Peanut? What Peanut?

A fun little work that I started at Art in the Park the last weekend of August.  This little guy is a Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel that had been eating peanuts that tourists had been tossing to him.  It is just 5"x5" in size.



"Peanut?  What Peanut?" - 5"x5" scratchboard

At Art in the Park I sold two originals!  One little 5"x7" of a mountain lion and my big 36"x24" horse work "Comin' At Ya!" finished earlier this year.  Thank you to my new collectors!  I hope the artwork brings you joy for years to come!

I am also working on a western horse, which I am tentatively titling "Quietude" as he looks very tranquil to me.  Here it is almost done (though still working on it a bit)

"Quietude" - 11"x14" - scratchboard

Bruiser

Another new work... Another 8"x10" board  I knew when I was taking this series of photos last fall that it was going to make great scratchboards - love the light!

"Bruiser"
Grizzly Bear
Scratchboard and Ink

Another Old Start, New Finished

Another work that I started like two years ago.  I started it for a demo on how I do my color techniques.  I colored about half of it for that initial demo.  Since then it has traveled to a few other workshops with me, and demo by demo it got closer to being fully colored.  This past weekend I taught my first 'advanced scratchboard techniques' workshop and we talked about color a lot in that workshop...so it got some more color there.  After so many 'little bits of color' I decided to just finish it up.  The far right side of the parrot was cleared totally to white and I airbrushed the gradient from black to green.

This board is 8"x10" and the reference photo was taken by Suneko on Flickr and used under creative commons licensing.

New book available on scratchboard art!

Diana Lee is a true master in the techniques of scratchboard art and I am excited to let you know about the release of her new book on Scratchboard art, which can be purchased here.

It is great to finally have a quality book to recommend for those interested in learning scratchboard art techniques or simply learning more than they already do. The clear images, easy to understand text, and many close ups make it easy to follow and understand the techniques. This book gives great examples and explanations of a wide range of subject matter (still life, portraits and animals) both in color and in black and white. The book also has a section on color theory and the author does an excellent job explaining it in a concise but easy to understand manner.

Unlike MANY art books that I have purchased that are loaded with 'pretty pictures' but don't really explain how the artist achieved the end results, this book shows you how the author works from start to finish. Truly if you are someone interested in either starting in scratchboard art or simply expanding your horizons in the medium this is a 'must have' title for the art library!

Sales and Update

"The Night Watchman" has been completed in time and submitted to "Women Artist of the West" exhibition.  If it gets juried in it will be headed to Texas in November.

"The Night Watchman" - 12" x 12" - Scratchboard Art

I am also excited to tell you that Luminescent was one of the most popular works and also SOLD at the opening of the The Wild Animal Sanctuary show.  A percentage of the sales proceeds going to "The Wild Animal Sanctuary" in Keensburg, CO.  This facility has almost 300 rescue animals (mostly large carnivores).  I was able to find out that this tiger, who was just a cub back in 2006 when I took my reference photos there, is named Simon and is now one of their most popular tigers (sort of a 'spokes tiger' for the sanctuary).  He and his sisters Simone and Sophie were born at the sanctuary when their mother was rescued already pregnant.  The entire show featuring animals from teh sanctuary (lions, tigers, bears, wolves, and more) will be on exhibit at Mary Williams Fine Art Gallery in Boulder, CO through Aug. 25.  Please stop by and take a look at the great show!

"Luminescent" - 24" x 24" - SOLD - Scratchboard Art

Deadlines

I seem to be constantly working on a deadline recently... once of the very good thing about making sales... I need new work for shows!!  It definitely increases my productivity :)

I was recently reading a prospectus for a show that I will be entering and this year they have a size limit of 12"x16" and works must have been completed in the past two years... EEK!  Most of my work is at least 14"x18" and many are bigger.  SO.... "Dreaming Big" (lion cub a few postings below) fits the bill at only 8"x8", and I have a pencil work from 2010 called "A Kind Eye" that is right at 12"x16"... but what else to send??  Well why not create something new?  So what if entries are due in one week?!?

I have had this reference, courtesy of a scratchboard friend Irfan Ahmed, that has been in my files for a little while.  With the recent sale of "Intrigue" at the Greeley Stampede Western Art Show (plus the sale of "On The Wind" and "Tassels") it seemed that another one of my all time favorite creatures, a Great Gray Owl, was a good choice.  I think the title will be "The Night Watchman".  The board has a bit of shine going on, so hard to get a really good photo yet.  Size is 12"x12".

First installment - only part of the board,
but the left side will be left mostly dark

Good progress on it.  This is the full board.

I finished up "Spring Loaded" today :)



"Spring Loaded" - 20"x30" - Scratchboard Art Mountain Lion

Lion Cub

I went ahead and finished this guy up tonight.   

PS I decided to go with the title of "Dreaming Big".

"Dreaming Big" - Lion Cub - 8"x8" - Scratchboard

ISSA Exhibition 2012

Last weekend was the International Society of Scratchboard Artists (ISSA) 1st Annual Exhibition Opening.  We had about 25 artist from all over the world attend the show, including Patrick Hedges from Australia, Lorna Hannett from British Columbia, and Louise Collier from Newfoundland (as well as artists from all over the USA)!!  The show was very well received and the opening at ARThouse Gallery in Glen Ellen, CA was very nice.  On Sunday and Monday we held demos with master scratchboard artists demonstrating their techniques.  The scratchboard community is by far the most giving and generous artist community you well ever find.  Everyone openly shares techniques, feedback and help.  In addition they are all crazy ( I am the only normal one in the whole lot ;) with tremendous sense of humor!  The laughter almost never dies down.  Without a doubt it was a great time!

I was honored with an Award of Excellence for "Blue and Gold".  The Master Scratchboard Artist Category was judged by artist Dorothy Pierce, PhD.  I am honored to receive this award as it was a very nice show.

Here is a picture of much of the group taken after the demos on Monday.  We forgot to take a group picture on Saturday at the opening, but there were a few more artists at the opening too.

I was one of the artist that did a demo on Monday.  My demo was fur and eyes, and then a bit of a discussion on marketing your artwork.  I used this lion cub for my demo.  My reference for this cutey was from South Africa last summer.  This cub was in a captive program that raises breeding animals.  Her and a brother were 3 months old and we actually got to go in and play with them.  They thought my long hair was a fabulous toy.  It was definitely a cool experience.  This board is 8"x8" in size.  No title yet.

I also am working on a 20"x30" board which I am calling "Spring Loaded".  I am hoping to have it done by July 24 to enter it in a competition if it turns out well :)



Luminescent

Luminescent is almost done!  And in plenty of time for the fund raiser.  I am still 'tweaking' minor things, but for all intensive purposes it is completed.  There are some works that you struggle with for much longer than you feel that you should, and others that just flow and almost scratch themselves.  I am fortunate that this work fits into the 2nd category.  I will post the web site where the works will be available at the end of July once it is up and running.

"Luminescent" - 24"x24" - scratchboard with a hint of color

This Insantiy we call life!

Hi fellow blog followers.  I hope you all are doing well.  I am stuck in a wee bit of insanity called life!  Our scratchboard show is coming together quickly and the opening reception will be July 7 in Glen Ellen, CA.  Join us if you can.  You can also view the exhibit online here.   Here are the details to attend the real deal :):

I went to pick up my unsold work from the Colorado Governor's Show this past Tuesday only to find out that "Mouthing Off" sold on the closing weekend of the show.  Yeah!  I sold three of my four works, which is fantastic :) 

I also dropped off my art for the Greeley Stampede Invitational Western Art Show, which opens on June 20th.  If you are in the Greeley area from then until July 4 please stop in and check out the show.  I have four scratchboards and one oil painting in the exhibit. 

I am off tomorrow to Bennington, Vermont for the opening of Art of the Animal Kingdom.  This is my third year in the exhibit, but first time to attend the opening.  I am looking forward to seeing some good art friends too!

And then in all my free time (LOL) I also committed to creating a new work for a fund raiser raising money for the Wild Animal Sanctuary (big cats, wolves and bears).  20% of all sales will go directly to the sanctuary.  All work will be created of animals that actually reside there at the sanctuary (so it won't be just any tiger or leopard, it will be one that really lives there).  Anyways they are doing some special photo shoots for artists to gather reference photos of the animals, but they are when I am in Vermont.  However, I have been to the sanctuary in the past and taken photos there, so I will be working from those photos.  This youngster is most likely at least 5 years old now (did I mention it was a few years ago that I went there  ;)  The title of this board is "Luminescent" and it is 24"x24".  I have to have it done by July 15.  The eyes and nose will be colored, but the rest will be left black and white.  I am quite pleased with how it is progressing and think it is going to have quite an impact at the event, which will open at the end of July.







"Luminescent" Work In Progress - 24"x24" Scratchboard



Off to go pack for my trip to Vermont!  See you when I get back :)

Small Works

You may be seeing more small works from me, as not only are they faster to create, but cheaper to frame and ship too :)  However I will be doing big ones too... just not enough hours to create!  I also have several paintings on the go, though nothing close to done!

Here are a couple of small boards finished in the past two weeks.  Even small boards take usually 10-20 hours to be created.

"In Repose" I started Two YEARS ago, but I didn't like something about it, so it ended up in a box in my basement where I found it before my last workshop and decided to finish it.  Size is 5"x7".

"In Repose" - 5"x7" - Scratchboard

"Elk Calf" I worked on at my art fair this past weekend.  The art fair was in Estes Park, which is the gateway town into Rocky Mtn. National Park.  Both Estes and RMNP have HUGE elk populations and can often be seen right in the town, so it seemed a fitting subject to work on while there.  The reference photo was taken in RMNP last fall.  Size on this little fella is 5"x5"

"Elk Calf" - 5"x5" - Scratchboard

"Elk Calf" close up with penny for perspective.

Updates and upcoming shows

My Spring continues to be incredibly busy! 

The Colorado Governor's Show opened on April 28 and was a success.  I sold two works, including one work to a repeat client that purchased from me last year.  Thanks Paul and Charlotte!  My two works that sold were "American Icon" and "Mother May I?"  This show is at the Loveland Museum in Loveland, CO and runs through June 10.  Don't miss it if you are in the area!

"Napoleon"

My oil painting "Napoleon" was juried in to Bennington Center For the Arts "Art Of The Animal Kingdom" exhibition, which will open in Bennington, VT June 14.  This is my third year in the show and last year I won their Viewer's Choice Award with "The Interrupted Drink", however this will be my first year being able to attend the show opening. 





"Just A Glance"

I found out that my work titled "Just A Glance" has been selected for the Society of Animal Artists Annual Exhibition.  The SAA is the worlds most prestigious animal art organization, and I am always honored to be included in their exhibition.  This show will open at the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum in New Jersey in October.

"Spotted"

Just this week I was notified that all five of the works that I had submitted to a competition run by BBC that they call 'Wildlife Artist of the Year' have made it in to the final round of judging in the international artist category.  They told us that they initially had 1,120 entries and narrowed it down to 127 works!  So for me to get five out of five in was quite a surprise!  Works I had entered were Edge Of Darkness, The Naturalist,  Mother May I?,  Spotted, and Napoleon.  Results will be announced May 24.



Promotion is under way for the Greeley Stampede Invitational Western Art Show, which will open June 22 and run through the 4th of July.  One of the ways that the show is promoted this year includes an article in Southwest Art Magazine about the show.  My artwork Tassels is printed in the magazine and also on Southwest Art Mags blog.  You can see the image and read the article here (or pick up the June magazine at your local bookstore).  To the left is a sampling of my work that will be at Greeley (plus two more not shown here).

And if all of this is not enough to make your head spin around, I will be having my first art fair of the year over Memorial Day Weekend (May 26-28) in Estes Park, CO.  They call their event "Art Market" and although I have never had a booth at this event before I have walked through it once or twice and always enjoyed seeing the variety of art.  The show runs Sat. and Sun. 9-5 and Mon. 9-4.  If you are looking for something to do over the long weekend it should be a good show.  I will have a wide selection of originals, prints, bookmarks and more available for purchase, plus be doing demos with scratchboard.

Between all of this, plus a trip to Oregon about 10 days ago, and teaching a workshop last Saturday, I have unfortunately not had much time to create new artwork, but I hope to have some updates and new work to show soon.

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