Reality vs. Perception or Photography

This is Drawing 13 of my Tree Series. The actual drawing exists in reality somewhere between these two images. The one on top is a high contrast photo or scan. It is a little to dark, but captures some nice light areas. The image below captures the range of middle gray pencil more actually, but is too light in the shadow areas. So which is true: perception or reality? 

 

My Studio and the Charlotte Art League Moves to a new location in July or August 2021

NoDa’s new art house cinema has a 

name: The Independent Picture House

By Katie Peralta Soloff | February 10, 2021

The new nonprofit art house cinema planned for NoDa has name: The Independent Picture House.

The name is an amalgamation of suggestions that the Charlotte Film Society came up with over the last several months. It’s meant to underscore that the theater isn’t linked to a corporate entity, says Jay Morong, the society’s program director. It will show independent and foreign films.

Why it matters: The closure last spring of the Manor Theatre, a Charlotte institution since 1947, marked a sad milestone for the city’s independent film industry. In the span of about 27 months, Charlotte went from having 13 screens specializing in independent and foreign films to zero. Last year, the Regal Ballantyne Village closed; before that, AMC bought Park Terrace at Park Road Shopping Center and began showing mainstream movies there.

Brad Ritter, president of the film society and former manager of the Manor, said in a statement the nonprofit theater’s independence will allow it to work with local and regional filmmakers and film festivals and provide them with affordable place to showcase their work.

State of play: Ever since the Manor closed, the Film Society has been raising funds for a new nonprofit art house theater. So far, they’ve raised more than $106,000 from more than 740 donors. The number of supporters points to the strength of the grassroots effort, Morong says. “If you’re going to build a community space to show film, you have to have community support. You have to show the community actually wants this thing. This does that. This was the goal all along,” Morong says.

With consulting from The Foundation For The Carolinas, the Film Society recently began a drive to raise an additional $500,000 from 100 foundations and families.

Details on the new space: Demolition is underway at 4237 Raleigh St., an old industrial building near the Sugar Creek light rail station. The theater will have three screens. It will serve concessions, beer and wine, and will offer annual memberships.

The theater is part of the Greenway District, a development by Charlotte-based Flywheel Group. The area will have the feel of a small town center, with multi-family housing, retail, and office space. Already, the area is attracting a number of small local businesses, including a new art gallery and bar called Art Room, Oso Skate Park, and Charlotte Art League.

Commissioning Art Part 5: The Final

 

Here is the final drawing. The bark had such a variety of textures that different parts of the drawing have very different feels. The centerpiece of the drawing is the smooth bark in the center with several key marks. 

Below are several close ups. 

Here are some close up details of the final Drawing. This is drawing 13 in my Tree Series. This is one of the focal points of smooth bark. 

I am balancing the large tree trunk with the small delicate branches to the right. 

The edge of the tree is important to the feeling of the drawing. Here is some of the bark peeling off. Also on the left side are many cuts into the tree. 

 The final drawing is done! This is drawing 13 in my Tree Series. 

Commissioning Art Part 4: The drawing process

Above, I began by using a very light silhouette of the entire tree to set the composition. Next with a very soft dark pencil I put in the big textured areas. I used 120lb paper size 24 x 18. I use a wide range of pencils from 8H to 8B. H pencils are hard and light; B pencils are soft and dark.An 8B pencil is almost charcoal. 

Next I added the large areas of 50% gray. I put in the big shapes of the branch on the right. As a put in teh values, light and dark, I rub them with a paper towel. 

One of the focal parts of this tree is the big section of smooth bark in the middle. I used 8H, 7H and 6H pencils to put in some of the very light areas of bark. 

When I am working on a drawing, I refer to the photograph and also the initial sketch. I added many of the distinct cracks, scars and knots to the tree. All trees have multiple patterns going on, many are cross current to the mail bark pattern. 

I try to work on the drawing as a whole, bring up all the different areas together. 

 Here the drawing is about 90% complete. I added many of the small branches and bark shapes.