SEEKNOWBROWN

Where Does She Go At Night?

2011-11-25T23:39:00.011-05:00

Where Does She Go At Night?

Finding America

2011-10-02T17:07:00.000-04:00

Finding America

Where is America? Where is it now?

It's there, oh, I know. Out where the plow turns the spring earth

in prelude of rolling swells of new grain.

In summer's wind glow its amber veins; a golden Earth.

Where is America? Why does it hide?

Only a while ago I would glide its gravel lanes;

honeysuckle and asparagus wild

by the road. Fully I was its child, and thus remain.

I hear my land in the sinewy note

from a red-winged blackbird's tireless throat in some near field.

From twentieth century fencepost perch,

his calls are breadcrumbs to aid my search till home's revealed.

Here's America. 'Twas here all along,

'though like a telescope's deep nightlong persistent stare,

my vision stays all keen, honed sharp and sure

to uncurtain the green, gold, azure; to breathe the air.

I searched the cellars, and searched the treetops.

Like a tractor's tow of ripened crop to harvest bins,

I pulled America from the chaos

and dressed it tightly 'round and across my wrinkling skin.

Know Your Boundaries

2011-09-14T19:58:00.001-04:00

Know Your Boundaries
February in Boca Lago at pool. The things in parentheses are not allowed, so they weren't really there. Also not allowed: topless women, loud rock music, and creative thoughts.

The Curtain

2011-09-14T19:38:00.000-04:00

The Curtain

My Favorite Whistler

2011-08-20T15:03:00.005-04:00

My Favorite Whistler
I first viewed works by James McNeill Whistler when I was young, during an early trip to Washington, D.C. At the time, I knew only of a painting of an old woman sitting in a rocking chair called "Whistler's Mother", and this because it was so often made fun of in Saturday morning cartoons. Whistler, therefore, sat on a level of serious-artness matching that of Bugs and Yosemite Sam. Developing an early strong appreciation for art, the trip to DC exposed the real Whistler to me. Unfortunately I found many portraits by Whistler to be heavily dark, mostly black paint it seemed---not so appealing to a youngster. However, Whistler's "Symphony In White No. 1: The White Girl" was just the opposite, whites-on-whites, bright and welcoming in a windowless gallery. I fell in love with it and, after purchasing a small inexpensive printed poster in the museum's gift shop, the White Girl became a fixture of my life, this paper reprint adorning dorm rooms, apartments, and bedrooms. It's most significant spot, though, was in my childhood home, hanging just above my mom's electric console organ. Though in a cheap dime-store frame and rather small for the area of bare wall it inhabited, for me it was the dominating focus of the room. So the White Girl has history with me. Have you ever seen the painting? If chance finds you in Washington, I suggest that you seek out and take a long look at "Symphony In White No. 1: The White Girl". Mr. Whistler's mother will be glad you did.

Rabbit Dog

2011-08-04T17:21:00.012-04:00

Beagles are good rabbit dogs.

2011-06-25T01:45:00.012-04:00

Reality

2011-03-21T17:04:00.012-04:00

Reality.
One day in 1981, I looked lovingly at a wonderful black & white photo taken around 1942 by a street photographer in Washington, DC. It was of my future mom and dad just a couple years prior to their marriage. I don't know how they came to be in DC, nor why they were dressed so wonderfully.

My colored pencils and a sheet of rib-textured paper at hand, I began to draw. As the blends of texture and color created by my wind-blown lines emerged, I inspected more closely each area of the scene, and after a short focused time, like in a dream, I was there --- right there, on that busy sidewalk. I saw my future parents striding quickly forward, looking directly into the camera's lens, my Dad swinging his arm, my Mom smiling, gloves in hand and purse tucked beneath her arm. I felt the photographer step into their path to snap the pic, presumedly then to offer it for purchase.

There were voices. The three sharply attired women following, arm in arm, their purses loosely held. Behind, the traffic light at the corner (street sign unreadable) signaling stops and starts for the motoring autos, an apparent officer aiding pedestrians crossing at the intersection. There, a schoolbus. An advertising sign on the side of a building. Streetlamp.

I felt the chilly air, indicated by the leafless tree and my parents' warm coats --- though the more lightly dressed trio of ladies tells of a cusp of seasons, perhaps early March or December.

Vincent Van Gogh once said something along the lines of "drawing is the essence of everything". Drawing can impel one to observe, to inspect details, in a way nothing else can. And to interpret those details in a personal and organic manner.

This all results in more than reality. It's time. And motion. It's a story infused with tiny mysteries. The black cog holes at either side of the aging photograph themselves create a sequel to that day on a DC sidewalk, a misalignment of a film negative in a darkroom enlarger. Somewhere. Later.

Waiting For A Table

2011-01-23T18:43:00.008-05:00

Waiting for a table in Washington, DC.

Cycladic Catfire

2011-01-02T18:04:00.012-05:00

Alchemy
Several of my intellectual friends, at work at several whiteboards, are creating life that's crawling out from a multi-media mash up of equations, numbers, symbols and letters, stroked, circled, boxed and pointed, multiplied pages of faded color plates of Beatrice P's cute tiny bunnies overlaid onto aging black-and-white footage of Nazi commanders, busy busy near a raging river (wet and roaring in 3D high-definition) — all cross-referenced and info-graphically knotted by sweeps of arrows, x-y axes, Venn overlaps.

Having ridden the violent river, a gigantic log appears to fall downward in its high-def 3D-ness toward the floor, having been freed from its storm-violated lumber site somewhere upstream. Proof of concept.

A couple—a man, a woman—scrape an extended equation with white and yellow chalk spanning two old-school blackboards.

Viewed in its entirety, this dynamic tableau reveals a completely successful attempt to PROVE, conclusively, beyond doubt's shadow, that nothing—none of anything—is or ever has been my fault. HA!

Lavender Dress

2010-09-13T19:50:00.002-04:00

Ocean Couple On Labor Day

2010-09-06T18:20:00.003-04:00

A Talker's Earring

2010-09-06T18:19:00.003-04:00

Woman Smoking

2010-09-05T16:36:00.002-04:00

Lace Sleeves

2010-09-04T21:13:00.004-04:00

Nude With Broken Wrist

2010-08-13T15:30:00.008-04:00

Angel Eyes Prisoner

2010-08-09T16:05:00.011-04:00

For this week's Illustration Friday topic, "Caged".

Agoraphobic Dancing

2010-05-06T18:45:00.013-04:00

Have been posting more of my crazy drawings on at flickr.com/photos/seeknowbrown.

Nile

2010-05-06T18:43:00.005-04:00

Adam & Eve & Daughter Sondra Visiting God

2010-03-17T00:21:00.006-04:00

Attorney On His Way To Court

2010-03-17T00:17:00.004-04:00

Thinking about my shoulder surgery.

2010-01-16T01:53:00.010-05:00

Tonight's sketchbook entry.

Flowers and Vase

2009-11-02T11:26:00.022-05:00

Real things sketched quickly.
Though playing recently on an abstract playground, drawing from life remains an anchoring exercise, like feet placed squarely on solid ground after a flight, or a breath at the surface before resubmersion into cool blue water.
This and 3 other quickies drawn from real things ("Shalimar Weed", "Cutting Board" and "Chess Match") just posted on Flickr at http://bit.ly/4E1Tni

Shadows

2009-10-28T23:16:00.017-04:00

Shadows
newly uncloaked shadows, grown toward the light,
long-rooted and nurtured by the timid and stressful night.
to peek at a pleasurable memory
my self-assigned curtain of goodness i gently part,
there to discover debris strewn. there, thoughout my heart.

See Abstract Studies at http://bit.ly/JHG1L

Apparati

2009-10-07T21:42:00.018-04:00

The plural of apparatus should be apparati. I felt it my duty to stash some of my apparati somewhere, so I put 'em over on Flickr until I need them. They'll be happy there for a while: http://bit.ly/IJKAY

See Apparati at http://bit.ly/IJKAY

Chair Pattern

2009-09-30T13:38:00.018-04:00

Gone Never Gone
i've learned not to stand
until a better moment comes.
no one stays rooted
so no roots can grow.
look back where she sat and studied.
she's gone.

How To Be Smart

2009-09-03T18:49:00.015-04:00

How To Be Smart
It's not too hard to sound smart. I (One) hear(s) a lot of dumb people sounding smart all of the time. Here's two ways that I (one) do(es) it. First, I (one) can do as this sketchbook doodle suggests. The other is that I (one) can add a couple out-of-context items without connective explanation. For instance, there's really no reason for the hints of halloween here, but I (one) think(s) it will be construed as having deeply cerebral symbolic meaning. I (one) can only hope.

The Marina

2009-07-28T21:23:00.017-04:00

I did this in a sketchbook many years ago at a marina on the Potomac River just outside of Washington DC, where I used to live. I remember that it was a very pleasant day, and without this sketch its memory would likely not exist.

An artist's fortune cookie: "Keep your sketchbook by your side always, and find many pleasant memories in your future."

Submitted for this week's Illustration Friday theme: "Idle".

Last Tango Over The Sea

2009-07-21T00:04:00.013-04:00

In many drawings I consciously attempt to create an unknown aspect, a hidden story. How have the participants arrived at this moment? It is a mystery.

For the Illustration Friday theme "Tango".

Table4Two, Runners and Arrowscape

2009-07-18T01:34:00.015-04:00

One of the Table Series. As in some others, cut outs (figures and arrows) painted with water color or inks and pressed onto the page. The plate/cup stamp was a metal letterpress item I found in an antique store many years ago.

Table Number Threee

2009-07-18T01:15:00.019-04:00

More table. This one set with a couple bottles, an empty on the floor. Mixed media: color pencil, marker, with little running figure cut out of cardboard and some small wood blocks all doused in color inks and pressed onto the page. Looks good in a simple black frame.

Black Table and Tumbler

2009-07-18T01:01:00.019-04:00

The black of this, as well as the red table of "Table Red and Two Tumblers" are cut outs of solid ink coverage color areas from magazines. The lines are drawn simply with the business end of my xacto knife or the pointy end of a drafting compass. The figures are simple cut-outs from thin cardboard which are doused with watercolor and then pressed onto the page. And yes, there's a hint of a strip of scotch cellophane tape, for subtle tone. Yeaaaaaaaa...!

Red Table and Two Tumblers

2009-07-18T00:29:00.020-04:00

You know how some artists have these subjects that they paint or draw obsessively over and over? You know, like Cezanne and that Mte. Sainte Victoire he kept painting? Or Matisse and his incessant lily pads? Well, I have my own obsessive subjects. Like tables... usually simple "parsons-style" tables. I'm going to post 3 or 4 of my tables now. Be observant and you'll notice evidence of cellophane tape usage. Did you know that a good soft color pencil can draw directly on magic cellophane tape?

Rabbit in a Hollow Tree

2009-07-16T23:39:00.013-04:00

Oh oh!

High Wire

2009-07-08T00:24:00.018-04:00

A lovely old nanny with a cane and a suitcase walking a high wire. By her posture, she seems to be not at all uncomfortable, but I suspect her situation is actually quite shaky.

Why is the nanny on a tightrope? Why?
I'm submitting this to Illustration Friday for this week's topic: "shaky".

Baby In Bag

2009-06-30T12:07:00.011-04:00

Sarah's Dream
This is a sketchbook page I did shortly after my daughter was born. The usual New-Dad tasks I needed to learn, like diaperin' and powderin', were a journey of discovery in state-of-the-art newborn engineering. One example is this amazing garment worn by fashionable space-age newborns: instead of leg openings or an open skirt, there was a simple little drawstring thing at its base. This ensured easy access for frequent diapering, as well as comfortable sleeping for the baby. Each time a baby-changing event was completed, I would quip hilariously, in a typical new-Dad baby voice, "Ahhh, there's my little baby in a bag".

I'll submit for the Illustration Friday theme "Worn".

AlienAbduction_IF_Drifting2

2009-06-23T15:36:00.017-04:00

Orignially uploaded at AlienAbduction_IF_Drifting2

I had time and just couldn't resist, so I've done a "fuller" version of my previously posted "Alien Abduction".

My drawing is originally ink line on paper. The figure was done with a little cardboard cutout that I cut from a piece of illustration board, then doused with watercolor and pressed to the page. Once scanned, I used Photoshop for the other color treatments; so much neater than the wet media/airbrushing of my earlier days.

Manhattan Storm

2009-06-23T13:23:00.005-04:00

ManhattanStorm, originally uploaded by knowbrown.

Alien Abduction_IF_Drifting

2009-06-22T02:30:00.020-04:00

It wasn't like being pulled.

No, it seemed more that I was drifting, drifting slowly and quietly upward.

To see a later version of this illustration, see:

www.flickr.com/photos/seeknowbrown/3654852296/

Unfold

2009-06-18T02:05:00.018-04:00

For IF ( http://illustrationfriday.com/ ) theme this week ("Unfold"):

The posture and mood of this figure is drawn to indicate stress and anxiety. He is one who needs to unwind. To unfold.

Adam and Eve

2009-06-17T23:49:00.008-04:00

Adam and Eve.

From my sketchbook.

Tennis Lady

2009-06-17T23:07:00.021-04:00

Summer party,

Spontaneous tennis,
Sensational lady ---
and didn't break a
Sweat ---

Sweet!

2009-06-11T22:34:00.018-04:00

My submission to "Illustration Friday" (illustrationfriday.com) for the topic "Craving". One's desire for love feeds directly to the brain, which generates the addictive flying heart of infatuation. I've also posted this at my Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seeknowbrown/

My submission to "Illustration Friday" (illustrationfriday.com) for the topic "Craving".

Stonewall and his apparatus.

2009-06-11T22:08:00.025-04:00

Was coincidentally listening to this Patti Smith song while sketching from a pic of Stonewall Jackson (Confederate leader of the American Civil War), so I found myself lettering the song lyric ("we shall live again') into the "apparatus" thingie that the general is grasping. No, I'm not an old-time believer that "the South will rise again", but the image and the lyric just seemed to work.

Deb at Coolfont

2009-06-11T21:45:00.014-04:00

I sketched this of my girlfriend many years ago not knowing she was going to break up with me the next day. By the following year, though, we were married. Don't ask. Click the pic to enlarge the drawing.

Nighttime

2009-05-30T14:50:00.022-04:00

Nighttime
In my childhood, going outside at night was an immersion in quiet soft country darkness. The summer buzz of crickets was the only language of the warm night, but even that would eventually cease, leaving a sudden silence, stark and absolute, broken only occasionally by a softly audible hum and horn of a very distant freight train. There were no streetlights, just a million stars above.

Now, like most of you, I cannot at any time walk outside to that silent summer place, where I hear and see nothing. I am maddened by unceasing roar of countless cars on nearby suburban parkways, a sound like an incessantly rushing faucet that can never and will never be turned off. Ever. And by an army of streetlights that glare at me from all periphery, whose mission it is to let me out of its glare never. Ever.

Nightime is a peace that died when I was young.

Shore

2009-05-30T14:37:00.013-04:00

When I draw ocean, I visualize great seas formed in an ancient Jello mold. Click the pic to see.

Adapt

2009-05-30T13:19:00.025-04:00

This sequence for the topic "Adapt" was a submission to Illustration Friday.

Click the pic to enlarge. It's also posted on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/seeknowbrown/3578029750/

That Face

2005-09-29T22:22:00.007-04:00

Sea Monitor

2005-07-29T21:48:00.010-04:00

Sea Monitor
This was a rather large watercolor + colored pencil thing I did many years ago. The Sea Monitor. I'm thinking about doing an updated version. Click the pic to enlarge the drawing.

Pigs

2005-07-27T21:58:00.015-04:00

One of my small cardboard-cutout figures (see "Genius:, 7.26.05), this one a pig. Pastel, watercolor, color ink, pen. Fake handwriting. Click the pigs. Pigs are cool.

Genius

2005-07-26T21:16:00.008-04:00

I like to cut out little figure shapes from cardboard or illustration board using a sharp X-Acto knife. Then, I can brush on water color or color inks, and press the wet figure onto paper. This small piece is a mixed media work with watercolor, pastel, color ink, and pen. The handwriting is fake. Click the genius to enlarge the drawing.

Feet

2005-07-23T21:17:00.009-04:00

I often use fake writing in drawings because I like the visual texture it produces. This is a detail from a larger drawing called "The Readers", which at this time I have never posted anywhere.