not so sketchy

Sketch Vertical, pen, 2011

black line. because i've been doing it all my life. i used to trace my coloring book pages in black marker before coloring in the shapes. i like contrast. i like tone, and gradation. it's my foundation. today's magic: cherishing the child's instincts.

update: turning the dreaded icicles into ice sculpture. following the child's instincts.

and 1 and 2 and...

Wait, pen, 2011

ok. now its getting personal. snow = ice dams on my roof = water in the house = guys coming to remove ice on monday. amazing what a phone call to a lovely homeowner's insurance rep can do for one's emotional state. and draw it out, and 3 and 4 and... today's magic: focus on action. i'm really good at process.

oh, thank god

Everyone Has One, pen, 2010

day 14 from "& In One Another" 60 day drawing project

today i woke up excited. i have creative thoughts. ideas for the work. doesn't take much i've learned. just pen to paper, a little research, pen to paper again, so on. accepting the process. actually, loving the process. i'm paying student loans for life for that knowledge. priceless. today's magic: feelin' the scale tip towards the thrill of the draw. can't wait to sit down with it tonight.

workin' it still

Hole in the Head 2, pen, 2006

you would not believe this day. i worked it. 7:15am. no complaints. but with every g*d%mn shovelful i couldn't stop thinking about how much single motherhood has taught me about myself, more than any other endeavor i could imagine. and if there's anything i haven't fully learned yet, it's certainly on my to do list. today's magic: the beauty of the snow despite its get-in-the-way-break-my-back-kinda-way-of showing-up-at-the-worst-times AND Peter Gabriel/In Your Eyes, Rolling Stones/Beast of Burden, Bob Dylan/Like a Rolling Stone, REM/Man on the Moon, and yes i love Marc Cohn/Walking in Memphis...all on the radio for the morning commute. 

Sketch, hole punched magazine circles, 2010

taking time to enjoy the snow with some sledding. i wish it wasn't so cold - i could've used a few more runs to really loosen up. today's magic: screaming out loud while spinning down the hill.

ballsy me

Balls, pen, 2006

this drawing makes me laugh. some people don't like sarcasm but i relish it, love it, believe in its ability to allow me to let off some steam. i don't know if this drawing is sarcastic, but its funny, and that's what came to mind today. today's magic: searching consciously for opportunities to laugh out loud.

lettin' it go

He-man, pen, 2006

this drawing reminds me of the need to accept things as they are sometimes, which reminds me of how often we are encouraged not to accept things as they are, to keep fighting, standing up, and pushing forward. ya know what? that's ok but sometimes rest is good too. today's magic: i made a decision today to let something go. ahhh.



i am a squirrel

Hopeful, pen, 2006

snow so soft today, the squirrels have to swim across to stay afloat. today's magic: a quiet start, a blast of cold air, a sunken squirrel peering out from his hole in the snow. pjs, french toast, rest, and play.

update: final tally...30". not much rest when you have to move snow all day. alot of work but remembering that this much snow is not something you see very often. appreciating nature, feeling the cold, tryng to laugh at the rediculously helpless feeling i get when the giant plows go by and dump all that road slush at the bottom of my driveway.

cat talk

Cat Man Staring, pen, collage, 2010

my cat sweetie is magic, almost daily. today, i reached in my closet and there she was, as usual. i coulda crawled right in there with her. today's magic: taking time to enjoy a warm, soft, quiet place to rest.

free to be un

All Together Now, pen, 2006

it's the only time i feel totally free. un- controlled. un- bound. un- dependent on computer servers functioning properly and calendar deadlines. i sit. i draw. i like. i don't like. i change it. i'm done. today's magic: i know myself pretty well. that's an accomplishment. good work, marla.

heck, yeah.

Red, pen, paint pen. January 2011

i am an artist, if i remember correctly. eight years of bfa’s and mfa’s and a lifetime of people loving my drawings. i’ve spent many years designing other people’s ideas, coordinating other people’s art programs, and promoting other people’s classes. what i really want is to draw whatever the heck i want. and i think you will like it. today's magic: remembering that my work makes people happy.

no time for caps

Hole in the Head, pen, 2006

i had a tarot card reading done at a new year's eve party this year. my friend said, it's not always in what is shown, but in what is not shown. my cards were missing "the magic". oh i know i'm in trouble when random things like this sync up with what i already know. it means i really have to start doing something about it. today's magic: eliminating CAPS. because i can, it's a start, and i have to set a pattern for my blog design.