Two of my favorite ladies on MSNBC

 

Em

Iron Door Saloon

I am experimenting with scratching pastel dust on gesso. Also, moving towards abstracted features.

Three Girls in White

This is an abstract monochrome portrait of three girls that are done in pastel on masonite. As I move more towards the abstraction of the subjects I want to be able to maintain their personalities. We shall see how far I can take it before I lose the spirit of the subject. 

Memory

This is called memory. I have been thinking a lot about how we try to live in the moment but that really isn't possible because the moment has already passed by the time we conceive of it. The art I am doing is the memory in past time.

Track

An expressionistic portrait of a couple in pastel

"A Couple" 

Pastel painting that looks back at you.

Yeah?

18"x24" Pastel on sanded paper and gessoed masonite board

Expressive hands, pastel art, blues and reds

Pastel on sanded paper, 12"x18"

pastel on sanded paper, 12"x18"

Todays challenge in pastel on sanded paper. 12"x18"

Here is the second in a challenge to complete ten pieces in this style. 

Moving into a new direction with my portraits. I want them to be more than a representation of a person. I want them to show the experience and expression while moving into the abstracted form. 

I always want to be moving into an intended focus. Here is a pastel done on sanded paper. 

I have done the gesso on masonite with pastel before on landscapes but wanted to see how it worked with people. I really enjoyed the whole process and drawing was almost meditational because of the slower pace and tiny details. 

I have been reminded by some wonderful women that I know, how difficult it can be to over come some obstacles life throws at us.But, there is another side as well. After the worst of it comes all the icing on the cake, and I have had tons of icing on my cake. This is a drawing on gessoed masonite with pencil and pastel.

Life can be messy and sometimes it is very healthy to work through some of those difficult experiences. Art is one way to do that for myself and for others who can find a connection.

We all have those times when we think back into the past. As I get older I find myself reflecting back to the life I have had, good and bad, and how they brought me to where I am in my life at this time. This piece is called "Reflection". It is pastel on a thick gessoed matt board which lets the texture come from the gesso.  

"Frida" will be at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek, CA for the months of July-August. She is part of an exhibit that is titled, "The World of Frida". The reception will be on July 8th, from 3-5pm.

Also, "Mama Rose's Ranch" will be showing at the Carnegie in Turlock, CA for the months of May-July. The reception for that exhibit will be May 10th, 5-8pm.

This is my fourth piece that is a part of the series on individuals I am working on. Frida Kahlo was a strong woman who wanted to be heard and spent her life using art to tell about her experiences and who she was.

Maude Lewis is the third portrait in this series. Maude and her art taught me that we continue to be who we are despite the obstacles we face. She modeled that beauty is made through the eyes that are seeing it and that happiness needs to be cultivated with a pure heart.

This is my second piece in the group of portraits. I want to let it speak for itself.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Intention, purpose, and meaning are words that my dear friend and I were talking about and how we use it in our art. After a very long conversation I thought about doing a series of portraits, partly because I am really enjoying them right now and because my intention is to show how important letting people see who you really are is to you knowing who you are yourself. Jordan Smith's, "Stand In the Light and Show Who You Are", is the source of inspiration for this series. Some will be people that are well known and some will be people who live authentic lives without the attention of the public.

This is the first piece. Martin Luther King Jr. is an inspiration to many and knew who he was and what he was meant to do. 

Dreyden

Mama Rosa and the Ranch

I am doing a portrait challenge and these are some of the first ones done.

David

Madeline

Day 1 of a 30 day drawing challenge.