Hurricane Sandy Hits!

Sitting here in the middle of the biggest hurricane on record in a long time, a little bored, but praying that the power doesn't go out.  One of my student sends me a picture of a bowl of fruit that he's painting and asks for feedback.  I give him some pointers and the next thing I know he's sends me a better version.  I thought, "Wow, he's using his time wisely amidst the chaos of the perfect storm."  Then I scroll down and see the status of another student who has sketched a cute little monkey sitting, waiting for the storm to pass.  I couldn't help but to be inspired by my star students, spending their down time drawing, painting, and doodling while I'm watching news people put their lives in harms way, about to be blown away by hurricane winds just to prove that we should stay in.

Needless to say, I was inspired and decided to pick up my sketchbook.  Then I thought, but wait, I still have electricity.  I want to use it while I have it so I put my sketchbook down and went to my sketch n draw app on my phone and got busy with my finger instead of a pen.  Who knew a finger doodle could turn out so nice!  I'm getting better at using the sketch n draw app, it's relaxing, and a lot of fun.  I should use it more often.  Many thanks to my students and this storm for the inspiration and whoever created this fun app!  Despite the rain, the wind gusts, and the threat of losing power, I'm still managing to find creative ways to occupy my time.
 

 Hurricane Sandy Doodle by D.L. Tucker

So here's my little finger doodle inspired by the storm.  Thankfully, the electricity is still on so that I can blog about it.  Stay safe folks!  And stay creative!

RANTics: Keep Swimming

It's been two whole months since I've blogged.  Why must this task be so difficult?  I've been working up a storm but inching forward.  Why does the life of an artist have to be this way?  The process is soooooooo long and drawn out.  And nobody wants to pay you for your process, they just want the pretty end result.  But you can't afford to not get paid.  So you chase a check full time and chase your dream part time all while sacrificing your sanity because the ideas are flowing way faster than your hands can find the time to produce, you start to rationalize that maybe somehow you can get away with not sleeping until you die so that you can spend every waking hour trying to squeeze it all in........my heart hurts, cause I've got something to prove.   

Yes.  This is one of those posts.  One of the one's where after you've come to terms that nobody is really listening you decide, I'm gonna talk to myself, because I've got something to say that I need to hear......yep, that's exactly what I meant.

I've decided that my dreams are ghosts, and GHOSTS ARE REAL, they're haunting me, and I AIN'T SCARED OF NO GHOST!  I'm gonna catch that mickey fickey put it in a box and show it off to the world to prove my point!  I AM A DIABOLICAL GENIOUS! okay, maybe not but,  I AM A MESSENGER!  I AM AN ARTIST!  I AM A BAD, AS IN GOOD, MOTHER SHUT YOUR MOUTH!

This post will probably never be published.  Someone might think I'm drunk.  But I'm not, I just....have this dream.  That God gave me a story to tell through my art.  And it's a message that HAS to be heard, by me, and hopefully some other folks too.  So what the heck,  I'm gonna publish it. 

I hear Nemo telling me to "keep swimming".  I might be delirious, but I just might really be on to something too.

 

Keep Swimming (work in progress) oil on masonite