"Peek-a-boo Pastel Peacocks"

"Peek-a- Boo Peacocks"

11X14

Original pastels drawn on premium pastel board

                                                                         

Pastel Horse/ November

    I used some different techniques with this one to try and blend the background almost into the horse.            
            I am happy with the way it turned out and it should transition well into a watercolor piece.
                           I will sketch some new pieces today that I can then turn into color. :)

Pastel horse w/background..

                   I have been experimenting with backgrounds and keeping objects in focus..
                         I am also experimenting with pulling main objects out of focus...
                                              I love experimenting with new ideas! :)

"Trio of Happiness"/Pastel

                                                               "Trio of Happiness"

                                                                      8x10
                                                                    SOLD

A horse is a horse of course..

  I thought this little cutie would be fairly simple.  I was wrong.  The body and head positioning looked beautiful in the photo, but awkward in my sketches.  I think I need a new eraser now...  maybe that should be his name.. "Eraser"- as in- he erases all of his racing competitors!  Yes, I do like to have fun with this blog.  The lesson learned from drawing this horse was that  looks CAN truly be deceiving.   Thanks for the challenge Eraser!!  See you again for the oils!! :) -S-

working with architecture and landscapes..

  This will be an oil painting in the near-future.  I have been sketching out possibilities and saving them for canvas pieces.  This piece is rough because a lot of the images are outlined or simply suggested so I know where to place them.  Trees, flowers, water, rocks and buildings.  It will be complicated.  I am looking forward to the growth process...  I'm sure it will be filled with a lot of wonderful mistakes!!! :) -S-

venice

  This piece was extremely challenging, but sometimes that is a good thing.  I am glad that its finished, because it required a lot of patience which I don't have an abundance of.  Onward to something more fun! :)

charcoal hummingbird

                                                          original charcoal- 5x7

winged things...

Pastel Reflections

 This was an experiment with dimension and perspective.  I don't find them as much fun to make, but they are a challenge and I love to push myself in new directions. :)

charcoal- Birds in Flight

  I am working on creating movement and when I convert these to pastels I will use light and shadows to help achieve this.  Every creation is a new experience and presents new challenges.

Charcoal Reflections

   This would refer to inner reflections of course as I notice that this sketch appears to be slanted.  This is interesting to me as I have an injured ankle and therefore walk "slanted".  :/

simple sketches

   I have been doing a lot of simple sketches- trying to improve on dimension and perspective.  The beach always has a lot to offer  although the wind sometimes gets in the way!  One of these photos is a bit shady but my dog wore me out and I am too tired to re-shoot it. Five beach books have been completed so I am ready to get back to my work with pastels.  Yesterday when I was walking my dog I experienced a "snowstorm" of white and fuzzy seedlings from a tree nearby.  It was completely surreal but of course  I was without my camera! :)  It was still thrilling to experience the magic!  :)

Outer Banks Memory Books

  These are the memory books that I created.  The outside is natural paper with pressed flowers; the binding is decorative wood and the inside contains white paper bags that can be filled with cards, letters and other collectibles. :)

artwork in Duck and flowers :)

  I took photos of the artwork at the Duck location and of the store itself.  There were quite a few reflections, but i did the best I could!  I have been sketching on flowers with dimension and am constantly trying out new ideas.  I like to add a little "flair" to my flowers and try to keep them bright and interesting. :)

Framed pieces ready for sale in Duck

  I have several pieces framed and ready to go hang in the store located in Duck, N.C.  I will post pictures of how they look matted and framed later as it is almost time to leave.  These are two of the pieces I will have there. :)

8x10 pastel

I haven't figured out yet to get all these on one blog.

Charcoal sketches, 5x7 Pastel and 8x10 Pastel

Wow- I must  say that I am not a fan of doing 5x7 pastels.  They take forever and it was extremely difficult to keep the original composition.  The 8x10 however, was a joy to do and more true to my personal style.  As usual, please feel free to leave feed-back and thanks again for viewing my work. :)  Happy Easter!

charcoal sketch of duck and shells

    I am sketching just about anything that captures my interest.   The more sketches I have to use as reference points for pastels, the more options I have.  I have been sketching in the morning before anyone else gets up because my focus is better.  The Pastel for the day will be posted later tonight.  :)

A Lone Elephant in Pastels

This is the first pastel I've completed using my elephant sketch.  Let me know what you think! :)

An Elephant Sketch

  I've always drawn pictures I liked that I saw in books or magazines.  People would often ask me to reproduce a picture they admired and wanted to hang on their wall.  I enjoy being able to copy artwork as I own a variety of pictures that I could never have produced without copying.  I free-hand everything, but I still longed for the ability to create beautiful pictures from my own heart and soul.  I have a huge imagination and a photographic memory when it comes to print, but not when it comes to pictures.  Pastels became my outlet to "original" work.  My husband is a photographer so I decided to try sketching from photographs because these drawings would be originals as well.  I am now at the beginning of my sketching journey and hope to be able to combine the sketching of "real" things with the imagination and originality of my pastel work. :)

A Passion For Pastels

I love working with both hard and soft pastels.  The free-flowing style that I can produce with them brings out the best of me.  I never know what will emerge and am often surprised at the emotions and images that appear on the paper.  As a little girl, I never colored outside the lines.  I never realized how restricting that was until I discovered the feeling of freedom I felt when I allowed myself to cross over lines, smudge areas and just simply enjoy myself. :)

New to blogging

  I am new to the "blogging thing" so I will keep this short and sweet.  I am an artist and will be writing about my journey along the artist's path.  I would appreciate any suggestions on how to improve this page and make it both visually appealing and interesting.