Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Beach Stones



I've started working on a new large colored pencil piece, it is going to be a vertical 18x24" and I'm working it on Rtistx 300 board. I chose that surface because I wanted to work on a white board in which I could use solvent and also varnish at the end. I like the Rtistx because it can stand up to both. For this piece I am using a mixture of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils and my stiff bristle brushes to burnish the pencil pigment into the paper.

The picture at the top is of just the bottom of the beginning of my drawing. The photo beneath is the reference photo for the bottom area. I am using three reference photos of the scene for the entire 18x24 drawing, the middle reference photo will be of smaller, more distant rocks and the top of the photo will be mostly the waves and foam washing over the rocks. I couldn't find one photo of the scene that I liked so I am going to combine at least the three and work the water into the rocks using some of my imagination.

I began drawing the rocks with three Prismacolor pencils: Indigo Blue, Warm Grey 50% and Warm Grey 70% working in the darks with indigo and parts of the other rocks with the grays. I'm working this way to hopefully simplify the drawing before adding all of the other colors. It has already taken me many hours to get this far so I think this drawing is going to take me a while. Stay tuned for upcoming posts on this drawing.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Two Upcoming Classes at Beach Studios


Felicia and I are kicking off the year with two sessions of classes. Our Art Boot Camp focuses on 2-week sessions of drawing, watercolor, monotype prints and colored pencil. It's a good way to try out the different mediums and experiment with them. Students will be working from still life set ups and this boot camp includes materials so our students don't have to spend extra money on the supplies.

The second class is a two-morning colored pencil class in which we will be working on Ampersand Pastelbord using watercolor pencils and colored pencils. I have prepared the project and we will be working from a photo reference.

Any interest? Contact us, there are a few spaces left in both classes.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Printmaking Portfolio on Permanent Display at Woman & Infants Hospital




Woman & Infants Hospital in Providence, RI has purchased one of our Providence Art Club printmaking portfolios in which 22 artists created various types of one of a kind prints for this project. We are happy to announce that we sold all 13 portfolios to raise money for the education department of the Providence Art Club. One of our portfolios was purchased by Woman & Infants Hospital. Each artist's print was framed and hung just outside the main lobby in a hallway leading to conference rooms. The staff held an artists' reception for us just before Christmas, here are pictures of the prints on display and some of the attendees. My piece, an etching with chiné collé titled A Floating World is pictured above.

This is a link to the original post about our portfolio project.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Fragile

The newest colored pencil piece, and first one completed for the new year, is titled Fragile, it is 10x14" and worked on rag illustration board. The idea came from a birthday party I attended back in November in which each attendee received a small nest with a saying attached. The words attached to my nest spoke to me: Be the rain. Wash away, cleanse, forgive. I thought what great advice, so true for our lives and a good way to begin a new year. I immediately started thinking of how I could put this little nest into a composition and tell a story.

I found some little blue bird eggs. No, not real ones - I found these at Pottery Barn! I brought my little nest and my camera out walking on the trails with my dog at Mt Hope Farm in Bristol, RI and decided to nestle it in amongst the fall leaves and grass. I took several photos in different areas with different colored leaves and then went home to look at the photos on my computer and choose one. I chose this particular one because of the bright red and orange leaves int he foreground and the older brown leaves scattered behind them. The contrast of the green grasses peeking through caught my attention also.

Everything in this piece is fragile, the nest, the fall leaves that are drying up in the cold weather and the grasses will soon turn brown. The eggs are fragile but also symbolize a new beginning. The words also remind us that our lives and our relationships are fragile. Happy New Year!