Grounded Duckling

"Grounded Duckling"  (pastel, 6x6 inches)  $249 Available at The Gallery at Round Top

My last painting before the pastel convention. Tomorrow I get to head up to Albuquerque for the biennial convention of the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS for short). I've attended every other one since 2007, when I was awarded Master Circle status. If you're not familiar with the convention (also called IAPS for short,) this is the long-awaited week when pastelists from all over the world gather, paint, learn, network, unwind and recharge. To get an idea of why I'm so excited to go, see my (long) post about the 2011 IAPS on my Art Journal Blog HERE!

Late yesterday I decided I'd benefit from cleaning out my travel pastel box for the trip...

See some pics of that process on a new Art Journal post HERE!

Meanwhile, here are some progress shots of Grounded Duckling:

Stay tuned next week for some Albuquerque landscapes, maybe!

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Apricot

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

This baby was little more than hand-sized! Pure as snow but for her little apricot-colored patches and ears.

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Red

"Red"  (pastel, 6x6 inches) $249 Available at The Gallery at Round Top

Happy Memorial Day! Here's a brave rooster for you. He's proud to show off his red, white and blue for for our fallen heroes.

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Nuttin' Honey

"Nuttin' Honey"  (pastel, 8x8 inches)  click here to bid

Back to the easel at last! Here's something a little different; this one's in the shade. I like it!

Clover (and the Rockport Gallery Talk)

"Clover"  (pastel, 6x6 inches)  $250

One of the last little ones I painted for my show Beauty of the Beast at the Rockport Center for the Arts in Rockport, TX. The reception was last Saturday, May 16. It was well attended and quite enjoyable! On my Art Journal Blog, see reception photos and a video of the Gallery Talk, where myself and artist Billy Keen (who's work is in the Main Gallery of the Center) had an informal Q&A session for the guests! The show will continue through June 13.

Meanwhile, here are some progress shots of Clover!

Dawn of a Texan Dynasty

"Dawn of a Texan Dynasty"  (pastel, 36x36 inches)  sold

I actually finished this one 10 days ago, but hadn't taken a good photo of it when it was done. So I had to get the scans put together before I had an image I could post. I scan all my artwork before it's framed, so I can have a good 300dpi image file. Since my scanner is just an ordinary desktop size... yea. You get the picture. This one was about 25-30 sections to be connected up in Photoshop. I have a feeling there might be some program that could do that for me, but who has time to research that?? I'm too busy on my computer, uh, I mean PAINTING! I'm too busy painting. Yea. (Lol)

To continue the techie aspect of this post, I thought I'd show you my compositional thought process. This one was composed from 3 photos - the three cows:

They were all from the same herd on the same day (the same "photo shoot" I call it) so that the light matched. I remember these were on my way up to my workshop in Kansas last spring, somewhere in the north Texas panhandle.

I had a lot more pics from this herd, but as I played with the composition, these three settled to the fore. I also found a webpage online by a guy who talked about composing in a square and using mathematical formulas and circles very similar to how the golden rectangle uses 1.618 and the spiral to create the aesthetic ideal.

After spending more than an hour last night looking for that webpage because I had neglected to bookmark it, I looked again this morning with different keywords and found it! It's a mathematical essay by artist Janusz Kapusta, called The Square, the Circle and the Golden Proportion
A New Class of Geometrical Constructions. You can see it here:

https://archive.bridgesmathart.org/2000/bridges2000-247.pdf

 
Here's one of his square design diagrams overlaying my photo composition:

I did end up tweaking the positions just a bit more for the final painting.

"Dawn of a Texan Dynasty" will be my other largest painting at my show Beauty of the Beast at the Rockport Center for the Arts in Rockport, TX. Reception is this is Saturday, May 16 at 4:30.

Thanks, and please share!

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Old Nickelhead

"Old Nickelhead"  (pastel, 30" circle)  $3500

Old Nickelhead is actually my very first, and largest, circle painting, from early last year. So he has a special place in my heart! Read about his story and the origins of these circles HERE!

I thought I would post him again because he's now the centerpiece for my wall of circles in my show Beauty of the Beast at the Rockport Center for the Arts in Rockport, TX. My work will be in the Garden Gallery. The work of multi-media artist Billy Keen will be in the Main Gallery. The shows open today (Thursday) and the Reception and Gallery Talk for both shows is Saturday, May 16 at 4:30. Hope you can make it if you're in the area!

Dodge

"Dodge"  (pastel, 15 inch circle)  $850

Dodge began as a demo for the Pastel Society of Southeast Texas in Houston earlier this year,

..but was was finished to balance "Bull Profile #1" (same size) for my show in Rockport, TX, which opens tomorrow! Dodge is also the 'CoverBoy' for my postcard invite, and Y'all are invited! The Reception and Gallery Talk is this Saturday, May 16. Hope you can make it if you're in the area! Tell all your Texas friends!

Thanks, and please share! :)

Bull Profile #3

"Bull Profile #3"  (pastel, 20 inch circle)  $1500

What spoke to me the most about his bull was the dead bored look in his eye, like "Man, what? I've gotta get into that ring and buck some poor fool off my back again? Just give me some green fields and pretty heifers and leave me alone!" 

This is the other of the 20" circle profiles for my show Beauty of the Beast at the Rockport Center for the Arts in Rockport, TX. My work will be in the Garden Gallery of the Center. The work of multi-media artist Billy Keen will be in the Main Gallery. The shows open Thursday, and the Reception and Gallery Talk for both shows is Saturday, May 16 at 4:30. Hope you can make it if you're in the area!

Bull Profile #2

"Bull Profile #2"  (pastel, 20 inch circle)  $1500

I'll be resting from painting this week, as I post the few works for my show that haven't been posted yet. Here's one of the two 20" circle profiles that I made for the circles wall of my show Beauty of the Beast at the Rockport Center for the Arts in Rockport, TX. The show opens Thursday, and the Reception and Gallery Talk is Saturday, May 16 at 4:30.

3 layers of the gold primer

with the terra cotta primer added

... then the black primer

 And them comes the pastel... (the camera had a hard time exposing for such deep darks, so try to ignore the slight value shifts from one shot to the next... The completed painting at the top of this post is from a scan, and shows the accurate color and tone.)

 Thanks for watching! Please share!

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Counting Sheep

"Counting Sheep" (pastel, 32x32 inches)  $4100

Whew! I was at this one all day Friday and most of Thursday. This is the last large work I needed for my show Beauty of the Beast at the Rockport Center for the Arts in Rockport, TX. I deliver 30+ works of art tomorrow! Reception and Gallery Talk is May 16 at 4:30.

I have to get this over to my framer this morning, so I'll keep this short.

Here's my photo composition, created in photoshop from 5 different pics.

This grayscale version was quite helpful when layering up the primers!

2 layers of the gold primer... see the sheep yet?

3 layers of the gold primer

...and the terra cotta primer

 Something's not right here. The little peeking sheep (one of the 4 imported from other photos) aught to be in the shadow of the sheep on the left.

There.