Thank You to Wonderful Men and Women

Every Sunday at church, I stay awake by sketching images of times with my friends (mostly made up) which help me to concentrate and listen to the Spirit. Today I felt the need to make an image in honor of  Memorial Day. This is my thank you to all those men and women who've served this country in the past and continue to serve us today.

In my process for making this image, I decided to leave out facial features and many details in order to try and keep your attention focused on the angles of the bodies in pulling/pushing the flag into its home position seen as the spot of light. Everyone works together because a nation cannot stand alone.

Based off the image and statue of "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima," I hope to inspire the same message of strength.

I am the Owl Lady

Owls haven't been my favorite thing for very long. I grew up like every other American girl, fantasizing about horses. But around my junior high and high school years that devotion began to lift and I started drawing more things than Arabians and Friesians. Then in my second year of college I took a class called "Color Theory." Our teacher asked us to choose a theme and design our work around that theme so that we would have a unified portfolio by the end of the class. I'm still not sure what made me choose owls but I did and so, in that class, I became known as "The Owl Lady." Then that same semester, I chose to draw an owl-lady for my metamorphosis in my Drawing 2 class, and because I had one friend in both classes, the title was expanded from one class to two. And then I just became engrossed.

Let me just say one thing, however: I loved owls long before the owl craze began.

So now friends and family give me all sorts of owl paraphernalia (ie. necklaces, blankets, cups, towels, books, etc.). And I love every second of it.

My bedroom. Can you count all the owls?

Creatively Charged

Shall we start off with an introduction? My name is Lara Stewart and I am crazy about art, after all its my major. People have asked me where this passion came from and, frankly, I couldn't tell ya, maybe from my creative parents or maybe I'm just blessed. I'm an observant person who just loves looking at light and shadows and the different casts of color they have. My teachers comment that real artists stare at the strangest things and understand what others don't see, and I truly feel that I do that. Just today I noticed my best friend's chin has a slight dimple when she talks.

I don't think I'm crazy. Just creatively charged!