Feeling a bit sensitive today, so decided to let loose on the page. Watercolor, ink, collage, life
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Controversy
5 hours ago
Monday, December 28, 2009
Drawing 67
It feels corny drawing hearts, but sometimes you just have to get things out your system.
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Drawing 66
Drawn while listening to "My Girls" by Animal Collective www.youtube.com/watch?v=zol2MJf6XNE on repeat!
I first heard this song at a party DJ'd this weekend by Solange Knowles at the Flat. Stuck in my head ever since.
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
I first heard this song at a party DJ'd this weekend by Solange Knowles at the Flat. Stuck in my head ever since.
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Drawing 63
A fun doodle - hard to concentrate this week b/c of holidays
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Drawing 60
I've been working on pieces all day, so will use this as my #draw365. Here's a pic of a piece in progress from earlier today. I will post new finished work tomorrow.
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Drawing 59
Text says: Sometimes, my thoughts scatter, combine, flow like water. They scorch.
doodle
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
doodle
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Drawing 58
My bf's cute, extremely furry and slightly annoying cat makes a repeat appearance.. doodle
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Drawing 57
Started daydreaming of palm trees and warm breezes...a doodle
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Drawing 56
Lots of projects brewing, so only time for quick doodles lately!
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Drawing 55
55, originally uploaded by reginaagu.
Had some pretty strong mixed feelings when I was drawing this...lots on my mind. Came out kind of heavy. Sometimes my lines do follow my mood.
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Drawing 54
54, originally uploaded by reginaagu.
Caught myself humming Miles Davis while drawing this one...
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Drawing 48 a/b
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Drawing 47
I've had a thing for hands lately.
I love their character and complexity. So much detail, but also can be quickly captured with simple lines. This is a small pencil drawing...will probably do some more.
I've never drawn a man's hands before...really want to try that.
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
I love their character and complexity. So much detail, but also can be quickly captured with simple lines. This is a small pencil drawing...will probably do some more.
I've never drawn a man's hands before...really want to try that.
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Drawing 46 - Wild is the Wind
Thinking of Nina Simone...Had windy trees and sounds in my head...decided to do this illustration...
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
Protect
I created this piece for "He(Art) and Soul: Artists 4 the Fight Against AIDS" that took place last night. The event featured an art silent auction, art display, poetry performances, singing, dance performances, and a toy drive. This was my 2nd time participating in a He(Art) and Soul Event, and it's always a pleasure working with Kevin. My first partcipation was over the summer, and it provided the opportunity to display my new "Life Stills."
The piece above is called "Protect", and is graphite, watercolor wash, and ink on Arches paper, 11x11 in.
As I've mentioned earlier on this blog, HIV/AIDS Awareness is a cause I am passionate about. You can view my post from a few days ago on World AIDS Day here.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Drawing 44
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
http://reginaagu.blogspot.com/2009/12/one-drawing-day.html
http://reginaagu.blogspot.com/2009/12/one-drawing-day.html
Drawing 43
Drew this to some music - violins
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
http://reginaagu.blogspot.com/2009/12/one-drawing-day.html
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
http://reginaagu.blogspot.com/2009/12/one-drawing-day.html
Drawing 42
A scribble for #draw365
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
http://reginaagu.blogspot.com/2009/12/one-drawing-day.html
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
http://reginaagu.blogspot.com/2009/12/one-drawing-day.html
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Drawing 41
Part of my "One Drawing a Day" project.
http://reginaagu.blogspot.com/2009/12/one-drawing-day.html
http://reginaagu.blogspot.com/2009/12/one-drawing-day.html
Drawing 40 - "Broken"
Doing some house work a couple of nights ago, I came across some objects that I refused to throw away, although they were now broken. My bracelet of wood and red seeds that my mom gave me from South Africa, and a large feather that had snapped off from a Mardi Gras mask that I picked up from a flea market in New Orleans. Both decorative objects, but with sentimental value.
In thinking of how we often get attached to objects not for their own sake necessarily, but for the memories of moments that can not be replicated, I started this drawing.
The finished piece is 11 X 11 in, graphite pencil with ink wash
In thinking of how we often get attached to objects not for their own sake necessarily, but for the memories of moments that can not be replicated, I started this drawing.
The finished piece is 11 X 11 in, graphite pencil with ink wash
One Drawing A Day
41 drawings ago, I started an experiment where I would draw, and post on twitter and flickr, one drawing a day. No rules on medium, size, subject, or anything. Just drawings.
I needed to get this started so badly. As I've talked about ealier in my blog, my creativity locks up due to stress and feeling trapped by responsibilities and fears when it comes to my art making. I've gone years before with having a ton of ideas floating in my head, and never manifesting them through a sketch, much less a finished art piece. I often talk myself out of taking on my most challenging ideas because I feel that my skills are not good enough, or that no one will take me seriously because of my lack of formal (classroom) art training.
After alot of talking back and forth, I somehow sat down and started.
What has happened since then has completely surpassed any of my expectations. My technical skills have improved in my art making as a whole, and I have laid to rest some of my creative stumbling blocks. Even better, artists have joined me, and each one has provided me with inspiration and motivation to keep going, and devote a daily block of time to what I'm passionate about, regardless of the stresses of work and daily life that can drain my ability to create and focus. Each one of them has had a profound impact on me.
Another artist that I met via twitter, Gilbert Ruiz (@gilbertruiz), was the first artist to start drawing with me (maybe 3 days after I started or so). He also created a hashtag (sorry, not sure how to explain this is you're not a twitter user) of #draw365.
In the first 30 days of me posting my daily drawings, about 18 artists joined. The number continues to grow, to the point that I started a secondary account, @draw365, to share the other artists work and get a mini-community going. Gilbert has been instrumental in this as well, and we continue to bounce ideas off of each other. We both have great ideas on where this could lead if it continues to grow organically.
All of my Daily Drawings can be seen on my flickr set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reginaagu/sets/72157622562450063/
You can find out more about Gilbert Ruiz on twitter, and also on his website: http://www.gilbertruiz.com/. He also has a flickr set for his drawings:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gilbertruiz/sets/72157622565069961/
Finally, to see all the activity from the #draw365 artists, just go to @draw365.
I needed to get this started so badly. As I've talked about ealier in my blog, my creativity locks up due to stress and feeling trapped by responsibilities and fears when it comes to my art making. I've gone years before with having a ton of ideas floating in my head, and never manifesting them through a sketch, much less a finished art piece. I often talk myself out of taking on my most challenging ideas because I feel that my skills are not good enough, or that no one will take me seriously because of my lack of formal (classroom) art training.
After alot of talking back and forth, I somehow sat down and started.
What has happened since then has completely surpassed any of my expectations. My technical skills have improved in my art making as a whole, and I have laid to rest some of my creative stumbling blocks. Even better, artists have joined me, and each one has provided me with inspiration and motivation to keep going, and devote a daily block of time to what I'm passionate about, regardless of the stresses of work and daily life that can drain my ability to create and focus. Each one of them has had a profound impact on me.
Another artist that I met via twitter, Gilbert Ruiz (@gilbertruiz), was the first artist to start drawing with me (maybe 3 days after I started or so). He also created a hashtag (sorry, not sure how to explain this is you're not a twitter user) of #draw365.
In the first 30 days of me posting my daily drawings, about 18 artists joined. The number continues to grow, to the point that I started a secondary account, @draw365, to share the other artists work and get a mini-community going. Gilbert has been instrumental in this as well, and we continue to bounce ideas off of each other. We both have great ideas on where this could lead if it continues to grow organically.
All of my Daily Drawings can be seen on my flickr set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reginaagu/sets/72157622562450063/
You can find out more about Gilbert Ruiz on twitter, and also on his website: http://www.gilbertruiz.com/. He also has a flickr set for his drawings:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gilbertruiz/sets/72157622565069961/
Finally, to see all the activity from the #draw365 artists, just go to @draw365.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Seeing Red
Making a much needed return to my blog, with some thoughts about World AIDS Day.
I'm not here to quote general stats, facts or figures about AIDS and HIV prevalence. There are plenty of authorities on this subject, and online resources. I often direct people to UNAIDS: http://www.unaids.org. It is an excellent source of factsheets, data, and background reading.
When I was in 6th grade, my family left Houston to move overseas, as my dad undertook public health work with the UN, including AIDS program initiatives. Our first move was to Congo.
At a very young age, I became acutely aware of the devastation that HIV/AIDS has caused in Africa, particularly in what is commonly referred to as "Sub-Saharan" Africa. I also became aware of the fact that at the age of 11, I already had more knowledge about basic HIV transmission (sex, dirty needles, etc) than most of the adults in some of the communities where we traveled. I remember acting in a play, and learning children's songs, that spoke about "S.I.D.A" and warned of its danger.
Fast forward to 2009, and sadly, some things have not changed. In fact, some things look worse (as excerpted from UNAIDS website, Sub-Saharan Africa fact sheet)
- Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most heavily affected by HIV worldwide, accounting for over two thirds (67%) of all people living with HIV and for nearly three quarters (72%) of AIDS-related deaths in 2008.
- An estimated 1.9 million [1.6 million–2.2 million] people were newly infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa in 2008, bringing to 22.4 million [20.8 million–24.1 million] the number of people living with HIV.
- With an adult HIV prevalence of 26% in 2007, Swaziland has the most severe level of infection in the world. Lesotho’s epidemic seems to have stabilized, with a prevalence of 23.2% in 2008.
In the Western world we enjoy education, public health systems, and access to condoms/medications/treatments that are lacking in other regions. Although we are not free from stigmatizing those who live with this disease here in the US, we often do not face the same levels of taboos or ostracism that those living with HIV face in other countries, which can sometimes be life-threatening or resulting in physical harm. Compound this with brutal poverty levels, rampant war, and other factors, and you get the figures shown above. African solutions are still needed desperately, and I feel they must start from within the hot zones.
I was happy to observe today on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, that there was an outpouring of sharing messages, personal stories, stats, programs, fundraisers, testing sites and other knowledge. Some lives were saved today.
However, I also noticed an attitude of "otherness" when discussing the situation "over there in Africa." Any tweet today that had the word Africa in it, in fact, lit up red. I know this was intended to somehow highlight solidarity and awareness of the scourge of AIDS in Africa, but as I tweeted earlier, "AIDS =/= Africa. Africa =/= AIDS". As one of my twitter friends pointed out, a discussion about African honeybees became red. And as I observed, so did African universities, African sports, African food, African entrepreneurship...African people. Things and people that should be celebrated, discussed and shared with the world, outside the cloak of this disease.
The most recent conversations I have had with multiple women my age about their reasons for NOT requiring the use of condoms with their sexual partners, happened here in the US, not in Africa.
Ignorance and need for openness is not defined by national borders.
We must not ignore or hush up the struggles of African people. These struggles are the world's struggles. But we should also seek to not box in HIV/AIDS as an African problem. It is a human problem. Every new infection is everyone's failure.
We should not view everything about Africa today through a red lens.
I'm not here to quote general stats, facts or figures about AIDS and HIV prevalence. There are plenty of authorities on this subject, and online resources. I often direct people to UNAIDS: http://www.unaids.org. It is an excellent source of factsheets, data, and background reading.
When I was in 6th grade, my family left Houston to move overseas, as my dad undertook public health work with the UN, including AIDS program initiatives. Our first move was to Congo.
At a very young age, I became acutely aware of the devastation that HIV/AIDS has caused in Africa, particularly in what is commonly referred to as "Sub-Saharan" Africa. I also became aware of the fact that at the age of 11, I already had more knowledge about basic HIV transmission (sex, dirty needles, etc) than most of the adults in some of the communities where we traveled. I remember acting in a play, and learning children's songs, that spoke about "S.I.D.A" and warned of its danger.
Fast forward to 2009, and sadly, some things have not changed. In fact, some things look worse (as excerpted from UNAIDS website, Sub-Saharan Africa fact sheet)
- Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most heavily affected by HIV worldwide, accounting for over two thirds (67%) of all people living with HIV and for nearly three quarters (72%) of AIDS-related deaths in 2008.
- An estimated 1.9 million [1.6 million–2.2 million] people were newly infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa in 2008, bringing to 22.4 million [20.8 million–24.1 million] the number of people living with HIV.
- With an adult HIV prevalence of 26% in 2007, Swaziland has the most severe level of infection in the world. Lesotho’s epidemic seems to have stabilized, with a prevalence of 23.2% in 2008.
In the Western world we enjoy education, public health systems, and access to condoms/medications/treatments that are lacking in other regions. Although we are not free from stigmatizing those who live with this disease here in the US, we often do not face the same levels of taboos or ostracism that those living with HIV face in other countries, which can sometimes be life-threatening or resulting in physical harm. Compound this with brutal poverty levels, rampant war, and other factors, and you get the figures shown above. African solutions are still needed desperately, and I feel they must start from within the hot zones.
I was happy to observe today on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, that there was an outpouring of sharing messages, personal stories, stats, programs, fundraisers, testing sites and other knowledge. Some lives were saved today.
However, I also noticed an attitude of "otherness" when discussing the situation "over there in Africa." Any tweet today that had the word Africa in it, in fact, lit up red. I know this was intended to somehow highlight solidarity and awareness of the scourge of AIDS in Africa, but as I tweeted earlier, "AIDS =/= Africa. Africa =/= AIDS". As one of my twitter friends pointed out, a discussion about African honeybees became red. And as I observed, so did African universities, African sports, African food, African entrepreneurship...African people. Things and people that should be celebrated, discussed and shared with the world, outside the cloak of this disease.
The most recent conversations I have had with multiple women my age about their reasons for NOT requiring the use of condoms with their sexual partners, happened here in the US, not in Africa.
Ignorance and need for openness is not defined by national borders.
We must not ignore or hush up the struggles of African people. These struggles are the world's struggles. But we should also seek to not box in HIV/AIDS as an African problem. It is a human problem. Every new infection is everyone's failure.
We should not view everything about Africa today through a red lens.
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