Masks

Some thoughts on my next project, an exhibit being put together by Adria Sutter.

Goodnight,
Chelsea

True crime

I'm a criminal. Not only has it been over a month since I posted, I'm also giving you an awful photo:

panthera leo (cowardly lion)

Consider it Exhibit A, an alibi. This piece is up right now in the annual Illustration Department Theme show at 301 Gallery, so you can take better look at it. When the show comes down, I'll also scan it in.

Speaking of Illustration Departments, I haven't yet mentioned that I am the new caretaker of the Wunderkammer, Montserrat College of Art's Natural Science collection. I'm trying to do right by my mentor, Elissa Della-Piana, and really cultivate a useful teaching library. In my cataloging I've found some really interesting items:

• An articulated human foot
• A taxidermy head of Paradisaea apoda, the Greater bird-of-paradise
• A fawn's skull
• A human sternum in a velvet-lined box

Also, in my personal natural science collection, I recently discovered this:

I found it on Block Island in 2008, but misidentified it as some sort of shell. Turns out, it's the tympanic bone from Physeter macrocephalus, the Sperm whale.

Anyway, more soon! I'm involved with a new project that I'll fill you in on soon. I'll just say that it involves pig intestines and masks.

xoxo Chelsea

Installation!

More later. Writing essays. Happy New Year.

small works

Hi friends.

Here's a couple of little pieces I put together for Porter Mill's first annual juried small works exhibition. Deadline's today, but if you have small works, you should submit! If your work sells you will receive 100% of the proceeds, which is stellar.

elephas maximus

phacochoerus africanus

I ran into both of these creatures on my recent Texas trip. Also, this guy:

Stay classy,
chelsea

microtus pinetorum

Hi again,

Some quick updates:

"The Beauty in the Beast: the Animal as Muse" is a show going up at Gallery Della-Piana (including the piece above by yours truly). The deadline for work has been extended to Saturday, so you should apply! If your work involves animals.

Also, good news! I am joining a group of artists to create a studio space in town. I'm looking forward to not having the cat and bunny distract me! (And also having the opportunity to work with such talented people.)

And Saturday I'll be traveling to Texas to take a look at a grad school. Last time I was there, I met this guy:

The Eastern Hognose Snake is a friendly little fellow, but if you bother him, he'll play dead and puke blood.

But Chris is coming with me and doesn't approve of snakes, so I can't keep such company this time. 

So, on to some work. Not sure about this little guy... this one has viscera involved, so if you choose, see more after the break.

capreolus capreolus

Hi friends.

I finished this a couple of weeks ago, I'm sorry it took so long to post. However, as a bonus, I've included these process shots so you can get a look at how it was made.

hyperplasia (too big for your britches)

lynx rufus

gross trauma (blindsided)

DONE. Well, maybe. Maybe I'll add vellum ribbons coming from the paw, I don't know yet. I really like the separation there, and what it does for the composition. WE'LL SEE.


Speaking of seeing, I'm working on a potential exhibition right now with the fabulous Studios at Porter Mill! They are having their grand opening tomorrow from 2-8pm; some of my good friends from the sidebar have studios there, and they'll be open for prying eyes to see! Me and my eyes will be there, and I hope you can make it, too.

Goodnight,
Chelsea

Sketchy

Patient blog-followers,

The last two months have been a whirlwind of activity! July is always a wash; I co-direct a pre-college program for high school students, which, as you can imagine, takes up much of my time. But usually August affords me some time to catch up. Not so this year! I traveled extensively, from Nantucket to Maine to Texas and back home again, a new destination each week. If you would like a peek at what I was up to in Maine, take a look at my friend Julie's blog, Orchid Grey. 

However! I have not been shirking my responsibilities, artistically speaking. Normally I feel a little shy about posting sketches, but after last year's fantastic Drawing Everyday exhibition at Montserrat, I see the benefit of sharing a sketchbook.

The sketchbook I'm sharing today is from my time in Texas in late August. I was interested in all the roadside signs along the highway, mainly because there's not much else along the highway:

 

 On the second page above, you can see the real object of my sketchbook: drawing animals from life. I was lucky enough to make it to two excellent zoological gardens while in Texas, the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi, and the Dallas World Aquarium (one of my favorite places).  Below are some sketches of the animals I encountered:

The shoebill stork from above had a seat, and a little blue penguin.

Piranha! Also bottlenose dolphin. They were FAST

Japanese spidercrab, and a jaguar resting its head in its paws.

A jackass penguin's...back.

I do as much drawing from life as I can when presented with an opportunity like this; drawing from life lends an understanding of the underlying structure for me, and probably for you, too!

Goodnight and good luck,

Chelsea

& In One Another

Hi!

As usual, I apologize for the infrequency of my posts. Now, here's the stuff I've been doing for & In One Another! By the by, if you want to see the other bad ideas I committed to paper, as well as some really GOOD work, you should come to the opening of the show this Friday.

#13 - DON'T TELL ME

#16 - MY FANCY

#17 - ENEMY OF THE GOOD

#18 - GAZEBO

#19 - A NIGHT SCENE

#21 - HOLOGRAM CANYON

#22 - JUICE RATS RAMPAGE

#23 - CHAIR SUPERIOR

#24 - CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING

#25 - HELPLESS SKELETON

#27 - FRESH

#28 - MODERN RITUAL/MODERN TOTEM

#29 - THE HEALTHY CHOICE

#30 - BRIGHTEST SHINING THING

Good night!

Chelsea

BAM

Hi friends. I've got a lot to share today.

First off, here's a new work in progress:

Many more hours of fun still to go! This stag had a disorder that caused his velvet-covered antlers to grow pendulous lumps. Looking forward to the tedious rendering ahead.

In a similar vein, here's a bunny skull, which incidentally is the type of skull on my new homepage.

Not quite finished! Sylvilagus floridanus

  Just brushing up on some observational drawing.

Next up, some work from the & In One Another project. My motto for this project is "bad ideas, hastily executed."

#6 MAP FROM THE PAST

#7 BAD COLOR

 Which started me on a tangent outside of the sketchbook:

Which turned out to be pretty creepy. So I marched on.

#8 THEIR LIFE UNIFORM

 I like to think of this guy as the rabbit version of Ziggy Stardust. Based on a very strange rabbit, Pentalagus furnessi.

#8 THEIR LIFE UNIFORM

 Take two.

#11 FIVE SIMPLE MACHINES

There are many more terrible ideas I haven't shown you, but may someday. When you're older.

I believe there are 30 assignments total, so there will be many more appearing here soon. Doing really bad drawings based on worse ideas is...refreshing.

Finally, a special treat. I walked into my office last week to find this on my desk:

such tiny hands!

A stack of portraits (of me!) executed by Montserrat Illustration class of '08, as part of a group assignment. The one above is by far my favorite, done by Illustration Chair and Professor Fred Lynch. You should check out his teaching blog. Anyway, I couldn't keep a treasure like that to myself, so there you are.

Best,
Chelsea