The Personal Weblog of Edward W. Farrell   
 
   
sketches, 1980s
 
   
Mt. St. Helens Erupting, 1980
Chinese ink brush, from a newspaper photograph. I was living nearly 300 miles away in Belingham, Washington when this blew. I woke up to what sounded like a nearby explosion--my first thought was that a local factory must have blown up. As it turned out, the sound from the volcano bounced off successive layers of atmosphere and ground for hundreds of miles in all directions. If you were between the "bounce" zones you heard nothing, but at the points where the sound ricocheted off the ground the noise was startlingly vivid.
 
   
Trees and Rocks, 1980
Pentel pen. This is a movement and mass study. I think it was from imagination, but it could have been based on a portion of an old master painting I've forgotten.
 
   
Chrysanthemum, 1980
Pentel pen and wash, watercolor. I have vivid memories of this wonderful chrysanthemum that I sketched sometime in 1980. It was a gift from a friend whose name I've forgotten over the years, but her flower seemed to glow in the dingy little garret I lived in and I sketched and painted it many times.
 
   
Living Room, 1980
Pentel pen. Sketch of a corner of my living room on Bay Street, Bellingham Washington. This place was over a restaurant on the dingier side of town, but had a wonderful view of the bay out the front window.
 
   
Scrimshaw Study, 1980
Pentel pen. This is a study for a scrimshaw medallion I did when I was doing scrimshaw to supplement my painting. This is one of the few pieces I still have, since it was not done on commission.
 
   
Finished Scrimshaw, 1980
Engraved fossilized mammoth ivory, oil-based pigments. This piece is about two inches in diameter and has a curved surface.

 
   
Colored Rocks, 1982
Watercolor. Some colored rocks I found on the beach near Jenner, California.
 
   
Continuous Line Medallion, 1982
Pen and Pelikan inks. A design for a 12-point continuous line medallion.
 
   
Unfinished Continuous Line Medallion, 1982
Pencil, red pencil, and pen and india ink. A design for a five-pointed continuous line medallion, showing some of the underlying geometry while the piece is in progress.
 
   
Cloudy Hills, Diablo Range, 1982
India ink pen. View of the northern Diablo Range as it appeared in my mind's eye from Livermore, California.
 
   
Rose and Crumpled Paper, 1985
Pen and india ink. Rose in a bud vase and a wad of crumpled paper on my aunt's kitchen table in Glencoe, California.
 
   
Huxley Island, British Columbia, 1986
Pentel pen and wash. View of Huxley Island, Quenn Charlotte Islands, from the water on a typical coastal day in British Columbia.
 
   
My Patio, Patzcuaro, Michoacan, 1987
Pen and india ink. Actually, this is the view towards the patio from the covered carport.
 
   
Janitzio, 1987
Chinese ink brush. Idealized view of Lake Patzcuaro and the island of Janitzio, Michoacan, Mexico.
 
   
Vase of Carnations, 1987
Pen and india ink. Vase of carnations on my kitchen table in Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico.
 
   
Caraffe With Flowers, Clay Jar, and Cigarettes, 1987
Pen and india ink. Still life with caraffe, flowers, clay jar, and cigarettes, on the dining room table in Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico.
 
   
Open Window, 1987
Chinese ink brush. View out open window from the table in my dining room, Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico.
 
   
Altamont Hills from Tracy, 1989
Chinese ink brush. View of the Altamont hills from Tracy, California, slightly fancified. The real hills are low and rolling, so for interest I added a range of pointy peaks behind the hills.
 
   
Imaginary Mountain, 1989
Chinese ink brush. View of an imaginary mountian from my mind's eye. Drawn in Tracy, California in the summer of 1989.
 
   
   
All site contents copyright 2013 Edward W. Farrell This page last updated on 2013-09-30