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Nora, 3 months, Graphite Sketch…Today is the birthday of Edgar Degas, the French Impressionist famous for his figures of ballerinas, bathers, and other turn-of-the-century subjects. He also happens to be my favorite artist and major influence on my own art. I especially love Degas’ pastels…the vibrant contrasts, the intense markings, the vivid colors. His preparatory sketches are often a combination of strong, dark shadows mixed with precise, yet loose, lines. I like to study his work and absorb what I can into my own way of seeing color and interpreting subjects. In homage to Degas, I chose a figure drawing for my daily sketch, drawing my sleeping baby girl (who was a bit squirmier than I expected, once drawing commenced!) I used my darkest pencil, marking in the shadows, contemplating the art of Degas as I recorded this day in my baby’s young life.

The Tub, Edgar Degas, Pastel

Two Dancers Resting, Edgar Degas

Dancing in Clover

marylizingramart —  July 9, 2012 — 1 Comment

Dancing in clover, Ink sketch… My older kids in bed, last night I found myself alone in my quiet den with my baby girl, the songs of Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong filling the space. With her soft cheek and baby’s breath on my face, I swayed to the music, flooded with love and gratitude for what matters most in my life. I remember seven years ago, dancing close to my husband, he dressed in a tux and I in a cranberry tea dress barely fitting over my pregnant stomach…happy and in love. I remember holding my first baby girl, dancing in my Georgia home, amazed that anything so beautiful could exist, baffled that I played such a part in her existence. Several years later, dancing gently to Etta James with my tiny son, desperately in love, my heart bursting and happy tears flowing as he grinned, so small and new. And last night, there I was again, holding an amazing gift, an unexpected joy, thinking of the immensity of love that encompasses my life. And I am grateful…my heart is wrapped in clover.