Rasputin

"Rasputin"  (pastel, 6x6 inches)  click here to bid 

This name came to me as I was checking my lists for "R" names suitable for roosters. I have "Raspberry" listed, but thought that would be better for a hen. Then this one popped in to my head and wouldn't leave. Since history was never my strong subject, I looked him up. Grigori Rasputin was a Russian peasant, mystic, faith healer and private adviser to the Romanovs in the early 1900's. Images show him with a piercing stare and his short biography on Wikipedia mentions that he suffered from physical tics and jerking limbs.
Hmmm... Kinda' fits.

I started off taking progress shots, but finished the next day and neglected to take more..

Agave

"Agave"  (pastel, 7x5 inches)  click here to bid

This cute longhorn calf is one of the twins from my recent large painting "Timid Twins" and who's cousins from the same herd are in "Double Trouble". I named this one Agave because she looks like a "Honey" to me, but I've already used that name, and I just bought some agave nectar at the store today. Lately my title thought-processes are becoming very fast, intuitive free-associations, almost like pulling something out of a hat. Lol.

Finally, some progress shots again!

Thanks for watching! Please share!

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Little Mister Chicken

"Little Mister Chicken"  (pastel, 6x4 inches)  click here to bid

This one to compliment Little Miss Chicken, of course! Cock-a-Doodle-Do!

Little Miss Chicken

"Little Miss Chicken"  (pastel, 6x4 inches)  click here to bid 

 This young chicken is from Fry's Fun Farm - home of the amazingly cute bunnies, and other young animals!

Road Sketch #33

"Road Sketch #33"  (pastel on Canson Mi-Tientes Touch, 6.5 x 11.5 inches) click here to bid

My last demo from the workshop in Marble Falls, TX. I had decided to do a landscape but had no more paper or boards of my own to work on, so someone handed me an odd-sized piece of black Canson Mi-Tientes Touch. I've seen this paper, and I think I have some somewhere, but had never used it before so it was an adventure. On first application it feels as though the pastel won't hold on very well, but in fact it holds very well! I probably could have layered up a lot more pastel than I did, but I'm used to working with light glazes.

I chose a twilight road scene for this black paper (which was actually more of a dark charcoal gray) so my main challenge here was keeping the values all low-key, in the mediums and darks. The tiniest bit of light yellow for the headlights of the oncoming truck, and medium-light gray for the road lines.

This painting is suitable for custom matting, and in fact would look quite nice in a simple black 12x18 inch frame with a medium off-gray mat, 6x11 opening. Or even double matting with a dark green or violet inner mat.

Twinkie

"Twinkie"  (pastel, 7x5 inches)  click here to bid

Here's my second demo from the weekend's workshop in Marble Falls. This one I had already primed up as an underpainting and I told the class I wanted no questions, so they could see how I work un-interrupted as in my own studio. I think the pastel took me about 35 minutes on this. Unfortunately I forgot to have anyone take pics, so no progress shots.

Instead, I'd like to mention my next workshop, coming up quickly next month, November 7 & 8! It's in Victoria, TX at the Victoria Art League. Click on the poster below for a quick view, or visit my workshop page for more info and a registration link!

Peony (and the Marble Falls workshop!)

"Peony"  (pastel, 6x6 inches)  click here to bid

Here was my first demo of the workshop at the Highland Arts Guild Gallery in Marble Falls this past weekend. I started this one from scratch to show how I build up the primers before adding pastel.

The workshop was a great success. A very talented group of artists. They did amazing things! Here are a few of the ladies at work, and a few shots of completed work I managed to get at the end, before the rest of them packed up...

Thanks for a fun weekend, y'all!

Chocolate or Vanilla?

"Chocolate or Vanilla?"  (pastel, 10x10 inches)

I've just sent this painting off to the Pastel Society of New Mexico 23rd Annual National Pastel Painting Exhibition. Thank you to jurors Mike Beeman, Barbara Jaenicke and Stan Sperlak for accepting it into the show!

Nov. 1 - 30, 2014
Hispanic Arts Center • EXPO New Mexico
300 San Pedro NE, Albuquerque
Opening Reception, Saturday, Nov. 1 from 1 - 6pm
with Awards Presentation at 2 pm

Doug Dawson will be judging; wish me luck! :)

 

Chippy

"Chippy"  (pastel, 6x4 inches)  click here to bid

Chippy the Chipmunk. One of three little paintings I got done last weekend at the Bayou City Art Fest. I've gotten into the habit of taking some primed underpaintings with me almost everywhere I go, since weekends are usually blessedly free of the myriad "mom" duties... especially when I'm not even at home! Lol.

This is from what is possibly the only decent pic of a chipmunk I own. Man those critters are fast!! Maybe if I still lived up north where these cuties reside... After 22 years in Texas, I'll never tire of watching geckos, but I really miss the chipmunks!

(NOTE: Oops! Just found out this is actually a golden-mantled ground squirrel! Thanks to a friend for catching that!! Wow, they are REALLY similar!)

Double Trouble

"Double Trouble"  (pastel, 36x36)  sold

My newest showstopper for the Bayou City Art Festival in downtown Houston TX, this weekend, Oct 11 & 12, 2014.
Find me in booth #590 on Dallas Street, facing north!

Safety Zone

"Safety Zone"  (pastel, 16x16 inches)  $985 framed   sold

Finally, this and my other really large new work are done! (Remember my post from way back in August, when I gave a sneak peek at 2 large underpaintings?) As usual, finished in the nick of time for an art fair. This will be with me at the Bayou City Art Festival this weekend, Oct 11 & 12, 2014. Find me in booth #590 on Dallas Street, facing north!

A Good Listener

"A Good Listener"  (pastel, 12x6 inches)  $450 framed   sold

I actually painted this one back in June and had intended for an entry to the Pastel Society of America's Enduring Brilliance Annual Juried Exhibition, but in the end decided on other paintings to enter. (In retrospect I should have entered this one maybe, as the other two did not get in! Ha)

Anyway, I never did enter this into anything, so I'll just take it to the Bayou City Art Festival this weekend in downtown Houston TX, and let it brighten up my booth 'til it sells!

If you're in the Houston area, come to the festival! I'll be in booth #590 on Dallas Street, facing north.

Stein

"Stein"  (pastel, 6x6 inches)  $249 framed

Here's the last from my final batch of underpaintings in September. I put the pastel on this one over the weekend. No auction this close to the Bayou City Art Fest, just straight into the frame!

This steer will be packed up on Thursday with all the rest of the new ones. All auctions (with no bids) will be ended very soon, if they haven't already, so I can frame everything up.

If you're near Houston this weekend, come to the Festival downtown and see me in booth #590!

Here are some progress shots of Stein:

"Bandit" in the CPS Renaissance in Pastel National Exhibition

"Bandit"  (pastel, 8x6 inches)  $1150

"Bandit" was accepted into the Connecticut Pastel Society Renaissance in Pastel National Exhibition, to be shown at the Slater Memorial Museum in Norwich, CT. The show runs from Oct 8 - Nov 9, 2014. Awards Reception Oct 19. Wish me luck!

Bandit was also published as the frontspiece to my Feature in the Pastel Journal, October 2013.

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