Happy New Year from Cheeto

"Cheeto"  (pastel, 10x8 inches)  sold (commissioned pet portrait)

Here's wishing you all a very Happy and Successful New Year!

I'm marking the occasion two days early with a recent commission to a client who has several of my little animal paintings and now a few special pet commissions as well. I'll be framing and shipping this one in the next couple days.

I'm taking some time off in January, at least from painting. I might find the time to post a few older paintings that have yet to find a home, but I'll be devoting my days to a list of "other stuff" as long as my arm (and my other arm and maybe a leg too) that has fallen by the wayside this past year including but not limited to: cleaning out the garage, and the pantry, and the master closet, catching up on all of my paperwork (and specifically doing the taxes because my son will be going to college and the FAFSA is due in February and it needs 2015 tax data. I Know, yuck!), sorting 85GB of photos from the last two years, redesigning pieces of my San Antonio Rodeo booth to fit into a new vehicle because the old truck threw a rod, adding a 'press' page to my website, and getting one kid to finish his Parent-Taught Driver Education Program and the other kid to start hers! Oh, and maybe continuing a search for an artist's assistant, lol.

So I hope you all have a fantastic beginning to your 2016, and may all your lists and goals get taken care of smoothly and free from all stress!

Here are just a few progress shots of Cheeto:

Thanks for watching! Please share!
:)

Piglets in Dreamland

"Piglets in Dreamland"  (pastel, 8x8 inches) click here to bid 

Another old favorite picked up from a gallery recently.

I've also been grinding away at a bunch of portrait commissions at this Holiday craft show I'm in. I did a portrait of twins today. It wasn't this one (to preserve the client's Christmas surprise) but it was similar. This one is from 2008.

You can see more of my Detailed Pencil Portraits at RitaKirkmanDrawings.com

Scaredy Toad

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

After a week of hectic activity, finally here's Happy Toad's companion.

I've done several pencil portraits at the craft show so far, and more to come! I can't post current ones for fear of disturbing someone's Christmas surprise, but here's one of my favorites from last year:

"Chloe" conte and pastel pencil, 10x8 inches

I've drawn this girl every year since she was about 2 years old!
Candice (my assistant artist) and I will be at Rolling Oaks Mall in San Antonio TX, every day until Christmas eve, drawing detailed pencil portraits like the one above, as well as quick-sketch portraits and caricatures. We're upstairs near the food court between Pretzelmaker and Kay Jewelers.

You can see more samples of my portrait and caricature drawings at RitaKirkmanDrawings.com.

Happy Toad

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

Setup for the craft show is tonight. I've been updating signage, painting chairs, refreshing samples, and will be loading the truck all day.

Meanwhile, here's another old favorite from the same time period of yesterday's tortoise (I guess I wasn't always painting cows!)

Yawning Tortoise

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

In the midst of preparing for the Christmas Arts & Craft Show at my local mall (setup is Tuesday night) I've been having horrible posting withdrawal symptoms from having not blogged or done anything with social media in six whole days! Aak!

So, since there are no new paintings as I head into three weeks of pencil portraits, I decided to give an old favorite some new attention! I've always liked this tortoise painting. I painted it when I was really getting a good grasp of applying the pastel in a minimal and fresh way that allows a little to say a lot. I recently got it back from a gallery where it had just never connected with the right buyer, so I'm giving it another shot on auction, unframed. We'll see what happens!

While I'm on the topic of paintings, I have the decisions from the Ming Gallery jury for their "Spring Greetings" exhibit coming up in February. They've chosen (of course) "Deep Sheep", and five of the smaller paintings that I submitted last week... drumroll... Here they are!

"Deep Sheep" pastel, 28x25 inches

"Cat-ness" pastel, 12x9 inches

"Ginger Bun" pastel, 8x8 inches

"Hop Cross Buns" pastel, 10x10 inches

"Listening" pastel, 10x10 inches

"Pippi" pastel, 9x7 inches

 The exhibit will be at the Ming Gallery in in Suzhou, China, Feb 4 - March 6, 2016. I'll post more info as the dates approach.

Deep Sheep

"Deep Sheep"  (pastel, 28x25 inches)

Day 1 of my.... no, just kidding!

This is my final painting to be submitted to the "Spring Greetings" Exhibition at the Ming Gallery in Suzhou, China. (More info on this post.) The submission deadline is tomorrow, Dec 2, which of course is why this painting was finished today. Ha. Could have been worse. I could have finished it tomorrow. Hey, I could still make edits tomorrow!...  Ok, I won't do that.