EXPERIMENTING

BIJOU

Bijou is my Russian Blue companion, and is always ready to have her 

photo taken, or a sketch drawn. I decided to experiment with this drawing. 

Step 1 - top left. I sketched her from a photo, then attempted to create

some texture in parts of the drawing by placing a piece of scrap metal screen

under the 130# paper and rubbing over it with Stockmar white beeswax. Next, I thinned

down some acrylic and did a green wash over the whole image.

Step 2 - top right. Using charcoal, I created, more or less, a value map of the cat,

then painted over everything with Golden acrylic ground for pastels as some grit

was needed to hold the pastel.

Step 3 - bottom left. Adding pastel. Hmmm. Not as happy with this as the texture

I had created in Step 1 pretty much disappeared. Maybe added pastel with too 

heavy a hand? What next?

Step 4 - bottom right. I added green to her eyes - which, indeed, are a lovely green.

I think I'm done with this particular experiment, and am, somewhat, happy with 

the result. I like the fact that I played with color, though my intent was to be much looser and free-er with the entire piece - always a struggle. I'll try another with lighter-weight paper, lighter hand with pastels, and see what transpires.

Thunderbird

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This one reminds me of the Navajo jewelry featuring the Thunderbird.

 I used to sigh over the display at Jenny Lake Lodge in what is now Grand Teton Nat'l Park, 

and especially loved that design.

6 x 6 inch, inks, acrylic ground and soft pastel on Rives BFK, unframed

Which Way?

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Blue and green are, perhaps, my favorite colors (it sort of depends on the day

 of the week and the phase of the moon). This one was fun to do. 

I'm beginning to really love abstracts.

ink underpainting, pastel ground, soft pastel on Rives BFK, unframed

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Celebrate"

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Day #7 of the 30/30 Challenge - ink, pastel ground, soft

pastel on 6 x 6 inch Rives BFK.

Love how the red under-painting adds texture. 

I'm really enjoying this exercise in abstraction,

though they don't always work out as 

well as this one.

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Flirting"

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Day #6 of the 30/30 Challenge - inks, pastel ground, 

soft pastel on 6 x 6 inch Rives BFK.

You'll notice I've skipped a couple of days - that's because I only feel 

I've been successful about 50% of the time.

The red flecks peek coyly out from the 

green - naming it was easy!

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Nesting"

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Day #3 of the 30/30 Challenge - inks, pastel ground and soft pastel on 

6 x 6 inch Rives BFK.

This one just came together for me - so easy! Wish they 

could all do that. The shape has a protected feel, 

thus the title.

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Vroom!"

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Day #1 - 6 x 6 inch pastel on Rives BFK. 

I've decided to do abstracts for this challenge, a genre I have absolutely no 

experience with, so we'll see what happens. The diagonal lines 

show great energy and made me think of

 a motorcycle's roar.

SOLD!

Gates Pass - Early Morning

I was almost totally in shadow at the Ramada while sunlight hit the 

distant mountains and the valley below me, 

and the shadow of Tucson Mountain arrowed across the land. 

It was a scene of incredible beauty.