Color My World 2

Here is the second painting of my "Color My World" series in The Still Life show at the Elliott Fouts Gallery.  The show opens October 6, 2012.  Along with my work, there will be excellent paintings by Alvin Richard, Teresa Fischer, Christopher Stott, and more.  If you're within driving distance to Sacramento, you won't want to miss it!  If you can't get there in person, check Elliott Fouts Gallery's web site for pics of the show.

"Color My World 2"

9x12"

Soft Pastel

For information regarding this painting, please contact Elliott Fouts Gallery, (916) 736-1429.

"The Still Life"

October 6 - November 1, 2012

Elliott Fouts Gallery

1831 P Street

Sacramento, CA  95811

Elliott Fouts Gallery Web Site

Follow Elliott Fouts Gallery on Facebook

American Art Collector Magazine, October 2012

My painting "Color My World" appears in the October issue of American Art Collector magazine in an article about an upcoming still life show at the Elliott Fouts Gallery.  The show runs from October 6 to November 1, 2012.

I'll have four new paintings in the show.  They are a series of paintings depicting the progression of a crayon drawing from start to finish.  If you'll be in the Sacramento area next month, be sure to stop by the gallery and see the show!

 

Photo courtesy Elliott Fouts Gallery

American Art Collector magazine

October issue (#84)

Page 150/151

"Color My World"

9x12"

Soft Pastel

"The Still Life"

October 6 - November 1, 2012

Elliott Fouts Gallery

1831 P Street

Sacramento, CA  95811

Elliott Fouts Gallery Web Site

Follow Elliott Fouts Gallery on Facebook

Pastel Society of America Exhibition Award

My painting "Christmas Memories" was accepted into the Pastel Society of America's 40th Annual Open Juried Exhibition, and I'm very happy to report it received the Atlantic Papers Award!

"Christmas Memories"

14" x 18"

Soft Pastel

The exhibition runs through September 29, 2012, and is held at the National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY 10003.  If you're close by, this is an exhibition you won't want to miss!  If you can't get to New York City, you can see the award winning paintings on the PSA web site (click on the link toward the bottom of the page to see all the award winning paintings).

Looking Ahead to Christmas

For years I've wanted to paint a Christmas themed painting that I could use for a Christmas card.  Unfortunately, by the time I'm thinking about Christmas it has always been too late.  I'm quite proud of myself for remembering early enough this year to make it happen.

This painting was a bit of a challenge, but great fun to paint.  I love the idea of arranging things into a pile and painting them.  I'm going to do it again with my next painting.  In fact, I might have many more like this in the future - my head is spinning with ideas!

"Christmas Memories"
14" x 18"

Soft Pastel on La Carte

Pastel Society of America Exhibition

My painting "Laundry Day, Venice" was accepted into the Pastel Society of America's 39th Annual Exhibition.  There were over one thousand submissions this year, and the jury selected less than 180.  I'm very happy to be among those who were accepted.

The exhibition is being held at the National Arts Club in New York City from September 6 to October 1, 2011.  See the Pastel Society of America's web site for details.

"Laundry Day, Venice"
19" x 25"
Soft Pastel on La Carte

Venice Painting in Soft Pastel

This painting is based on a photo I took when my husband and I were in Venice last fall.  Normally this is not something I'd choose to paint, but I was so in love with the image that I abandoned all good sense and insisted on painting it.  As you might guess, it was time consuming.  Definitely my most ambitious painting to date.  I started this painting the end of last year, and then had to put it away for a while so I could get other projects done.  I'm very happy to have finally finished it.

For those who are interested, here are a few WIP pictures I took during the painting process.  

And the finished painting again:

"Venice"

25" x 19"

Soft Pastel on La Carte

(SOLD)

Pastel Painting with WIP Pics

This is a painting based on a photograph I took in Venice, Italy.   I loved Venice - it was a visual feast!  I was fascinated by the very common scene of laundry hanging out on lines in Venice.  It's just not something I ever see where I live.  

It was sunny and beautiful when we were there, and I loved the shadow patterns the laundry made on the walls of the buildings.  I enjoyed this particular spot because of all the intersecting laundry lines connecting the colorful buildings, the light on the clothing and, of course, the shadows.  All of that against the bright blue sky made me want to paint it.

I'm posting some WIP pics in case you're interested in seeing the process.

And the finished painting again:

"Laundry Day, Venice"

19" x 25"

Soft Pastel on La Carte

Black Cat Portrait in Pastel

Here's a quick one I painted as a gift for my daughter.  This is her baby, Snickers.

"Snickers"

4.5" x 4.5"

Soft Pastel on La Carte

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Sun Kissed

I hate to waste good paper, so I painted this little picture of my daughter enjoying the sunlight to use up a small scrap piece of La Carte.  As you can see, I didn't do a whole lot of blending on this one.  Just quick and fun.

Sun Kissed

3.5" x 4.25"

Soft Pastel on La Carte

M&Ms

I was in the mood for something fun and colorful, so I bought some M&Ms to paint a still life. I debated painting the candy dish in various crops, but finally decided it would be more fun to do a really close crop of just the candy.

When you aren’t used to eating a lot of sugar, M&Ms are unbelievably sweet! I was amazed at how quickly I went from being nauseous to addicted. I had so much fun painting this, but found it is difficult to paint candy without wanting to eat it. Now I need to paint something healthy to get over my sugar high.

M&Ms

5” x 5”

Soft Pastel on La Carte

Still Life in Soft Pastel

My friend Pat Meras (an extraordinarily talented pastel artist - check out her blog!) gave me a little white box lined with newspaper and filled with pears from her tree. I don't know whether Pat consciously tried to make this box of pears look so appealing, or if everything she touches turns out to be a work of art, but I knew I had to paint it. The pears were delicious, too. Thanks, Pat!

9.5" x 12.5"

Soft Pastel on La Carte

Cupcakes and More Cupcakes

I didn’t get a chance to participate in the Different Strokes From Different Folks challenge for week 46-48 when everyone painted cupcakes. It looked like it would be a fun subject to paint, so when I had the time I took a crack at it.

“Cupcakes”
8” x 10”
Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard

I had so much fun painting them, but I really wanted to try the same subject on a different support. I heard about a new cupcake shop in Tacoma, so I drove over there looking for good references. I got them!

The shop is called “Sweet Things Cupcakes,” and is full of the most beautiful cupcakes I’ve ever seen. I didn’t get to try any of them because they weren’t gluten free, although the owner said they were planning on serving a gluten free cupcake eventually. The staff was very friendly and very kindly let me take some photos for references.

“Sweet Things”
9.5” x 12.5”
Soft Pastel on La Carte

If I could have eaten one, I’d have picked the Lemon Meringue (which I haven't painted yet). It looked fabulous! If you’re in the Proctor area of Tacoma, please stop by and try one so you can tell me all about it. I want to hear every yummy detail!