Still Life With Armadillo

I used to work in motion pictures and television as an art director back before I became a mom, and my husband still works in motion pictures. As such, we've attended a lot of prop sales over the years, and acquired some unusual things. One of those things was a stuffed armadillo. Now, armadillos aren't native to North Carolina where we now live, but I understand they are quite the road kill specimen in parts west of here. Still life pieces are not my forte. As a matter of fact, I hate them. I always set them up and think, "Man, that looks contrived." Maybe I just need to do something a little quirkier in order to make it interesting. So I decided one day that the stuffed armadillo had found its calling, and I set up various poses with the poor guy. I meant to do several, but that's how it is with good intentions; however, I did manage this one. I sold it a few years ago, so if you happen to own this piece and see this blog, I hope you will drop in and tell me where you hung the piece. I hope you didn't put it in the guest bath.

Hair Color Bingo

Tonight I wanted to feature a non-drawn piece, so I thought I'd share a little collage I just finished called Hair Color Bingo. What was I thinking?, my mother would ask if she saw it. I don't know, actually. I find the hair color process of that time so much more, genteel perhaps? Nowadays, there are highlights and lowlights and midtones and Turkish delights... wait, that's something else. Back then, there was just a color, applied to all hair equally. I was a dyed haired woman for a time, but now I let God do my highlighting, and I must say he is having a very good time of it. Any lighter, and I would be entirely white. Prematurely, of course, but we won't talk about that. Anyway, this odd little piece is currently on auction on eBay, along with my more serious art. Yeah, right. *

Journeys

Lots going on today. My daughter continues to improve, thankfully, and she enjoyed everyone's comments and well wishes on yesterday's blog entry. This afternoon was taken up with a sketch [and believe me, it was only a sketch] of the hands of God holding the world for the cover of an invitation to something at the church. Many thanks to my neighbor, Wayne, who posed for the hands of God. Other art was persued, and taxes get wrapped up in the morning and sent away. I chose this piece to feature tonight as a tribute to my friend Toni's mom, who passed recently. It is called Diverge. Do check out my store at http://stores.ebay.com/Natalie-Schorr_W0QQsspagenameZMEQ3aFQ3aSTQQtZkm. You can find there many of the pieces featured in this blog, including a now completed Dream 17, which is currently on auction. Comments. Y'all know I love comments.

Girl in a Beaded Hat

Tonight I want to feature a drawing I did of my daughter, called Girl in a Beaded Hat. She is sick with an ear infection, and is vastly flattered to be featured in Mom's new blog. You can post get well wishes at the end of this post. Anyway, this is one of those drawings that took weeks to accomplish.[I will never draw her in that hat again.] Of course, it isn't an oil painting, but remember that graphite never cracks or fades. And rust never sleeps.

Beetlemania

Remember flocked wallpaper? I found all this wonderful vintage metallic flocked wallpaper awhile back. It reminded me of these neighbors of ours who were oh so mod. They had metallic flocked wallpaper in the bathrooms, and a huge, funky flower mural type wallpaper in the living room. I thought it was spectacular compared to the dark paneled walls in our house, and I longed for such excitement. So when I found this, I just had to have it. I decided to use it as a mat around some equally mod beetles. They are acrylic and ink, and are dedicated to Darryl and Linda, the ever-so-cool couple next door.

the gods of middle management

Yet another day of tax prep, interspersed with sick children and chicken soup. I know it seems like I am making slow progress, but I am actually getting there fairly quickly considering all the interruptions. So I decided to feature for you today one of my charming men from a series called the gods of middle management. It is a drawing [not a pencil sketch] of a more than familiar guy from that purgatory known as middle management. He is #5 in a series of 7, and is framed out in Braille on tin. Of course, I can't read Braille, so for all I know it could say something really racy, but probably not. Anyway, you can see the whole series at my eBay store at http://stores.ebay.com/Natalie-Schorr_Mixed-Media-Other_W0QQcolZ2QQdirZQ2d1QQftidZ2QQtZkm. I'm sure the taxes are making me feverish. Don't forget to comment.

Bad Dreams and Complaints

Well, today is my second day of tax prep hell, so I thought that featuring something like Bad Dreams and Complaints would be only too appropriate. This is a collage I did awhile back. The heads are drawn, but the rest is collaged from old magazine ads mostly from Playboy and True, back when they had lots of cigarette and liquor ads along with 8 tracks and reel to reels. Anyway, I hope you'll find it amusing. It reminds me of the parents of my friends growing up, whose houses always smelled like ash trays, and nobody thought to care. And shag carpet. We all had shag carpet.

Art for tonight - Overture

It's only a pencil sketch. How many times have I heard that? Well, maybe we can agree that it is a drawing. Anyway, this is a drawing called Overture. It's part of a series I started awhile back wherein I was doing drawings based on musical forms and such. No one got it, as evidenced by the fact that they are all still lining my walls here. You can see them at my eBay store. http://stores.ebay.com/Natalie-Schorr_W0QQsspagenameZMEQ3aFQ3aSTQQtZkm And yes, I was referring to the William Tell Overture when I drew this. It's graphite with colored pencil, and it's actually a fairly large piece, compared to most of my little people on the library books. Maybe I'll feature some of the others on another night.

Dream 17 in progress

Here is the front page of Dream 17. It is drawn on the inside cover of a discarded library book, Word List of Gregg Shorthand Simplified. Multiple hand written entries and stamps from the 1950's through 1968 on the date due card. Portrait of a woman. Dream yet to be determined.

Art of the Evening

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you enjoy the art of the evening. Today I am featuring a page from a series I have been doing called The Dreams Project. This is Dream 16. It is a graphite drawing of a man on the inside cover of a library book. [discarded, no hate mail from librarians, please] The back side contains the person's hope, wish, or dream expressed in a mixed media collage. Dream 16 I wish I could get out of this dead end job. All the pages in this series can be bound together via the nice eyelets on the side. This piece is currently on auction on eBay; http://stores.ebay.com/Natalie-Schorr_W0QQsspagenameZMEQ3aFQ3aSTQQtZkm Let me know what you think.

Welcome to my blog!

Thanks to my lovely friends at ATC2 for getting me over my bloglessness. I will post more as I figure out what I'm doing. Please, always feel free to comment on the art as it arrives.