Spring Colored Pencil Painting Class Finished

These are just a few of the finished or nearly finished "Pick A Pepper" projects from my spring students in the beginner colored pencil classes.  All with their own unique style and variations.  I can't tell you how proud I am of these adult students.  And also how wonderful they all are as artists and people.  It's the best part of teaching getting to know other artists, despite what they are constantly teaching me.  I am also constantly thinking what else can I show or teach them?

They will currently be working on their 3rd project, their personal one.  Each with an image of their choosing.  Many will continue until mid June when my open studio session is over.  And I can't wait to see how they finish their work or start another.

New classes for beginners Painting In Colored Pencil will start in the fall (Sept. 6 - Oct. 11 1:00 - 4:00 pm) and for my continuing or experienced students a new class in Sanded Surfaces with Colored Pencil, Sept. 6 - Oct. 11th 9:30 - 12:30.

Contact me at my gloria@gloriacallahan.com email address if you'd like more information.

Have a colorful Day!
Gloria

Backlit Citrus

                                            6  X 12 Colored Pencil on Ampersand Pastelboard

Here's a new piece I finished right before we took a short trip to Florida and my spring classes started.  A small one, that really looked good in the black frame with gold inside trim, I placed it in.  And especially on an easel on my kitchen counter top.  I left it there for a few weeks, one because the under counter lighting made it look so luminescent and two because I've been very busy working on teaching my current two classes of new colored pencil students.   And I have some great students!  Who are 2 classes in and doing so well.

I'm currently working on a slightly longer new piece with the same theme of back lighting.  One that I've worked on setups for during the last 4 months.  The thin format should make these great pieces for kitchens, under cabinets or in a grouping.  But really I'm playing with this layout and lighting,  planning for a larger work yet to come.  No drama here, I'm just working things out in my head and in photos first.  Testing palette colors and playing with my cp's. 

I hope you enjoy this piece and I hope to be posting the new one soon.  Oh, and have a colorful day!
 

Shrooms and 8 X 10 Colored Pencil on Pastelboard

This small new piece was finished last week.  The reference came about on a wonderful August day which was spent with my oldest Granddaughter Cora on her first Plein Air Painting day with me.  At the time she was just 7 and really enjoyed our day at Sunday Park in Brandermill.  These colorful little mushrooms were growing after a pretty wet week here, just loving the moist understory of oak trees sharing the spot with a small creeping ground cover.  (of which I haven't identified)

I actually started this piece as a demo back in Sept. at an outdoor art show, and worked on it for just minutes that day and on each of the 3 consecutive shows thereafter.  I find that having a sample of my artwork helps people to understand that it is indeed colored pencil on board.  Some have actually argued with me that it's not.  So this is much easier.  Since I was busy with the holidays and commission pieces this little gem was neglected until now.  The original reference was great on the details of the mushrooms but really bad on the dark forest floor, so I had fun winging it, and just plain old recreating the area from my mental notes and sketches from that outing.  I just love turning a leave and drawing folds.

So here you go, it always bugs me when I don't immediately finish a piece.   Enjoy the small things in your life today!   

Maymont's Three Graces

This is a 16 x 12 Colored Pencil on Ampersand Pastelboard piece that was finished a few weeks ago.  The reference for this was taken at Richmond's Maymont Estate a wonderful Victorian manor and local wildlife park.  The sculpture of the 3 Graces is one of my very favorites and with a setting overlooking the James River here on this cold day in early spring was just magical.

Still working on my landscape skills with colored pencil on board and finding my way to my landscape style.  Not sure this is it but when I started this blog I didn't want to show just my well done works but how the process of developing and growing as an artist goes.  Stumbling along the way when you try new genre or techniques is all part of stretching as an artist.  I have completed a several landscapes that I am happy with, and hope that I create many more.  For me still life and botanical work comes much more easily, but easy doesn't lead to new discoveries.

As I remain committed to colored pencil work as a painterly media I must learn to embrace experimentation in order to achieve my goals as an artist.   So here you go, one of my experiments.
Keep creating and stretching.