Drawing -

"Miniature Lighter"
digitally manipulated drawing by Mick Mather

Something simple and quick - from the old sketchbook to the Secret Visual Laboratory - to close out the Labor Day weekend.

From beginning to end -

"Lamp & Glasses"
digitally manipulated drawing by Mick Mather

I was going through some old sketchbooks as the winter past was edging toward spring. I show the original 1994 sketch here at No Matter What Shape-The Archive with a bit of insight as regards this particular period of study and effort. What you see here is the manipulated version. Yes, after shoving it through the super secret array at the Secret Visual Laboratory.

A quick study -

"Girl on the Stoop"
digital collage by Mick Mather

I'm beginning to feel the tingle as vacation draws ever closer. Just to be clear, I'll be loafing about from August 11th thru August 24th. Not to worry, I'll be loading posts ahead of time so that you'll still get an image everyday. However, my plan is to stay away from the computer and the blog for most of that time. I think a few weeks with my sketchbook and camera is just what the doctor ordered.

From the sketchbook -

"The Waiting Room"
colored pencil drawing by Mick Mather

Another example from the time when I spent years at a weekly drawing class attempting to capture what my eye was seeing and to quickly get it on paper. In those days, I carried my sketchbook with me everywhere and would draw almost anything that came into view. Once, in a doctor's office waiting room, I sat behind an older gentleman, hunched forward in his chair, obviously in some distress as he waited his turn. I had about 15 minutes before he was called by the nurse and I've always enjoyed this one in spite of the fast and loose quality of it. Anyway, something short and sweet before I take my nap! :)

A study of my own -

"Christina II"
colored pencil drawing by Mick Mather

Rob D'Agostino popped into my office on Monday for a blog tutorial. Afterward we took a tour of the 10 Totem Project sculptures scattered around downtown Syracuse, New York before getting lunch and heading to my other office at The Warehouse. While we were walking it came up that I promised to post a few studies of my own - accomplished at the class that Rob and I attended for many, many years. As I was checking back through the files of scanned images from one of my sketchbooks I found a piece that makes perfect sense when considering his blog and our connected, shared past ... here then, is one of my drawings, Rob's daughter, Christina.

Play: a forgotten component of work? -

"Ghost Writer"
digital collage by Mick Mather

As I've been speaking about for over a week, the end of summer has been spent in hour after hour of play in the secret visual laboratory. Pushing the limits of old filters or mixing things up with new ones has been the key minus any worry over how things will turn out in the end. That sort of freedom, almost always for me, results in a happy accident or two and, of course, that's the whole point. It's a bit like scribbling aimlessly in a sketchbook with a pencil until something begins to emerge. Well, enough chatter ... it's still playtime! :D

Sketches and studies and drawing effects -

"The Photo Op"
digital collage by Mick Mather

For the past week or so I've gone back to a simpler, sketchier and more loosely drawn style of manipulation. I don't suppose there's any great purpose for these works but it's vastly helpful for my own vision to simplify things for a while. To let it go, to loosen up, not worrying so much over hard and fast detail is the assigned task for me. I've always been fascinated by the sketchbook drawings of other artists and getting things down quickly, gestural, intuitively and simplified is a place we all need to revisit - more often we think.