or something to just think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.