First Date - A Christmas gift commission 12 X 12 Colored Pencil on Cradled Hardboard

This is a commission piece I did for a customer reflecting on his first date with the woman he was about to ask to marry.  He wanted something similar to my recent "Wine By Candelight" piece he had seen at my Cooper Winery Show, but using the wine they had, flower on the table and their hands.  He sent me several photos of all the separate elements for me to place into a still life.   I waited to post it until now so the big event would have happened and she had her surprise gift and I'm sure said "Yes."

I primed a cradled hardboard panel on the top and varnished the natural wood sides so it could hang without framing.  This gave the piece a more contemporary look, and enabled me to leave it unframed.  Priming was with Colorfix pastel primer in a skyblue color, this primer has marble dust in it so the resulting finish is that of a sanded surface.  I chose the light blue since that was the color of the booth from the restaurant in his pictures and I had this also in stock. 

I worked up a lay out of the entire piece as a sketch and emailed it off for approval.  In order to get the glass ware reflections and shapes I set up my own still life with a similar white wine, glasses and a red flower (but not the same kind as he wanted used).  I did this so I could see the reflections of A flower in the glasses, and tablecloth and also to have a live set up to work from.  So I used about 5 of his photos and my own set up to come up with the sketch and resulting work.  After completing the piece all in colored pencil I sprayed it with a UV Archival Varnish in 8 layers so it can hang without glass.

The fun in this project for me was creating a piece that would later be the documentation of their first date, and something they will look back on as their marriage grows.  I was honored to have made for such a wonderful young man in love. 

Waiting For Harvest II

                                Waiting For Harvest II - Colored Pencil On Ampersand Pastelboard

I finally finished the second Waiting For Harvest piece and an addition to my Wine Series.  Again it is the same size as the first one (16 X 12) which was Pinot Grigio grapes from the Castello di Colognoli vineyards in Greve, Italy (which is in Tuscany).  These were Sangiovese grapes to be used for their Chianti wine that the family makes at the castle.  And one of my favorite red wines.  What attracted me to this cluster of grapes was the large knobby vine  and it was so large you knew the age of Tuscany was inside and out.  They were very sweet to eat and I believe were harvested just after we left in late Sept. 2009.

This will probably be the last of my wine series as I begin work on a commission piece for a client, that I will post after Christmas so I don't give away any surprises.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving Holiday everyone and have some wine it's good for your Heart!  Red Wine that is.
Gloria

Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale AZ - Studio Gallery Representation

Hey Everyone,

I'm so excited to mention that I am now a part of the Xanadu Gallery - Studio Artists Gallery, in Scottsdale AZ.  Go  here  if you'd like to see my gallery page.  I'm proud to be accepted by them as J. Jason Horejs, gallery owner has been of great help to me in getting my art career off and running.  He has a wonderful book "Starving to Successful" which has valuable info for artists.  His father and artist himself John Horejs, has been represented by Jason's gallery for many years.

I can't wait to see what happens with this new exposure.

I just finished my Waiting For Harvest II and photos are to be taken soon for updating here.  And I'm starting on a new commission work for a client as a Christmas present.  Lots of prep work and composition work on this one to be done before I put any pencil to paper.  But this may have to wait until after the holidays to post on the blog.  I don't want to ruin the surprise.  How's that for keeping you coming back for more.

Enjoy your day and I'm back to the sketch pad.
Gloria

Nectarines And Wine

                                          Colored Pencil on Ampersand Pastelboard  16 X 20

In Getting ready for my showing at several of the Wineries and Wine Festivals this year here is the second Still Life finished last week just before Powhatan's Festival Of The Grape, our local wine festival.  Turn out yesterday was somewhere near 7500 - 8000 wine lovers, and great weather.  Not bad for such a small rural county in VA.   My most local and newest art association Fine Arts Of Powhatan had our 2nd show at the festival.  I donated my tent and screens for the event so Powhatan could see the fine artists in their midst.   I myself had my 3 recent wine themed paintings there, this one included.  It's a good thing it didn't sell because I hadn't had it photographed yet.

It of course is on pastelboard and finished with UV Archival Varnish to protect it like all my other pieces on this board.  I did get the usual comments of "That can't be colored pencil!"  This still life was set up in my kitchen on my granite countertop with a few nectarines I had around with one of my favorite blue wine glasses.  A pale blue draped fabric covered the background board which I thought was a nice complimentary color to the yellow of the napkin and the Fess Parker Chardonnay (which I love).

Now on to my last of the series, for a while, which has to be done before my next winery show.  I'll leave you all in suspense, but realize that since I've started my "part time day job" to pay for this Art Habit I have it may not be a short wait.  Now back to coloring.

Gloria

Additional Painting To My Wine Series

                       Waiting For Harvest 16 X 12 Colored Pencil On Ampersand Pastel Board

In full swing of Art Festival/Exhibit Months, it seems my goals to get new work completed for the Wine Shows to come meet with distraction on a daily basis.  I attended the Exhibit at Glenview Mansion in Rockville, MD on Sunday of the CPSA (Colored Pencil Society of America) Disctrict Chapter in DC, of which I am a member.  The mansion is a beautiful and artsy place to exhibit with so many shows going on besides ours.  I have three paintings in the show and received nice comments from the other members on them.  A must see if you are in the area.

Now for the painting seen above, it's finally finished and I'll do another similar with red grapes soon but it will have a distinctly unique feature, stay tuned.  Both of the references for the 2 grape harvest pieces are from my 2009 trip to Castello di Colognoli, in Tuscany.  This of course the white grapes on the vine waiting for the harvest, thus the title.  The photos were taken late in the afternoon just after dinner and the warm setting Tuscan sun was setting.  The feeling of being there comes back to me as I work on these, remembering the sweet taste of these white grapes.  But I've started a wine still life to give me a break from all the grape drawing, and Still Life are one of my best sellers.

I've got frames to order and at least 2 more paintings to finish by then ......so back to it.

Wine By Candelight - New Painting For New Kent Winery Exhibit

                                           Wine By Candlelight   12 X 12    Colored Pencil

Today I'm posting a newly finished colored pencil piece painted onto a gallery wrapped hardboard support by Ampersand that I primed with Colorfix sanded surface primer.  The photo reference is from a set up I did in my kitchen.  This wine themed piece is the first in a new Wine series I'm doing for several fall art shows coming up.  Some of the exhibits are at wineries and or wine festivals.  The first is this weekend (Sept. 18th) for the Central VA Classic Car Show at New Kent Winery, in New Kent, VA.  My husbands antique 53' MGTD isn't yet ready for the show but this piece is.

The surface of this board was primed with gesso by the factory, and to be used for acrylic or oil, but I lightly sand the top and sides then primed it again with the Colorfix Fine Tooth primer in the color Soft Umber.  This primer seems to be a little rougher than the bluish grey I have of the same type.  I did not render the sides of the gallery wrap hardboard style, the gesso color I used as the background of the table surface shows thru (so it coordinates).  Followed by my usual coats of fixative and then 6-8 coats UV varnish to finish the piece.   So all I have to do is attach the hanging wires and it's all set to go to the show.  Now to finish 2 other framing jobs before the show.

I've just come back from a Plein Air painting weekend at The Peaks Of Otter Lodge, here in VA so I hope to scan and post some of my pastel studies I completed from that event soon.  Then use a few of these studies to create some studio works for a show in Roanoke next year.  So much to do, so little time.  So everyone get creating!

Landscapes in Colored Pencil - Bodie Island Light 24 X 18

I finished this colored pencil painting just before my vacation last week and needed to settle on it a while, you know like we all do with newly finished work.  Set it aside, look at it, put it in a frame to check it out, look at it some more and then leave it for a week to see - is it really done.  Well, I guess so as I photographed it today, and here it is.  Done except for the 6 - 8 final coats of UV Varnish which I'll do tomorrow.  I like to shoot it after I spray it with matte fixative but before the varnish as I think the added coats make it harder to photograph.  It's done on Ampersand Pastel Board.  So it can hang without glass, protected by the UV Varnish.

The lighthouse in lower Nags Head, NC is a familiar site for vacationers to the outer banks.  And is one of the reference shots from our Trip at the end of May.  The view is from the marsh lands looking back to the light from the deck platform.  Catching the reflection in the marsh water was a unique shot of this often photographed lighthouse.  One of the many pieces I will be working on for a gallery in the outer banks.  I hope you enjoy my take on it.