CPSA Exhibition 2011 in Dallas, TX

I just returned from Dallas and the 2011 CPSA international exhibition and conference. It was a wonderful time and I consider myself fortunate to have been able to travel the long distance to Dallas, TX to be a part of it. The exhibition is just outstanding this year with such variety of subjects and techniques. I went to the gallery to view the exhibit three times while I was in Dallas and look at each piece again and again because it is a wonderful opportunity to view so much different colored pencil work by so many artists in one place. I also really enjoyed reconnecting with the different members and meeting new faces, CPSA has such a warm and welcoming governing board and all of the members. Above, I'm pictured with my piece "Sea Foam" which was juried into the exhibit (top). The beautiful piece to my right is by Dean Rogers of Michigan.

A few of us took a side excursion to go cowboy boot shopping. We hit the store like a tornado, strewing boots all over the place while we tried on all different styles. Here we are pictured with our selections: me, Dianna Soisson, Lynda Schumacher, Debbi Friedman and Elizabeth Patterson. The bottom photo is just a shot I took of one of the displays of boots. On this trip, I think I might have been known more for my shopping habbits, cowboy boots and gold shoes from Italy than my art!

I thought I would post these two photos of the silent auction pieces. I bid on several but they were all scooped up in the last seconds by more savvy bidders so I came home with none. Better luck next time! In the center of the top photo is "Wyoming Grey" the piece that took the highest bid. My candy apples are in the center of the bottom photo. Nicole Caulfield's "Dandelions" are to the right of mine.

I strongly suggest to any colored pencil artists who are able to attend one of the yearly exhibitons/conferences to do so. It's a very worthwhile experience and the one time of year so much of the cp art and so many of the artists are in one place. The 2012 exhbition will be held in Coventry, Kentucky which is outside of the greater Cincinnati, OH area. Cincinnati chapter is hosting.

A Bowl of Oranges

My mother or my grandmother had this sweet little bowl that I found and decided I wanted to draw as a small still life. I filled it with tangerines and set it up against a white surface and background. I decided to work on orange Canson Mi Teintes paper so I could get the orange glow to show through the whole drawing and give a warm color harmony to the drawing. The finished size is 7 1/2" x 8 1/2" don't ask me how I ended up with the all the 1/2" I just started drawing and that's what happened.

I'm still working on the tulips, I keep working on different areas and setting it down for a while to look at and ponder.

Adding a Background

I've decided to add a simple landscape background to my tulip still life but leave the surface they are sitting on white because of the beautiful shadows from the vase. As I mentioned in the last post, I'm using Rtistx board and I found that in order to keep the foreground white I covered it with clear contact paper. The contact paper is taking a bit of the color off the vase and leaves but keeps my surface from picking up pencil crumbs and smudges. I will add more color to the vase once I take off the contact paper.

For now, I am on the clouds, the greens of the landscape and the horizon line. I want to keep them simple in order not to become too overpowering and compete with the delicate tulips.

Summer is always a fun time of year. Our New England season is so short so we want to enjoy the good weather, boating and time with family as long as we can. Unfortunately, its not a productive time for my artwork! After I finish the tulips, I will most likely work on a few smaller pieces that will be easier to work on in shorter periods of time. Happy summer everyone and thank you for reading my blog!