One of my favorite artists is Armin Mersmann. I first discovered him at Artpapa.com, but you can also find his work on Diviant Art (Nimra). He is an amazing artist and human being! Well anywho...hehehe...I have been wanting to do a piece influenced by him for some time now...so about a month ago I set up a bunch of rocks...yes I did say rocks...hehehe...on my concrete patio and just played with them snapping pictures and rearranging them and snapping more pictures...I didn't know exactly what I had in mind, but I figured I'ld know when I saw it. Finally, I previewed what I had on my camera and then went to see the"BIG" picture.

Amazingly enough it is not the rocks that I fell in love with in this piece, although I do love them...the textures and shapes, most of them are river rocks that I have collected, but the negative space around and among the rocks that I adore.

This weekend I have started working on the actual drawing...

Thanks for looking,
Laura

God bless you (god of your choice of course)! This looks like it will require some serious patients, good luck and I will be looking forward to your updates!

Looking good already. The subject seems like an ideal match for your proven ability to do very smooth textures. I'll enjoy watching this one appear!

Airscapes,

Thank you and I have a feeling this will try my patience, but at this point it is very therapeutic...easy to get in the zone...hehehe

Ernest,

I don't know how smooth this will look...the river rocks are dry and rough, lots of texture it will be hard to decide what to leave in and what to leave out:)...

Here's a better example of the artwork I'm attempting to emmulate without the blades of grass of course...hehehehe Armin Mersmann

Thanks for watching:)
Laura

You've got your work cut out for you there Laura! It will be wonderful when complete.

I love drawing and painting rocks and sure have enough here to choose from! I did a class with Armin a couple of years ago on symbolic portraiture. He is amazing.

Jeanette,
You LUCKY LUCKY gal!!!! I'm green with envy!!! My sister and I keep begging him to have a workshop or showing closer to our area (pittsburgh) One of these days we're going to have to go on a road trip! Hehehe....but we have to find a good karaoke show for the evenings!

Laura

did someone mention Karaoke? count me in!

i have never heard of armin, but went to his website and he is totally awesome!! wow..very impressive and amazing artwork

Trish,
Ayup no road trip is complete without Karaoke....hehehehe

oliverandjazz,
If you're going to set the bar high...why not all the way to the top! It will only take me another 40 years to even attempt to get that high...hehehe


Still working on the negative space around the rocks...sorry not enough for an update yet.
Laura

Yeh, but is he any good at Karaoke?

Steve,
Who cares!!! I just want to watch him draw...hehehehe....Me and Trish can sing all night long!

Laura

Your rocks are looking good please post as you go along .

I cant sing to save my life .

Me neither!

Rushing off to work...still layering the concrete...there will be brush marks layered on top of what you see here...


Love to sing...hubby and I run our own Karaoke / DJ Service...it's a blast!

Off to my other night job...see you all in the morning!
Laura

Laura your rocks are looking great

I sing all the time just for the fun I would never sing in public though. I'm not good I just sing cause I know all the words

I am following this with great interest. Great job so far. Oh how I wish I lived closer to you, I would follow you and karaoke everywhere you and hubby played. Years ago when voice chat on the internet was in its infancy we used to open chat rooms and do a sorta karaoke thing, the room would be packed and people would sign up for their turn to sing. It was all done a cappella, but we had a blast and we had people that would follow us and request us to sing songs for them, a great ego trip, LOL

pmowen,

Wish you lived closer too!!! We'ld have a blast! Right now we're having a friendly little contest and next week we're making everybody do karaoke roulette...hehehehe...we even built a wheel...place your bets! Oldies, Rock, Country even a Gender Bender catagory...I can't wait to see how it goes...I'll have another update for ya'll in the morning...to tired to upload it tonight.

Night all,
Laura

Update.....sorry, heading out the door to work...cAtch up with you all later!

Thanks for looking!
Laura

this is exciting seeing it come together....great job so far.

Looking good!

Trish and Paulette,
Thank you an dhope I don't disappoint...started working on the rocks as I'm bored with the backgound. The bg is not finished I'll get back to that when I'm bored with the rocks...hehehehehe Layering up with 2h wood and 2hb mech pencil for darker and more detailed textures and cracks. Still tons to do!

Thanks for looking!
Laura

It's marvelllous to come back and admire the progress!

I absolutely love this piece. every day I visit the site I always come back to it. there is just something about it. I cant wait until you finish it.

NVA and Conte, Thank you for following along! Not done yet still lots to do but I can at least give you guys a quick update before I head out the door.......................

Thanks for looking!
Laura

I am just mesmerised by your talent! I can't tell you how much I am enjoying the stages of this piece! Seeing it appear slowly like this! Magic!

Absolutely magic ! Laura!
Please don't go out dancing or karaokaiyng! Just stay home in warm and draw!!!!!

Steve,
Thanks don't hurt your eyes starring for too long, my friend! It means alot to hear you say that!

NVA,
I wish I could just stay home and draw...but unfortunately a gal has to make a living. My drawings don't put bread and butter on the table yet. Fortunately, Karaoke is something I enjoy and does pay the bills...hehehehe...unfortunately I have to tend bar tonight and tomorrow...yuck...but what can ya do. It's not so bad when I'm busy, but when I'm slow it just kills me because my studio is upstairs calling me................yes, it's in a room above the bar...

Thanks for looking...I'll have another update soon and maybe a surprise or two:)
Laura

Just amazing. What a soft touch you have!

Ernest,
The techniques I have learned in the last few years require a light touch...only allowing the wieght of the pencil in your hand to apply the graphite to paper. Also light blending with good old fashioned tp and or a tortillon or stomp. Again everything is light because every pencil stroke every blend be it tissue or stomp... every erasure changes the surface that you are applying your your graphite to. If you don't keep it light...you could end up with alot of regrets later down the line. So with all of this light pressure many layers and a wide range of pencils are required to achieve the results you are after. Just incase you were interested...hehehehe Sorry I tend to run at the mouth

Thanks for Looking!
Laura

Ok gang...another update and them I'm heading out the door for work....
Thanks for looking and I'll catch up with you all later!!!

Laura

Wonderful work Laura, love the depth you have on those stones, feels like I could reach out and pick one up. lookforward to the next update

amazing, great job

Stone dance,
Heaven silence!
If only I were a poet,
Or a musician!

Looking good!

A new update

Kev,
Thank you and go ahead pick one up and tell me if you see anything interesting...hehehehe

Raidor,
Thank you.

NVA,
You seem to be waxing poetic at the moment:)

Paulette,
Thank you!

Here's yet another update...can't stay to long...my 13 year old is down with the flu and her temp hasn't broken yet.
So thanks for looking and I'll catch you all in a bit!
Laura

Laura, I don't really know why but I am curious as to the size of this piece. I am also seeing things in the rocks, or am I? Kind of like looking at clouds your imagination takes over, or maybe I am just tired.

I noticed that also, it looks like a crescent moon on one, a person's upper torso on another, and on yet another is a "be happy" smiley face?

Nancy and Mindy,

Bravo, ladies!!! You're the first ones to see and say something!!! You each get a gold star!!!

Forgive me in advance but the explanation is a wee bit long winded...hehehehe


When I began this piece...I thought it would be a simple exercise in composition and observation, but the further along I went ...it became more of a personal journey. What drew me to this composition in the first place was the negative space. It tickled my eyes to see two dancers among the stones, hence the title Stonedance. These shapes were the darkest areas in the shadows between the stones so that is where I began.

I started layering graphite to build up the dark tones and then added the detailing, the tiny pebbles and the lines of the brushed concrete. Once I had the values down I started on my first rock, the oval shaped rock in the lower right center of the composition.
As I worked on this rock, layering up the shadow areas creating the curve and form of this rock my mind wandered as I found the zone and I began to think about the age of our planet, these rocks their history and the stories they could tell if only they could speak...and then the rocks began to talk to me.

I began to see shapes in the cracks and textures...two hunters struggling to survive and provide for their families...on the rock below the bison that would feed and clothe them...The basic instinct to survive and create future generations...the connection we all share.

I have always had a more naturalistic out look on life and have done a bit of research about ancient cultures and religions and it has always facinated me that our beginning religions were more female oriented...the ability to have children and create life made woman special and mysterious... (not starting any debates here... just sharing my thought process)

The first people created female goddess images, however I never cared for the images themselves so I decided to create my own. If you look at the rock in the upper left of the center of the composition you will see two figures...the bottom figure is a fertility goddess dancing with snakes...the figure above her is a mother and child. This figure is very personal to me. As the mother of 4 beautiful daughters nursing my children was the most beautiful and nurturing experience of my life...a bond between myself and my girls as well as a bond with all women past, present and future.

I took several hours designing this image and then I spent quite a bit more time incorporating it into the texture and shading of the rock. I found that if I wasn't careful I could over power the dancers in the negative space so I tried to be as subtle as possible and I hope that I achieved balance here so that I don't lose either image.and at the same time they don't fight each other for dominance.

The early religions also revolved around the mysteries of nature, the sun, the moon and stars as well as the changing seasons. I chose to incorporate the phases of the moon in the rocks surrounding the mother and child...they represent nature and the phases of life. The cresent waxing (lft) the full moon (above the mother and child)...hehehehe...it's not a smiley...lol...cresent waining(rt).

As for the torso that you see...if you look closer you can see his arm on the right and his hand which is drawing a bison on the cave wall...so it comes full circle the artist recording history for us to see.

Sorry for such a long explanation and to answer your question Nancy this is 11 x 14

Thanks for your questions.
Laura

Very deep explanation. Very deep drawing.
A great lesson to me. Thanks, Laura

masterful drawing, bravo

History teaches Stones, humanity in harmony with nature = excellent lesson

This is one of those that you want to watch progress but you don't really want the end to come. So maybe start another and make a series huh, Laura I think your creative enough for it.

I do not understand all the sun . moon and stars thingy ...but I love the idea behind the drawing and the drawing its self .. you are a amazing artist laura ...I am in awe of your work .

its so amazing. you captured such detail. I hope someday I can be at least half as good.

NVA,
Ayup, I'm a wind bag...sorry. ..hehehe If you got something out of this then I'm glad...that's all we want from art isn't it?

Raidor,

WOW! Ayup living in harmony with nature is in there to...although I never conciously thought about it...COOL!

Nancy,

Still have to finish this one and then I'll think about it Thank you!





The phases of the moon just represent the phases of life...being young, growing to maturity and then growing old...they also represent the mystery of nature...those age old questions of how did we come to be...the mysteries of the universe. Questions we have always asked and will never truely know the answers to...back in the day...people would tell stories about nature as a way to explain the wind and storms and lightening to lessen their fear of the unknown...the same as we tell our children god dropped a bag of potatoes when we hear thunder...to lessen their fear... to explain our environment.

Every person who sees this piece will get something different from it there are no right or wrong answers...just what I was thinking at the time...Thanks I'm glad you like it and no need to be in awe. This is my first attempt at something like this and it is very challenging. If I don't pull it off as well as I like I have still learned alot and it's still not done:)


Conte,

I still have a long way to go...The outside rocks aren't done yet and neither is the background and then after I finish those I will still have to go over the entire piece and balance things out and add any final touches...but I think all of the stories are told....

Thanks for looking and commenting...I'll have another update soon.
Laura

nice way to put it

Just fantastic!

Laura, thanks for sharing the story behind this wonderful work of art. It often amazes me when doing my own drawing or painting that there comes a stage where the piece seems to take on a life of its own.
Looking forward to the next update.
regards Kev

Hey everyone! I have finally been able to finish this....Yippeeeeeee! Sorry this isn't the best picture. it looked good on my camera. Not so good on the pc.
Anywho...I've entered Stone Dance into a local exhibit along with Finding Nemo and Girl in Water...so I won't be able to tak another photo of this until I get them back. Wish me luck. Yes all of the figures are still there just layered more graphite and this photo isn't crystal clear.

Thanks for Looking!
Laura

Best of luck laura !!! your art is amazing .

all the best !! amazing artwork