Workshops, News & Other Great Stuff

It's happened again!

2010-07-19T20:34:00.006-05:00

Look at these! Can you believe they are colored pencil? I went to Oklahoma City Saturday to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to see the 2010 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition. I knew in advance Mikel Donahue's pieces were colored pencil but I was not prepared for how excellent they really were. Some of you who have taken my workshops know I like to boast and say, "...you can't fool me. I'll know what you did!" Well evidently I can be fooled because I don't know what Mikel Donahue did. I could not tell what surface he works on or whether he uses solvents or perhaps blends some other way but his work is beautiful. I read on his web page he sometimes uses watercolor and/or pastel with his pencils but at these pieces were listed as being colored pencil, not mixed media.

If you have the time, or if you like western art be sure to take a look at the on line catalog for the Prix de West Show. I think you'll really enjoy it.

My friends in Belton, TX...

2010-05-09T18:56:00.011-05:00

I just returned from Belton where I introduced this wonderful group of ladies, and I mean it, this is a great group of ladies, to Uart sanded paper. I was excited because they'd be working on the new color. Well, it might not be new to you but I have not ordered any in a while so I had not seen the beautiful, neutral, buff color. I love it.

I must admit, and I told them on the second day, that when preparing this workshop I thought the project might be a bit difficult but they proved me wrong. I'm sure you can figure out why I didn't tell them on the first day. Anyway, look how gorgeous their pieces turned out....quite a few of them did not understand why I wanted to showcase them all together on the wall, but once they were there, it was plain to see.

Since you might not know what you are looking at the reference photo they used is posted below. Nice job ladies! I am proud of you. So it looks like I'll be seeing you again after the first of the year. We are going to have fun "Painting With a Dry Medium".

Photo by Elizabeth Joy Kimes

I'd like to introduce you to...

2010-05-09T18:07:00.004-05:00

I'd like you to meet Dr Ollie Theisen, (on the right) the woman to whom I owe a great deal of thanks. She's known to me as Ollie rather than the esteemed Dr Theisen because that's how she is, open and approachable.

Ollie was head of the art department at Northeast Community College from 1985 to 1996. During her tenure it was rumored NTCC had the best art department within a 100 mile radius. Regardless of what was said we all knew it was true. What we were getting we knew we could not get anywhere else, or at least anywhere within a reasonable driving distance.

Eight out of the eleven years she was there, she had me for a student. I could tell you stories but it would probably be better if I didn't. Looking back I know she put up with a lot from me...at least that's how I remember it. I haven't seen her but once since 1993 so I was delighted to hear she was going to be at the college. Dr Ollie Theisen was coming to receive a Distinguished Professor Emeritus Recognition Award. So Wednesday afternoon I headed that way. It was great not only to see her but to watch as she received her award. I hung around a little while after most people had gone just to catch up. I can't tell you what it meant when she said how proud she was of me. And she said it not once, but several times.

If anyone had told me all those years ago that I'd be teaching workshops and classes or that one day I'd be teaching drawing at the very same college, in the very same room, sitting around the very same tables and sometimes using her very same words, I would have been stunned and of course not believe a single word. I'm not sure how I feel about that, it stirs something deep in side, but mostly it just makes me smile.

And she looks good too!

The end of the Panasonic Sharpeners...

2010-04-18T15:37:00.004-05:00

I managed to get my hands on two Panasonic battery operated sharpeners, actually someone very near and dear bought one for me. Wasn't that sweet? Hopefully they will last me for a while. I also bought the Stanley/Bostich battery sharpener, model - 02697. It's pretty good but not a precision sharpener like the Panasonic but much better than the Staples brand. You may not have a Staples in your area but if you do, don't bother with them, they are designed to break.

I also sent an email to the Sanford Rep, Shelley Minnis, and suggested Sanford buy the technology from Panasonic. Believe it or not, she had the same idea and forwarded my email on to marketing. Why not? We need quality sharpeners and they have the money. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

By the way, have you seen Sanford's new web page? It's pretty awesome. They have a page called "meet the artists". They profiled quite a few artists who use Prismacolor products, not just colored pencils. If you are interested here's the link: http://www.prismacolor.com/artists

Shock waves....

2010-02-15T15:07:00.004-06:00

I do realize this bit of information is going to send shock waves through the colored pencil community. Please note, I said one of my students reported this information to me. Perhaps I should have called Panasonic myself before posting. I do know first hand that they are out of stock just about everywhere. Have any of you called?

Panasonic Pencil Sharpeners...

2010-02-15T06:59:00.005-06:00

I've recently been looking to buy a new pencil sharpener, both battery and electric however I've been seeing "out of stock" just about every where I've looked. That seemed odd. Jokingly I thought maybe the container carrying them from China fell off the boat. Joking aside, I've since found out it's worse than that. One of my students said an employee at the store she was in called Panasonic and found out they are not going to make pencil sharpeners any more. NOT GOING TO MAKE PENCIL SHARPENERS ANY MORE?????? WHAT MADE THEM DECIDE THAT?

Now what? I really don't care for Boston/Xacto. Most of them leave a blunt tip on the pencil. How about Bostich? If any of you know of any other sharpeners that make a long, sharp point I'd be happy to hear from you before I buy up what's left of the Panasonics. Just kidding.....

Oh and, you may not want the new, cute little black and red one made by Panasonic. It does not have the steel alloy cutter blades. FYI...

Paper Terminology Glossary

2010-02-10T09:05:00.004-06:00

When you are shopping for paper for your latest art project did you ever wonder what a Deckle Edge was? Or what 100% Rag actually means? Or whether you should choose Hot Pressed over Cold Pressed? Here is a handy list of artist paper terminology for your reference. Enjoy!

100% Rag: Made entirely of cotton and/or linen rag pulp

Bond Paper: A term for smooth-surfaced text weight paper, coined by a customer of Crane’s Stationers, a banker who asked that his personal stationery be printed on “bond paper”, the stock used for printing bank bonds.

Deckle Edge: The natural terminal edge of a sheet of paper, where the screen on which the sheet is formed is attached to the deckle, or frame. Artificial deckle-edges are produced by a jet of water slicing through still-wet pulp.

High Alpha: Wood-based paper pulp of the highest quality, with strong fibers and no acidity.

Hot-pressed, Cold-pressed, Plate and Rough: All manufactured artist’s papers are pressed in some fashion, between rollers that squeeze out water and impart a specific texture. Hot-pressed paper is smooth and relatively free from surface detail; cold-pressed paper has more pronounced tooth. Plate finish papers and boards are smooth like hot-pressed, deriving their name from the metal plates each sheet was originally sandwiched between before passing through a press. Rough paper has the most aggressive surface, like earlier papers whose bumpy textures resulted from shrinkage during air-drying.

Inclusion: Any material added to paper pulp for visual or textural effect that remains distinct from the paper fibers. Leaves, flowers, cloth scraps and coffee husks are only a few examples from among thousands of possibilities.

Internally and Externally Sized: Internally sized paper is completely impregnated with sizing during the manufacturing process; paper that is externally sized has had starch or glue applied after the sheet has been created.

Kozo: A Japanese term for mulberry-derived fiber

Laid: A surface revealing the texture of the screen on which the sheet was formed, or a simulation of the traditional texture produced by a die on the dandy roll

Lignin: A protein in wood, undesirable in finished paper

pH Neutral vs. Acid Free: The pH scale measures acidity and alkalinity in degrees from 0 to 14, with a value of 7 being “pH neutral”. A paper designated “acid free” will have a pH of 7 or greater; a paper sold as “pH neutral” should have a value between 6.5 and 7.5.

Pulp: Cellulose fibers prepared for papermaking by pounding and bleaching

Ream: 500 sheets, formerly 480 (based on 20 “quires” of 24 sheets)

Sulphite: Wood pulp produced by breaking down fibers in sulphuric acid; there are different grades of Sulphite pulp

Watermark: A design on a sheet of paper revealed by illumination from the back. Originally accomplished by molding or welding a design element or insignia onto the wire screen used to make paper, now more commonly produced by placing dies on the dandy roll

Weight (gsm): A useful measure of weight in paper, based upon grams per square meter. Accurate regardless of original sheet size.

Weight (pounds): A measure of the weight of a full ream of paper; the implied weight of a single sheet from a ream, dependent upon one’s knowledge of the full, unconverted sheet size.

Wove: A smooth, featureless surface with subtle tooth; from the “woven” type mold, as opposed to the “ribbed” type.

*Utrecht Learning Center

Yahoo and Yippie Skippy...

2010-02-03T16:15:00.008-06:00

I am so excited about winning the The CPSA District Chapters Award for Exceptional Merit in Explore This! 6. I meant to post earlier but I've been in and out so much I haven't had time. Winning this award caught me completely off guard. I thought the notification time had come and gone so I went about my business. When I got the email from Paula saying I'd won I was stunned.

If you haven't seen the show you can find it here: CPSA Explore This! 6 Online Exhibit

My entry for Explore This!

2009-11-11T15:59:00.005-06:00

I titled this "Reaching Out to the Other Side". It's a combination of Prismacolor and graphite. Much to my surprise I actually had fun doing this. I thought it would be a lot harder than it was. Happily I learned they could be compatible. Not to say I didn't run into problems but I figured out how to make the two work together pretty quickly.

What I've been doing....

2009-10-08T14:26:00.007-05:00

Last weekend I went to the Titus County fair to sit with the art work...let me explain. Every year several members of the Mt Pleasant Art Society volunteer a few hours of their time to keep an eye on the art for the duration of the fair. Since there's nothing much to do on a three hour shift but watch people, I took my camera and watched through my lens as they stopped to look at the art. Of course it's mostly high school kids that enter but you get a nice cross section of society filing through. It became quite a challenge and a lot of fun to try and get candid shots of people without getting noticed or questioned. I guess I did pretty good, no one said anything and I took about 350 pictures.

Anyway, I looked up and saw this little girl coming my direction. Isn't she a doll? I can't begin to tell you what was going through my head. I was so excited and hoped beyond hope that I could get at least one picture of her before she walked out.

Dreams do come true. She stood as still as a statue while I snapped away. I couldn't believe it. I probably got 15 shots of her while she stood there. Most of them were pretty good but there was "one"....so I put everything aside and spent the last three days doing a graphite drawing of her. Why graphite and not colored pencil? I just felt she needed to be done in black and white. By the way, the above photo was "not" the photo I worked from. My imagination is not that good.

Now that I look at her on the computer I still think I need to do some tweaking, mostly around the eyes, however I sprayed it because I would not stop working on it. I was beginning to make a mess of what was already fine. That being said...maybe I should leave it alone. Anyway, I need a title...any ideas?

As luck would have it one other little girl did the same thing. She just stood there and let me take picture after picture. I am biting at the bit to get started on her. I'm going to call her "Mona Lisa Child". The photo is extraordinary...every bit as good as the one above but different. I'm not sure what medium I'll do her in, she needs something special. Anyway, I don't know if I'll do her right now but if I do, I'll be sure and post it.

Are you kidding me...?

2009-08-29T08:45:00.011-05:00

I got an email last week from a woman who was searching for a watercolor artist named Linda Lucas. She wanted to know if I was her. Apparently, some time ago, she'd purchased a floral print and wanted another. I asked her to send me a photo of the print, I don't know, I though maybe I'd recognize the art work or something.

Linda Lucas is a very common name so is Linda Hardy and believe it or not quite a few of them are artists. That's one of the reasons I started going by Linda "Lucas" Hardy. That way no one could get me mixed up with the rest of them. Ok back to the story, nothing about the piece looked familiar so I thought I'd search for Linda Lucas since the woman had come up with nothing. Wow...I discovered I'm everywhere! No wonder she couldn't find her. After sifting through page after page I finally happened on a site advertising a workshop by the elusive Linda Lucas. Yeah! Case solved! I sent the info on to the lady and hopefully she was able to contact her.

So why am I telling you all this? In my search I happened on a page that had my name embedded in it somewhere. Oddly enough it was about knitting. I thought "....what? What's the association and where am I mentioned?" I could not let it rest so I kept digging. Ah ha! I finally found it. There was a reference to my palette guide. After a while I figured out who the page belonged to. It's Lupe's. Lupe took my workshop on 2007 Mexican Riviera Cruise. Mystery solved. About that time I noticed a colored pencil link. Once there I could not believe what I saw. Lupe...oh my gosh...she does amazing colored pencil portraits! So I had to show you. Here's a few of the portraits I found on her blogs. Yes, I found another one. Don't you just love the internet? If you'd like to see more of her work and step by step photos you can find Lupe HERE. And here Art, Supernaturally Enjoy!

The 17th International CPSA Exhibition & Convention in Atlanta, Ga

2009-08-15T14:45:00.017-05:00

I started putting these on my blog...meant to get back immediately but I came down with mild flu like symptoms Tuesday the 4th. For four days I felt awful. I gradually got to feeling better the following Friday but I had a workshop coming up a week later for Keller, Tx ISD (that was yesterday) and I still had a lot to do...yikes...so I had to do what I had to do. Everything else had to be put on hold.

I would like you to know what a pleasure it was to teach colored pencil to teachers. There were thirty in all, a wonderful group of men and women who, artists themselves, dedicate their time and passion to teach art to our children. I gave them everything I had yet feel like I owe them a debt of gratitude.

I don't know about you, but I'll never forget my art teachers. They kept me going. There was one in particular though, Mrs. Masters, who left an indelible mark on me.

That's Debra Yaun in the middle, trying to get everyone together to take a picture at the entrance of the Jacqueline C. Huydgens Center fo the Arts in Duluth, Ga. Debra told me the giant robot used to be the entrance to a toy store in Atlanta. Unfortunately the toy store went out of business so they donated the robot to the gallery. I'm sure it's quite a delight to the children in the area.

By the way, if you want to see more photos from Nationals go to, my new friend, Teresa Mallen's blog and a great, long time friend, Toni James' blog. They have some great ones.

The CIPPY award winner, Jeff George

2009-08-15T14:24:00.014-05:00

Here he is, Jeff George, with his winning piece, "Life and Death", this years CIPPY, or BEST of SHOW, award winner. And very well deserved it is. I have to admit, when I saw this piece I could not take my eyes off it...honestly, I fell in love with colored pencil all over again. I took some close ups but believe me, nothing can really show the incredible touch he has. You have to see it in person. It's just so lovely how he applies pencil to paper. I am truly in awe of his ability. And if you didn't know, it took him 385 hours to complete.

Ok so I'm going to blow my own horn a little. How about this placement? Wow! I was stunned when I saw where my piece was hung...and what a coincidence...right next to Holly Bedrosian's. Strange as it may seem, we basically won the same award. Well she won one and I won the other but they were for the same cash amount and they both were called the Award for Outstanding Achievement . And we were right next to each other. Maybe we can hang together next year. Anyway, Congratulations Holly! Your self portrait is lovely.

Awards and Rewards....

2009-08-15T13:48:00.017-05:00

Rather than an award I guess you could call this piece a reward. It was done by Helen Bailey, a student of mine. I was so excited to hear Helen's piece had been accepted into Nationals this year. But I always knew she was capable of great things she just needed to test the water. On a side note, Helen entered a cover competition for Horses in Art magazine. Not only did she win the cover, they published an article about her in the Spring 2009 issue. I am so proud of Helen. If you'd like to see more of her work click here: Helen Bailey Art

Elizabeth Patterson with her award winning piece "Sunset at Sweetzer". Elizabeth's award was the equivalent of Second Place. Congratulations Elizabeth! To see more of her work click here: Elizabeth Patterson

And a big Congratulations goes out to Shelia Theodratos for her award winning piece "Self in Progress". She took third place in Nationals this year. The following picture is of Shelia with her award winning piece "Laugh Track". Shelia was the recipient of the CPSA Great Explorations Award for Exceptional Merit in Explore This 5! There's no doubt about it, that's our Shelia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ah, one of my favorite pictures, Vera Curnow apparently describing to her friend Elaine just how John Smoklo does what John Smoklo does.

John Smoklo with his award winning piece, "Chrissy # 2 (34 weeks)"

Tommy Hunt with his award winning piece, "Dawn's Early Light". What? You are right! My piece was also titled "Dawn's Early Light". Funny as it may seem, that was not the original title for either one of us.

Pat Averill's wonderful, and yes, award winning piece, "Surf Suds".

Last but not least, my friend Laurene Puls. This is a self portrait she did after taking my French Gray workshop. She did such a beautiful job, I had to show you. I apologize for the reflections.

The Awards Banquet and before...

2009-08-15T13:10:00.011-05:00

Shelley Minnis, Pat Averill, Shelia Theodratos and me. This was taken prior to the Banquet.

The Awards Banquet...

Not quite everyone from Texas. (left to right) Toni Wengler, Steve Gilbert, Shelley Minnis...and the person next to her you should know by now....Cheryl Cox and Yvonne Hyatt. Toni and Cheryl are former students of mine and Yvonne is current. Congratulations go out to Toni who also had a piece accepted in Nationals this year.

Yeah, we are all here...wait a minute, Cheryl is missing...now where'd she run off to? (Back row left to right) Ken Wengler, my husband John, Steve Gilbert and Yvonne Hyatt. Front row, Toni Wengler, me, Patti Gilbert, Shelley Minnis and Lou Hyatt.

Thursday, July 30....Membership Meeting

2009-08-03T17:34:00.016-05:00

My photo's may run backwards according to when the events actually happened....it's either that or not posting at all. Just so you'll know, I'm just warming up. I plan to post pictures from the Banquet and from the show. I have to quit for the day but I'll be back. Linda

Before the Membership Meeting, Vera or Kay, can't remember which one, said they didn't know why this was called a meeting since no meeting takes place. Meeting or not, it's one of the most fun events of the Convention. During this time all 600 plus entries are shown and all the products that were donated by the patrons are given away as door prizes. It's also the time of the "Big Give Away" and the time when the Silent Auction ends. If you've never been to one of these they are a lot of fun. Anyone can be a winner and most are.

If you plan to take pictures at this event you'd better do it fast. Melissa Miller Nece keeps things moving. That's Melissa on the left, Gayle Keiko in the middle and Kay Dewar standing on the right. Seated on your right is a very intensely focused Teresa Mallen from Ottawa Canada. Hi Teresa!

After the Membership Meeting everyone was excited and pooped. Some of us got together for conversation and relaxation . That's Kay Schmidt nixing my husband John, saying no more pictures.

Ok, I stole this from Toni's blog. I just liked the picture so much I had to put it on my blog too. Besides you should see all the pictures she posted of me!

DC 215 Chapter Display and others....

2009-08-03T16:57:00.005-05:00

Helen Bailey testing the idea. Unfortunately once the pictures were on the stand it fell over.

But John, my hubby, took it apart and put a dowel rod down the center and "voila", it stood upright.

Chapter 104 - Detroit

More Chapter Displays...

2009-08-03T16:21:00.010-05:00

Thanks to Gayle Keiko I now know which Chapter the cube represents. As Gayle said, "That 'cube' was put together by our own Jeff George! Lots of pieces from our chapter members. Los Angeles DC 214" Thanks Gayle for letting me know.

DC 114 Raleigh Durham - I do regret I did not get a full picture of this one. It was lovely. Thank you Jan Pope for letting me know which Chapter this display represents.

DC 119 - Greater Cincinnati

DC 117 - St Augustine

DC 113 - Gainsville

What goes on in the Hospitality Suite other than registration and check in...

2009-08-03T15:49:00.016-05:00

Old friends get together and pose for pictures...

I've heard trouble comes in threes...I don't know so much about that but I'm open. That's me of course on the left, Shelley Minnis, the Sanford/Prismacolor representative and Toni James.

Shelley is an active member of DC 215, the Dallas/FtWorth Chapter. The lovely pink flower with the green background right above Shelley's head is her contribution to the display.

The table of give away's. You would not believe how much stuff was given away. If I had flown to Atlanta it would have been necessary to ship all the stuff I got. I'll tell you, it looked and felt like Christmas.

Some people start the bidding. In hindsight it might have been better to have taken a picture of the Silent Auction table without the blur....sorry about that!

Shelia Theodorados from Seattle and Pat Averill from Portland.

The Canson Rep, Melissa Miller Nece, Betsy Holster, Ken & Toni Wengler (from the Dallas/FtWorth chapter) and unknown.

National Board Finance Director Cheryl Cox and Shelley Minnis

The last day at the end of Pat's workshop

2009-06-29T20:54:00.004-05:00

Pat - Ann - & Me

Someone said dance and I think Pat took them seriously. Do we look like we were having fun?

The workshop was held in the Wedding Chapel

2009-06-29T20:52:00.003-05:00

What beautiful work...wish you could see them better. The windows in the wedding chapel cast a yellow light on everything but they are lovely aren't they? Since most of the pictures are a little blurry I think my camera had trouble focusing in the light. No one complained though I think they were too involved in what they were doing.

More pictures from my workshop...

2009-06-29T20:48:00.002-05:00

Here's a few pictures from Ann & Pat's workshops

2009-06-20T08:47:00.009-05:00

At the end of the day after Pat's workshop. I'm sure she was exhausted but it looks like everyone finished their landscape.

Our new Grandson...

2009-06-02T20:26:00.005-05:00

I wanted to post pictures from the cruise and the workshop, I planned to do it tomorrow in fact, but I just found out I have a new Grandson. He weighed 8lbs 6oz, was 21" long and his head was a whopping 15 inches....in spite of that Mother and son are doing fine. Our little one was born at home with two midwives assisting. Since we have to go see him tomorrow it may be a few more days before I get time to post pictures.

Lovely Mama, baby and a very cute big sister.

Next...Painting with a "dry" medium - Irving, TX - May 7 - 9

2009-05-15T21:48:00.002-05:00

I hope to get the Irving workshop posted before leaving on the cruise so be sure to check back.

The Value & POWER of Value Workshop - April 25 - 26 - Mc Kinney, TX

2009-05-15T21:24:00.006-05:00

If you think the pictures are different, you're right. I didn't give them all the same reference photo to work from. I gave them different photos with different values. Beautiful Work!

This is the group! My thanks to you for making this a successful workshop.

The Value & POWER of Value

2009-05-15T20:57:00.011-05:00

Did you know the success or failure of the finished product is often determined by how skillfully the value structure of the painting has been managed? Whether you work in watercolor, oil, pastel, colored pencil or graphite; if your style is abstract, impressionistic or realistic, regardless of how you categorize your work, all paintings and drawings have one thing in common—the crucial design element of value.

The first day of the workshop I handed everyone a worksheet. The purpose of the worksheet was so they could begin to learn about value patterns. After that they began working on value scales which is not something most people are thrilled to do. I didn't hear too much grumbling though. Once they finished the value scale I had them do the sphere pictured above.

We talked about Dominant Value and Value Patterns then I showed them a series of photos of paintings in color. They had to determine the dominant value, the broad value scheme and whether the painting I was an example of good or poor value . Once they expressed their opinion, I showed them the same photo in black and white. Not only was it good for them it was very good for me.

Vicki

Toni

Julie

The Impact of Value

Many of us look at a picture and determine whether we are inclined to do it based on the subject matter rather than considering the value content. I’ve been guilty of that myself. Even now I do not fully understand the basic principle of Value Patterns.

I’m finding there’s more to value than I ever thought. Value without color has the power to stand-alone – color without value can’t. Think about that! All by it’s self value can express – passion – drama – mood. Even though color is capable, it says significantly more if it has value to back it up.

My advice to you is, study your reference material and make a value assessment before ever considering whether or not to put your time and effort into a painting. At least that's what I plan to do....Linda

The second day I gave them the very difficult task of rendering their graphite drawing from a color photo...

2009-05-15T20:36:00.009-05:00

Donna & Yvonne however did not seem to take my directive too seriously...

And look at this, I caught those two using value finders!

While others, like Sally, Phyllis & Jonee did take a serious approach to the task at hand...

Jonee

Hard at work...

2009-05-15T20:19:00.003-05:00

Gloria

Helen

Surbhi

Portrait in French Gray - Northeast Texas Community College - Mt. Pleasant, TX

2009-05-15T19:52:00.002-05:00

Kim Wommack's grand-daughter...not only is she a cutie Kim is doing a very good job handling the French Grays.

This may have been a small class but it was dynamic and they were a group of very talented artists.

French Gray Workshop continued

2009-05-15T19:45:00.003-05:00

Rising Sun, Indiana - March 28-29 - Colored Pencil on UArt sanded paper.

2009-04-22T23:01:00.003-05:00

I am soooooo behind posting the photos from your workshop. I hope you can forgive me. Two weeks after your workshop I taught another one, which I will be posting soon, and I have one scheduled for this coming Saturday. I have a three day workshop coming up in two weeks and the cruise at the end of May. I'm scrambling to get everything done. Anyway, you all were great! My heart felt thanks to Vera who brought me in and a special thanks to all of you who attended. I had a wonderful time, I think you learned a lot and had fun too......Linda

This is the Group minus a couple who sadly had to leave before I took the group shot. Lurking in the back ground is Vera...see if you can find her.

The "almost" finished pieces. I was amazed at how fast most of you worked. Aren't they beautiful?

This is my favorite part by far...when you put your work on the wall. When I see how well you all have done I feel like a proud Mama.

Gettin' down to business...

2009-04-22T19:42:00.013-05:00

Ah, there she is...Vera...and Elaine. You see the smile on Vera's face? No, well you'll see it in some of the other photos. Even though Elaine looks focused and serious I was always suspicious that the two of them were up to something....either that or Vera was laughing at me....which now that I think about it is highly probable. I'm pretty sure she enjoyed giving me a hard time but what she may not know, no she knows, is her teasing was equally enjoyable to me. (For those of you who may not know, Vera Curnow is the founder of the Colored Pencil Society of America)

Now here's two who know how to get the work done....yeah, I'm kidding. It may not show in this picture but they were having fun too!

Need I say more?

This is Linda, a good friend of Vera's. Strange as it may seem Linda and I were born the same year, in same month and just a few days apart...but what made it even more fascinating was we were wearing the same shoes. Oh, and she teaches art too...how wierd is that?

Some of us love colored pencil so much we even wear colors like Lime Peel and Apple Green

2009-04-22T19:40:00.005-05:00

Debbie wearing Lime Peel and Marcia in Black and Gold.

That's Carol looking good in Apple Green...

She claimed she was a water colorist and but she and daughter Lauren took to colored pencil without any problems.

Hi girls, see you in Alaska!

Hi Sweetie, you did a great job!

More Rising Sun...

2009-04-22T19:38:00.001-05:00

There's a smile I could always count on...

Thanks for being so warm and friendly...

Look at all those colored pencils. What a beautiful sight!

It seemed like some people never looked up....

Isn't that gorgeous!

New Colored Pencil Directory

2009-04-16T08:48:00.006-05:00

Ann Kullberg has created a colored pencil directory that contains just about every thing you might want to know about colored pencil. I remember when I first started searching the internet for anything colored pencil related, there were a few things out there but searching took a lot of time and a lot of effort. Something like this would have been a favorite. Way to go Ann....

Colored Pencil Central

Back in the saddle again...

2009-04-06T14:25:00.008-05:00

I am so excited. I feel like I haven't done art in a very long time which has frustrated me. When I got a letter from Nationals asking if I'd be interested in donating a piece for this year's silent auction, and needing some original art to offer for sale on the Cruise, I picked through some of my favorite photos and decided to work small. Small is better than not at all right? I think small is going to be the only way to go for a while. So, I've completed two and I'm beginning a third. The problem now will be which one to send and which ones to keep.

This is a little wild flower that pops up about the same time the bluebonnets pop up here in Texas. When you see them growing together they make a beautiful combination of reds and deep blue/purples. When these flowers bloom the landscape is an amazing sight to see. They are called Indian Paints. I loved the cast shadow that's why I wanted to do the piece. Interestingly the colors in the shadow makes me think of the colors of a blue bonnet. Hummmm...maybe I should call this "Paint in a Field of Blue"....I think I willl.

I wish all titles came that easy.....!

There's nothing like waiting until the last minute...

2009-03-20T14:56:00.007-05:00

Here I go again! I've had this piece finished for months so why did I wait until today to submit my work to Cafe'? Besides procrastinating, I could not think of a title for this piece. I actually wanted to call it "Journey To The Center Of The Earth" because that's really what it reminds me of....however I could not bring myself to do that. So when push came to shove, meaning I either entered or not, I was forced to give it a name so I call it, "Dawn's Early Light". I guess that's ok but I wanted something totally awesome. Something that would describe what I actually did with this piece. My intention was to go from black & white then let it sort of flow into color. I wound up using purples instead of grays but that's how I began to see it. So what do you call something like that? Yeah, I already thought of metamorphosis. Doesn't sound too pretty though.

For those of you who know I generally blend everything with a brush....I didn't on this one. I decided to blend the peppers but not the shadows. Blending brightens and intensifies the colors...after spending hours and hours on this piece I didn't want any surprises so I opted not to. I also wanted to keep the shadows light and airy so I did what I call a soft blend. All that means is the shadows look a little grainy compared to the peppers because of the grain in the sandpaper. I actually did the same thing with the following piece.

This is actually one of my all time favorites. I call it "Yesterday Morning When I Was Young". I would imagine I had a tricycle similar to this one when I was little. By the looks of it I'd say it's about the right age....and showing it's age, kind of like me. Anyway, it makes me smile when I look at it and leaves me with a good feeling.

Good luck to you all and hope to see you in Atlanta.

North Carolina - Feb 28 - March 1 - Painting with a "dry" medium

2009-03-05T21:43:00.003-06:00

The Group...and what a fun group you were! Thanks so much
for inviting me. I had a wonderful time!

The first day...just beginning!

2009-03-05T21:40:00.002-06:00

Peggy is beginning to add Crimson Lake over the
foundation color, Tuscan Red.

Annette

Nina is changing the color of her pepper too!

Linda K. - "...did I do it right?" I'd say yes!

Later that day...

2009-03-05T21:36:00.002-06:00

Margaret

Beth

Faith

Pearl

This is when I get really excited. I'm always in awe at the end of the
first day...what a beautiful job!

Day two...the green pepper.

2009-03-05T21:33:00.001-06:00

Judy has begun to work on the green pepper. She will be making a
tonal drawing using black which will give her a darker green.

Joanne

Theresa

Kay

After lunch...

2009-03-05T21:30:00.003-06:00

Liz contemplating....

Donna

Lori

Linda

The second day is much quieter than the first...

2009-03-05T21:20:00.005-06:00

Cathy

Patricia

Sudie

Lloyd putting the final touches on her green pepper.

I don't know what to say other than these are absolutely gorgeous.
You did a great job!

My studio's new look...

2009-02-21T17:29:00.014-06:00

It's been so long since I've posted anything on this blog you are probably wondering what happened to me. It all started when I said I wanted to replace the floor in my studio. You know how one thing leads to another. Before the floor could be redone I was told the ceiling should be painted and the walls, then the floor...

So in early November I moved everything out of here. Let me tell you, I knew ahead of time that I had a lot of stuff but I was still amazed at the amount of stuff I had. The worst thing was it had no place to go where it would be organized. You know how it is, you put it somewhere then you can't find anything or it's buried under tons of other stuff. In order to get to something I had to move something, then if I wanted out of the room, of course I wanted out of the room, I had to move things back. Before I knew it, it was Christmas. That was not a problem. The problem was my husband and I got sick over the Holidays. Sick enough so that it took about six weeks before we were better. During that time John worked on the studio some but the going was slow. After I felt a little better I made a concerted effort to get back in here but everything had changed. I didn't have a clue where to put anything, further more thinking about where to put it took a lot of effort and a lot of time.

As you can see I finally did find a place for everything and I could put my hand on anything except for my trash bags. I looked everywhere for days but could not find them so I gave up and bought more. Yep, you know it, as soon as I used one I found where I'd put them.

At last everything has a home and I am delighted with the results. I absolutely love to be in this room. Hope you like it too...

As you can see, this is where I keep my magazines, props and colored pencils. I bought the Prismacolor display case when an art store in the DFW area was going out of business. It sure has come in handy.

My oils are in those cute, ice blue ,filing cabinets. They come in four or five colors but I picked that color because, well because I liked the color. I was also concerned that red or green would somehow reflect color in the room. Anyway, I found them at the Container Store in Plano. They would also be great for storing colored pencils.

This is my office space. The photo below shows where I spend a lot of my time, at my drawing table.

My drawing table is solid wood. It originally belonged to a Jr College. I bought it at an antique store in Gilmer, Tx years ago. The store was closing for the day and they did not want to move it back inside. I think I paid $10 for it. The top of the table raises to about a 45 degree angle. I work on a drawing boards so I can turn the picture upside down, sideways and any other way I can get to it to work more comfortably. You can see two of them in the upper right hand corner of the picture.

By the way, be sure to check out the info below on the workshops being offered in Rising Sun, Indiana. Two day workshops for $75 is unheard of. How can they do that? They love art and they are doing it for tourism...

Rising Sun, Indiana - This is a great deal! You can take any of these 2-day workshops for just $75!

2009-02-21T08:04:00.013-06:00

I'll be teaching a 2-day workshop in Rising Sun, Indiana March 28 - 29, 2009. Amazingly the cost for both days is only $75. That's not just my workshop, you can take any of these workshops for $75. They are hosted by Rising Sun Tourism. For information or to register contact: Sherry Timms, Executive Director, P.O. Box 112, Rising Sun IN 47040 - 812.438.4933 or Vera Curnow.

Online magazine article....

2009-01-19T15:49:00.005-06:00

The following is an article that appeared in the January 2009 issue of the online magazine CreateBetterPaintings.com. I am really sad to report this wonderful magazine will not be published any more. I feel so cheated since I only found out about it about two months ago. Anyway, I thought you might enjoy reading the article....Linda

LINDA LUCAS HARDY: SMALL TOWN GIRL

Living in a tiny town with no professional mentors around may seem like an obstacle for an aspiring artist, but Linda Lucas Hardy reveals how any artist can still make it big in spite of limited resources.

We've all heard this story: Young woman loves art but gets married and starts raising a family instead. Art gets pushed to the back burner until the children are older. And finally she has time to focus on mastering her craft and building a career as an artist. Most such women then rely on their fellow artists and local arts organizations for additional help. But what happens when that same woman finds herself living in a town of only a thousand residents with no other professional artists to turn to for education or advice? Linda Lucas Hardy would say that it's still entirely possible for a woman like that to succeed as long as she has drive, passion, confidence, and ambition. She is that woman, and she's living proof that dreams can come true.

Reaching Out for Education

When the youngest of her seven children started school, Linda found she finally had time to get back to the passion that has held her captive since her own childhood: her love of art. A neighbor suggested they take a class together at the nearest community college, and Linda jumped at the opportunity since it was a long distance away and they needed to carpool.

A year later, a new community college opened up closer to home, which made it much easier for Linda to continue taking college courses in art. Naturally, juggling her art with caring for her family required a great deal of perseverance. Ultimately, it took her eight years to complete her formal education, but it was worth it. Along the way, Linda discovered the medium of colored pencil, which has since become her favorite. "I love the control that colored pencil offers," she says, "especially because I also love well-defined realism. I am a pencil artist, plain and simple. Now I can't even talk without a pencil in my hand."

In addition to her formal education, Linda has continued to pursue informal opportunities to learn, primarily through taking workshops with artists such as Carrie Ballantyne and Sherrie McGraw. As they do for all of us, taking workshops usually means travel, which is a sacrifice of time and money for most artists. But Linda encourages all aspiring professionals to take workshops since they offer a chance to develop and enhance skills, get other types of advice from modern-day masters, and network with peers.

Finding Her Personal Style

However, to some degree, Linda believes, all artists are self-taught in that much of what we learn is what we discover in the course of doing our own work in our own studios. Linda's methods are a product of trial and error, working with various materials, making mistakes, and learning to solve problems that then become good practices. "Mistakes bite hard," she says. "I don't like them. Nobody does. But if you pay attention, a medium will teach you." By doing her own work on her own time, she's established, for example, that she prefers to create artwork using exclusively Prismacolor wax-based pencils on fine, 800-grit UART acid-free paper.

Once, in the process of trying to disperse the wax bloom that often emerges most visibly in the darker pigments of wax-based pencils, Linda went over the pencil with an old, stiff brush. Not only did it get rid of the bloom, she discovered that the brush helped to work the pigment down into the fibers of the paper, thereby eliminating the fine specks of white that often show through even multiple layers of pencil applications. Now Linda uses a brush all the time to achieve that smooth, polished look that is the hallmark of her personal style. She starts by transferring her image with graphite transfer paper, then works each area separately from the darkest areas to the lightest values, developing each area to a fairly finished degree. A final finessing of the details and highlights followed by a coat of Krylon UV-resistant spray complete her paintings.

Landing on Still Lifes

Even when it comes to her choice of subjects, Linda feels that her small town life has somewhat limited her ambitions. "What I'd really like to paint is people because you can express so much emotion in figurative work," she confesses, "but in a small community like mine, I've found it very difficult to approach people and find models. Most people don't understand what I want from them--they feel they have to pose for me, as for a portrait, when what I want is something more candid and real."

Once again, though, she hasn't let this obstacle stop her. "I've had to learn to make do with what I've got or I can't do anything at all," she says, now laughing. "Pears and apples don't ask you what your motives are or look at you real weird, so it's been easier to work in the still life genre." Interestingly, Linda has now developed a signature series of works involving fruits and vegetables wrapped in plastic bags, which are just as much about the human experience as any figurative work could be. She explains, "The plastic bags remind me of the facades we all try to hide behind. We think we're doing such a good job of masking our little deficiencies and minor little secrets, but in actuality, we're all exposed."

Over the years, Linda says, she has shot and stockpiled literally hundreds of photos that she would like to develop into paintings someday. "I'll never run out of ideas," she says. "I use this very easy and free software program called Picasa, which is available through Google, and it's just great for storing my digital images and doing a few modifications to them before I paint them."

Showing What She's Made Of

Eventually, Linda acknowledged that she was going to have to take some initiative if she was going to get her artwork into the public eye. Since there weren't any local opportunities, she cast a wider net. She noticed, for example, that the Bosque Conservatory in Clifton, TX held an annual competition. For several years she studied how that competition was run. Eventually, she entered and won, learning--much to her surprise--that she could have three works accepted instead of only one.

They say that knowledge is power, and Linda went about learning as much as she could about the art business through all sorts of varied avenues. She joined a regional arts organization, and listened to her peers there. She also tapped into the power of the Internet and the national artists' magazines to find competitions to enter. "I often didn't have the money to enter shows, but I did it anyway," she says. "I decided to enter the big money shows in particular, not because of the awards offered but because of the level of competition. I knew that if I got in, it would validate my work."

One of her earliest big goals she set for herself was to gain the recognition of her fellow colored pencil artists by getting involved in the national organization called the Colored Pencil Society of America. She was terribly disappointed when she was not accepted into the CPSA show the year it was held in Fort Worth, Texas, which was probably the closest it will ever be to her own home, but she made sure she attended the exhibition. "That was the first time I had ever seen other artists' colored pencil work!" she notes. "I was like a kid in a candy store." Today she exhibits with them regularly, and last year she won the CIPPY award and the EXXPY award--the two highest awards CPSA offers--in the same year, which was the first time ever that someone had done that. "What thrilled me more than anything was when I was invited (they invited me) to teach a workshop at Nationals," she says, still relishing the moment. "That made me cry. Somehow that validated me and all that I've been trying to accomplish."

Chances to sell her work in her own town are non-existent, so here, too, Linda has had to take the initiative to find gallery representation. She took herself down to the oldest and largest gallery in Dallas. "While I was there, I asked the salespeople if they took colored pencil art," she recalls. "They said no, but just to be polite the director suggested that I bring some pieces in ‘some time.' When I got home, even though I didn't really feel ready, I thought, well, when is ‘some time'? So I set up an appointment to take my work in the following Friday!" Linda ended up leaving several pieces at the gallery that day, only to have to wait two long months for a decision from the director. In fact, it wasn't until she tired of waiting for an answer as to whether she was going to be accepted and went to the gallery to retrieve her paintings that the director agreed to sell her work. She's been represented there ever since, and was recently invited to show her work at a second Texas gallery as well.

Learning to Fly

"Living in a small town and being virtually the only trained professional around has meant that I have had no mentor, no sounding board," says Linda. "Everything I've done, I've been flying by the seat of my pants because I haven't had anyone to guide me." Yet by paying attention, asking questions, networking beyond the confines of the city limits, and most of all persevering steadily and enthusiastically, Linda has made a successful career out of her love for painting. "I have such an amazing passion for art," she says. "I can't really explain it, except that it's something that I can't not do. I can't live without it."

Jennifer King
Editor-in-Chief
www.CreateBetterPaintings.com

The New Reality - The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century

2009-01-12T09:56:00.010-06:00

R. W. Norton Art Gallery, Shreveport, LA

Yesterday my husband and I drove to Shreveport, LA to see the International Guild of Realism's traveling exhibit titled ''The New Reality: The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century". Not only were we impressed with the show we were very impressed with the Gallery's permanent collection. Even though it's called a gallery it's more like an art museum. So if you live anywhere near Shreveport it's definitely worth the trip. If not you'll find the current tour schedule at the bottom of my post. Maybe it will be somewhere near you.

My piece titled, "Now You Know" which is on exhibit.

(colored pencil on sanded paper)

''The New Reality: The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century" International Guild of Realism

“The New Reality: The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century” is the first traveling museum show of this century to not only look at the state of Realism painting around the world, but to also compare those artworks with their historical predecessors.

Fifty-six artists are represented with sixty-five paintings from the United States, Canada, The Netherlands, Korea, Russia, France, Iceland, Romania, Norway, and Finland in this juried show organized by the International Guild of Realism. The exhibition looks at such media as oil, acrylic, egg tempera, graphite and colored pencil to give viewers a snapshot of how Realism artists are approaching their art form today.

Each artist was asked to identify one historical painting that can be used by museum attendees to compare and contrast today’s work with the pioneers of this art technique. The artists cited such predecessors as Ingres, Da Vinci, Dürer, Vermeer, Harnett, Constable, Memling and Dali as starting points for their current work as they explored still life, landscape, figurative and even trompe l’oeil art forms. In some cases, the contrast between the old and the new is startling; in other cases, one can almost see the apprentice soaking up the Old Master’s techniques for modern visuals.

Each of the sixty-five contemporary paintings can be directly compared with an historic Realism painting. Each wall label features an image of a related historic painting.

If you'd like to see some of the pieces on exhibit CLICK HERE Not all the pieces shown were in the show but quite a few of them are.

Keeping it Real: “The New Reality: The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century December 16 – February 15, 2009

This is the first traveling museum show of this century to not only look at the state of Realism painting around the world, but also compare those artworks with their historical predecessors. Fifty-six artists are represented with 65 paintings from the United States, Canada, The Netherlands, Korea, Russia, France, Iceland, Romania, Norway, and Finland in this juried exhibit organized by the International Guild of Realism. The exhibition looks at such media as oil, acrylic, egg tempera, graphite and colored pencil to give viewers a snapshot of how Realism artists are approaching their art form today. This month the R.W. Norton Art Gallery is hosting, “The New Reality: The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century”, a juried collection of paintings by the members of the International Guild of Realism. The title of this exhibition cannot help but raise the simple question, why the “new reality”? What happened to the old one? The prevailing view for centuries was that art was the result of careful craftsmanship representing a heightened reality to evoke an emotional response and/or express a theme or story. Then came the Romantic Age, and with it the reassessment of the artist as less a craftsman than an (often misunderstood) individual with a unique form of expression. Artists began to take a more painterly approach to their work, using loose brushwork and bold colors to develop expressive, individualistic styles that resulted in works like Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People and Turner’s Ulysses Deriding Polyphemous. As photography usurped the role of replicating reality, painters like the Impressionists began to refine art to its essentials, focusing on the manipulation of color and light. The Modernists who followed them pared the image down even further, focusing on elements of form, volume, line, and color to the point of abstraction. Then, in the early 20th century, the Dadas, with Marcel Duchamp’s readymades and other innovations, refined art to the realm of the metaphysical – art was no longer about the object, or even the depiction of the object – it was about the concept in the mind of the artist and the interaction between that and the audience.

As execution became less important to the process, craftsmanship of the kind expected from artists ranging from the Old Masters to 19th century academics often fell by the wayside. However, in the late 20th century, a backlash against abstract and conceptual art began. Many artists began to embrace concepts and techniques borrowed from older masters. Thus was born the International Guild of Realism in 2002. The founders began by clarifying the number of styles they felt fit under the realist umbrella, including classical realism (ranging from the Renaissance Old Masters to Courbet) and extending to contemporary styles such as trompe l’oeil, photorealism, surrealism, and super-realism. The one thing common to all of these artists is the element stressed by Guild member Benjamin Orozco Lopez of Mexico: “The most important thing about the Guild is that we are a big group of artists who glorify the values of craftsmanship, which has almost been lost in modern painting.”

For this exhibition, selected artists are required to cite the example of an Old Master or other Realist painting which helped inspire their own in either theme or technique. However, while they may borrow their style or technique from the Old Masters, they are all determined to create an expression of their own contemporary world, including other styles of art as well. Kolbjorn Haseth, for instance, admits a debt to abstraction as well as realism in his landscape, The Colour Gray: “The massive rock on the right meets us like an abstract image, and had to be balanced with a more interesting area to the far left . . .” And while George Gonzalez’s still-lifes and trompe l’oeil paintings capture contemporary, often mundane objects, he also draws inspiration from a diversity of predecessors ranging from Mannerists to surrealists.

Other Guild artists have more allegiance to specific schools of the past. Damon Denys admits, “My first love was the paintings of the British classicists and romantics of Victorian England,” while Bryce Cameron Liston is equally clear about his debt to academic artists: “Inspired by 19th century artistic values, I traveled abroad to study first hand, the works of artists such as Waterhouse, Bouguereau, Gerome and Tadema. It is important to me to keep alive what these and other artists like them were doing.” Another inspiration for the new realists is the 17th century golden age of Dutch and Spanish masters. A still-life artist like Grace Kim echoes the concerns of the 17th century Dutch masters, saying, “Although my subjects are often what appears to be simple flowers and fruit, I always see something unique and beautifully complex and intricate in all that exists in this world.” Cuban artist Jorge Alberto admits, “My paintings spring from a life-long fascination with lighting and how light affects mood . . . I take inspiration from the 17th century painters, like Caravaggio, Velasquez and Ribera, emulating the strong use of lighting contrast so evident in the work of these masters.”

In their veneration for the Old Masters, some of the Guild artists even borrow their materials. Mark Thompson specializes in egg tempera work and etchings, admitting, “I have long been fascinated by the beauty of line and the work of the Renaissance and pre-Renaissance masters. Etchings are essentially the distillation of balance and rhythm, volume and line in a medium over 400 years old.” And artist Lee Alban actually grinds his paints from powdered pigments and prepares his canvases by hand the way the Old Masters did. Still others have learned how to incorporate the Old Masters techniques into new media. Arlene Steinberg works in colored pencil, but that hasn’t prevented her from taking inspiration from the technique and styles of Renaissance painters.

While many if not most of these artists draw from the distant past, there are some distinctly 20th century forms of realism, the most prominent of which is the one wrought by a 19th century invention – the camera. Photorealism requires the painter to create a work so detailed and precise that it replicates the effect of a photograph – craftsmanship of a very high standard indeed and which draws perhaps more than the others on the availability of modern inventions and techniques. Kory Fluckiger, for instance, “has developed his own technique of watercolor painting in which he airbrushes the background to highlight the colors in the foreground, so that the painting appears to be a magnificent photograph.” Fellow photorealist Anne Kullaf has found her work compared to Edward Hopper in its grasp of light as well as its ability to raise the mundane world to the sublime nature of art.

This is only a fraction of the artists whose unique visions and superb executions are represented in the exhibition. Fifty-six artists from nations including America, Canada, The Netherlands, Korea, Russia, France, Iceland, Romania, Norway and Finland have contributed 65 paintings to the show. While they all share a common goal, each of them has a unique vision and style in which to depict the world around them. Charter member Lorena Kloosterboer explains that while abstraction and modernism have dominated recent art, she, like her fellow realists reject the idea that their work is “unevolved”, declaring, “One only needs to visit one of our exhibitions . . . to appreciate the incredible array of exceptional Realism.”

With this in mind, the R.W. Norton Art Gallery invites you to join us for “The New Reality: The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century.”
Everl Adair, Director of Research and Rare Collections

Museum Tour 2008-2010 of Art by Realism Guild Members - Current Tour Schedule

December 16, 2008 - February 15, 2009
R.W. Norton Art Gallery
Shreveport, Louisiana

March 8 - May 10, 2009
Owensboro Museum of Fine Art
Owensboro, Kentucky

May 24 - July 19, 2009
(Open date)

August 9 - October 18, 2009
J. Wayne Stark Gallery, Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas

November 8, 2009 - January 3, 2010
Museum of Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

January 24 - March 21, 2010
(Open date)

April 11 - June 6, 2010
(Open date)

June 27- August 29, 2010
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
Wausau, Wisconsin

September 12 - November 7, 2010
Indian Hills Community College
Ottumwa, Iowa

You are invited to join Ann Kullberg, Pat Averill and I in May on an Alaskan Cruise...

2009-01-09T10:44:00.008-06:00

Come join Nationally acclaimed colored pencil artists Ann Kullberg, Pat Averill and I on a 7-night Alaskan Inside Passage Cruise aboard the Star Princess May 24 - May 31, 2009. The class size is firmly limited to 30. This Alaskan cruise fills quickly so book soon!

COLORED PENCIL ON THE HIGH SEAS - $1029 - INCLUDES ALL THREE WORKSHOPS

(inside cabin/double occupancy. Group rate available for guests not taking workshops.)

For more information CLICK HERE

To register or for cruise information: 1-800-253-0116

To see how much fun last years Caribbean Workshop Cruise was click HERE!

Can this be colored pencil?

2008-12-07T11:18:00.022-06:00

Sisters I - color pencil and nero pencil - 36.5" x 33"

There it is again, you know, the question..."that's colored pencil?" First they doubt you because they cannot see how, then it's the wonder and amazement as they finally begin to accept the fact. But this time it's me! I am the one whos jaw has dropped as I stare and marvel, all the while thinking, could it really be? Yes, indeed it is. These beautiful colored pencil pieces, I'm just reminding you they were done in colored pencil, were done by an artist named Bill Vuksanovich.

The backgrounds of "Sisters I" and most likely "Sisters II" were done with a nero pencil. What more can I say? Oh, I know, I wonder how long it took him to do that? How about it, do you want to say "WOW" with me? I wish I could make them really large so we could all see the detail but that's all I could get.

Sisters II, 2007, color pencil, 41" x 32.5"

Rose II, 2001 watercolor, pencil, and color pencil, 30" x 22.5"

Bio: Bill Vuksanovich was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1938 and came to Chicago in 1952, where he resides today. He attended the American Academy of Art and the School of Professional Art, both in Chicago.

His main body of work includes larger-than-life size photo-realistically rendered drawings. He portrays his figures in the frontal position, so that the image and viewer become involved in a confrontation with one another. This offers an emotionally and psychologically loaded presentation that never fails, to engage.

In 1992, a distinguished committee of leading art professionals awarded Vuksanovich a Pollack-Krasner Foundation Grant. And in 2001 he participated in the Identities: Contemporary Portraiture exhibition at the New Jersey Center for Visual Arts, Summit, NJ.

If you'd like to see more of his work click here: Koplin del Rio & Forum Gallery

Kent Bellows

2008-12-05T09:44:00.014-06:00

I discovered the work of Kent Bellows a few years ago in one of the art magazines. I could not believe what I was looking at was actually a drawing. When perusing the internet this morning I came across a gallery that represents him. Because I love his work so much I thought you might appreciate him too. Most of the information posted came from another blog.

Kent Bellows - "Flawless and masterful. Such words are commonly used, but fail to describe the works of Kent Bellows, whose painting and printing techniques captured character and persona as few artists before him. Born in Blair, NE in 1949, Bellows grew up in a home where art, literature, music and theater were prized. Although he attended the University of Nebraska he considered his parents to be the most important influence on his art. Renowned for his figurative portraits, Bellows demonstrated a keen ability to capture detail and an even greater compassion for the human character. Whether male or female, he captured all the strength, dynamism, fragility and vulnerability inherent in the human condition.

"When New Realism developed during the 1970s and ’80s, Bellow became a master of its sub genre Sharp Focus sometimes also referred to as Meticulous Realism. In the essay “Get Real” published in 2000, Virginia Anne Bonito commented: “Bellows’ technique is noteworthy; he is among the most skilled masters in the medium of graphite on paper, and he has recently translated his meticulous approach into the oil medium. His images in graphite on paper challenge the viewer’s belief that they are not 'art' photography.” Forum Gallery, which has offices in both New York City in Los Angeles and is one of the leaders in the field of contemporary figurative art, represented Bellows and labels him “America’s greatest master of figurative drawing.” "Bellows exhibited his first paintings in the Old Market in 1970 and 1971, and although he developed a reputation as an artist of international rank, he remained in Nebraska and painted from his studio in Omaha. In an interview with The Reader in September 2005, Mark Masuoka, Executive Director of the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, reflected: “People know how significant of an artist he is. When anyone makes that kind of an impact, they become a cultural icon. People who aren’t from Omaha, when they hear the name, think, ‘Jun Kaneko lives there. Kent Bellows lives there.’ That an artist of that level lived here — that’s huge.” "IN MEMORIAMA former Bemis Center Artist-in-Residence in 1988, Bellows’ work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Toledo Museum of Art, to name a few.

Sadly, Bellows passed away in his home in September 2005 at the age of 56. Generous to family, friends and artists alike, the Bellows Family has requested that those interested in making a contribution to the Kent Bellows Memorial Fund contact the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts at 402.341.7130 for more information." For more images of Kent Bellows' art, take a look HERE, but only if you find the nude human body beautiful as a subject of art.

SEPTEMBER, 19, 20, 21 - SAN CLEMENTE, CA - "Intensify and Optimize Your Colored Pencils"

2008-10-15T21:54:00.010-05:00

This has got to be one of the most beautiful places I've ever taught a workshop. And should I say it? Ok I will, the weather wonderful. Would you look at this place! This is the San Clemente Art Supply in San Clemente, CA. It's owned by Patti Herdell, a former Texan....if you can ever be former that is. Not only is it beautiful it's one of the largest art stores I've ever been in...full of all kinds of goodies. I hope to make it back some time next year.

This is the entrance...lovely isn't it?

This is the back door that opens to the classroom.

This is the group! I'm in there somewhere...thank you ladies for a really great workshop and for making it possible for me to see beautiful San Clemente.

Blending with the brush and UArt sand paper...

2008-10-15T21:50:00.007-05:00

Hi Lisa! Lisa is one of my students in Texas. Apparently she did not see fit to let me know she and her mother were coming. I'm sure she thought it would be more fun to surprise me. I'm pretty sure she got the reaction she expected. I could not believe what I was seeing. It was nice also because she got to visit with her mother who lives near.

Lisa's Mom, Bobbie.

Ann flew in from Arizona. You paid me so many nice compliments Ann.Thank you!

Working hard....

2008-10-15T21:48:00.001-05:00

Update...

2008-10-10T16:10:00.002-05:00

I talked to the Sanford Rep this afternoon and found out that Sanford has decided to only pre sharpen the pencils in the sets. They ARE NOT going to sharpen the pencils that are sold in open stock. I'm actually happier to know that than the news that my piece will be printed in the 2009 calendar. What a relief....

What a wonderful surprise...

2008-10-10T15:52:00.011-05:00

I thought this was a done deal. I'd heard all the winners in the 2008 Prismacolor Art Contest had been contacted. Since I had not heard from them I figured that was that so I went about my business. Then I received this email today from the Sanford Corp. Wow was I ever surprised!

Hi Linda,

Thank you for entering the 2008 Prismacolor Art Contest. I would like to congratulate you for being in the top entries in this year’s competition! Our judges ranked your artwork one of the best of over 1200 entries.

We would like to recognize your artwork in our Prismacolor gallery at our company headquarters and also include it in a Prismacolor calendar for 2009. In order to do this, we will need hi res images of your artwork. We would like to have your artwork shipped to our headquarters in Oak Brook to have photography done and then we will promptly return your artwork. We will send you empty Fed-ex package to use for shipping your artwork and we will pay for all shipping fees. This will be no expense to you and the shipping of the art will be insured by us.

Please confirm that you would like to include your artwork in our Prismacolor gallery and calendar. Then please confirm that the mailing address below is correct. As soon as I receive confirmation, I will ship out the empty Fed-ex tube for shipping your art. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at the number below. Thanks and once again, congratulations.

Danielle Bujan
Leader, Brand Marketing, Prismacolor
Newell Rubbermaid Office Products Group

What are your thoughts on this?

2008-08-03T10:18:00.018-05:00

I've heard from a very reliable source that, at some point in the near future, Sanford is going to pre-sharpen their pencils and, at the first of the year there will be a price increase.

For me this is NOT good news. Of course we must all deal with price increases, but I'm opposed to higher prices for the disadvantage of pre-sharpening, here's why. I don't know about the rest of you but I glue my pencils end to end. That way, other than what I lose in the sharpener or what breaks off, I don't have a lot of waste. As far as I know Prismacolors are the only pencils that are open ended and not pre-sharpened. Because they are manufactured here, readily available open stock, open ended and not pre-sharpened, that makes them the most economical colored pencil on the market. If Sanford pre-sharpens there will be no gluing them together, so more or less, one quarter of each pencil will be unusable. I feel, cost wise, this will be a win win for them but it will mean a great deal more expense for us.

Let me ask you this:

1. How much do you pay for your pencils? I know a lot of you buy them from Blick so be sure to figure in shipping. Here they are $1.49. If I buy a dozen or more from my local art store I get a 30% discount. So, including tax, I'm paying around $1.13 each.
2. How much USE do you actually get from each pencil?
3. How much, excluding what you lose in the sharpener, would you lose if you could not glue them together?

Even if they pre-sharpen I will have to re-sharpen. Most pre-sharpened pencils have a blunt point. So pre-sharpening will absolutely be of no advantage to me what so ever....yet I will have to pay more!

If you would like to know what made them decide to do this...I was told they listened to consumers...apparently teachers who complained their students had to sharpen their pencils. I am not discounting this as being a valid point but...

Please give it some thought, but consider this, whether pre-sharpening makes a difference to you or not it is going to effect you.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

2008-07-21T20:39:00.040-05:00

1. What do you mean by, “…painting with a dry medium” and how does it work?

My method of blending is actually that, dry blending/burnishing. In order to be successful with this method of blending it's important to get enough colored pencil pigment on the paper or it will not work. In other words, the paper has to be fairly saturated. The brush can only pick up a little bit of color so it’s basically just smearing it around.

2. What kind of colored pencils do you use?

I only use Prismacolor. The primary reason is because they have more wax in them than most of the other brands. The wax-based pigment tends to adhere to the paper better. Most other brands are oil based so the pigment is harder. I’ve also noticed that the oil based pigments do not adhere as well when applied to the sandpaper. For me, that creates another problem because I blend the pigment with a brush. The wax-based pigment will blend whereas the other pigments appear to sweep off the paper.

3. What kind of sandpaper do you use?

I use UArt sandpaper in the 800 grit. Uart is a new fine art sandpaper that replaces Ersta. Unlike Ersta, it is produced on a neutral pH backing. The papers are available in four grits ranging from P400 (coarse) - P800 (very fine). It is available in sheets in a variety of sizes, and rolls in all surfaces! To learn more check out their new webpage.

4. Where can I get the UArt sandpaper?

I generally get it through Dakota Art but if you click here or on the Store Locator link that is on the UArt webpage you'll find a list of carriers.

5. Does it come in different colors?

It only comes in one color. It’s close to cream.

6. What kind of brush do you use?

I use a Loew Cornell # 2015. They come is sizes 2 and 4. Unfortunately they need to be trimmed. You will need to trim the size 2 to about 1/4 of an inch and the size 4 to about 1/2 inch. For best results trim them when the sizing is in them, otherwise they will be difficult to cut. If the bristles are too long and you try to blend, the brush will just lay down and you won’t be able to move any pigment. If they are too short the brush will remove the pigment so be careful.

7. Will any other brush work?

Yes. I'm sure there are quite a few brushes that will work however it takes time and money to find them. Since these brushes are cheap and I ruin them on the sandpaper, for my purposes they are the best. I have tried other brushes though but I keep coming back to these.

8. Where can I buy these brushes and how much do they cost?

The best way to get them is through Asel Art in Plano, TX. They will do mail order. Keep in mind that you will need several. If you tell them you want Linda's brushes they should know what you mean. If there’s any question just tell them that you want the Loew Cornell # 2015 and that they are kept with the colored pencils. They cost about $2.50 each.

Asel Art
1915 N.Central Exwy #450
Plano Tx 75075
972-422-1205
972-422-1388(fax)
Store Hours
Mon-Fri 8:30am-6pm
Sat 9am-5pm
Sun 1pm-5pm

9. One last thing, what do I do when my brush gets dirty?

When it gets dirty just wash it with soap and water and let it dry.

If there is anything you'd like to know that you think should be added to my list of questions and answers please let me know.

Here's some exciting news....

2008-07-09T19:05:00.012-05:00

I've been invited to demo at Southwest Gallery's 2008 Summer Art Festival. Events include gallery artists painting and sculpting on-site, as well as jewelry, a painting trunk-show, live music, food and fun! (I'll be working in colored pencil)

The other artists who will be participating are: Tony Bass, Lynwood Bennett, Gene Brown, Fran Di Giacomo, Manuel Garza, Jonathan Hardesty, R. W. Hedge, Robert Hogan, George Kovach, Kyle Polzin, Tony Saladino, Paul Walden, Kay Walton, and Mark Whitmarsh.

If you live in the DFW area or somewhere nearby come visit. I'll be there Saturday & Sunday August 23-24, 2008 - from 1-5 pm

Southwest Gallery - 4500 SIGMA at Welch - Dallas, Texas 75244 - 972.960.8935- 800.272.9910

The Idaho Falls Group...

2008-07-07T19:02:00.004-05:00

I must confess, this is one of the most fun groups I've ever been privileged to teach. They worked hard and played just as hard. At the end of the workshop when we were getting ready to take this photo I suddenly remembered I'd forgotten to announce that they could take a break any time they wanted...I knew it was a irrelevant statement since they were on break much of the time but as you can see, it made them smile.

Thank you soooo much Idaho Falls. I had a wonderful time....

Day one...

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What do you mean it needs more pigment?

2008-07-07T18:55:00.002-05:00

Hard work and a great deal of patience...

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By day two it begins to make sense....

2008-07-07T18:50:00.000-05:00

You were right, the greens are harder...

2008-07-07T18:47:00.000-05:00

At the end of the day...

2008-07-07T17:59:00.003-05:00

Day One: The red peppers

Day Two: The red & green peppers..what do you think? Aren't they lovely?

Workshop in Idaho, Falls....

2008-06-13T09:04:00.007-05:00

Well I'm off tomorrow for Idaho. My husband and I will be driving. John estimates it will be about 3,000 miles roundtrip so I'll be gone for a while. Belle & Bazil, our two Yorkies, are going to stay with Phyllis and her two Shelties. Belle likes it there but this will be Bazil's first time, not only there but, away from us. What can I say, I miss them already but I'm sure they'll have fun.

We are going to stop off in Wyoming for a couple of days to visit Ginger at the ranch. Last week it was snowing but she said they had hummingbirds. I can't imagine going from the sweltering 90's here in Texas to snow. Maybe I'll get to see another Spring...if Idaho is blooming this will be the third Spring I've seen this year. I was in Ohio two weeks ago and it was beautiful. Even though I'm frequently in different States I very seldom get to see much so I'm really looking forward to this trip. The batteries are charged in the cameras so I guess I'm ready to go.

You all take care and I'll post some pictures when I get back. By the way, leave a comment, I'd love to hear what you have to say....Linda

This is my Oops! picture...

2008-06-09T19:39:00.007-05:00

No, that's not the title. I say that is because I intended to send my green apple on a red plate, "Having Fun With Red and Green" to Nationals this year to be included in the silent auction....BUT I submitted that picture to the Prismacolor competition, I am embarassed to say, before I read the rules and guidelines ...um hum...now you know why the "oops". Let this be a good lesson not only to me but to any of you who enter competitions. Read everything before you do anything. Anyway I decided to do something else for the silent auction. It is green and those of you who have taken my workshops know greens are harder to blend. Wow! I had a time getting it to do what I wanted it to. Nevertheless, it is rendered on 800 grit Uart sandpaper with Prismacolors and it measures 8 x 10".

By the way, I just posted pictures from my three latest workshops. Make sure you see them all.

The Colors of White - North Canton, Ohio, May 31 - June 1, 2008

2008-06-09T19:36:00.003-05:00

Are these pots white?

How about this vase, is it white? I know this is a white vase because I took the picture but most importantly I see it as white even though I don't see much white on it. How many colors do you see?

The Colors of White continued...

2008-06-09T19:34:00.003-05:00

Some girls are just gonna have fun! Thank you Rose, you made my day.

Even with all the fun, she got a lot of work done.

Focused...

2008-06-09T19:31:00.000-05:00

Colors of White Cont....

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The finishing touches to the colors of white....just look at the beautiful colors.

2008-06-09T19:23:00.001-05:00

Painting With a Dry Medium - Atlanta, GA - April 15 - 17, 2008

2008-06-09T17:34:00.001-05:00

Once the red pepper has been rendered then it's time to blend....at last!

Atlanta, GA - rendering the green pepper.

2008-06-09T17:27:00.003-05:00

You may wonder why I use the same photo in my Painting With a Dry Medium workshops...it's because the red Prismacolors seem to be softer therefore they blend easier. The greens however are harder to blend. So in a two day workshop, with my help, everyone gets to try something a little more difficult. I wouldn't want anyone leaving and not feeling they actually could do this on their own.

The Atlanta group - the work - some smiling faces.

2008-06-09T17:13:00.002-05:00

Painting With a Dry Medium - Northeast Texas Community College - April 4 - 5, 2008

2008-06-09T17:09:00.001-05:00

I guess as they say, "Better late than never." Yes, I am behind posting pictures from my workshops. This one was at Northeast Community College in April 4 - 5, 2008. Teaching this workshop here was a great honor for me. I spent eight years at this college from 1985 - 1993. To come back and teach was something I never expected.

NTCC continued...

2008-06-09T17:03:00.002-05:00

The NTCC Group....Thanks everyone!

2008-06-09T16:47:00.005-05:00

"Having Fun With Red & Green"

2008-05-21T22:58:00.007-05:00

When I was asked if I would like to donate one of my pieces to Nationals this year to be included in the silent auction my response naturally was "yes". I had previously taken some pictures of a green apple on a red plate and decided to do one of those. I think I really wanted to play around with red and green. Anyway, I had fun and I was very pleased with how the piece turned out. Now the photography is not too great, it looks a little blurry to me. Since I was having fun with red & green I thought that would make a neat title. It was done on Uart sand paper, 800 grit, with Prismacolors and blended with the brush. It measures 10 3/4 x 6 7/8.

A quote by watercolor artist Steve Hanks...

2008-03-28T19:42:00.003-05:00

"As an artist you might get into the medium you are working in and then just get into a comfort zone and stay there," say's Steve Hanks. "However there is something to be said about working outside your comfort zone, something about the mystery of trying to figure it out or not knowing how it works. As accurately as I paint, I need to throw myself out of the comfort zone... " Hanks finds that it's essential to his own idea of creativity that he changes his style periodically so that he won't get stuck doing a certain type of painting over and over. American Art Collector January 2008

THE PORTRAIT IN FRENCH GRAY - Tampa Bay, Florida - March 14-16, 2008

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Some had to leave before the group shot was taken.

In the beginning, at least on day one, were the value scales...

2008-03-20T19:59:00.004-05:00

Ah those dreaded value scales. No one ever seems to want to

do them but as you can see by those smiles they were not that bad

after all.

Pulling everything together....

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Developing nicely...

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Betty and the portrait she was working on..

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Somehow I failed to take a picture of Betty while
she was working on her portrait so I thought I'd
just show you the finished piece along with a picture
of Betty working. Ordinarily I would have cropped
the purple tape out of the picture but since it was
not taken straight on, cropping and straightening
the picture distorted it so I left it as it was.

The darks continued...

2008-03-20T19:24:00.000-05:00

After the scales came the darks...

2008-03-20T19:20:00.000-05:00

Galleries that handle my work...

2008-03-03T08:01:00.005-06:00

I am very pleased to announce that I am now being represented by two galleries. I've had a wonderful working relationship with Southwest Gallery in Dallas for four years. As of February 28, originals of my work can also be purchased through Wally Workman Gallery in Austin.

Southwest Art Magazine - January 2008

2008-01-11T16:01:00.000-06:00

From 1987 to 1997 I subscrived to Southwest Art Magazine. Receiving my copy soon became the highlight of my month. If you had told me back then that someday my work would be in Southwest Art and that I would be considered as an "artist to watch" I know I would not have believed you. If I could have gotten the words out of my mouth, I'm sure I would have asked, "how could that be possible & when?". So you see, for me it's a really big deal and one of the highlights of my life. If you'd like to read the article click HERE. If you pick up the magazine be sure to check out the contents page...that one is mine too.

Beginning Colored Pencil - Mineola League of the Arts - October 29-30, 2007

2008-01-11T15:57:00.000-06:00

Thank you Mineola! You were a great group, you did a great

job and you made a memorable workshop. I especially loved

having the ladies from the Red Hat club come to visit.

Beginning Colored Pencil - Mt Vernon, TX - September 22-23, 2008

2008-01-11T15:54:00.000-06:00

This was a fun workshop with a fun group. I know most of you

were beginners but didn't you do a great job? Thanks so

much.

Painting With a Dry Medium - Portland, OR - September 15-16, 2007 - The Group - the fabulous results! Congratulations to you all!

2007-10-20T09:50:00.000-05:00

Isn't this fun?

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Outstanding...

2007-10-20T09:21:00.000-05:00

Way to go ladies....

2007-10-20T09:20:00.000-05:00

Almost too busy to look up...

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Concentrating and working hard...

2007-10-20T09:14:00.000-05:00

"THE PORTRAIT IN FRENCH GRAY" - North Canton Ohio September 9-10, 2007 - What timeless beauty can be achieved with those exquisite French Grey's!

2007-10-19T21:52:00.000-05:00

The portrait in French Grey continued...

2007-10-19T21:39:00.000-05:00