The Wave - A study on water

                                                    The Wave a 8 X 10.5" study

I've been working on this study  for a few weeks off and on, trying to get the look of the ocean, it's color and action.  This was an exercise for a larger piece coming next and my first try on Canson Edition paper.  Not sure I like this paper as it doesn't take the layers my normal Stonehenge does or for that matter what my HP Watercolor paper does.  But a Study is just that but I do see some uses for this paper in adding it to my artists journal as is is supposed to handle mixed media too!  For this I used 100% colored pencil, no wc pencil under painting.  But I will have to try that out when I add it to my artist journal.

After dealing with many on going internet issues (2 months with Verizon checking my lines, modems and such) I hope to get caught up on blogging and other communications.  But today I'm planning on getting my newest water themed piece of and running.  Line drawing, and transfer to board on the agenda.  Will show you the progress in a few days. 


What art have you created today!

Gloria

The Artist's Journal Workshop by Cathy Johnson- Great Book Review

I have to recommend a book I just received and hadn't been able to put down until I finished it.  The Artists Journal Workshop - creating your life in words and pictures by Cathy Johnson.  It is a real motivator for me an avid sketch book/journal collector.  (Albeit a collector of many empty journals.)  OK I'm not that lazy as many of you may think, it's a long and sorted traumatic story dating back to my childhood when my brother found and read my diary!  Since then I always liked the ideas of journaling thoughts, sketches, and such but I was always afraid someone would read it and not understand my rantings.  Writing has always afforded me a way to work thru feelings, list to do's or want to do's (I'm a crazed list maker, just ask my family) and of course being an artist there is the need to sketch.  Whether to work out a new painting layout, practice my skills, doodle, document a trip or just plan recap my day.

With this book Cathy shows you how she and 27 other insightful artists do just that.  No I'm not a paid North Light Books employee, but I wouldn't mind if they sent me free books to review.  It is just a wonderfully done book, showing you how to get over the blank WHITE page, tips and techniques to get you to make this a habit, suggests materials to use, how to put together an efficient and small journal kit for travel and a more complete one for at home.  No this is not an Art Journal, you know the unique pieces of art in and of themselves made from old books or all collage based.  Although I think an artist's personal journal shows that art is their daily life, and thus a work of art for them.

This was just the book to get me moving again and start to fill some of the journals I have collected.  Next on the to do list is to organize a sketch crawl.  More on that at a later date.

I have been working on a colored pencil wave image, not large and more for practice than anything for a larger piece.  Now back to the colored pencils, oh maybe I should get dinner started..........

What art have you created today? 

 

Siberian Iris I and Cat Portraits

                                                         17 x 8 Colored Pencil Botanical
After teaching some fellow artists my techniques in colored pencil I'm showing you one of my works my class worked on.  A long format piece that lends it's self to the almost life size rendering of the irises I brought to my home garden from my grandmother's garden in PA when we moved to our current VA home.  My Mom kept her mother's irises going and then passes them on to me, and I have since passed many on to my sons.  They are prolific and beautiful at the same time.  Although I have worked my way into other subject matter my garden still holds many botanical subjects waiting to be captured in colored pencil.  This will be part of a series, although not right away, as I get easily distracted with new subjects.

I have completed a cat portrait recently also just to prove I could.  It's not for sale as the image was not my own.  But I did enjoy doing it.  My son Chris tells me I should get into pet portraits, something I'm not sure I'd like to do as getting reference shots of living things that don't sit long is a challenge for me.  Now if I could just get my dog Daphne to not shy away from the camera I may just do her portrait.  Her dalmatian spots may drive me crazy but I would so like to capture her playful manner.  Below is my sample portrait at 8 x 6 it's not large but was my first attempt at fur.

 
Keep your pencils near as inspiration is everywhere!

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