Yesterday I ended my post about inspirational beach photos by saying I felt so inspired I would go draw a cabin. You thought I was making that up? This is a commissioned pencil drawing of a Wilsonia cabin. The cabin owners emailed me several photos with some specific instructions, and this is the result. I […]
Art History
I have art history. A piece of it arrived in the mail last week. Bob, I’m forever grateful. You were one of my greatest mentors, teachers, encouragers and friends throughout my youth. Blessings on you, dear friend.
Redwoods, Redwoods, Everywhere
I still have a very large commissioned oil painting of redwoods to complete. Redwoods are sequoia gigantea, not to be confused with California redwoods. We grew up calling them “the big trees”, and I had no clue what a privilege it was to live so close. (I might have been a bit of a twit.) […]
Normally on Tuesday. . .
. . . I would be teaching people how to draw. This happens at the Courthouse Gallery in Exeter. No lessons in July or August because in the past, the attendance was abysmal during those months. Besides, it is just hot! I’ve been teaching people how to draw since 1994. Looking back, I’m not sure […]
From Pencil Drawing to Oil Painting
During Three Rivers Artists Studio Tour Ten, some folks saw the pencil drawing of Redwood and Dogwood. They liked it, but color sells better than black and white and shades of gray, and oil paintings have a greater appeal than pencil. I LOVE PENCIL. Just sayin’. Something new happened to me as a California artist: […]
Four Benefits of Learning to Draw Before Learning to Paint
As a self-confessed color junkie, I’ve pondered the question of why pencil? Was I just a chicken? That’s all water under the bridge, and now I am just accepting the fact of 13 years of drawing with a late start to oil and mural painting. It ain’t all bad! Drawing in pencil helped me develop […]
Eight Reasons this California Artist Chose Pencil
My last post ended with this question: if I am so taken with color, a “color junkie”, then why did I choose graphite as my medium? Simple – I love to draw. Oh come on, there must be more to it than that! Okay, yes there is. 1. It is easy to find pencil and […]
Why Artists Choose Three Rivers, a rerun
Because I just began year 5 of blogging, I decided to repost some of my earlier blogs for my newer readers. When my art studio was in Exeter and I lived in Lemon Cove, people assumed I lived in Three Rivers. I’m guessing this was because of my occupation of pencil artist. (Given the choices […]
Fourth Blogiversary
Today, April 16, I begin year #5 of blogging. There are many reasons that I blog. Since lists float my boat, here is the list for you: 1. It is fun. Remember Show-and-Tell in grammar school? For some kids it was a chore (and a chore for the rest of us to listen). For others, […]
Product or Process
In knitting, there are regular discussions about whether one is a product knitter or a process knitter. This is in reference to one’s motivation – is it the journey that you enjoy, or is it the destination? When it comes to drawing, I am both a process and a product artist. The pencil feels like […]