Wren Allen’s New Mexico Wildflowers
Art and writing by NM artist Wren Allen
The 100-Day Project reached the halfway point on Sunday, and I am seriously wondering whether I should quit while I’m ahead and move on to more enticing projects. Part of the problem is that I was so worried about losing interest in a single topic, or struggling to make certain scheduled time frames (i.e., painting …
The 100-Day Project has been a real mixed-bag of an experience so far. In the positive column, it has encouraged me to use and mix materials that have been hiding in my supply drawers for years. The project also has resulted in me spending much more time with my sketchbook. I think I might even …
Two pages, one day, and defining the rules of the game for this project. . .
About 3 years ago, I gathered these dried seed pods of Castilleja integrifolia, whole-leaf Indian paintbrush from a local stand growing near my house. My intention was to do a very detailed drawing of them, then toss the stems into a watered area of my yard so they could maybe sprout the next spring. They’ve …
Good watercolors on crap paper, done loosely with a honkin’ big brush! Sometimes you don’t feel the need to go back in and add fussy detail.
Spent Friday going to a medical appointment, then hiking with our new neighbor. Saturday, day seven, I popped open a photo of a protea flower that I picked up at the grocery store Thanksgiving week, and layered oil pastels and indigo and a darkish pink-red colored pencil over initial watercolor washes. I have to say …
Playing with abstraction and materials, and feeling like I want more out of the project…
Encountering delusions of grandeur Maybe I’ll return to this drawing after #the100dayproject is over, or re-start it with a fresh leaf. Today’s accomplishment was getting a rough sketch of a large leaf—and that’s good enough for today, even if it’s not worth claiming bragging rights on in an Instagram post. Last week, I bought a …
It’s going to be a bumpy road The first day was easy. It always is. It’s the second day that’s hard—especially when the second day is a Monday. Mondays are catch-up days. Take care of the house days. Make all those stupid personal-business call days. Before you know it, dinner’s over and you still haven’t …
Today is the first day of #the100dayproject! This morning, I grabbed my oil pastels as the sun came up and began to highlight the ridges of the Jemez Mountains on the northern horizon. The blunt tips and slippery, waxy texture of the oil pastels make it difficult to render a lot of detail—but they also …