ENDLESSLY: PART THREE.

Well, here we are...

All things reach a conclusion and fade away. In time, the Mona Lisa will crumble to dust and the sculptors of Rodin will be rust and red dust.

And the Endless are anything but. But not yet. Not now.

So, here's the promised finish. Not a whole lot to say about this part, except to remind you that this interpretation is my own and not necessarily the bible. Desire is the color of heart muscle. (Pull a muscle? *heh*)Destiny the color of dust. Death is simply in black and white, because death is black and white.

You guess the rest. There is one big color pun in there for you to find. I do things like that to make the work fun for whatever reason. Never hurts.

And always remember, white is a color.

Thanks for your attention....

M.Z.

ENDLESSLY PART TWO.

Here's a troubling part. The casual observer will probably find the inked images to be quite complete. They're not. A lot of room was left towards the end image that's to be in color. A fully rendered ink image would far more tonal and visually intricate. As I've stated before, I have certain difficulties when working in traditional pen and ink. I tend to always see things in a painterly way, with fine edges and disappearing softness, tonal insights and color coordination's that form harmonies and for lack of a better term something i call, "dis-harmonies. "

In pen and ink I seem to have trouble getting the finish I want without working the piece to death. The "well enough alone syndrome"as it were. So, when I use pen and ink, to form a base upon which color is the final goal, I find myself with two competing interests. That's why, to those who don't know, my "underworking" ink base will seem to be overdone and complete in it's self. Not so.

At this stage I'm usually at wits end trying to not think in color but needing to because it will be just that, in color.

You have no idea how much I admire artists like John Paul Leon, who I think is a first rate artist in pen and ink, or brush as the case maybe....people like J.Muth and the wonderful simplicity and grace of his use of ink......alas I simply don't think like that, in big grand blocks of black and white.

I'm always looking for the grey in between. That's just me. Since it's futile, and probably a crime against art to work in a style not one's own, I must do a thing in the way I see it. For better or worse.

I suppose you know the next blog will be the finished piece......no matter how tired of a subject this is for me, I always endeavor to give it my best.......without you all, I'd never have bought myself the time to do my own "graphic novel"......another phrase that annoys me.

Be here when it goes up, I promise not to many days from now.

M.Z.

ENDLESSLY.

These are beginning portions of a rather large (nearly twenty-five inches square) commission I undertook about a month or so ago. And before you think you would want one also, please note I did this for two reasons. 1. It was ordered by a long time patron of my work as a wedding gift. 2. I threw out a ridiculous sum of money to do it and it was accepted. So, don't even think about it unless you really have a a lot of disposable income. A lot.

What makes this unusual, out side of it's size, is that 1. It's the damn endless again, lol. 2. I almost never pencil in a composition so thoroughly. In this case because I've done so much of this sort of thing, I tend to get a tad blase' about the piece in general, and this time I wanted to make it clear how each related to the whole while giving each of them an individual identity. So I spent a great deal of time working out who was who and what was what. I purposely left the background vague so as to bring each of them close as possible to the forefront. All the better to display their various aspects. In my own way of course, rather than follow the usual.though it's still well within the accepted canon of visual continuity. Tradition!

In a few days at best, I'll show more as it progressed.

'till then,

M.Z.

BLACK AND WHITE, NO GREY.

This may come as a minor revelation of sorts, but I honestly don't like working in pen and ink very much. I understand pretty well how it's used, and why though I've never had a true affection for it. It just isn't, well, me.

I have nothing but the utmost respect for masters of the medium, J.C. Cole, and his contemporaries. And Windsor-Smith seems to have ink in his soul, as does J. Muth: but me? Well, it's always a trial. The "big black" guys, Toth and the like that can make whole pictures out of great swoops and dots of black ink stun me into silence. I often think that someday I've got to try that and see if I can get close to that way of seeing. There's the reality of it; "seeing". I simply don't see that way, in ink. I see in grey. In pencil. Soft and subtle and silver.

But, for now, ink it is. At least until this book is done, then we'll see something different maybe. The next book may be a whole new thing. I hope it is.

Peace,

M.Z.

DISCOVERIES.

About a year ago, perhaps a bit more or less, on a whim I picked up a twelve pack of Graphitint water soluble pencils from my art supply store. What appealed to me right away as the claim of tonality like graphite while having subtle color ranges. Sounded good. I'm always on the lookout for anything that will expand the possibilities of communicating ideas in fresh ways.

On several occasions I've been less that enthusiastic about a choice of product, but I have to say, this time I was very pleasantly surprised.

It took only a moment to realize I had a winner. Those of you familiar with my "unknown Dervish" series will see the results. As of this writing, I've only just begun to tap the potential of the medium. I love the the "pencilness" of them as well as the tonal warmth and control when used with water. With a light fixative they can be layered and worked wet on dry and dry on wet, making for wonderful images. As time permits, I'll be pushing into new areas with them for sometime.

The first image is an example of the color range and the second a new "Unknown Dervish" piece soon to in the gallery.

I bought a twelve pack first, then a twenty-four pack, and as soon as I'm able, the can size advertised. An investment well realized.

I'll be back sometime fairly soon with images from the "The Fracture of the Universal Boy" and a discussion of just "what's going on here". At this point, the book being three quarters finished art-wise, I feel it's about time I started showing some of it off . There is so much that went into every aspect of it that before it ever sees print, I'd like to avail myself of this space to make clear a few bits and bobs that went into it's making.

Join me?

You're invited.

M.Z.

IN THE BEGINNING.

IN THE BEGINNING.

Things will be posted here as soon as possible

I'm awaiting images I can show and discuss. I beg your patience.

It will be rewarded.

M.Z.