"The Cube and I" - art exhibit opening next Sunday

Phew! - I've spent the weekend framing the new charcoal drawings Chocolate Chocolate Chip and eCommerce. With the frame coming in at 30" x 40", I'm beginning to miss my miniatures.So much easier to handle...store...ship... hmmmm - maybe I was on to something there

Florence Weisz - The Eyes Have It - mixed media

I hope you can stop by next Sunday to see the new work, as well as some excellent cube inspired works by my friends. This little beauty is from Florence Weisz.

Take a look at the preview page for The Cube and I

Opening Reception : Sunday March 14 11-1pm

March 14 - April 25 2010

The Cube and I Gaelen Gallery East West Orange JCC 760 Northfield Avenue West Orange, NJ

www.jccmetrowest.org

Colored Pencil Still Life? - Domestic Abstraction

Really not sure if this is a still life or not. It's not what you expect from a still life - interesting objects, creating patterns of light and shade.

It's just the pattern.

What would you call it?

I can't wash up - it's ART

color pencil still life drawing of dirty dishes

This was one of those "found" still lifes (lives?) that snapped me awake from my everyday routine and sent me running for my camera, all alive and excited about washing up.

(any excuse not to actually do the chores)

Hot off the drawing table and into a frame, this still life is destined for the art show at the JCC this January.

If you are in West Orange, NJ this month, please stop by the Opening Reception on January 10 for some nibbles and a wee drinkie.

If you are not lucky enough to be sampling the frozen delights of New Jersey this Midwinter, you can hop over to the preview page to view the art - PJ's and fluffy socks welcome.

Other December news -  a HUGE thank you to Sarah Petruziello for her hard work organising the small works show BANG!4 this year. Much fun and joy as usual and another very successful year. Cheers m'dear!

Inflatable Bag Monsters by Joshua Allen Harris

Street Art: Joshua Allen Harris' Inflatable Bag Monsters

I challenge you to watch this without a MASSIVE grin on your face

Color Pencil Drawing cloudscape update

cloud5

It is hard to see on the screen, especially a laptop, but there are a few details picked out on the house silhouette.

I still need to work on the sky - some of those clouds are looking a bit flat and refine some of the details on the house -think it needs some chimneys but this one is nearly done. Just got to keep polishing away the waxy bloom from the color pencil.

Leave a comment if you spot anything else that needs fixing. Critique by Blog! Gotta love it.

How to Paint like Monet

this one is Monet's

this one is mine

With the proceeds of the miniature sale I treated myself to a workshop at NJCVA this weekend, taught by Victoria Starger. My knowledge of art history can be described as "spotty" at best, so this seemed an ideal class - "active" art history.

Rather than copy the painting straight, I decided to draw the actual still life, but looked to Monet's painting for inspiration on colors and brush strokes. I am very happy to have discovered Vermilion, which makes the soft warm pink in the background and also the orange highlights in the sunflowers. It is not a color I would naturally choose -the color always looks too overpowering - but it is quite delightful.

I think Monet's compositional choices are slightly more masterful than mine. The pointy table edge compared to the straight really draws you into the picture and makes it more dynamic. And the way the sunflowers overflow the picture space enables you to revel in their exuberant abundance.

As you may be able to tell from my picture I was more interested in the purple backdrop than the flowers. I find that is the case with more traditional still life set-ups. It is usually the way the light falls on the tablecloth, the background or the cast shadows that really excite me.

Color Pencil Drawing Update : Cloudscape

cloud4

It's been a while since I posted an update on the cloudscape. Progress has been slower than usual but I have been putting in the odd hour here and there over the past week and I was surprised to see how much it had changed.

Work has slowed partly due to an influx of editing work (two websites to make and a couple of portfolios to photograph), and partly due to a 50% sale at my local garden store. The problem with buying lots of half price plants, is that you still have to dig full price holes. But I did manage to time it just right to let Mother Nature do the watering for me.

Colored Pencil Art Work in Progress : Cloudscape I

cloudscape color pencil drawing

That storm's really brewing up a treat now.

Colored Pencil Art Work in Progress : Cloudscape I

cloud color pencil landscape

I'm rather enjoying the ArtStix, especially for the final burnishing stage which can really get a bit tedious. And they feather the edges of the clouds into the sky rather well too.

I have ordered a few more to play with...resistance was futile.

Colored Pencil Art Work in Progress : Cloudscape I

cloud1

Nudged into action by all the fabulous stormy cloudscapes we've been having this summer, I have started on a new large drawing.

To cover the paper quickly at this early stage I am trying out Prismacolor's Art Stix. They are a block of  solid color a bit like a traditional pastel stick, but made from the same "lead" used in their color pencils. Being Prismacolor, they have a wax binder, so I expect to contend with the waxy bloom at a later stage of the drawing - which can sometimes happen with a heavy application of this brand. I will finish off the finer details with traditional pencil, but it is so liberating not to have a tiny point to work with at this large planning stage.