Love is in the air...still.

Love is in the air this week- especially for this couple, married almost 40 years, who face the prospect of rebuilding their lost Malibu home fortunately very much in love. Thank you to Carolyn Carradine and her hubby Chris for sitting for my "Face of Malibu Rebuild" series this week ongoing with The Malibu Times.. Article link below. This is a volunteer project for me sketching, interviewing and writing the pieces to highlight what people in my community are going through.

Article click here

Carolyn and Chris Carradine
The Face of Malibu Rebuilds By Johanna Spinks

The Face Of Malibu Rebuilds...

Jerry Magusen
The Face of Malibu Rebuilds
Series By Johanna Spinks
With The Malibu Times

PLEASE READ FULL ARTICLE AT THIS LINK

CLICKHERE

Those who know me, know the California Wildfires hit very close to home with two-thirds of my neighborhood lost and over 600 homes burned to the ground in my hometown, let alone the other towns in California.

I was one of the lucky ones with a miraculous escape. Studio and home repairs are slowing beginning for me, but not for others.

Life will not feel the same watching the loss of others.

As I was sitting in the hotel for four weeks evacuated, not being able to paint, I decided to start sketching some fellow evacuees who I was chatting with around the lobby area. It made me feel less helpless. Then I thought we need to get these stoires of loss and courage out there. I contacted The Malibu Times who I worked with over  a five year period for my Face of Malbu portrait series recording people in the town throught paint along with interviews by Homaira Shifa.

"The Face of Malibu Rebuilds" has been born. We have had to move quicky on this series so I decided to do the interviews myself along with the sketches to save organisational time. I am donating my time for this series and not being paid in any way, just like the last series. I have a background in journalism so it wasn't too far a stretch for me to do the words. I have found the interviews so far incredibly moving.

Please meet Jerry Magusen, our first in the series, and read his story at the link.  A really great guy and also his wife Patty. Thank you for sharing your courageous story.

Thru The Eyes of A Child

Close-up
Work in Progress
of Beautiful Grace
36 x 36"
Via Palette Knife
By Johanna Spinks

I QUIT?...365 Days of Drawing

This was one of those drawings that you want to put your fist through. I started it last night and it was painful progress. I put it down thinking "That's it. I quit. This drawing isn't going to work." The light and shadow pattern was very SUBTLE making things harder.

I picked it up a bit later and tweaked some more, thinking:"Ok. Now it has some hope. I will finish it tomorrow...maybe"

A good night's sleep and I went straight back to the drawing board this morning with my coffee in hand to have another go. I am glad I did. And I am glad I didn't quit.

Puzzling how sometimes we are just not in the drawing zone no matter what. I post the images of today and yesterday, TOTAL drawing time ...hmmm. certainly MORE than half an hour each day, the challenge I committed to ten months ago.