Calling All Scratchboard Artists

I wanted to let you know about a scratchboard show we are holding in California this summer as part of the newly formed International Society of Scratchboard Artists. We would LOVE to have any scratchboard artist that is interested submit their work. Please check out the prospectus at: http://www.scratchboardsociety.com/exhibition2012.html The deadline for entering was extended to May 1, so kind of last minute, but we are really hoping to add more quality work to the show than what has been submitted so far, so I hope you will consider entering. There is over $1000 in prize money to be won! You do not have to be an ISSA member to submit or attend the event to win.  Artwork does not have to be recent.

Overhauling an older work

Every artist has created them... those works that are... meah...ok, but just no matter how much you work on them they are not really quite 'there', something just isn't pushing your buttons about the work.  I've had my share of them too.  Sometimes they are something I start and end up stopping in the middle and hiding them away, other times I 'complete them' but they still just are not really quite there.  When I have a work like that I stick it in my flat file... out of sight, but I don't varnish them.  Sets of artwork come and go from the files, finished and varnished, finished and varnished... and the unhappy works sits, unvarnished...out of sight, but not out of mind.  Well in some cases these works are black and white works and sometimes a change in the form of adding color is the needed ticket to help give them new life. 

Such is the case with 12"x12" board that I had titled "Takin' A Lickin' " when I completed it in Dec. 2010.  So it has sat in my files for about 16 months... waiting for something more.

So colored it got yesterday (in between working on the big horse).  I do think it improved it quite a bit and gave more dimension to the work.  Still doing very minor edits to it now.  Some may not agree that it is better in color, but the reality is I am the artist, so I get to choose :D 



"Takin' A Lickin'" - 12"x12" - Scratchboard and Ink

Go Big Or Go Home :)

I started my largest scratchboard to date - a 30"x40" board.  I have done several 24"x36" boards (including Comin' At Ya' and In Hot Pursuit), but not only is this board larger, but also it started out as clayboard, which is scratchboard without any black ink on it (so the white clay board).   

So I pulled out the airbrush and made a mask of the area I wanted black and blasted it with black ink.  Ink sprays very nicely through an airbrush, but I am admittedly not very good with the airbrush for anything more than very simple things (like this).  I have not found out that the black ink I used is not nearly as water resistant as what the regular scratchboards are sprayed with, so definitely finding some drawbacks with this ink. 

Anyways  Not really TOO far along yet, and of course it will look much better once he has some scratching on the face, but I am having fun with the shiny coat.  The horse is a handsome friesian stallion named Tettrino van het Kasteel that I photographed a couple of years ago.  He resides at Kasteel Farm.

Here is a rather poor photo of the board.  Hopefully a better photo to follow.

Time is A Flyin'!!

Already 1/4 of the way in to the year - how incredible that is!  And the rest of the year will not include any slowing down :)  I just got an events calendar of where my work will be and this list will only be growing as I hopefully get juried in to even more shows.  You can see my calendar of events at: http://www.cathysheeter.com/events.html

I have finished "In Hot Pursuit" and have started two new paintings.

"In Hot Pursuit" - 36"x24" - scratchboard and ink

If you are a scratchboard artist please consider submitting work to the 1st Annual International Society of Scratchboard Artists (ISSA) exhibition.  Deadline for entry is April 25.  You can find the prospectus at: http://www.scratchboardsociety.com/exhibition2012.html  You DO NOT have to be a member of ISSA to submit work.  You also do not have to attend the opening!   The opening will be July 7 in Glen Ellen, CA and the two days after the show opening will be demos and workshops.  You can find that info at: http://www.scratchboardsociety.com/workshops.html

Next weekend will be the opening for the Colorado Governor's Show in Loveland.  You can preview my work and other artists works on their web site at http://www.governorsartshow.org/  If you are in the Loveland, CO area April 29 to June 10 please stop in at the Loveland Museum and check out the show, as it is always full of very nice work.

I also have two works that will be hanging in a booth hosted by the Society of Animal Artists at the  World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition and Art Festival in Ocean City, MD hosted by the Ward Museum.  This event is only a weekend long - April 27-29, so if you live in that area stop by that booth and check it out.

Finished bear painting

I finished the bear painting.  And yes the butterfly is gone :)  You can see it at 100% detail on my web site at: http://www.cathysheeter.com/Zm-onthewind.html

"On The Wind" - 18"x24" - Oil Painting on Claybord

A painting we will go...

So here it is spring time, which means BUSY time in the art world!  I swear I have an art deadline like every other day... if not applying, then mailing, sending in some needed paperwork, filling out some form, etc!  Not all that easy to stay on top of it for a disorganized person like me.  I try to get all the dates into my ipad calendar program, which helps quite a bit, but it still seems overwhelming at times!!  This week two deadlines, next week two more deadlines, ship work for another event, and fill out and mail paperwork for a third!! 

I just found out that 'Napoleon', the sunbird painting, was selected for Art of the Animal Kingdom Exhibition in Bennington, VT. 

I am still working on my third painting.  I am kind of ready to be done with it and move on to something new, but it is not quite done.  Here is is right now.  There has been a big debate everywhere that I post it about the butterfly, and whether it should go away or adds to the work.  It is about a 50/50 split of people that feel either way (and feel strongly!)...LOL  I am still working on the foreground.

18"x24" Oil Painting - Work In Progress