House No. 188: Queen Anne House at Night

House No. 188: Queen Anne House at Night

colored pencil on upcycled matboard

10 in. x 10 in.

188/365; 07/07/11

Some more scavenged materials: this time a lovely piece of mat board discarded after being cut out of a larger piece to frame something. It is neatly beveled edges.

I wanted to work in reverse and create a ghostly glowing house in the moonlight, which is why I chose a high Victorian style, as they are ornate and always a bit eerie. Those Victorians were such a macabre bunch.

House No. 72: Outside the Home

House No. 72: Outside the Home
black and white ink or finely corrugated cardboard

10 in. x 10 in.
072/365; 03/13/11

A few years ago, when a new couple moved into the neighborhood and a few of us were stopping by individually to welcome them into the area, a couple of friends of mine and I were asked by the new lady of the house if we worked outside the home.

This question lead to peals of laughter amongst those of us who were asked, a catch phrase for our lexicon, and an attempt at hosting for the woman a welcoming dinner dressed in 1960's attire. A dinner to which she never showed up, I might add. Perhaps she was not one to venture outside the home. We enjoyed our nut-encrusted cheese ball in our pearls, sweater sets, and aprons without her. The couple moved to NoVa.

Anyway, the term, while amusing and archaic, is one that I appreciate because it acknowledges that there is plenty of work to be done within the home and that keeping a home has value.

It was this term that inspired my house today, which I masked off before working the drawing outside of the form of the house. And now I must go work within the home before the weekend catches up with me. I have some scrubbing to do and a catbox that needs zen gardening.

Today's post makes me think of this:

Eurythmics - Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves (Official Music Video). 

House No. 63: La Maison Cubiste

House No. 63: La Maison Cubiste
ink on cardstock

5 in. x 3 in.
063/365; 03/04/11

Today I was inspired by several hours of enchantment at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in the Picasso special exhibition on loan from the Musée National Picasso in Paris, France as it undergoes renovation. If you can, go to this show. The work is a rarity to see, and I love the way the entire show progresses and does not stick solely to linear time line. It is a really well designed exhibition: the hanging, the lighting, the pacing.

My friend Ang, of Simulacrum fame, and the Werepanda and I had breakfast at the Richmond institution that is Perly's and then, fortified for some serious art appreciation, made our way to the museum. Afterward, Angie and I felt like we needed a nap. And so, I pose a general question that Ang and I were wondering about: Do museums make everyone tired?

After what feels like cerebral ecstasy from looking at inspiring art, I always feel spent. It's like mental calisthenics and overwhelming joy delivered in extended lightening bolt form.

The first half of the exhibition in particular was a mental workout. The earlier works of Picasso up through his relationship with Dora Maar have always been my favorite. Picasso's late work has never appealed to me as much, though it is a pleasure to see, and I always approach it differently at different points in my life.

For the first half of the show, I felt as if I could never possibly look enough. Picasso's earlier work always does this to me, no matter how many times I look at any particular work. There's just so much going on and so many properties to consider.

And so, here we have it, my little ink sketch influenced by Picasso and Cézanne.

Also of interesting note, I additionally have a bit of a connection, being named Madonna, to La Maison Cubiste in Prague, Czech Republic.

House No. 48: Fairy Tale House

House No. 48: Fairy Tale House

ink on cardstock
3 in. x 5 in.
048/365; 02/17/11

An illustrated love letter to my husband, the literal happy homemaker in my life, who has been working very hard on our house.

House No. 26: Bird Houses

House No. 26: Bird Houses

ink on paper

12 in. x 9 in.

026/365; 01/26/11


Today, I have drawn for you a portrait of the Vanderbeaks East Coast homes: Park Avenue, the Hamptons, and the Berkshires.

House No. 21: House Call

House No. 21: House Call

Ink on cotton rag paper (more paper swag, this time from Crane)

5 in. x 4 in.

021/365; 01/21/11

The call is coming from inside the house!

House No. 17: Dream House

House No. 17: Dream House

graphite on cardstock

3 in. x 3.75 in. x 2.25 in.

017/365; 01/17/11, Martin Luther King Day

 

Today I think that I'll let my house speak for itself. I will leave you with some words from Dr. King that give me some pause for thought.

"When we look at modern man, we have to face the fact that modern man suffers from a kind of poverty of the spirit, which stands in glaring contrast with a scientific and technological abundance. We've learned to fly the air as birds, we've learned to swim the seas as fish, yet we haven't learned to walk the Earth as brothers and sisters."

House No. 12: Starter House

House No. 12: Starter House
ink on repurposed chipboard
9 in. x 6.5 in.
012/365; 01/12/11

Today, one of my coworkers gave me starter for a friendship cake. A friendship cake, for those who are unfamiliar, is a recipe that calls for a starter that ferments for 10 days, after which you can make additional starter as well as bake a cake. This new starter is then passed on to friends, and they start the process again in ten days. In theory, I suppose the starter could be passed around for generations. Actually, perhaps I shouldn't think about that.

The friendship starter got me thinking of a creative starter, which is exactly what Noah Scalin's 365: A Daily Creativity Journal is doing for many of his friends. People are sharing their work, connecting and even setting up monthly forums. Pretty cool.

With all of this in mind, I created my house today as a creative starter for collaboration. I am inviting everyone who is interested to use this illustration to make something for their own 365 projects, or any project at all. Then please send me a link to your post or email it to me at Madonna {at} TheHappyHomemaker {dot} org, so that I may share it next Friday here and on The Happy Homemaker Facebook page. I can't wait to see if people use this drawing and what they create if they do.

House No. 8: Dorze Home

House No. 8: Dorze Home
pencil & ink on repurposed 100% cotton rag cover stock

5.25 in. x 3.75 in.

008/365; 01/08/11

My house today is a drawing of a traditional house of the Dorze of the southern region of Ethiopia. Dorze houses are constructed with vertical bamboo poles and woven bamboo. The thatch is made of ensete plant, grass, and bamboo stem covering. 

The houses are very tall, some are up to forty feet high, and re-locatable. When chewed at the bottom by termites, the house is trimmed from the bottom and moved. The older the house, therefore, the shorter it is, and they can last from sixty to eighty years. 

The house is subdivided and contains a hearth, sleeping quarters and a place for livestock. I think that these houses are ingenious and fascinating. They are the original green, sustainable houses.

House No. 6: Tree House

House No. 6: Tree House

ink on repurposed 100% cotton rag cover stock

5 in. x 5 in.

006/365; 01/06/11

Trees are living homes to birds, squirrels, and insects, and, even dead, trees are an important part of an ecosystem. Dead trees provide homes and food sources for animals and birds, particularly woodpeckers and flickers.

After reading My Side of the Mountain, I had a childhood dream of living inside a giant, hollow tree. (Then after re-reading this novel as an adult, I was dismayed by how environmentally irresponsible the book is. The fifties were a different time. A time when it was okay to steal Peregrine Falcon chicks and raise them yourself, but I digress.)

I drew today's home using a tiny stencil to create the tree's leaves. I cut the stencil out of an index card using an XACTO knife.