Colored Pencil Society of America 19th International Exhibition..........from the back side.

The results of the cowboy boot search, from left to right;  Kendra Ferreira, Elizabeth Patterson (CA), myself, Debbi Friedman, and Dianna Soisson ..............and I can't help but wonder -- what does one's choice of cowboy boots say about one?   : )))

As is sometimes the case, it has taken me several days to recuperate from my recent trip to Dallas, Texas, for the CPSA 19th International Exhibition.  Too much fun tends to have that effect on me.  Each year the event features workshops, a silent auction, awards banquet, and opening reception, to name a few of its highlights.  In addition to the convention activities (and despite the excessive heat), several of us took the train into downtown Dallas and visited the John F. Kennedy museum: a fascinating slice of history set up in the book depository itself, the location that JFK was assassinated from.

The Charles W. Eisemann Center will host the exhibition until July 31, 2011. CJ Worlein of Oregon took home the CIPPY Best of Show for her piece, "The Sisters", and good friend Debbi Friedman of Massachusetts garnered an Award for Outstanding Achievement for her still life, "Counterpoint in Green".  All of this year's award winners can be seen at http://www.cpsa.org/.   The following photos are from convention week.

Myself with Dianna Soisson, and Kendra Ferreira

Debbi Friedman, moi', Gemma Gylling, and Dianna Soisson

 Debbi Friedman shows off her boot choice

top - "Sea Foam" by Kendra Ferreira

bottom - "Flowers on Tuesday" by Dean Rogers

Dianna Soisson of Michigan with her piece, "Beyond All Boundaries"

With Jeffrey Baisden and Elizabeth Patterson

Ester Roi.......who laughs like this a lot    : )

Now time to refocus, and get to work.  Thanks for stopping in.



Dallas, The American Plains Artists Exhibition, and a little bit of drawing

Tomorrow I will be leaving for the Colored Pencil Society of America's International Exhibition and convention week near Dallas, Texas.  This event always proves to be five days of great fun and lots of laughter with good friends, as well as a tremendous source of inspiration.  A cowboy boot shopping expedition planned originally by several members, seems to have morphed into a virtual CPSA field trip -- so much so that we may do well to rent a bus. (And grant me a 'whine' for a moment:  I think I broke a toe yesterday, who's swelling could prohibit me from being able to properly try on boots this week.  This could be a catastrophe.)  So stay tuned for photos of wild, middle-aged women.  Okay, well............ maybe not so wild.     : ) 

My piece Dust and Thunder has been juried into the American Plains Artists 27th Annual Exhibit.  The show will be on display in Las Cruces, New Mexico, from September 9 - October 30, 2011, at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum.  The exhibit can also be viewed on the American Plains Artists website.

Finally, the entire grisaille is completed on my current work-in-progress -- (except for that pesky ear area near the right-hand margin that I decline to show in its entirety at present, and which I have redrawn three times ..........it is a little irritating when I find myself stuck on something in that way, but occasionally it seems simply the nature of the beast) -- and I have begun to put down the heavier layers upon which I will build the details later.  After I return from Dallas, I may set this piece aside for awhile in order to work on a couple of smaller equine pieces that need to be completed first.

So, see you on the other side of the convention -- and thanks so much for reading.

On the Drawing Table.......Another Equine Drawing

This current work-in-progress will eventually depict two black horses, and is once again inspired by the wild horses of Wyoming.  The image shows the early stages of my layering with colored pencil.  As with my most recent equine drawing, I am putting down a grisaille using the range of Prismacolor french greys (except for the muzzle), in order to establish the shapes and some of the values.  There is much ground to cover yet: for perspective, this horse head is nearly 20 inches high.

With this piece, one of my goals is to retain and lead the viewer's eye through the particular -- though subtle -- use of color.  As the work progresses, I will be able to explain more specifically what I mean by this - and what it is I am attempting to accomplish.

As always, thanks for stopping in.   : )

"Wyoming Grey" Completed, and Exhibition News

Wyoming Grey

8" x 12"

Colored Pencil on Uart Sanded Pastel Paper

Each year the Colored Pencil Society of America invites a group of artists to donate a piece to their silent auction, "Small Works of Great Magnitude".  This year, Wyoming Grey will be among 36 small colored pencil works auctioned off during the convention week of the 19th Annual CPSA International Exhibition.  In addition, my piece Canadian Cowgirl has been accepted into the exhibition.  The show will take place from June 29 to July 31, 2011, at the Charles W. Eisemann Center in Richardson, Texas, near Dallas.  (I think I foresee a Dallas shopping excursion for more cowboy boots in my near future.)  More information, as well as the list of accepted artists, can be found at the CPSA website.

So now, it is back to the drawing board.  I have two or three potential ideas swirling around up there, and will probably take a couple of days deciding upon and working on the layout of my next project.  Though I would like to develop a portrait or figurative piece of my nineteen-year-old son, he is a rather uncooperative 'model'.  It may be necessary to resort to bribery.    : )   

Thanks for reading. 

Wyoming Wild Horse Update

This image shows the current progress on the Wyoming wild horse drawing.  I have been applying layers of colored pencil over the grisaille I discussed in the previous post: various values of grays and beige, black, ochres, and grape.  Currently I am laying in the details of the facial fur, starting on the forehead and working my way down -- much to do there still!  Though most of the mane, forelock, and eyes are completed, I will return to them to do the finish work.  Next post..........it will be done!

Thanks for stopping in.

  

Work-in-Progress: Wyoming Wild Horse

The 'model' for my current work-in-progress is a wild horse that was photographed in Wyoming a number of years ago.  It will be a small colored pencil piece, just 8" x 12", and as usual I am working on Uart sanded pastel paper.

The image above shows my work to present, and currently looks much more like a graphite drawing than a work in colored pencil.  By building a grisaille using the range of Prismacolor french greys, I am developing  the general values and their placement.  As the subject is a grey horse and other colors in the drawing will be subtle, this technique should lend itself well to the piece.  It has been quite some time since I have laid in my base coat in this way , and I am enjoying it.  Next I will begin building the details and colors on top of the grisaille.

Oh, and to divert............the barn swallows are back.  There are only a few right now, but soon (as I'm sure I wrote at this time last year) there will be dozens of swooping, happy barn swallows in the barn and surrounding sky.  Their return always does my heart good, though it feels a little different this year than it usually does.  I suspect that this is due to the fact that this past winter has been a most difficult one, what with its losses.  There are simply those things that life brings, that change one  --  so the little things that have always brought me such joy with the return of each spring season are now measured against the backdrop of the past few months.  Its a process.    

As always, thanks for reading.

"Dust and Thunder" Completed

Dust and Thunder

18" x 24"

Color Pencil on Uart 600



Upon completion of Dust and Thunder yesterday, I couldn't help but think about how much I have learned from this drawing.  Much of it's process has been an exercise in managing discomfort -- a frequent and nagging sensation that what I was attempting to do each step of the way may not get the result I was going for.  In retrospect, this feeling was probably born primarily from approaching a subject in ways quite foreign to me..........the dreaded unknown.  

During a previous blog post I discussed how controlling contrast can impact composition.  Effective handling of contrast can help to lead a viewer's eye through a painting or drawing, and ideally the focal point should have the strongest contrast of edges.  With Dust and Thunder, I attempted to impact the contrast through color and edge control.  My previous assertion that my goal would be to make the appaloosa horse the focal point, may have been unrealistic -- given the prominence of the two largest dark horses.  However, I attempted to draw attention to the appaloosa in a couple of ways.  First, in my reference photographs the brightly lit area behind the horses did not extend as far left as it does in my drawing: I extended the brightness behind the appaloosa, to create contrast through both the use of values and color.  Secondly, I attempted to keep the edges of this horse's neck and head fairly sharp, as hard edges also increase contrast thereby drawing the onlooker's eye.  For similar reasons, I had to work very hard to keep most of the foreground foliage very loose and soft: too much detail there (hard edges) would have distracted from where the areas of interest needed to be.  As it is my tendency to feel as if I must place every little detail (okay....yes....I have control issues), this was quite an undertaking for me.  Finally, because colors of high contrast or intensity at the margins can pull a viewer's eye out of the image, I attempted to slightly darken the values of the sunlit dust on both the left and right-hand margins.

I have the distinct feeling that the process of this piece and the many things I have learned, of which the above is just a sampling, will change my future artwork: how and to what degree, I do not know.  Clearly in both life, and art, there is a lot to be said for pushing oneself beyond one's comfort level.

Thanks for reading.