Current / Upcoming Exhibitions

Close-up from
"This Above All"

Some of you are well aware that yesterday was the big deadline for the annual international juried exhibition of the Colored Pencil Society of America, to be held near San Francisco, California this year.  Now for the big wait, as the list of accepted entries will be released toward the end of April.  In the meantime, I am priviledged to have work in three shows.

Michigan Colored Pencil 2010 is sponsored by the CPSA Detroit District Chapter 104, and is on display at the Lotus Gallery in Plymouth, Michigan.  The show runs from April 1 - 30, 2010, and the opening reception takes place from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 10.

The Michigan Fine Arts Competition is an annual, all-media juried exhibition/competition, to be held at the Birmingham-Bloomfield Art Center in Birmingham, Michigan.  This year's juror is New York state artist and teacher, Sondra Freckleton.  The exhibition takes place from April 2 - May 7, 2010, and  the artist reception is on Friday, April 2,  from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Finally, a show titled  "...Birds" will take place at the Hudson Gallery in Sylvania, Ohio, from April 24 through the end of May, 2010.  This is an all media exhibit which will focus on........well.......birds.  The artist reception is from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 6, 2010.

Though very different from each other, all three of these shows have some great art and alot to offer.  If you are in their neighborhoods, stop in!

Juvenile Trumpeter Swan........revisited

After my return from the artists' retreat in Florida last month, at least one reader noted that I did not post the drawing I worked on over those four days.  At the time I was somewhat discouraged with the progress I had made while there (or lack thereof) -- and so had placed it in a flat file drawer, never to see the light of day again, I supposed.

As many artists realize it is amazing what a little time, and consequently perspective, will do.  After completing the wild horse image (now the latest object of my discouragement -- all I can see is everything that is wrong with it!), I pulled the drawing of the young trumpeter swan from its drawer and gave it a good look.  Amazingly, its not nearly the failure that I recall!  So I have decided to complete it after all, in time for the exhibition "...Birds" at the Hudson Gallery in Sylvania, Ohio next month.

The photo references for this young swan were taken at the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary near Battle Creek, Michigan.  The sanctuary provides the opportunity for photographers to get very close to wild waterfowl, as well as captive raptors that have been rehabilitated from injury.  As you can see, I used the grid method to lay out the initial sketch.  It is being drawn on Strathmore 400 Bristol with Derwent Graphic pencils.

And the recently completed horses image?  The final photographs have been taken, and it has been placed in a flat file drawer all its own.........while my attitude adjusts!  I will share the final image soon, as well as the story behind the two horses depicted.

Finally, I'm happy to report that I know for a fact that Spring is here.  I know this because my wonderful 86-year-old  neighbor, Wilbur, returned from Florida several days ago.........a sure sign!  Before you know it he will be toiling in his (very large) garden daily, and leaving gifts of vegetables on my patio table.  He and his lovely wife, Doris, are tremendously good neighbors.  I am always so happy to see them return, as it means that the barn swallows and warm weather are not far behind!

Wild Horses work-in-progress: "Broken Spirit"

Here a tweak, there a tweak, everywhere a tweak-tweak.............The piece I have chosen to title "Broken Spirit" is finally nearing completion.

However briefly, it crossed my mind to write that I cannot believe how long, on-and-off, I have been working on this piece.  Then I realized that statement would simply be an untruth.  After all, how many of you have heard me assert that I am probably the slowest artist in Michigan?...........and maybe in the lower forty-eight?  (And I am faster than I used to be..........) 

Over the next week I will be continuing to lay in and blend the pale horse's coat, finish details on the dark horse, and complete the layering for the background -- then its off to have it photographed (by someone much better at photographing artwork than myself!)    This piece will be one of two that I will be submitting to the 2010 International Exhibition of the Colored Pencil Society of America, to be held near San Francisco this summer.

Also this week, I look forward to beginning a small graphite piece that will be a companion piece to the graphite barn swallow I completed a number of weeks ago.

As always, thanks so much for stopping in. 

Southern Hospitality

Two days ago I returned from a week in Florida, during which I spent time with good friends and attended an artists' retreat hosted by the Gainesville Chapter 113 of the Colored Pencil Society of America.

I laughed -- sometimes so hard my stomach hurt.  I cried.  I danced (though not very well, despite the best efforts of those who actually know how to line dance).  I visited the Salvador Dali Museum -- fascinating, to say the least.  I learned how to make bruschetta. and ate sushi, eel, and seaweed salad for the first time.  (I will skip the seaweed salad next time.)  I even occasionally adopted a southern accent as a result of spending several days in the presence of the charming drawl of artist Jeffrey Smart Baisden -- so much so that upon my return my son asked, "Why are you talking like that???"

The retreat itself was held at Dayspring, an Episcopal camp and conference center in Ellenton, Florida.  Approximately twenty-five artists attended the four day event and though most were residents of Florida, there were several of us from Michigan, California, and Washington state as well.  Attendees literally ate, slept, and made art..............and talked, talked, talked.  The Gainesville Chapter members themselves are a wonderful group of artists who truly knew how to make this out-of-stater feel welcome.  I so appreciated the tremendous hospitality shown to me, and the Ellenton retreat is definitely something I will try to attend in the future. 

   

Jeffrey Smart Baisden of Florida, Elizabeth Patterson of California, and moi'

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not thank Jeffrey for the kindness and hospitality she showed me in her home the three days prior to the retreat.  Her amazing sense of humour and genuine way-of-being were good medicine for the soul of this "little girl from Michigan". (Thanks Jeff)

And thanks for reading.

Pat Lentine and Bonnie Auten

Kudos!, and off to warmer weather.......

While perusing the wares in an area art supply outlet last week, I was excited to find the recently released Derwent tins and packaging that feature Deborah L. Friedman's drawing, "Graphite Stones".  The Boston, Massachusetts-area artist is a good friend and fellow CPSA member, and a number of months ago she was contracted by Derwent to do the drawing for their Graphic Soft tins.  Recently Deborah has been working on an extended series of still life drawings and paintings of stones in varying compositions.  To learn more about her and her work, visit Deborah's website and blog at http://www.dlfriedman.com/  .  (And of course as I paid for the Graphic Soft pencils pictured above I smugly said to the cashier while pointing at the drawing, "This artist is a very good friend of mine".  I couldn't resist.)

  

"Graphite Stones", by Deborah L. Friedman

Not nearly so exciting but worthy of comment none the less, is the fact that this week I will be leaving for Florida.  Though I do not find Michigan winters to be too objectionable, I must admit that I look forward to temperatures in the upper 60s.  My primary purpose for going there is to attend a four-day artists' retreat, during which myself and numerous other artists will draw, draw, draw...........and draw.  (I'm also told that this group sometimes engages in less structured types of fun also!)  The retreat will be held at Dayspring, a camp and conference center in Ellenton just south of Tampa, and is organized each year by the Gainesville Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society of America.   Though reluctant to take a break from the horse drawing at this time, its size makes getting it from Michigan to Florida and back again...........well...........very inconvenient.  So I will be working on another graphite bird drawing whos size is more conducive to travel.

I hope to post an entry from Florida, so watch for photos from the retreat -- hopefully not too many of us will be wearing lampshades! 

Work-in-Progress: Developing the eye area

In the most recent photos of this drawing taken yesterday, I have been working my way up the pale horse's face, as well as developing the eye and surrounding area.  Following my last post several days ago a good friend emailed me and asked, "Are you going to tone down those eyelashes?? "  (Emphasis is mine.) 

The question immediately propelled me into completing the layering in the eye area.  Upon doing this, I realized that Scottish artist Elizabeth McCrindle may have a good point.  She describes that the correct development and placement of the eye(s) is very important to her, and can effect the successful execution of the remainder of the painting.  Therefore she prefers to do this early in a painting's process.  There was something about rendering the eye area that resulted in my feeling more engaged in what I was doing: the pale horse suddenly had a soul, and it energized me.  Often my work has been somewhat methodical, beginning in one area and working my way across the surface: but I may follow Elizabeth's lead and make a point to draw in these 'windows to the soul' sooner than I may have chosen to before.

................Which causes me to consider -- how much I have learned over the past months by taking the time to read other artist's blogs!  Increasingly I find too, as I've stated before, that I learn to draw simply by drawing.

Thanks for reading.

Work-in-Progress: Wild Horses Update

So okay: here is the long-overdue blog post I've been going to share for the past two weeks.   Lately it seems as if there has been alot of life-conspiring-to-keep-me-away-from-the-drawing-table going on.  Thankfully though things appear to be on the up-tick, and just in the nick of time: this piece and another I'm about to begin are both under deadlines.

Though some areas of the dark horse are not fully developed yet, I needed to move on to the pale horse and take a break from all of that indigo, black grape, and dark cool grey.  The lightest tones and details are being laid in over a yellow ochre base, and I'm finding myself struggling with a familiar nemesis..........this being my tendency to attempt to put in every single detail, rather than to suggest the details.  The suggestion of detail can be especially important as the image recedes from the eye, calling for less detail and softer edges.  I've already reworked areas of the pale horse in which I placed far too many individual hairs of the horse's coat.  This 'artistic character defect' of sorts, has proven to be a stubborn one -- and one I keep having to revisit and work on with each drawing.

What?..........CONTROL ISSUES!  Moi???  Never!