Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Art Show News!

Excited to share that my piece, East on 64 from Jordan, was accepted into the Pulp show in Downtown Raleigh.   Opening reception is during First Friday (July 1st) at the Visual Art Exchange from 6-9pm.


East on 64 from Jordan
oil pastel on paper
22" x 30"

We'll probably head over to the First Friday reception early so we can get Miss Natalie to bed at a decent hour.  It should be a great show!


Another of my recent oil pastels, Emerald Isle Dunes, just went on display in Downtown Apex through July 4 at the Oceanic Latitudes show by the Apex Arts Council.


Emerald Isle Dunes
oil pastel on board
13 " x  17 3/4"

Works will be sold by silent auction, so if you are interested in purchasing this work or any other beach-themed paintings by local artists, don't miss this show!  Head over to Common Grounds Coffehouse on Salem Street and make a bid!


Hope you can make it to one of the shows!


Bethany :)



Friday, June 24, 2011

Just off the Easel: East on 64 from Jordan

Just finished this large painting for the Visual Art Exchange show Pulp:

East on 64 from Jordan
oil pastel on paper
22" x 30"


We took some great pictures last weekend on the way home from an afternoon at Lake Jordan.  The sun was setting and casting the prettiest colors on this house and barn on the South side of Hwy 64.  I'm sure I'll be doing a few more studies from these photos!

I haven't worked this large in oil pastels in a while.  It was fun, but eats up a lot of pastel!  This time I underpainted with only some acrylic Speedball ink in Burnt Sienna applied with a rubber brayer to lay in the darker areas...


I used this techique a lot in college in my large nude figure drawings with etching ink and soft pastels.  (Pardon this terrible photo with reflections...)


Untitled, 1999
etching ink and soft pastels on paper
22" x 30"

Hopefully this new landscape will make it into the VAE show...I'll keep you posted!

Oh, and here's a not so great picture of the framed Emerald Isle Dunes I talked about here.  I'm taking it over to Downtown Apex for the Oceanic Latitudes show today.



Thanks, and Happy Friday!
Bethany

Monday, June 20, 2011

Just off the Easel: Emerald Isle Dunes

Hooray for productive days off!  Today Natalie took a great nap and Nick came home early, so I was able to start and finish a painting today.

I'm hoping to display this piece at the Apex Arts Council's show Oceanic Latitudes.  


Emerald Isle Dunes
oil pastel on 8-ply rag board
13" x 17 3/4"


This is from one of the great photos from our Emerald Isle trip a few weeks ago.  I'm loving the cotton rag board primed with terracotta Colourfix.  It doesn't give the texture like the watercolor and Arches cover stock.  For a larger piece the texture doesn't bother me, but on smaller drawings I think it's distracting.


I have the perfect frame in mind...a brown rustic wood heart pine frame with a cove shape.  Oil pastels have to be framed under glass for protection from dust and smearing.  I use spacers when I don't use a mat, and use museum glass to eliminate glare.  I'll share a picture once it's framed.


I also worked on the picture of Nick and Natalie, but probably won't finish it tonight.  I need some relaxation!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Father's Day & Just off the Easel: A Ride on the Beach

Happy Father's Day!

Today we celebrated my husband's second Father's Day.  We let him sleep in (only until 8:30 but it's better than 6:15!), had a nice brunch, and headed to the NC Museum of Art

We have been wanting to see the 30 Americans exhibit, so we activated the membership we bought on Groupon a few months ago.  The year membership got us free admission to the ticketed show, and it was well worth it!  We'll also be able to see the Rembrandt show coming later this year.  30 Americans was an incredible show... my favorite pieces were Mickalene Thomas' Baby I Am Ready Now and Kehinde Wiley's  Sleep.  If you are in the Raleigh area, don't miss this exhibit!  It is also heading to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. in October 2011.


For Father's Day, I just finished this commission of a daddy and son on the beach. 

A Ride on the Beach
acrylic on canvas
16" x 20"

I'm loving the summertime scenes right now, like the one I finished last week of Natalie on the beach.  I'm working on a smaller oil pastel of Nick and Natalie on the beach...look for a post on that coming in the next few days!


Last but certainly not least, thank you to all of the wonderful fathers ... most especially my own Dad, father-in-law, and my husband.  Natalie and I are lucky to have all of you in our lives! :)

Monday, June 6, 2011

Just off the Easel: Buckets of Fun

After our fun trip to Emerald Isle, I have tons of great photos to paint!





Natalie loved romping in the sand, chasing waves, eating kelp, and playing with water in her buckets.  I think she was more interested in the buckets filled with water than eating sand, which was fine by me!


I have just finished this painting of Natalie busily playing with her buckets...


Buckets of Fun
8" x 10" oil pastel on paper

Painted with oil pastels on Arches Cover stock, primed with terracotta Colourfix.  This time I underpainted with the Neocolor water soluble pastels, and I liked how it kept the layers thinner.  The oil pastel really builds up quickly and takes some time to set up.  Using the water soluble pastels helped me to work more quickly and make changes to the composition before using the oil pastels.

Here is my underpainting...for once I thought to get out the camera and take a picture halfway into my work.  This is after laying down the Neocolor pastels and using a wet brush to create a wash.  

after underpainting finished
& before oil pastels used

I'm looking forward to some more beach-inspired paintings, and will continue experimenting with different ways to underpaint.  Next I may try some watercolor washes, which I haven't done in years.  Should be a good exercise!

Stay tuned :)


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