For Pastels Only on Cape Cod

Available at Kendall Art Gallery, Wellfleet, Ma

I went to a lively opening of the For Pastels Only on Cape Cod show sponsored by the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod. The show is being held at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod in South Yarmouth through the 27th. The space is quite beautiful. It is a renovated bank and has some really interesting architectural elements which made for fun viewing. There are even paintings hung in the old vault room which still has the original vaulted door. I was honored to receive The Landscape Award sponsored by Liz Haywood-Sullivan, especially since Liz is a fellow pastelist and wonderful friend. Richard McKinley and Margaret Dyer were the Jurors of Selection and Awards and I, along with my fellow paparazzi artists, were thrilled to meet Mr. McKinley first hand. (He must have been blind by the end of the night with everyone taking turns to have their picture taken with him.) This is the picture that I was lucky enough to win the award for...

This show has now been extended, so for anyone down near the Cultural Center, it is now running until July 7th!

The Sketchbook Project

My Daughter told me about a great fundraising project put on by the Art House Co-op. You sign up for a sketchbook and pick a theme and when it is done, send it back and it is viewed at the Brooklyn Art Library. And you can have it digitized to be viewed online.

Here is the link to my daughters blog which then links you to the sight...(I know, I am being lazy)

Click here

Can't wait until my sketchbook comes in the mail! Fun, fun. For my theme I chose inside/outside. I can be literal or play on the words. You'll have to wait and see.

Thanks, Rachael

Play

6"X6"

I had bought some flowers and started playing by just doing a vine charcoal value drawing on some extra Canson Mi Teintes paper. I threw a hint of pastel over it, as I felt it needed something more. I like the effect and think I will play with this idea a little more later. Maybe get more in depth. Sometimes I get so serious about work that I forget to just play.

Spring Saltmarsh

Expressions, Scituate, MA

I taught a wonderful class a few days ago and the weather was no less than perfect. I started the session with a very quick pastel painting to demo underpainting in watercolor when you are plein aire painting. Although the weather has been incredibly warm with plants blooming way before their usual time, the salt marsh is still a nice subdued green.

downtime

Seems like for the last two weeks, I have been going at 90 miles an hour. Too much to do, too little time, yada yada yada... So today I just took a much needed relaxing long walk with my pup and brought along my camera. Felt so good to take things down a notch and just experience this fantastic warm spring day. I could actually feel the tension melting away. Need to remind myself to do this way more often.

Taste of the Town and Silent Auction

Click here for more info on event

6"X 8" Wind Ensemble

My son has been on the Wind Ensemble at his High School and he is coming up to his last concerts before he graduates. I cannot say enough about the enjoyment we, and he, has garnered from Wind Ensemble and Band. And also what a fantastic job the music program and all their support team does, starting right at grade school, in our public school system. A big Thanks to all. Our biggest fear is losing this phenomenal educational and inspiring program to all the budget cuts.

I just finished a piece for the Marshfield Friends of Music biggest fundraiser, A Taste of the Town & Silent Auction. I have donated this piece to be auctioned off. There are also other great items available, too. Takes place this April 10th! Proceeds benefit Marshfield's Public Schools' Music Program...Check it out by clicking the link below the image. Lots of fun!

Painted Cakes and Flowers

With all this cold weather and dreary rain, my daughter and I decided to take in the Flower Show this weekend to catch a glimpse of what we would like this spring to mirror. After parking the car and sprinting through the frigid cold to the Seaport World Trade Center, we were greeted with pure color, delight and warmth. How nice to be surrounded by luscious greens and brightly colored flowers. As always at the flower show, we came across spectacular varieties of plants and flowers that we had never seen before and can't pronounce anyway. I am hoping that I will be able to find some of these in local garden centers when spring truly arrives. It also made me long for warm plein aire painting days to arrive soon.

I came across a landscaping idea that I want my husband to now do to our back yard. It should be easy, right hun? haha!

We also came across these incredibly flower decorated cakes. I loved this painted one. I could do that...just paint on Fondant. I never even knew what Fondant was until my fam started watching The Cake Boss.

Funniest moment there...watching this older gentleman holding his camera, that must also takes videos-(I hope), at arms length above his head. He walked the whole show that way. We continually would catch glimpses of him here and there. His arm must have been exhausted by the end of his stay. And I can't quite fathom how this video must have come out.

Enfolded

contact artist if interested in purchasing/6"X6" Pastel

Just finished another still life with the Mary figurine, but in color. When I was arranging the lily it enwrapped the figurine and I loved the effect so I left it. Happy accident. It was a real challenge with the white lily against the white figurine. Lots of little subtleties.

Ivy

I drew this portrait of Ivy a while back and have entered it in a few shows. Ivy's mom just purchased the drawing and so she is now home. Appropriate. The medium I used was sanguine and white conté. I started using conté back at art school during my life drawing class. I think it gives a drawing a nice old world feeling. When I first met Ivy, she looked to me like she was from a past era with her gorgeous curly hair and her beautiful ivory complexion, so it made total sense to me to use this medium. It was one of those drawings that I envisioned what I wanted it to look like before I even put down the first mark on paper. Great advice from William Merritt Chase-"Try to see your picture...drawn and painted, always anticipating a success and never a failure. You should always see your motive painted before you attempt it, and choose as simple a subject as possible."

Demo Middle School

Today I gave a quick demo at our local middle school. I set up a little still life and worked directly from that. The kids were so inquisitive. They were truly interested and eager to learn about the materials you are using and the process. It was a pleasure to be surrounded by such great kids. Just so there is no confusion, the photo of my easel shows oil paints on the palette. That was just left over from another painting. The demo is a pastel painting.