"Ah, New York in the Spring"/ 21 Days to Midsummer

    So several friends of mine have traveled to New York City this past spring, and many of them are there for the summer. When I was challenged to create a three animal hybrid I created the Frilled Lizatog which is a combination of the Frilled Lizard, Rat, and Dog. I was thinking about what kind of creature might form in the miles of underground sewage that exists under downtown new york, the resulting creature made me smile.

"Ah, New York in the Spring"
Gouache on Paper

Having worked very little with Gouache it was quite an interesting experience, and i've found it was basically a giant battle against the flattening nature of the paint.

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"21 Days To Midsummer"

21 Days to Midsummer's Creator,
Benjamin Frankenberg

    A good friend of mine and extremely remarkable actor, Benjamin Frankenberg, created an artistic endeavor called
21 Days To Midsummer in which he challenged artists to essentially record the daily adventures and inspirations from the world around them, spanning from the start of June to Midsummer (June 21st).

It is a phenomenal celebration of both life and the arts. All were invited to document their journeys in whatever medium and style they choose, as well as whatever seemed most applicable to the situation (Paint, Photograph, Drawing, Poem, etc.). Then at Midsummer he has plans to throw a celebratory party and presumably post his own adventures and ask others to do the same. To read more about the sensational event, click here.

Unfortunately I have been traveling for most of the beginning of June and have taken quite awhile to unpack and settle myself in. Now facing the last few days of the event I find myself lacking, and worse for it.

However, the challenge to make every day a memorable experience has never been far from my thoughts, and if I were to think about it i'm certain I could make an itemized list of every single day and state the extraordinary experience I had therein. The only regret I have is not even sketching, writing, photographing, or otherwise recording the occurrences in any way. Jealously guarding my journey, unwilling to reveal it to the world in a physical form.

But all in all, even entertaining the idea of making every day count, and living with artistic purpose, made all the difference.


Until next time,
~Elise Mesnard