My Painting in the Pastel Journal!

I'm very happy to announce my painting "Saturday Evening Puzzle" was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Pastel Journal's 15th Annual Pastel 100!

"Saturday Evening Puzzle"

18" x 24"

Soft Pastel

PAL Juried Exhibition

I'm very happy to report my painting "Daily Habit" won a Jack Richeson & Co. merchandise award in Peninsula Art League's 11th Annual Juried Exhibition.  The Richeson company is unbelievably generous with their support of artists, and this is my third certificate I'll use this year.  It's been fantastic for my art supply budget (is there anything better than free art supplies?).

The PAL exhibition is being held at the Harbor History Museum in downtown Gig Harbor until October 5, 2013.  There is some excellent work in the exhibition.  Be sure to check it out if you're in the area!

"Daily Habit"

10" x 25"

Soft Pastel

Artist's Magazine Finalist!

I entered my paintings "Traffic Jam" and "Train Wreck" into The Artist's Magazine's 29th Annual Art Competition.  Both paintings were were selected as finalists!  You'll find my name listed among the finalists in the Still Life category in the December, 2012 issue of The Artist's Magazine.

"Traffic Jam"

18" x 24"

Soft Pastel

"Train Wreck"

18" x 24"

Soft Pastel

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).

Recent Commissions

Here are a couple of recently finished commissions.  I was lucky to be working with some wonderful (and wonderfully patient!) people who wanted me to paint their dogs and grandchildren.  I was especially looking forward to painting the boys.  They are so adorable, and I love painting little hands and feet.  I'm super happy with the way these paintings turned out, but disappointed in my inability to get the colors to show up accurately in the pictures.  I hope you'll take my word for it that they look much better in person!

22" x 28"

Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard

18" x 24"

Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard

New Painting, New Gallery

I am very happy to announce that I am now being represented by the Elliott Fouts Gallery! I've been a fan of this gallery for a few years now, and I'm thrilled for the opportunity for my work to hang alongside the work of artists I've admired for so long:  Christopher Stott, Alvin Richard, Theresa Fisher, Todd Ford, Bryan Mark Taylor, Vic Vicini, and other great artists.

This is one of a few smaller works I'm sending down to the gallery for their Grand Opening celebration on June 9, 2012.  They are moving to a larger space, and the building looks amazing!  If you're within driving distance to Sacramento, CA, it will definitely be worth attending.  For more information, visit Elliott Fouts Gallery's web site.

"Game Over"

9" x 12"

Soft Pastel

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

Follow Elliott Fouts Gallery on Facebook.

(SOLD)

Kirsten Gallery's 40th Anniversary Exhibition

I've been invited to participate in the Kirsten Gallery's 40th Anniversary Exhibition.  The show opens Sunday, May 20, with an artist reception from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., and ends July 1, 2012.  I plan to be at the reception, so if you're in the Seattle area, I hope you'll come!  For those of you not in the area, you'll be able to see the show online at the Kirsten Gallery's web site.  This is a small works show, so there will be lots of excellent, affordable art!  I'll have several pieces in the show.  Here is one of them:

"Game On"

8" x 10"

Soft Pastel

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

(SOLD)

Kirsten Gallery's web site.

Follow Kirsten Gallery on Facebook.

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.

Still Life in Soft Pastel - Cars

I've never considered myself a still life painter, but this new series I've started could make me turn into one.  They're super fun.   

"Traffic Jam"

18" x 24"

Soft Pastel on La Carte

These are my son's old cars which he had saved in a box in his closet.  Funny thing I've learned about men and their toy cars, they remember all of them.  From what I've seen so far, men seem to turn into little boys when they look at this painting.  I couldn't have hoped for a better response.

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

Mangos

A couple of days ago, my daughter said, "Why don't you paint while you're on pain pills?  Maybe you wouldn't paint something boring."  Ouch (I'm looking forward to the time when the brutal honesty of teenagers is replaced by a modicum of tact).  I don't want to talk about the reason for the pain pills, because then I'll go into a rant about Mohs surgery, and this is an art blog after all.  Suffice it to say, I hope I like my new nose better than the original.

Anyway, I decided to take my daughter's advice, and try to paint something loose and colorful (but also easy).  Unfortunately, the pain pills were somewhat unimpressive.  Not wanting to disappoint, I decided to see if I could push the color a bit more than I normally would.  I also decided not to obsess, as I normally would (the pain pills actually did help with this aspect).  This is the result of my day on drugs.  I sincerely hope it's not too boring. ;)

"Mangos"

14" x 11"

Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard

Latest in my Soft Pastel Dog Series

I wanted to paint something fun and easy after the Venice painting, so I decided to add to my dog series.  I definitely think the idea of painting the same subject repeatedly has merit.  Of course, I know my subject very well, but I feel like I'm improving in certain areas.  Or maybe that's just my imagination.  This one didn't take me very long, though, so at the very least I'm improving in speed.

"Nap Interrupted"

14" x 24"

Soft Pastel on Suede Matboard

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)

Trying Pan Pastels

To tell you the truth, I've never been tempted to buy Pan Pastels.  Part of what I like about soft pastels is a tactile thing - being able to hold them and blend with my hand, painting with nothing between me and the paint.  I didn't think I would like Pan Pastels (if you don't know what Pan Pastels are, click here to find out).  However, since I recently received them for free (my award for the Pastels USA show) I took the opportunity to experiment with them.

I started with a sheet of Pastelmat paper.  This support seems perfect for the Pans.  There were lots of tools included, so I pulled out a large oval sponge and spread green all over the paper.  It was awesome!  It took just a few minutes and didn't require the blending that my other pastels would have needed.  Using the other tools took a bit of getting used to, and was a bit awkward for me.  Sometimes I liked the results, sometimes not.  Of course, I had to supplement colors from my existing pastel stock.  I found I could use the tools with softer pastels (like Terry Ludwigs) in the same manner as the Pans, but it didn't work with my Mount Visions.  However, the tools blended the Mount Visions just fine on the paper.

Turns out, I liked the Pans much more than I thought I would.  I particularly liked being able to cover a large area so quickly and easily.  I wouldn't want to use them exclusively, but I think they are a nice addition to my existing stock of pastels.

"Retired"

19.5" x 27.5"

Soft Pastel on Pastelmat

Pastel Society of America Exhibition

My painting “Sweet” was accepted into the Pastel Society of America’s 38th Annual Open Juried Exhibition for “Pastels Only.”  This was my first time entering the competition, and I’m thrilled to be among those who were accepted for the exhibition.  I understand there were well over 1200 entries and only 160 paintings were chosen, so this is a huge honor.  I have seen some of the quality work that was declined, and feel incredibly fortunate to be included.

The exhibition is being held at The National Arts Club in New York, NY from September 7 through October 2, 2010.  Please see the Pastel Society of America’s web site for details.

"Sweet"

9.5 x 12.5"

Soft Pastel on La Carte

Another Guitar Player in Pastel

I finally finished the pastel I've been working on.  This one was uncooperative and a bit of a struggle to paint, but overall I'm happy with the results.

"Solo"

27.5" x 19.5"

Soft Pastel on Pastelmat

Figurative Painting in Soft Pastel

This is something I started last month.  It's one of those paintings that requires thousands of decisions (well, they all do, but this one seemed to require more than usual).  Before I start painting something this labor intensive, I work out the major decisions in Photoshop; move things around, take things out, change colors, etc.  As I painted this, I found myself wishing I'd considered a few more options.  I'll have to try out those ideas on another painting, though, because I'm ready to call this one finished.

"Takeout"

24" x 18"

Soft Pastel on Pastelmat