I’ve drawn so many of these things. And yet… I don’t feel I’ve exhausted the style yet. They help me get through the time as I ask the question, “What and why should I draw?”
11-10-11a (Crystal Cities)
Recent #crystalcities
Tree Bark
I’ve been convalescing from a leg injury. I have lots of stitches and I have to keep my leg elevated. This has curtailed my regular walks. So instead, I’ve been taking my pencils for walks. I call this tagged series “tree bark” because the obsessive rendering of the texture of tree bark. Then I stick some animals in there. That’s about it. Good mindless fun. The animals are watching!
These have their roots in my Crystal Cities drawings. Examples below:
2024 calendar poster for sale
My 2024 calendar poster is available for purchase. Order yours now to get it in time for the New Year. 18 x 24,” shipped flat & folded or rolled in a tube. Please indicate with your order; prices vary. Order at Etsy
2024 calendar poster: 18 x 24” offset printed on satin gloss paper. Price: $8.00 (shipping cost not included)
This is a fully functional calendar with highlighted holidays. Whimsical text in lower right says “It was not the best way to start the day but the twins felt that by afternoon, the little bird would have a mostly positive memory of flying and would soon forget her dusty crumpled feathers.” © Rob Dunlavey 2023
Crystal Cities (selections from 2022)
I’m assembling a small book of my Crystal Cities from 2022. There are approximately ninety five that I’ve tagged.
This exercise helps me see what trends might be emerging in this practice. Here is a small sampling of these elaborate doodles. Lately, I’ve done a lot of them —and it’s 2023. What this usually means is that I don’t know what to make pictures of so I default to Crystal Cities. Interesting!
Recent Crystal Cities paintings
I’ve said it before, “Crystal Cities are what I paint when I don’t know what to paint.” This is how I prefer to work: into the moment, reacting to my materials and methods, with the confidence that some useful meaning or justification will emerge. It’s a strategy and a form of self-interrogation that relies, somewhat comfortably on a limited set of artistic variables. They don’t teach this in art school! It is borne from necessity and makes its own mysterious path.
05-05-22a
05-05-22c
04-27-22b
04-27-22a
The sleepy bell ringer
With the pandemic scrambling our internal calendars and clocks, we’ve come to rely on those shared community timekeepers to keep us on track. But it’s the weekend and the bell ringer is taking the day off. Don’t worry, things have a way of working out.
Crystal Cities: November-December
Crystal Cities are my go-to doodle strategy. Here is a smattering of some ornate ones from the past two months. I’ve been busy compiling these and others in two new self-published catalogs.
Crystal Cities 2019 By Rob Dunlavey (Published 12/2/2021 Paperback) USD25.00
Crystal Cities: 2018 By Rob Dunlavey (Published 11/10/2021 Paperback) USD25.00
2022 calendar poster for sale
Amazingly, my 2022 calendar poster is available with plenty of time left in 2021. I have not delayed and neither should you. Order one (or several) now. 18 x 24" , shipped flat & folded or rolled in a tube. Please indicate with your order; prices vary. Get it at Etsy
Is Anyone Home?
Think of the resources marshalled to connect this castle with the distant shore: architects, masons, stone cutters and marine engineers. They built caissons and cofferdams and stationed barges with primitive cranes to hoist and position the carefully carved blocks. Did they have any idea how sublime the rising sun would look on this day? Reflect on the mind of a seagull: the sublime is the humdrum to them.
The Wrestlers
From sunup to sundown the wrestlers wrestle. They wedge themselves into their cramped corners and defend themselves with tenacious holds. It seems that the small building itself is what keeps them from realizing victory and throwing their opponent to the floor. They grunt, growl and sweat day in and out. The birds come and go. They can’t figure it out: why do they fight?
Inclement Weather
We’re getting a ton of snow today. Here are some pictures of inclement weather for you. Stay warm and dry!
A drenching rain transforms the moment.
A long, wet commute if you live in a city.
Stillness and fog.
Snowbirds make the best of it.
Vacation property for sale!
The old ship plows through the waves and wind.
After the storm, everyone can come out to play.
Empty Cities
When the pandemic invaded our cities in the spring, the streets were empty and people were sheltering inside their homes and apartments. Who fed the pigeons? // It was quiet and lovely and spooky. Definitely not right. Cities have come back …and so has the virus. Maybe this time around the outcome will be a bit different.
04-13-20a: watercolor, chalk, ink
09-17-18a: crayon, watercolor, ink
09-20-18a: crayon, acrylic, watercolor, ink
09-12-19b: watercolor, ink
08-15-14a: mixed media