Happy Holidays 2019

Getting close to the wire here but just wanted to get my greeting card up on my blog before December 25.

This year, I switched to a snowman theme and put a contemporary spin on their creation.

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! All the best in 2020! Deborah

Holiday Greetings 2018

Although I haven't had much time for art this year, I did squeeze out the time to create a drawing for my 2018 holiday card. For those whom I don't send hard copy cards to, the design - along with its backstory - is reproduced here.

This year, I continued in the same vein as last year's drawing, incorporating ideas about recycling and elements of the holiday season.

As I come from a family that always recycled wrapping paper that still offered useful life - a practice dating back into the 1960s, if not earlier - the idea of re-using gift-wrapping paper is not foreign to me.

But I bet any number of people just rip the stuff off the packages they get and then throw it away. Or, at the very least, I hope they think to put it in their recycling bins.

That is why, in my drawing, I have imagined a shop re-selling gift-wrap! The sign on the shop wall, where the racks of papers are, reads: Shop our great selection of previously enjoyed gift wrap.

"What can you show me that has previously wrapped a fifth of Jack Daniels?"

For those who like the details, this was executed on bright white drawing paper, in pen and ink, watercolour pencils and crayons. And, believe it or not, the crayons came from the dollar store! They had an excellent selection!

Hope everyone will have an enjoyable and restful holiday season, and the best of new years in 2019.

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer 2018

2017 Holiday Greetings!

This year, for my Christmas cartoon/illustration, I took a different tack than usual.

It's a combination of futuristic idea and wishful thinking: What if all those Xmas trees we grow and then kill couldn't be killed anymore, but instead would be used as living trees to help re-forest swathes of the planet?

I know, I know... wishful thinking.

Years ago, my parents actually tried this.

At the time, we lived somewhere where the ground didn't freeze in winter. So they bought a small potted fir tree, used it in the house over the holidays, then planted it in the backyard in January.

This went on for a few years until the tree objected - and died to prove its point!

In my scheme, we wouldn't dig up and re-use the trees, it would be a one-time rental before permanent planting.

Not sure what I'll draw next year... but whatever it is, it will have to go on much brighter white photographic-level paper. The "white" of my sketch pad isn't white enough and, as they say, the camera (which I use to shoot the drawing) never lies!

Wishing everyone a very happy holidays season and the very best of new years in 2018!

© Deborah C. Sawyer 2018

2016 Holiday Greetings!

Life has certainly been hectic this past year, but I did find time to whip up a picture for my annual card.

One again, the medium is oil pastels on paper, with a small assist from water color pencils.

Now, if I can only find the time to share the link to my blog...

I actually have wild ambitions about having time to draw or paint something during 2017 other than an Xmas cartoon. Stay tuned!

And Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year to everyone!

Happy Holidays 2015

As it turns out, 2015 was insanely busy and I had begun to think I wouldn't find time to draw a cartoon for my annual Xmas card.

But, somehow, I pulled it off!

"No wonder they say moving is 'for the birds'!"

This year's theme shows Santa moving to the South Pole; given that the North Pole is melting - or so we are told - and that there is still more snow and ice in Antarctica, I thought it was time Santa gave himself the heave-ho.

The idea of using relocation came from being in the throes of moving my office and studio to a new spot. This has been a protracted affair since mid-2015 and is still not done.

Sometimes, I find it hard to remember what I did before I began moving files and supplies!!

Hope everyone will have a relaxing and enjoyable holiday season. All the best for the 2016 new year!

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

Genesis One

No, this isn't a Biblical painting, I used the term "Genesis" because the painting involves eggs.

Or, we could ask the philosophical question: Which came first, the carton or the egg?

I decided to paint this - it is actually part of a series - painting of an egg carton, partly to see if I could still paint realistically, and also for the exercise of painting styrofoam.

Styrofoam has some interesting properties, if you examine it close up, plus the way it reflects light provides certain challenges.

(Other paintings in the Genesis series involve the clear type of egg carton and the pressed paper version.)

From time to time, I'll post additional examples of my egg carton work!

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

Genesis: Detail

Xmas 2014: As they say...

I actually surprised myself as to how quickly I got this year's Xmas drawing done.

I was overseas until early November, so came dashing back to a To Do list which included drawing something to then photograph and use for my cards.

I then get the prints run off and affix them to blank cards, adding the title of the picture, of course.

I tend to exchange cards mainly with overseas friends and family but post the art here, for others to enjoy.

This years's card has the title "As they say...Global warming changes everything!"

Santa has swapped his sleigh for a power-boat and is out trying to deliver to stockings. Not that there are many places to deliver to, most are underwater. (Humans do have a bad habit of congregating to live in low-lying areas).

As well, Santa has ditched his robes and toque for a fur-trimmed baseball cap (worn backwards, of course!) and a fur-trimmed T-shirt.

You might also notice there are reindeer water-skiing behind the boat. Union rules, you know! The contract stipulates that the reindeer must get an outing on December 24. So, Santa has hitched them up to his boat...

Hope everyone will have a wonderful holiday season and enjoy the best life has to offer. All the best in 2015!

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

A Plant's Eye View of the World: Part 6

This is the last of the six paintings in my "Evil Greens" series "When Plants Get Mad: Kamikaze Tomatoes".

In the case of tomatoes in the greenhouse, I suspect they know they are goners and so have nothing to lose.

But dive bombing the eater, rather than be eaten - well, what a way to go!

I used some of my favorite colors in this painting, notably the Gamblin color  'Radiant Blue', which I used for the sky.

(At one point, stores in the city where I live said they would no longer be carrying Gamblin colors. Catastrophe!  So I stocked up madly.

But, even in the US, they were hard to find at retail. Luckily, one of the suppliers I use is now stocking Gamblin product again. I just treated myself to a tube of Radiant Yellow but I haven't used it yet.)

Back to the painting: As with the others in the series, this one looks at the issue of our eating habits and assumptions. Vegetarians really have nothing over the rest of us omnivores, because, plants have to be killed for us to eat vegetables.

The only difference is in the way these food are a renewable resource. Keep the roots and you can grow again. That suggests eating potatoes and carrots isn't very pure...

Also, let's not forget that plants themselves  - some of them - are carnivorous: In total, there are some 670 species across the world. Butterflies, frogs and flies are just some of the food these plants consume.

Something to think about, next time you are on your way to the grocery store, or sitting down to eat in a restaurant...

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

A Fly On The Wall (Sees What We Don't)

A Fly On The Wall (Sees What We Don't)

Partly because I often paint visual puns, and partly because I was being bothered by a fly buzzing around my house one day, I came up with the idea for this painting.

To get the right scale - and re-create the world as seen by the fly - I first cut out a fly-sized shape and attached it to a chunk of concrete I found outside.

The detail in the painting is therefore drawn from this model.




I also used a microscope to look at a fly's eye close-up - yes, I used a fly that had conveniently died on the windowsill in my studio - with a view to as much accuracy as possible.

However, the eye of my fly is showing us what it sees  - although you need to get "up close and personal" with the painting to be able to catch this level of detail.

Details reflected in the fly's eye

(I've taken a photo using the macro feature, to bring this detail into focus for my blog.)

And what exactly is it that the fly sees that we miss? If you've ever said "I'd love to have been a fly on the wall while that was happening!", you'll have an idea of what I'm getting at. In this case, it's not the happy stuff - but events and unkind actions, such as crimes, that the police cannot solve - but likely could, if they could just be a fly on the wall!

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

Happy Holidays! - 2013 version

"I must say, you've picked a fine time to get the 'flu!"

Against all the odds, I found time to create another drawing for my annual Xmas card, hard copies exchanged with a few and this electronic version sent to many!



The reason the odds were unfavorable is that I only started drawing on November 30 and managed to finish on December 1. Usually, I take a leisurely few weeks of working on the picture, on and off.




For once, I moved beyond using oil pastels and ventured into the territory known as "mixed media".

What this means for the current effort is that, due to time constraints, I used watercolor pencils for some sections and oil pastels for the rest.

I also shot the photo using the macro feature on my camera; I don't usually do this and am not sure it was the best idea; the resulting photo seems darker than I'm used to (see the posts from past years).

As for the subject matter, this idea came to me around the time I was drawing my 2012 picture; I usually have an idea or two in reserve.

I'll leave it up to you to decide if Santa is genuinely ill or just faking - because he wants the night off. (Although, he does have dark, purple circles under his eyes... I know, because I put them there!)

If you look closely, you'll see that even the reindeer are rolling their eyes at the events unfolding before them.

So...to one and all, Happy Holidays and all the best for 2014!


Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

BRAce(s) Yourself! Artful Bra is back (2013)!

Hard to believe, but another year has come and gone, and it's time for the 2013 Artful Bra fund-raiser for cancer research.

This is my third year of participating in this event, which is held at the University at Buffalo, North (Amherst) Campus.

The show goes on at the Center for the Arts.



I actually planned to use my idea in 2012 - until I realized the type of braces I was thinking of are actually known as suspenders in North America.

So, I set the idea aside - and then I came up with the option I'm showing here in the photographs.

As you will see, there are tiny "aces" on the BRAces.

The bras for this yea'rs fund-raiser, plus unclaimed bras from past years, will be on display in the glass cases towards the rear of the atrium/lobby at the Center.

The opening reception is Wednesday, October 2, 2013, from 3-6 p.m.

To purchase the calendar or bid on one of the bras, go to the following link:

http://wings.buffalo.edu/org/artfulbra/


Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer


P.S. You'll find my entries for earlier years at the posts for 9/9/11 and 10/3/12.

A Plant's Eye View of the World, Part 5

It's been quite a while since I posted one of the canvases from my series "Evil Greens: When Plants Get Mad...".

So, I'm back with Number 5 in the series. (All paintings in this series are the same size, 2 foot wide by 3 foot high)

In this one, I move away from plant life that is truly "green" and focus on a food plant, namely, wheat.


For those of you who haven't viewed the first four paintings in the series, one of the premises - in a world where some people assume there's a virtue in eating a non-animal product diet - is that plant life is compliant with this.

My view is: Plants are no less alive than animals and, in some cases, the whole plant is finished off to feed the hungry. (Interesting side note: All of human agriculture, for the last 10,000 years, has been based nearly 100% on annuals, not perennials. This is where the hideous costs of agriculture originate. There's a move afoot to develop perennial forms of grain and oilseed crops, to reduce the costs.)

I'm sure harvesting methods and equipment have improved in recent years, but my references to agriculture come from my childhood, when I lived far nearer to farmer's fields than I do today, so I'm showing an old fashioned combine-harvester in the background. It may not apply now but, there was a time, if the wheat was wet, it couldn't be harvested. Then again, it may still be true...

In this panel, the wheat is mad - and fighting back! It is making itself wet, in an act of defiance. The farmer is horrified.

The eagle-eyed among you will also notice other details... such as the little copses of trees on the horizon or the tails of little furry creatures scurrying out of the way. Plus, of course, the droplets of water.

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

Artsphere Anniversary Show

From Above (Saturday Afternoon)

A few months ago, I was delighted to receive an invitation to participate in the 10th Anniverasary Show at Artsphere Studio & Gallery.

I had a one-woman show at this location back in 2006 and the gallery owner, Doreen Boyer DeBoth, invited all artists who had had shows at her gallery over the first ten years to submit one work for the anniversary show.







As a result, after much cogitation - plus consideration of the dimension limitations and advice from a friend! - I decided to show my work "From Above (Saturday Afternoon)" (See earlier March 5, 2011 blog post for additional details about this work).


The full canvas is shown at top. The other photos are excerpts from the full painting. This canvas is really all about the details which are best seen 'up close and personal'!

The 10th anniversary show is running from March 22, 2013 through April 27, 2013.

The gallery is at 447 Amherst Street, Buffalo, NY, in the historic Black Rock district of town (near Amherst Street and Elmwood Avenue). It is also not far from Albright-Knox and Burchfield Penney, which are close by on Elmwood Avenue.


A total of 34 artists are taking part in the show. Artsphere Gallery is co-located in a building with a salon, meaning there is good exposure for the artists.

Gallery hours are Wed, Thurs and Fri: 12-5 and Sat. 11-3

Gallery phone is : 716-874-2863

More details at http://www.artspherestudio.com

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

Season's Greetings 2012!

This year, it was nip and tuck if I would find the time to prepare a cartoon for my Christmas card. I started this tradition and then using the resulting drawing to make Christmas cards, several years ago, so I feel I must keep the tradition going!

"You can skip the 'James Bond' routine, Nick! I know it's already the 27th."

I did manage to pull it off; family members and some overseas contacts get the hard copy version and then I share online with everyone else.

This year's effort was rather inspired by all the old - read Sean Connery era - James Bond movies a friend and I rented. (We rather became purists and deemed those made after the original 4 or 5 to lack the sense of humor of the early films.) (Although we thoroughly enjoyed 'Skyfall'.)

As always, the art work was done in oil pastels on paper, then shot digitally and reproduced.

Oh, in case you're wondering about the decor in the Clauses home, you have to consider that it reflects the level of budget they have to work with, given that Santa only works one night a year!

Have a very merry holiday season!

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

BRA i.d. a.k.a. Hello! I'm Your Bosom Buddy!

After last year's entry in the UB Artful Bra fundraiser, I came up with several ideas for the 2012 event and eventually settled on the bra pictured. Much as with my 2011 entry, this one is a pun!


The title is: BRA i.d. - and, as the title suggests, the decorative elements are all made from braids.





In other words, it's a visual pun and I partly chose to go with this because braids are fairly easy to make and are also pliable. I had first thought I'd make the braids out of hair - artificial of course - but found that even artificial hair would be too soft for construction purposes.

Also, as I had a lot of wool in my treasure trove of supplies, I decided to make wool braids and multi-colored ones at that.



For the "i.d." of the title, I raided my copious collection of name tags from all the conferences I've attended over the years - see, it pays to keep stuff! - and made a tag saying "Hello! I'm Your Bosom Buddy!"

Along with some photos of my own entry and the artist herself (me), I'm also showing the display area and the location.












Once again, this year's bras are on display at the Center for the Arts at UB on Maple Road in Buffalo, NY. The Center for the Arts even comes equipped with its own lake out back!!

The final photo is of the calendar featuring this year's bras and sold to raise funds for cancer research. In a new development, we were offered the opportunity to dedicate pages in the calendar and so I've dedicated the month of June to my mother. June is her month of birth and she is a breast cancer survivor.

You can contribute by either bidding on one of the bras or by purchasing the calendar, which costs $10 each.

http://wings.buffalo.edu/org/artfulbra/

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

A Plant's Eye View of The World, Part 4.

When I painted Number 4 in my series, "Evil Greens: When Plants Get Mad!", I was thinking about the segment of the population that  - maybe - takes the purity of what they eat just a tad too seriously.

I also had in mind a segment of the population that I've heard men refer to as "The Birkenstock Brigade" - hey, I'm just repeating what others have said!

In this painting - The Sprouts Strike Back! - someone is about to start cutting her sprouts to make bread  - and the sprouts have decided they've had enough! They don't want to be cut!

I'll leave it to your imagination what the outcome of this event will be...

As with all 6 panels in this series, the painting is 24" x 36".

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

Corporate Cliche #1

Corporate Cliche #1

Some time ago, I started a new series of paintings, drawing inspiration from my career in what's known as "The Corporate World". And, yes, at times, it is a world apart!

This canvas, entitled "Corporate Cliche #1" is currently on display at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center in western New York state.  The overall title of the show is The Artists Among Us and it features over 600 works by local artists or people with ties to the area. As I lived in Buffalo for 7 years, I qualified.

Corporate Cliche #1 is painted in a slightly different style to my usual precision-focused work and it certainly gets away from the cartoon style I often favor.

The artist at the opening

(I'll leave it to the imaginations of viewers to decide which corporate cliche I'm referring to.)

Opening Party - very well attended!

Burchfield Penney is housed in a fairly new, quite stunning building on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo. It's a bright, light space and there's a gallery shop and rooftop terrace among other attractions. As well as The Artists Among Us exhibit, which runs into August 2012, there are works from the permanent collection also on display.

Burchfield Penney - rear view

For details about hours etc. call either 716/878-6011 or go to www.BurchfieldPenney.org. Burchfield Penney is also at the north end of the "Elmwood Strip" where there are lots of restaurants, boutiques, etc.

Partygoers enjoying the rooftop terrace

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

A Plant's Eye View of The World; Part 3

Hmmm... What would the world really be like if all plant forms could fight back...?

When I look at this painting, I sometimes think of that song "He's a Lumberjack and he's - not-so - OK..."

Evil Greens: When Plants Get Mad - Treacherous Trees

This is the third in my series of oil paintings, Evil Greens, and this one is titled "Treacherous Trees".

In it, I show the trees subtly fighting back against two lumberjacks, one by gently lifting its root to trip one of the guys and the other by lowering a branch to swat the second lumberjack.

Otherwise, the setting is perfectly sylvan and benign!

My Evil Greens series is done on canvases of roughly 2ft by 2.5ft. I originally conceived them to hang somewhere like a dining room, as they make great conversation pieces.

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

A Plant's Eye View of the World; Part 2

In the first of my postings about my Evil Greens series of paintings, I illustrated how dandelions may feel about being cut down so callously.

Now, it's the turn of the rose bushes to share their thoughts.

The second in my series "Evil Greens: When Plants Get Mad -Vicious Roses" continues my exploration of alternative views, showing what happens when a zealous gardener goes out to prune the rose bushes. (Prune? What makes you think that doesn't hurt?)

In this case, the bushes fight back, terrorizing the gardener!

Some of the details in this painting can only be seen 'up close and personal', the scratches and blood trickling down various parts of our lady gardener for one.

Just a little something to think about, next time you are heading to the great outdoors...

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer

A Plant's Eye View of the World; Part 1

One of the hallmarks of my art is presenting what might be called "alternative views". That is, the world as seen by species other than human.

I've often thought, with all the hue and cry about animal welfare plus the belief, by some, that we should stop eating meat and stick to vegetables, that the viewpoint of plants is not really being considered.

After all, plants are alive too! They are able to respond to light and sense what's going on in their environment.

It was in this vein that I painted a series of six canvases with the overall title of:

Evil Greens: When Plants Get Mad.

The first in the series is subtitled: "Defiant Dandelions".

In this work, I take the view that, maybe, dandelions don't like being cut when the lawn is mown. Maybe, just maybe, they can decide to take a stand for themselves...  As a result, the homeowner is in for a shock, thrown literally on his ass!

In future blog posts, I'll add the other five paintings in the series.

Copyright Deborah C. Sawyer