jmoran111

Colorful Alphabet (2005)

2011-02-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

The alphabet was written out using a bamboo stick and latex fluid (artists' resist). When the latex dried, I applied Dr. Martin's watercolor dyes; when that dried, I peeled away the latex. I may have added a few extra spatters. It was 6 years ago so I can't recall all the details.

The Angry Pentagram (2002)

2011-02-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I think of this as the angry pentagram, but I do. It was done some time ago in the large sketchbook (about 10 by 14 inches) and was done with gouache. There is a loosely constructed pentagram and 5 blue dots. Perhaps the fact that there are 5 Moran brothers explains my obsession with pentagrams and pentagons. And the math part, must'nt forget that influence.

Three Faces

2011-02-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

Found these recently. Little watercolor faces done spontaneously on 3 by 5 inch paper. Curious to me. Who are they? Maybe if I gave them names. Any suggestions? I think I would choose Shifty, Boris and Chico, though not necessarily in the order shown. Can you tell which name would go with which face?

Totally Today 2/8/11

2011-02-08T19:18:00.000-08:00

Another subconscious doodle using pens, ink and paper that were leftover from a recent project. That project was the creation of a small bound book that will contain farewell messages to a colleague at the college. I chose the theme "Fare Thee Well" partly because of a Dylan song that contains that phrase. The prominent FA was a practice for the book itself. Then, today, while chatting on the phone with a chatty friend, I doodled away and here's what I got. It was fun and, oddly, organized in a very loose way. I hope to be able to live my life that way: loosely organized. I guess we could come up with psychological interpretations but, hey, just a doodle. A fun doodle, but still that's all. Looks cool, though. To me. Oh yeah. 4" by 7 1/2 ".

MeMeMe Line Drawing 2002

2011-02-07T23:15:00.000-08:00

Abstract Weave Drawing 1980

2011-02-06T23:59:00.000-08:00

This is a very small drawing, around 4 inches by 6 inches. It was done with a fine tipped marker on paper that is definitely not acid-free! The drawing is fading and the paper is yellowing, but still, I like it. It's odd that, years later, I got interested in doing actual paper weaves, probably first seen in brother Dennis' inspiring studio space.

Abstract Drawing 1997

2011-02-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

This never-before-seen-in-public drawing was done 14 years ago. It's in a sketchbook so it holds up well. And you can forget about it for a long time and then rediscover something from the distant past. The medium was watercolor or gouache and it's about 8 by 10 inches. Maybe I should just call it "Greenthing '97."

2002 Pentagon Collage

2011-02-02T10:31:00.000-08:00

Back in 2002 I did this geometric construction piece with collaged graph paper, approximate 5" by 7" in a sketchbook. I don't think I ever posted this before but I realize that I like this a lot. The arrangement of ones and zeros form a counting sequence from 1 to 5 in the binary number system (base 2). The geometric construction is again quite loose, but then, I like it like that!

A Quirky Collection

2011-01-30T12:12:00.000-08:00

The first piece is done on scratchboard. The next two are mostly done with a 1/2 inch felt marker. Then a number weave and finally a loose geometric construction. The marker pieces were done in 2011. The rest were done within the past 10 years.

Four New Sketchbook Entries (B&W series)

2011-01-25T18:45:00.000-08:00

These were done in pairs, one in a very small sketchbook and the other in a much larger sketchbook. Marks on paper.

Another Barely Geometric

2011-01-16T13:43:00.000-08:00

This is in a small sketchbook, 5"x 8", and it fits the same category as a recent posting. Barely geometric. The colors are quite different on this one. Of course it doesn't really say anything, except that I like overlapping circle and paint spattering.

Just for Dennis

2011-01-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

Black and white selected just for you, Dennis. This is old though. Sometime in the early 2000s. This came from a larger sketchbook, 11"x14". I had to photograph it rather than scan because of the larger size. The lighting could be better but you still get the idea.

Barely Geometric

2011-01-15T12:37:00.001-08:00

What's involved here: compass, ruling pen, brush, Dr. Martin's Watercolor Dyes and a willingness to try anything. This did not work out particularly well, as I see it. But it may have some redeeming qualities. If nothing else: learning experience.

A Versal "A"

2011-01-15T12:35:00.000-08:00

Italian Manuscript Letters (15th/16th Century)

2011-01-15T12:27:00.000-08:00

I find some of these letterforms exceptionally odd. The "K" is a good example of what I mean. The source of inspiration was Day's Alphabets Old and New (1910).

Blue Letters in 3 Sizes

2011-01-13T12:14:00.000-08:00

The title pretty much describes what this is. Yes, I did have fun with the spattering part and the masking part. It always seems so much more planned with a border around it. But, truthfully, little planning went into this. I copied some very old letterforms and played around with different sizes and different writing tools.

Colorful,But What Is It?

2011-01-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

I really don't know what this is supposed to be. It was done in a large sketchbook, using acrylic paints and coarse molding paste. Gerhard Richter does large scale, squeegee paintings on aluminum. This reminds me, slightly, of work of his that I've seen. Except that this is tiny by comparison. The course molding paste gives it a gritty feel.

Continuing Experiments with Ruling Pens

2011-01-13T11:30:00.000-08:00

These are not supposed to "say" anything, in case you were wondering. You could classify these experiments as automatic writing, like the Dadaists practiced. Or you could classify them as the crazy scribbles of a self-absorbed person! Whatever. To me, they both have interesting qualities.

Gothic Smeared

2011-01-12T19:22:00.000-08:00

These letterforms were freely copied from an ancient lettering book of mine. The lettering was done with water soluble markers and then smeared around using an old, cut-up credit card. I like the surprising results of this technique. The smearing liquid was Modge Podge, a kind of acrylic glue.

Oddball Alphabet Study

2011-01-12T19:14:00.001-08:00

I didn't make these oddball letters up. They were inspired by an alphabet in a century old lettering book I own. It's a source of inspiration and amazement over the incredible diversity of letterforms.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-12T19:07:00.001-08:00

This is another experiment in writing with a ruling pen. You could say that it was spontaneously improvised. Now I'm thinking that it might become next year's Xmas card.

Calligraphic Fugue and Geometric Construct #1

2010-10-18T23:21:00.000-07:00

Festina Lente

2010-10-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

Latin translation: Make haste slowly. Those are words we could all live by, but do we?

Experiments with Gothic

2010-10-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

Only Love Can Break Your Heart

2010-10-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

Vive Vale!

2010-10-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

On the anniversary of my first marriage, 43 years ago, I thought that this might be appropriate. The translation: Farewell, be happy! The farewell part was 9 years later, but they were interesting years.

Possible

2010-10-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

It's obvious that this would be called Possible. It was done within the last couple of years, but I have no real recollection of even doing it, let alone knowing when I did it. Recently. That will be close enough. It clearly came from my subconscious mind, since I have no clue. It does have a kind of loosely organized structure, which seems to be a recurring theme in a lot of what I've posted.

Stick Drawings

2010-10-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

These may have been influenced by reading about Sol LeWitt recently. They are not nearly as formulaic as his wall drawings, but there is some similarity in the process. The one was done with a bamboo stick and the other with a common toothpick. I like the surprising results that come from just dipping and marking spontaneously. My goal, if you can call it that, was to create an overall uniform pattern with variety and interest coming from the marks themselves. And I had nothing to say at the time!

Current Work – October 2010

2010-10-08T15:35:00.001-07:00

1985 Textured Alphabet

2010-10-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

Looking for something black and white to post, I came across this alphabet done on textured Arches paper, about 8 by 20 inches.

Callidoodle

2010-10-03T01:19:00.000-07:00

This is doodled on a 4 by 6 inch envelope. Done recently but not very recently. Maybe 6 months ago. The numerals stand out nicely and the overall chaos has an underlying order to it. At least that's what I like to think.

Free Experimentation

2010-10-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

Here's another find from just looking around my studio. It was in a folder and must be, oh, twenty-five years old. It caught my attention, having all but forgotten that I did this. It's not saying anything so don't try too hard to decipher it.

Scratchboard Drawing from Long Ago

2010-10-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

I really don't know how long ago I did this. I recall that I had to cover the white scratchboard with india ink and later scratched into it. I have no explanation for it except that it, too, was an experiment. Probably drawn in the early 90s.

The Overlooked M

2010-09-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

Somehow I overlooked this M from the series I posted recently. This was done with markers and an acrylic medium, trying to get an interesting look from just one drawn letter. It has a certain quality that I like, although it's hard to articulate exactly why I like it.

More Gothic

2010-09-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

I guess this is becoming part of the "Gothic series," even though I never planned for that. I wouldn't say that this explores any new ground, but it was fun executing it. The forms themselves are quite decorative and are copied from an old writing book from the 1900s.

Roman M's

2010-09-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

Here are three recently drawn Roman letters. One is clearly too wide but I decided to post it anyway. All three were part of an exercise, self-imposed, to just draw the letter and try to get it right. I didn't use double pencils as I learned when I was a student of calligraphy. It seemed more challenging this way. The one I liked the best (the middle one) is collaged into a sketchbook. I also used some ground graphite and an acrylic medium on it to seal the graphite dust. I thought it gave it an interesting look, almost ancient.

Ruling Pen Madness

2010-09-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

These two experimental pieces were done using a ruling pen, the kind used for drawing fine lines in a mechanical drawing done by hand. By holding the pen sideways you can get varying thicknesses. I wasn't hoping for anyone to be able to read what these are, but you can make out the beginning line of a well-known Dylan song in one of them. I think of them as two more experiments with black and white. I feel that they both have their merits as such.

Regard/Regardless

2010-09-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

This is from the colorful, calligraphic doodle series. Possibly done sometime in 2009. Can't say that I remember much about it except that I used the multi-colored pencil for some of the doodling. There's a quote for the new year sent to me by a friend. It's by John Greenleaf Whittier and what it says is:

No longer forward, nor behind

I look in hope or fear

But, grateful, take the good I find

The best of now and here.

I find many such quotations annoying at best, but this one hit me as something to aspire to. The best of now and here is all we really have to work with. Still a big challenge.

Copperplate Practice

2010-09-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

Back around 1980 I was trying to get better at copperplate, the elaborate script written with a pointed pen. I came across this practice sheet that looked interesting. This is the negative version of the sheet I lettered. It looks more dramatic in this version.

Three Gothic Alphabets

2010-09-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

These were done with water soluble markers made by Zig. Lately I've experimented by applying a layer of Modge Podge, a kind of acrylic matte medium. The one alphabet that was not modified is older but these were all done within the last 6 months. There is something about the ornate quality of gothic alphabets that I find appealing. I like the unpredictable watercolor effect that is produced by the matte medium. I also find it interesting that all three alphabets are quite different, and yet seem definitely related. Hmmm. Just like families.

Lamb of God = Agnus Dei

2009-09-20T17:28:00.001-07:00

Modern Higher Education

2009-09-20T17:27:00.003-07:00

More Latin Wisdom (for all my friends)

2009-09-16T22:41:00.001-07:00

Latin Wisdom

2009-09-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

In memory of James P. Moran 1921 - 2008

The Need to Know

2009-09-15T22:02:00.003-07:00

More Latin: A Timely Quote

2009-09-10T21:19:00.001-07:00

Another Latin Saying (with Uncial Alphabet Study)

2009-09-10T09:37:00.001-07:00

From 27 Feb 92 : A Favorite Latin Quotation

2009-09-08T23:24:00.001-07:00

3 Mostly Black and White Studies

2009-09-07T16:08:00.001-07:00

For a retiring colleague

2009-09-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

My Life

2009-09-06T14:04:00.003-07:00

Never Give...

2009-09-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

More Black and White Studies

2009-08-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

Click on the image to see the larger size.

More Math-Tinged Experiments

2009-08-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

These are in a larger sketchbook, around 9 by 12 inches. The collaged grids of 16 one inch squares were made from the Intermediate Algebra final I gave last week. I had done some doodling, splattering and experimental marking on the first couple of pages (out of 5). Then I cut 16 squares using a linen thread counter magnifying glass. The metal stand works fine as a square template for me to cut from. They are placed intuitively without much concern for finding the right arrangement since, after all, there are 16! arrangements (roughly 21 quadrillion). Did you know that 16! (called 16 factorial) means 16 times 15 times 14 times... all the way down to times 2 times 1? Well it does. That said, here they are. You may recognize the null set which is a recurring, favorite symbol I've used before.

The End of Summer Teaching

2009-08-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Summer teaching just ended July 30. Grading was completed the next day and now I have two weeks from today until returning. Meanwhile, I've had time to experiment with ink again. Some of this work included making ink from an ink stone using an ink stick. The old way of doing things. But then I used some black "calligraphy ink" by Winsor and Newton. Various pens and other mark-making tools were used. They're small, around 7 by 8 inches. The Dylan line is from "What Good Am I?" on the Oh Mercy! album.

Some Doodles, Calligraphic/Chaotic

2009-06-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

Another Little Book: Recycle your soul

2009-06-19T10:26:00.000-07:00

This is a little book made in the same way as the last one. Single sheet, folded, cut, re-folded and then – instant book! The previous one was doodled first and then made into a book. This one was the opposite. The book came first, then the doodles. The "recycle" in the title refers to the fact that the paper is re-cycled from gift wrapping from my dear friend, C. The Latin quote is one of my favorites, discovered quite by accident, but so apropos for today's milieu.

Welcome to jmoran111

2009-06-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

This is a little book made from a single sheet, folded into eighths, cut and then re-folded, producing a little eight page book requiring no other materials. I added the string like attachments for fun. The book was a gift to Jeanie and that's her doodle on the yellow post-it above her name in the last image below. The rest is my doodling, more or less about time. Somehow a Beatles' line slipped in. It was one of those things that just got stuck in my head. I still don't know what it means! "Everybody's got something to hide, 'cept for me and my monkey!" I can't get Michael Jackson out of my head either, because of the association.