Showing posts with label realism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label realism. Show all posts

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Bolivian Lady WIP - 3rd Post

Bolivian Lady - Stage 7

Bolivian Lady - Stage 8

Bolivian Lady - Stage 9

Ooooh, I wish I were one of those artists who could work across a drawing from left to right and finish a section at a time, knowing I had nailed the values, contrast and color right from the start. But alas, I work all over the page building and glazing layer upon layer of color until I know the piece is finished.
This explains how, in this post, the changes you see are very, very subtle (look closely at the background and the lady's left shoulder). I usually have a vague idea of my background and develop that along with the piece - this one is begging to be darker and will be - but it can determine, and change, my focal subject in subtle ways as well.
Since I work from light to dark, I have always struggled to get my darkest darks right away. I usually seem to slowly coax them out along with the background.
I am hoping to have this piece done by next week, but I also r-e-a-l-l-y need a break from it and plan to work on the Virtual Sketch Date drawing, too, which I will post before next weekend.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Back to Basics

"After the Dance"
ACEO Original Graphite Drawing
2.5 x 3.5"
SOLD
As with most artists, my first tool was a graphite pencil. I have always appreciated fine graphite drawings and recently, have been thinking of doing a series of pieces to show. So, today was a good day to practice a little. Let me know what you think.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Gotta Love This Poem

"Unconditional Love"
ACEO Colored Pencil Drawing
2.5 x 3.5"
SOLD
I have always thought Jimmy Stewart was one of our great treasures even though he was well before my time. Who couldn't help but like him after seeing "Harvey", "Rear Window", "Vertigo" (some of my favorites) and, of course, "It's a Wonderful Life" year after year during the holidays.
Even so, after seeing this clip, I like him even more. Who knew he could write poetry, too? And about a dog! For all of you who ever loved a dog, grab a hanky and enjoy.



Wednesday, September 19, 2007

New Slideshow!



Completed this piece very, very late last night and couldn't get a new photo done until today. Hope you like. Still trying to name this one.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Off to the Show

"Red Trunks"
ACEO Original Colored Pencil Drawing
2.5 x 3.5"
SOLD

I am off to the CPSA International Show and Convention this week. I'm looking forward to seeing people I met last year, meeting some new ones (some I've been talking to on-line) and seeing the fantastic work. I'll fill you in when I get back. TTFN!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

New Work In Progress

I have been very busy working on a new colored pencil drawing which measures 12 x 16". I am using a light warm gray colored matboard for this piece.

My computer has been down for a couple of days with a drastic case of BSOD (Blue Screen of Death). Michael, our Super Computer Guy, made a housecall today and set it right. Whew....

But, having no access to my computer (which can be as you all know, a HUGE distraction from making art) has allowed me to really breeze along on this piece. Expect it to slow down a little now that I am up again!








Monday, July 23, 2007

Wee-Wee-Wee-Wee All the Way Home

"Baywatch"
ACEO Original Colored Pencil Drawing
2.5 x 3.5"
SOLD
Today I laughed out loud while sitting alone at my computer, having gotten way too tickled by a domain name suggestion which popped up on my computer. Silly, silly, but still it made me laugh.
Growing up with a name like Bartoe, you'd think at my age I would have heard all of the "improvements" that could be made to it, but apparently not. While using my name to search for available domain names, some alternative name suggestions were compiled by their search engine: "HindranceDigit", "PubDigit", "PubToe" and here's the one that made me laugh: "Pub Piggie".
I know, I know, but my mind went wild designing a line of t-shirts, mugs, bed linens, martini glasses, posters, purses, my own line of martini mixers, all with these slightly inebriated, slutty little pink pigs on them. And all with my name on them!
So I enjoyed my cheap belly laugh and bought the domain name.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Less Talk.....

"Sunblock"
ACEO Original Colored Pencil Drawing
2.5 x 3.5"
SOLD
"Time and money spent in helping people to do more for themselves is far better than mere giving." Henry Ford
Besides looking at my work today, I hope you will take a moment and go to the Kiva website and read about the organization and what they do. Amazing, brilliant, simple and something that is WORKING. Be sure to check out the stats on loan repayment history and the media coverage.
Because it's been so easy to say to myself "What can I possibly do?" and become overwhelmed with "negative stuff", I was thrilled to find this opportunity to really make a direct hand to hand difference. So take a moment and check it out.
By the way, I found the Kiva site through Julia's blog "How I Changed the World Today. Check her out, too.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Funeral for a Friend

"African Violets"
ACEO Original Colored Pencil Drawing
2.5 x 3.5"

SOLD

Yesterday we attended a very small, intimate funeral in our bare feet and shorts...in our backyard. But Speedy the gerbil would have wanted it that way. He was a loving and loyal little rodent to Cameron for over 3 years (is that 99 in human years?). He had passed away quietly some time on Saturday. By his side was his life-long companion, Pluto, who was visibly shaken and unable to attend the funeral. Speedy was preceded in death by a distant relative Fluffy who passed away approximately 4 years ago; Speedy was buried by Fluffy's side next to the wishing well.


We will not bew earing black or covering the mirrors as Speedy was a happy kinda gerbil and would have wanted us to celebrate him in death as in life. So we did just that, and once Cameron's tears stopped, we all went out for ice cream.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Perfection Flaw

"Shade Cascade"
ACEO (2.5 x 3.5")
Original colored pencil drawing
SOLD
I am a perfectionist. There I said it. I used to be fiercely proud of this and thought it was a gift. Especially when it came to my drawings. Note, I did not say my "art". Yes, I can almost always render nearly "perfect" drawings but I cannot always produce a great piece of art. Great and perfect do not go hand in hand.
A friend and fellow artist, who is also my framer, taught me a lesson not long ago and it has affected me in a powerful way. I took a small work in to her shop for framing and while laying it out, noticed a slight roughness along the edge of the work where I had "colored outside the line". My first reaction was "Oh, no, I have to fix this". She stopped me and said: "This work is very good and very personal. Leave it alone. Good art is never perfect and should indicate somewhere where your hand has touched it." Wow.
I've also read Bet Borgeson's book "Colored Pencil for the Serious Beginner" (which I HIGHLY recommend for any artist) where she writes "Goodness lacks perfection. Superior art often has a scratchy, unsettled quality about it. Imperfectness of expression, executed powerfully may be the crux of attention-getting and holding greatness. Perhaps a surplus of perfection would lessen its humanity." This, too, really hit home with me.
So, these days I am really, really trying to lessen the perfection of my work in order to increase its humanity. I am trying so hard to color outside the lines.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Home Again, Home Again


Home at last!
My husband, Lee, my youngest son, Cam, and I spent two weeks in Hilton Head, where have gone every summer for the past eight years. There was much relaxing, reading, golfing, beach-sitting, boogie boarding, running, biking, eating FRESH fish and just (as I call it) ratcheting down. We all needed it.
But, after two weeks, I really miss my oldest son, my dog, and my studio. I'm not sure if that's the correct order for the list, but it's close.
We took a detour on the way home to see a show at Franklin Square Gallery in Southport, NC, where it is housed in a wonderful old building smack in the middle of the town. I had, as I told you in my last post, won an award and wanted to see the gallery and the other work. I won first place in the 2D category for "Early Autumn Meditation"; but to make this show even sweeter for me, the piece sold! Yeah!
I also was very smitten with the town of Southport. We spent some time there and ate some wonderful seafood at a dockside restaurant. Becuase I could so picture myself living and working in one of the town's charming cottages, I made Lee drive around to ogle the properties for sale. Of course, the one I truly fell in love with would requre a lotto win.
I took about a bazillion (that's a word, just ask Cam) pictures and got some very good reference photos. I'm going to try my hand at some landscape work and hope to have something started later this week.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Elephant Ears, Corn Dogs and Steak-On-A-Stick

Yeeha! Just found out that I have two of my drawings ("A Sticky Situation" below and "Teddy & Me") accepted into the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibit. Now, if you're not familiar with this exhibition, you might be thinking "big deal", but trust me, it is. This exhibition showcases some of the finest artists' work in Ohio and I am very honored and pleased to be included in this group. Plus, I get to go to the fair! Can you write off an elephant ear?







Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Rest from "Respite"


"Respite"
18 x 20" colored pencil drawing
It is finally finished! I was up until 2 a.m. this morning finishing this LARGE piece. (If your medium is colored pencil, you understand how long a large piece takes to finish.) Even though I loved working on this one (my sister was my muse), I was ready to finish it. I am leaving for a well-earned and long-awaited vacation with my family tomorrow and will not be back in the studio until next month. But I plan to blog a bit about my vacation (taking a laptop) and hopefully take some fantastic reference photos. And, of course, I'm taking my sketchbook.
So, stay tuned and leave me some comments once in a while (just so I know you're out there.)

Friday, June 15, 2007

Just a Dish - Not a Wish

"Buddy's Bowl"
ACEO
2.5 x 3.5" colored pencil drawing
The past two days have been about a wish, but today it's just a dish. Buddy's outdoor water bowl, to be exact. I really liked this little piece because of the colors, the reflections on the water and a little piece of garden hose. Hope you like it, too.
By the way, for those of you who've been reading this for a while, my dog, Buddy is doing very well and recovering from his knee surgery nicely. Last night was the first time he had been able to run with me for a very long time. He only had to slow down and walk twice.....or was that me?
Yeah, I'll blame it on Buddy.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

I Wish I May....

"Make a Wish II"
ACEO
2.5 x 3.5" colored pencil
SOLD
I do not spend much time gardening and when I do, I throw things into pots or buy a couple of perennials a year and put them in the ground. So needless to say, I do not have a koi pond, waterfall, sculpted landscaping or "yard art" much to the chagrin of my neighbors. But, this wishing well was in our backyard when we bought our home and has usually only been used as a paintball target for my son and his friends (I did not include the paint spots in my drawing), but I thought I would start my series of ACEO's by drawing "stuff in my yard". Yesterday's drawing of a dandelion (Make a Wish I) was, too, and is typical of what grows in my yard (much to the chagrin of my neighbors.)

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

First One

"Make a Wish"
ACEO
2.5 x 3.5" colored pencil on paper
SOLD
Here's the first one. Let me know what you think. (I managed to get this done with four kids in the house. Ain't I something!)

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

New for Me: ACEO's

"Respite" - Phase 9
18 x 20" colored pencil

Here's the next phase of my WIP, "Respite". I know you are probably as eager as I am to see it finally finished. But it's a very large piece for me and I have a little boy home with me now (see previous post!) so I hope you will bear with me.


I am leaving soon on vacation for two weeks and have decided to try something new for me, ACEO's, Art Cards, Editions and Originals. They are small 2.5 x 3.5" drawings which I plan to do on my trip, as well as hopefully taking some swell reference photos. Maggie Stiefvater, my new art guru and motivational blogger, suggested that I start doing them, and based on Maggie's success with her work, I'll so whatever she says! (Check out her blog; this woman is very entertaining.)


So stay tuned and I hope to have my first ACEO done tomorrow, unless I am taking a small boy somewhere "not boring".

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Tanned All Over

My sister (as seen below) showed up recently with the most beautiful, even, all over tan I have ever seen. Of course, I asked how and where she got it and she confessed that she had gone in for a "Mystic Tan". This is done in a tanning salon with a spray application of "active tanning solution" within a private booth. Thursday, I got my Mystic Tan; here's how it went:

At the salon, I was greeted by a bubbly, very tanned young woman who advised me that I should do this at Level 2. She did not provide a color chart or a before and after photo, so I had to take her word for it and promptly paid my fee. Then I was told to sit before a TV monitor and to watch a 5 minute video on how to get my Mystic Tan. I should have known that, a) any procedure that requires video preparation is suspect; and b) the producers will glamorize any video possible, even one about tanning.

After being completely confused and now, even frightened but still wanting that golden glow, I followed my bubbly, bronzed goddess to a small room number 22, was told to go in and "go for it". Once inside room #22, I saw a large, silver tube-shaped device that reminded me of the sleeping chamber for Ripley from the Aliens movie. The door, I was told, opens and closes with a movement sensor and a wave of the hand. I was also to start the process with another movement-sensor device.

So I undressed, removed all jewelry, put on a hairnet, greased my palms, fingernails, and feet then almost fell down as a slipped across the floor to my space tube. I looked around for the goggles that were to be provided but did not find them. Not wanting to have to go out of room # 22 to look for Miss Bronze Bubbly while greased, hairnetted and naked, I decided I could keep my eyes closed instead and waved my hand in front of the door device. The door opened slowly and a female, robot voice began giving me further instructions. I waved my hand in front of the start device, was told by the robo-voice to step onto the platform and assume the position (legs spread, arms out to side like a scarecrow and holding one's breath) and the countdown started.

I expected a gentle misting to take place; however, this baby shot tanning solution at a velocity I was not expecting nor quite ready for. (Be advised that while "in the position", do not overdo the stance.) But I held on, held my breath and kept my position. The frontal assault stopped and I was instructed to turn around and assume to position for the rear assault, did so, held my breath and took the second volley.

Once the shooting was over, I opened my eyes, at first thinking I was now blind, but soon realized the tube was still filled with a fog, took my first breath and sputtered and coughed. So, I groped desparately around inside my pod to find door sensor to freedom. Once I found it, it opened spilling me gasping and groping with squinting eyes out onto a slippery tiled floor. I lunged forward, found my towel, and wiped off much of what was on my face and body. My vision cleared and my normal breathing returned. I realized that there was tanning solution in my ears, up my nose and probably in various other places where tanning is not normal. (Q-tips are provided to correct this.)

I dressed slowly, so as not to fall on the slippery tile, and gathered my jewelry and other belongings. I left feeling a little shakey. Miss Bronze Bubbly greeted me and asked "How was it?", but, of course, I lied and said "Fine." I stopped in front of a mirror to fix my hair and check my look before leaving and realized that I had already started to get that fantastic, all over, bronze tan I had wanted!

So, I made another appointment.








Respit - Phase 7
18 x 20" colored pencil drawgin



Respite - Phase 8
18 x 20" colored pencil drawing





Stephen Wiltshire: The Human Camera

Yesterday, this post was a flop. So, of course, we'll try one more time. If you can't see the video on my blog, try the link. It's worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8YXZTlwTAU

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

On The Street

"Respite" - Phase 5
colored pencil drawing
18 x 20"
Last Saturday evening, during the Gallery Hop in the Short North Arts District in Columbus, four artists (one was me!) from Studios on High Gallery, set up our easels and tables and made art out on the street. In front of a lot of people. The Hops in this area attract thousands every month, especially during the warmer weather months, and this past Saturday was really "hopping".
As an artist, most of us are introverts and are never happier than when we are alone in our studios making our art. However, in order to sell it (which only serves to support our habit of making it), we have to come out of hiding once in a while. But it is WAY out of our comfort zones. (There are exceptions, right Sandy?)
I have heard it said that showing your art in public is like standing naked on a street corner and singing an aria. You do feel extremely exposed. But jumping out into that void with other artist friends felt like a bit of a safety net. And once out there, all of us found a very receptive, kind and admiring audience.
So lesson learned: overcome your fear and jump, it might be a whole lot of fun, especially if you take a friend or two with you.
"Every day do something that frightens you." (Eleanor Roosevelt)