Historias de la Gran Patranha

When IF proposed the topic "Homage", I was a bit at a loss, thinking I did not want to fall into the typical medieval chap in armour rendering homage to the lady in distress (obviously after having saved her from the dragon). What do we do homage to? Artists, events, people... And sometimes to the simplest things. We have a certain type of stew in Galicia, my homeland, "o caldo", the basic diet for most some time ago, a pleasure for others nowadays. It is what my grandad has for lunch everyday, it is what we have every now and then, and I fear, that the old recipe may be lost since to have proper "caldo" you need to be in Galicia, using Galician grown "berzas". To sum it up, I did this portrait of my dad a while ago, in deep concentration before eating a spoonful of caldo, with some nice "patacas", and the old t-shirt he uses to cook, which makes him look like a grumpy Homer Simpson. This pastel drawing is quite big, and it is not hanging from any wall at home - perhaps the likeness is too scary? - but whether he likes it or not, that is him, and that's our "caldo".

I haven't participated in Illustration Friday for a while... actually, I haven't even been around online for a while after a grueling month of work (7 a.m. to 9 p.m., crazy!). Nevertheless, this topic has put me back on track and I have decided to actually create something big-ish in pastel. May frame it even though Mannginger may never want to look to our walls again if I keep on filling them with this sort of paraphernalia. The Wellcome Collection's exhibition on the heart must have had some impact on me, as this was the first thing that came to my mind when reading the topic. Best thing about the exhibition? The whale's heart... you can fit a roomful of sailors and Captain Ahab's in it.

Pues sí, a falta de nada mejor que hacer, aquí va el monigote del día, para los amantes de la fabada, las habichuelas, los frijoles o las judías blancas... 'Bean there, done that...'

Just delivered two babies. I've also bought them a couple of gilded frames.
Meet Deirdre and Bran

Me pregunta Mannginger que por qué dibujo mujeres fondonas y yo le digo que si fuese la mujer palo no tendría nada que dibujar...

Mannginger asks why is it that I always draw chubby women... and I reply that stick women give no pleasure to the eye (how could this perspective be possible without good curves?)

One of my New Year resolutions; to keep up with my artwork. Here's for the first pastel of the year - not a fabulous subject but a step towards an "artier" year.



A ver si en este anho me pongo a trabajar un poco más con los pinceles / pasteles. Aqui va la primera obra del 2007 - no es de lo más imaginativo pero obra es.