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.

In Hot Pursuit - Work In Progress

Since I finished the big horse "Comin' At Ya" I started another one.  It is coming along quite quickly so here is the progress on it. 

The start of the board (this is about 1/3 of the board)

Progressing nicely (about 2/3 of the board)

This is the whole board - 36"x24"

Where I leave this board at as of today :)

Bighorn Ram

I just completed a piece of a Bighorn Sheep Ram.  I took my reference photos this past fall during their rut.  It was a COLD day with light snow falling and heavy overcast and although I was hoping to capture some impressive head butting behavior they were more interested in sleeping in.  Over several hours of watching I only once saw two young rams hit heads once...sort of... barely... LOL  That is just how it is sometimes when you are trying to take photos.  Finally one larger ram (the one in my art) did come over the hill and follow two females toward me. 

It was a fun and unique challenge figuring out how to create the texture of the horns.  Most of it was completed with the fiberglass brush.  I use this tool quite a lot for textures that are not fur (and even for fur sometimes).  Another challenge was that not only do they have the rings growing horizontal on the horn, but they also have striation that runs vertically on the horn. 

If you want to see the up close details you can check out the zoomify version on my web site.  It does require flash, but click and it will zoom you in so that you can see every scratch!  At least 80% of the work on my web site has this function because I think it is so cool! 

Wayward artist

Well I tried posting about a month ago and blogger was down... honestly I did not mean to go so long between postings!  I will try to do better in 'all my free time' (haha).

I have completed the pair of wolves that I had going on here as a WIP and titled it "Mouthing Off".  

"Mouthing Off" - 16"x20" Scratchboard and Ink



















I also completed a smaller wolf piece recently. 


"Just A Glance" - 11"x14" - Scratchboard and Ink



In January I started an oil painting class at the Art Student League of Denver with artist Rob Gratoit.  My first 'assignment' was to paint something that appeared abstract, but actually exists in real life (such as an aerial photo, the insides of a mineral, etc.)  I chose to paint a photo I took of Sand Dunes National Park many years ago (way back with my 2 megapixel camera!).  Anyways at the end I decided to add a pair of gemsbok oryx to it :)  Not so abstract after all.  It turned out... ok... not bad for a first painting, but I wasn't totally happy with it either.  Not up to my standards I guess you could say.

Anyways I started my second painting before going to my next class because I didn't want to do another abstractish thing... I wanted to paint animals of course!  I chose to go with one of my photos from South Africa of a male collared sunbird, which has lots of colors and iridescent feathers on its head.  I am pretty sure my instructor thought I was jumping way too far ahead, but I would rather paint something I was interested in than not...LOL  Anyways it came out great I think.  Now onto the next one... a grizzly bear I think.

"Napoleon" - 18"x24" oil painting on claybord

Little Grizzly Bear

I felt like doing a quick little board and desided to go with this grizzly bear that I photogrpahed at the Denver Zoo.  I like how his fur and shape of his head is almost a heart shape.

This piece is only 6"x6" in size

Progress on Sibling Rivalry

Here is an update on the wolf piece.  I will be taking it with me to Michigan next week for the Society of Animal Artists show opening in Travers City.  I will be staying with an SAA friend for a few days afterwards and she is going to take me to her art class and I offered to demo scratchboard for them. 

Updates

I was notified that my scratchboard and ink piece of a white tiger,  titled "The Interrupted Drink", won Viewer's Choice at the Bennington Center for the Arts "Art of the Animal Kingdom XVI".  Thanks to all who voted for my piece!  It was totally unexpected to me :)



"The Interrupted Drink" - Original Available

















Here is an update on "Comin' At Ya" the big horse piece that I am working on (36"x24").  Still a long ways to go.



"Comin' At Ya" - WIP - 36"x24"























And I have also started a new piece titled "Sibling Rivalry" sized 16"x20".  As you may figure by the title (and random tooth) there will be a 2nd wolf in the image

"Sibling Rivalry" - WIP - 16"x20"