Sunday, April 29, 2012

Lily

Lily by Gwen Buchanan


 She tells me that her name is Lily... 
  I will always think of her that way.
She cautiously considers her path upon the morrow...
Forward...
Backward...

Come what may.


GB








"There is a Garden in her Face,
Where Roses and Lilies grow."
 Thomas Campion, 1567-1620, Composer, Poet.





 ...my drawing desk just after I finished "Lily"
... yes, cluttered, I know... but really, I need all those things.




Lily... approx. 7 1/2' x 9 1/2", Sanguine conte and charcoal, with matt and frame 16" x 18 1/2"

..  The Hand Series will return with my next post.


27 comments:

Linda H said...

Cluttered??!! That doesn't look cluttered at all! You should see my workspace right now...
Lily is beautiful!

George said...

A beautiful portrait, Gwen, wonderfully rendered and full of character.

Owen said...

Something in your drawings really clicks with me... Lily radiates harmony, wherever her path may lead on the morrow...

pRiyA said...

Extraordinarily beautiful. Lily's face glows.
A cluttered desk is one in which wonderful things happen. :-)

Jacky said...

I was looking at my table where I was creating yesterday too....and it IS cluttered. But like you, I looked and thought 'I need all of those things close at hand'.

Your drawing is really beautiful Gwen (and I love the frame). Lily looks very serene and sensitive.

Jacky xox

Penny said...

Hate to say it, but my desk is much more cluttered, so I move to the sun room to paint!!

Susan said...

beautiful Lily.

cluttered, tidied, organized & cluttered again xoxo Susan

Sharmon Davidson said...

What a lovely face Lily has... that expression of contemplation and content... Is she a real person? Really a beautiful portrait.

Sharmon Davidson said...

p.s. If you think that's cluttered, you don't want to see mine...

Anonymous said...

Lily has some secrets doesn't she... & re: clutter, oh my, you don't know clutter!

Gwen Buchanan said...

Thank you All for your thoughtful comments.. yes Lily is a real person and it was a pleasure to study and draw her.

Isn't it funny how horizontal surfaces seem to automatically become covered with paraphernalia when one is working out an idea(and I even secretly gathered a few things up and put them away before the picture)....
... it is like an idea needs a place to grow like a seed needs moist warm earth... (Fortunately I saved you the horror of the sprawl that flowed onto the 4 other worktables in the studio.. and the accumulation of dishes on the kitchen counter that directly corresponds with such studio obsession. I'm sure you All know what I mean..

Guillaume said...

Love the drawing, absolutely beautiful. I love your "clottered" desk. I need a desk like this to write on.

Marie Alton said...

Oh Dear Gwen ... I totally identify with your need for clutter ... and things close at hand ... when proceeding through a creative endeavour.

More times than I can count ... the kitchen counter clutter has been ignored in the pursuit of the thing that has enamoured me. Some things can wait ... or be delegated to others to deal with. Creative energy must be the priority when the ideas are flowing. Never enough hours in a day to do it all ... one must prioritize.

Lily is lovely ... and captured in a moment that your vision commanded be put to paper ... and she is splendid in that frame!

As always ... you rock!
Hugs ... Marie

jerilanders said...

Lily appears very calm and serene.If she were to speak, I think she would have a soft spoken, melodic voice. It must have been soothing to create her.

sandy said...

How beautiful she is! Wonderful "feel" to this.

I love your hand series!

Gwen Buchanan said...

Thank you Friends, I appreciate each of your lovely thoughts.. xoxo

Elisabeth said...

Stunning image.

Carol Steel said...

Lily is evocative of more and of deeper and of mystery. What a delightful work of art. I laughed when you shared the desk photo. You can still see the desk, therefore it is NOT cluttered by my standards.

Lynne with an e said...

Sensitive,yet strong; warm, with a good sense of humour. Contained yet giving. This is what I read into the character of Lily from your lovely portrait of her. Such a good flow to your lines.

Tracy said...

This is a lovely portrait, Gwen...such tenderness in that brow...One wants to kiss it! I admire you choice of all the red chalk, it lends such warmth. She seems lost in thoughts, the suggestion of a smile...happy thoughts, maybe. :o) And fun to see a view of your desk--always exciting to see where people create. Lovely to visit here after being away for some days. ((HUGS))

pauline said...

oh baby, you don't know what cluttered IS! ;-)
Lily has such a wise tenderness about her... feminine, knowing, mysterious, gentle... i love her. And oh my, how beautiful she looks in the frame. Just gorgeous work Gwen. xoxo

cathyswatercolors said...

Hi Gwen Lily is lovely as she contemplates her next move.
YOur drawing desk is as wonder filled as i would expect. I'm wondering about your house? Are you still there? it's wonderful that you are posting again.

Jane said...

Wonderful portrait, great expression with this little smile ...a bit Mona Lisa alike :-)

Gwen Buchanan said...

Thank you everyone, I really should have left my desk "au natural", next time I will.. that would give you a good scare... sometimes it crowds me off my desk and I end up working on my knee... crazy how messy creativity can be..

Hope all is well with everyone... beautiful SuperMoon last night.

Karena said...

Gwen absolutely stunning! I love your works of art!

I have a feature Interview and Giveaway on my site with Tina from The Enchanted Home...I hope you will visit

xoxo
Karena

Art by Karena

A Heron's View said...

There is an ethereal quality to your drawing that one seldom sees these days and I greatly admire that.

As to your idea of clutter you need to see mine :)

Gwen Buchanan said...

oh Thank you so much my friends...

...it is a joy everyday to follow our ideas and see what comes of them.. good or bad, they all lead somewhere and hopefully we learn from the results..