New Painting Photo'd and ready for framing

                                            Spring Thaw   16 x 20 Colored Pencil On Pastelboard

Now that the big Easter egg hunt for the grand daughters is over, dinner cooked (with too much ham left over) I was finally ready to get this newly finished painting photographed.  Getting a true likeness of my painting via the camera and then Photoshop is always an ordeal for me since I'm now on my own for this task.  (My son is off to bigger and better things.)  A photo reference of melting icicles with the VA creek rushing by, prompted this painting.  The attempt to capture the coldness of the ice yet the awakening of the moss and lichen growing on the rocks was my goal.  Full of abstract shapes - this really had me checking my left brain at the door!  It will go into a very nice Expresso /blackish frame that is 3.5 inches wide.

On other news, I have been assembling my newly purchased pastels for a trek into the PA Mountains for a plein aire outing.  With my sole goal of finding a faster medium to get more accomplished with a saturation of color and the Plein air experience.  No I'm not going to replace my beloved cps,  but I hope to use the pastels to do more saturated studies for future works to be done in cp, along with the gained skills of working from life.   And I really don't want the mess of pastels in my studio, outdoors the dust and mess will be easier to live with.  Now I may go around an entire day with colored dust on myself for the world to see but my studio should still be clean.  Okay, I know I'm a bit of a clean freak when it comes to art supplies, but I have to admit shopping for those pretty colored pastels had a rush that put me over the potential messes to come.  The Terry Ludwig set of 60 Maggie Price came today and they look so good!  I'll save the set up for my Plein air box/kit for a future article, that is after I figure out how to pack for just this one new media.............

Back to the wonderful work of painting,
Gloria



 


  

Review: Gauguin and Canaletto Exhibit's at our National Museum and the Chester Dale Collection

Preparations for an art program are keeping me busy this week along with a side trip to the National Museum to see the Gauguin and Canaletto Exhibit's.  But my most favorite exhibit of the day was the Chester Dale Collection - From Impressionism to Modernism (who gave to the museum some 300 works of art.  Chester who (1883-1962) was a successful businessman who made his fortune on Wall Street, and his artist/critic wife Maud put together one of the finest collections of 19th and early 20th century art.  One that I think rivals the Frick collection in New York.  The Monet's, Degas's and Cezanne were wonderful but the several Mary Cassatt's were my favorites.  While the Picasso exhibit still is on here in Richmond the several pieces they owned of his Blue period were also intriguing.   I wish I could share with you images here on this blog but I wouldn't want to infringe on copyright issues.   This is simply a must see for anyone who visits the museum.  (Many of these works are exhibited only here as was Mr. Dale's request.)  

The purpose of the trip was to see the prior mentioned exhibits.  Although Gauguin was not one of my favorite painter's his life was an interesting tale with an tragic end.  What I did find in this collection of paintings, wood carvings and ceramic sculptures was several almost impressionistic paintings he did, which was so out of his normal style.  Having always loved the skills needed to carve wood but lacking the strength in my own hands, I found his works in wood fascinating.  Also his ceramic sculptures.  Although some of his subject matter was a bit disturbing.  His love of the island people of Tahiti is apparent.

Canaletto's paintings in Venice were of course the detailed works of architecture that I adore but never want to replicate.  During the time of the Venetto  artists painting this city for tourism sales, Canaletto was surely the master who started it all.  What I found interesting was from the selection of his piers Canaletto seemed to paint the pristine and the "department of tourism approved" view of Venice.  Several of his piers portrayed the city a bit more realistic and time worn.  But all displayed an extremely technical command of their brushes.  (Amazing when you think of the quality of brushes they had to work with.)

Now when people say my colored pencil is time consuming I'll think to my self "Whoa if they could only see those Canaletto's."

Landscapes in Colored Pencil

                            Lakeside Sunset - 12 X 16 Colored Pencil on Ampersand Pastelboard
    
I have always admired the Hudson River Valley painters and wished to convey my style in a landscape.  Like most artists I'm always wanting to try something new, or add to my bucket list of paintings done.  My current challenge is to develop my style into the landscape genre.  I've been participating in a free landscape webinar put on by WetCanvas and F & W books and artist Johannes Vloothius.  These webinar recordings will be available for download by F & W at a later date.  I found out about the web classes after the first 8 classes were given, we are now into the 18th class.  (Ever the timely one here. LOL) This class is primarily for painters in oil, water color, acrylics and pastels.  But has so much great info for even this colored pencil painter.  I wish I had started the above shown painting after I gleamed valuable landscape knowledge from this master painter.  As it defies many of his do's and falls short with many of his don'ts. 

But I have learned from the advice of other artists friends, and that is not to mention a paintings faults but to learn from them and move on.  Even Johannes comments to not redo or fix a painting but to just progress from there.   So that is what I'll do.  The painting is of a sunset from the lake at Dillman's Resort in WI where I attended a colored pencil class given by Cecile Baird.  And no matter my issues with the painting I can still hear the loons calling at night when I look at it.      

I do wish to become adept at creating landscapes with colored pencil.  Realizing that I may need to practice with plein air work in pastel when on site.  But this was a studio piece from a photo of that sunset on a June evening when art was in the air.

Now back to scribbling on my new challenge rushing water UP Close and Personal............

New Website Up and Running and Other Business

After taking my time and making sure to learn then create my new website using iweb on my Mac (all in order to enable me to do updates myself and not pester my son Chris), I have learned much!  I have made plenty of errors (which equates to many more hours than a tech savvy person) and in general now have a sense of accomplishment, or  as much as any computer challenged individual can have.   Take a look at:  http://www.gloriacallahan.com 

Other than a whole new look, additional pages (class offerings, events and such) it contains some new work.  But also it contains a link to my BLOG here so I will be making even more efforts to keep up on updating this blog. 

"Business":  Yes something we creative types all shun but HAVE to make efforts toward in order to be efficient, organized and marketed.  (Or at least find my pencil sharpener!)  My old hat of being a comptroller for several companies i.e. accounting, keeps me motivated to track my finances and those of the Bon Air Artists Assoc. of which I am treasurer.  Working toward 501C3 (tax exempt) status for them has me resurrecting too much of my left brain.   And thus not creating as much art as I wish I could. 

Funny thing that left brain, it rears it's head when we least expect it, but useful when completing our taxes.  I find myself having to fool it more and more these days doing things like turning my photo ref upside down, looking in a mirror at my work and erasing more than before I took on this task.   But now that I'm done with the website set up, I'm on to the next post about colored pencil in landscape painting! 

Now where did I hide the photo ref.........