Pastel Society of America Exhibition Award!

I'm absolutely thrilled to report my painting "Full House" received the Canson Excellence in Arts Award at the Pastel Society of America's 42nd Annual Exhibition, "Enduring Brilliance."  The super exciting part for me is that winning this award has given me MASTER PASTELIST status with the PSA!

Ever since I started entering this show (this is my 5th year/3rd award), I've wanted to go back to NYC to see the show in person.  Unfortunately, I was never able to go.  This year, I actually planned ahead, kept my schedule clear, and bought my tickets.  The fact that I won this award and Master Pastelist status is just icing on the cake!  I can't wait!

The show is being held at the National Arts Club in New York City from September 2 to 27, 2014.  I'm so looking forward to seeing the show and meeting new pastelist friends.  And gallery hopping in NYC!

"Full House"

16" x 20"

Soft Pastel

See the PSA web site for details on the "Enduring Brilliance" exhibition.

Pastel Society of America

15 Gramercy Park South

New York, NY 10003

212-533-6931

Marine Show at Kirsten Gallery

My painting "Tethered Trio" will be part of a marine show at the Kirsten Gallery from July 13 to August 31, 2014.  Opening reception is Sunday, July 13, from 2:00 - 4:00 pm.  If you're in the Seattle area, please stop by!

"Tethered Trio"

20" x 16"

Soft Pastel

(SOLD)

For information regarding this painting, please contact the Kirsten Gallery, (206) 522-2011. 

Kirsten Gallery

5320 Roosevelt Way NE

Seattle, WA  98105

(206) 522-2011

Best of Show!

My painting "Train Wreck" was awarded Best of Show at the Northwest Pastel Society's 27th Annual International Open Exhibition!  It's an excellent show, so do stop by American Art Company if you happen to be in the Tacoma area before the exhibition ends on June 15, 2013.  If you are unable to get there in person, you can see the show online here.

"Train Wreck"

18" x 24"

Soft Pastel

For information regarding this painting, please contact American Art Company at (253) 272-4327.

Randy Higbee Gallery 6" Squared Show

I have a couple of paintings in the Randy Higbee Gallery 6" Squared Show.  The show runs from December 8 - 26, 2012, with an artists' reception on December 8 from 5:00 to 9:00 pm.  I had planned on going down for the opening, and to visit friends and family, but had to cancel my flight. Bummer.  Looks like a fantastic show!  (Scroll down for a link to the show online)  Here are my pieces:

 "Player 2"

6" x 6"

Soft Pastel

"Player 3"

6" x 6"

Soft Pastel

You can see the show online and have an opportunity to purchase paintings before the show even starts from here: http://www.dailybrushwork.com/Default.aspx?GSID=15. You can page through the hundreds of paintings or use the pull down menu to find work by artist's name.  Check it out - it's a perfect opportunity to buy affordable, original art!

Randy Higbee Gallery

102 Kalmus

Costa Mesa, CA  92626

800-506-7624

PSWC Distinguished Pastelist

My painting "Nap Interrupted" won 3rd place in the Pastel Society of the West Coast's 26th Annual International Open Exhibition!  This is my third year entering the exhibition, which gives me my PSWC signature.  It is also my third award, which means I am now a PSWC Distinguished Pastelist!  In order to receive Distinguished Pastelist designation, you have to win three awards in the international exhibition within five consecutive years.  There are only 31 Distinguished Pastelists in the PSWC, and I'm thrilled to be one of them!

"Nap Interrupted"

14" x 24"

Soft Pastel

Here are the comments from the Judge, Lorenzo Chavez:

The works that became the top award winners all had two things in common, mastery of drawing, and the artists created from the heart. Congratulations to all and wishing you much success. (Comment on the painting "Nap Interrupted" by Kari Tirrell.) "This is another great example of a big interesting design and fine, fine craftsmanship. The animal portrait is handled with such love and emotion. Every time I viewed this from across the room, it grabbed my full attention. Outstanding!"

The exhibition is being held at the Art Center Morro Bay until June 23, 2012.  

Going Back to Venice

I went back to the Venice theme for this next painting.  I found these gondolas waiting outside a Venetian palazzo, and knew I had to paint them.

"Waiting"

24" x 18"

Soft Pastel on La Carte

Please contact the American Art Company gallery at (253) 272-4327 for information about this painting.

Artist's Magazine Finalist!

My painting "Dog Tired" was selected as a finalist in the Animal/Wildlife category of The Artist's Magazine's 28th Annual Art Competition.  My name is listed among the finalists in the December 2011 issue.

"Dog Tired"

14" x 24"

Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard
(SOLD)

You can view WIP pics of this painting here.

Northwest Pastel Society Exhibition Award

My painting "Nap Interrupted" won the Past President's Award at the Northwest Pastel Society's 25th Annual International Open Exhibition.  I had three paintings accepted into the show, which is being held at the American Art Company in Tacoma, WA, until the end of the year.  The American Art Company is a large, beautiful gallery, and the show is excellent.  If you aren't in Washington and are unable to see the exhibit, you can go to the American Art Company web site and see it online.  Of course, the photos don't do the artwork justice and it is definitely worth seeing in person, if you can.

"Nap Interrupted"

14" x 24"

Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard

My painting "Venice" is on the postcard for the show, but unfortunately someone at the NPS thinks my name is Kate.  I actually like the name Kate, and I don't mind it so much when it's on the web site and I can get it changed, but this time it's in print.  So if you've received a postcard for the show, and you're searching for Kate Tirrell, apparently that's me. :)

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

Dog Painting in Soft Pastel With WIP Pics

I've had a computer in my studio now for a year, and I love being able to paint from it.  I used to print out a picture on photo paper, and paint from that.  It's so much better using the monitor!  I can enlarge the reference and see much more detail now, which makes my job a lot easier.  I can also use PhotoShop to help compose the image.

For instance, I can put my reference image in PhotoShop and "Posterize" it to show only a few values.  This can help me work through my initial drawing.  Here is the ref posterized:

First I pick a light tone and draw out the highlights:

Next I take a middle and darker tone and place those in the appropriate places:

Next, I use a pastel pencil to work out my drawing:

I add in the background, and continue to work out the drawing:

Still working out my drawing while filling in local color:

Now I'm starting to fill in detail:

Now I've worked out the values for the most part, and just need the foreground and finishing touches:

Finished:

"Dog Tired"

14"x24"

Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard

(SOLD)

(I took these pictures at different times of day, in different lighting, which is the reason for the varying colors.)

If you've seen the demo on my web site, you'll have noticed that this is the same method, with the exception of using the computer.  Isn't technology wonderful?

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

My Latest Commission and Happy New Year!

This last day of 2010, I’d like to thank all of you who have followed my blog and supported me and my work throughout the year.  I appreciate you more than you can possibly know.  

Since Christmas has passed, I can now share a painting which was commissioned for a Christmas gift.  This is a little Westie named Morgan.  He’s an old dog (14, if I remember correctly) and I had the opportunity to meet him once during the painting process.  I hope I was able to capture his sweet personality in his portrait.

White dogs are challenging to paint, particularly when they have long, wavy fur.  Despite this challenge, I really enjoyed painting Morgan.  I absolutely loved his over-the-shoulder pose.  I chose a square format, which I thought complimented the pose, and made it slightly larger than life to make it more contemporary.  I was very pleased with the results!

"Morgan"

15 x 15”

Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard
(SOLD)

I wish all of you good health, happiness, and prosperity in 2011!

Pastels USA Award

I had two paintings accepted into Pastels USA, the 24th annual international open exhibition for the Pastel Society of the West Coast.  The exhibit is being held at the Art Museum of Los Gatos from June 3 to July 9, 2010, and was juried by Richard McKinley.

I found out this morning that my painting "Old Friend" received the Colorfin LCC award!

"Old Friend"

12" x 19.5"

Soft Pastel on Pastelmat

See more of my work:

My web site

My blog

My facebook page

My YouTube channel

Tribute to Karin Jurick

Karin Jurick

10" x 8"

Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard

Along with 117 other artists, I painted Karin Jurick’s portrait as a “thank you” for all her efforts with the Different Strokes From Different Folks blog.  The DSFDF blog has been an inspiration to many artists, and I’ve enjoyed the benefits of participating in the challenges.  In addition to stretching my skills by painting things I might not normally choose to paint, I’ve met many great people through the blog.  I have appreciated the time and effort Karin devotes to the blog, and I’m happy to be able to participate in this tribute to her.

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

Abstract in Soft Pastel

For quite a while now, I’ve been thinking it would be fun to paint an abstract of a city street at night. It has been so long since I’ve painted an abstract, and I’ve never done one in pastel, so I decided to start the new year off with something new and different. It was fun to paint, but it was also a challenge. I kept fighting my inclination to make it look like something more detailed.

Night Lights

6" x 6"

Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard

Fowl Play

I painted this for the “Ripped Off” show on EBSQ but didn’t get it finished in time, so now it’s in the “Better Late Than Never” show. The object is to pair up with another artist and rip off their work.

I paired up with Lauren Abrams, whose still life paintings are awesome. I particularly enjoy her toy paintings. She arranges the toys to create a story, then gives the paintings clever titles. After looking through her work, I took a few of her toys and created my own story.

"Fowl Play"

8" x 10"

Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard

Portrait of My Uncle

In the last two years, I've lost three people who were important to me. When I was a kid and first realized that we were all going to die some day, I felt gypped. And afraid. I didn't want to lose everyone I loved. I still don't. But that's part of life, isn't it? We will lose people we love until they lose us. I suppose the only positive aspect is that it teaches you to appreciate what you have while you have it. There was a line about life in a comic strip that has stuck with me: "It ain't nohow permanent."

I painted this portrait of my uncle, who passed away last year, as a gift for my aunt. He was a great man. I hope he knew we all thought so.

10" x 8"

Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard

The Traveler

I've just finished a very difficult commission which has taken up all my painting time over the last few weeks. I know, you thought I was sitting around eating bonbons and not working, and I can't even show you proof until after Christmas (the client is giving the painting as a Christmas gift). You'll just have to take my word for it that I was slaving away at my easel.

I was able to squeeze in some time to paint the current Different Strokes From Different Folks challenge, though, so I can show you that. I had intended to paint all three figures from the reference photo, but given the time crunch I decided I should make the composition easier. All those lost edges were fun to paint, and fun and easy was just what I needed after that commission!

The Traveler

6" x 6"

Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard

A couple of miscellaneous items:

Since I last posted, I have a new web site. My soft pastel demo is on my site, so those of you who were waiting for it can now access the demo at KariTirrell.com.

Also, many people have tried to add me as a friend on Facebook over the last few months. I created an artist page on Facebook, so you can now join me there. Either click here, or in the blog sidebar. Thanks!