Making a Big Impact With Just a Pen and Some Colored Pencils

I have always loved sketching from the earliest age I can remember.  In school or in meetings, you will often find my paper covered with strange doodling.  I'm sure this isn't unique to just me, but it helps me understand why recently that I find myself often reaching for a pen and a piece of paper rather than a paintbrush and canvas.  Oh don't worry, painting is something that I will never tire of, but when I can't paint I will often draw.  This past couple months I have turned to the pen and combined that with either colored pencils or a watercolor wash to finish off my creation.  Below are two floral pieces that I have completed and wanted to show to you.

Nature's Bounty- 11x14 Pen / Colored Pencil

This is the first floral sketch that I did and I decided to only add color to the fruits and flowers.  I liked the contrast that this effect created.  I decided also to make my apples green to give a variety of color.  Perhaps I should have gone with an odd number of apples.  Three apples might have been more interesting than just two but this is an observation after the sketch was completed and therefore is something I will have to consider if I repeat this composition.

Nature's Bounty of the Sierra Nevadas- 11x14 Pen/Colored Pencil

Once again I decided this week to do a second floral piece.  Keeping with my wild roses, blackberries and pine cones for this sketch.  I did decide to change some of the fruits represented.  I found that there is a variety of wild plums that grow in the boarder area of Nevada, California and Oregon that is called the Sierra Plum.  Also a very interesting berry that grows in the Sierra Mountains is that of the gooseberry.  What a odd looking berry it is.  Full of stickers but I read that once you get past the sticky exterior that the fruit itself is amazingly sweet.  I know there is good sermon material in there somewhere.

With this composition, I decided to color all parts of it with my prisma colored pencils.  It turned out to perhaps have more red and pinks then I would have originally considered but I love how that makes the foliage and the blackberries stand out.

Both of these pieces will be available on my website JulieTownsendStudio.com and on Fine Art America- Fruits of the Sierra Nevadas or Fine Art America- Nature's Bounty  if you would like to order prints or cards.  I will also be making up my own original cards of both of these designs so just let me know if you would like to purchase a pack of 12 cards. 

Taste the "Lemonade" to be Found in Competition

Here I am standing in front of my piece after the awards were announced

At the end of the day when I'm washing my brushes and turning out the studio lights, I have to think about my current piece.  There is a bonding process of sorts that takes place in the artist heart as your art progresses closer to that final stage and either you are at peace with where you find your creation or you are considering what has to change.  There is just something really satisfying to taking that final step of signing your name to a piece that you are excited about.  My recent piece that I call "Taste of Summer" makes me feel that way.

When you are presented with a themed art show and you know that you have the added incentive of some good competition some great creativity can hopefully emerge.  This summer I knew I wanted to enter the City of the World Summer Daze art show for several reasons.  1.  This is the gallery that I have my art currently hanging in and 2. I wanted to challenge myself with competing against some really good artists. 

My immediate thought of the theme Summer Daze brought me to thoughts of the beautiful summer fruit available at the local stores; watermelon to be specific.  I'm actually writing this at 3:30 am and eating a piece of this amazing fruit as I type.  To me watermelon encapsulates summer in my mind.  Sweet, juicy and refreshing this fruit is not only tasty but beautiful to behold with its bright red and complimentary green.  I was instantly intrigued with the prospect of a painting that focused on my favorite summer fruit.

Also, I thought about how refreshing a few slices of lemon in a glass of ice water becomes under the scorching summer Nevada sun and so my piece called "Taste of Summer" began to evolve in my mind.  I knew that to stand out amongst the other artists that would undoubtedly enter, I would have to make this piece not only bold and colorful but fun.  Since I usually painting desert landscapes this was going to be a challenge but the prospect of a little healthy competition was exactly what I needed to get me working out my idea on a small rendering.

I decided that I would cover 3/4 of the canvas with piles of lemons.  Now I didn't set this up as a still life in my studio but rather painted this out of my imagination looking at only a few examples of photos of lemons and watermelons.  I decided that the background should be plan but what better color to compliment lemons that purple.  Actually, this piece is really based on primary and complimentary colors now that I consider it but at the time I was just painting colorful fruit.  We have the red and green in the watermelon, the yellow and purple of the lemons and the background and the blue and orange of the cantaloupe and the blueberries.  How smart is that, even though I didn't plan that out necessarily in advance?

Last Saturday was the announcing of the winners and I was actually there when the judges were making their decisions.  I know that they had to meet a second time because there wasn't a clear winner in the first go around and when all the dust settled, I was giving second place.  Okay, I know that it isn't first place but I was thrilled just the same as you can see by my "Happy Face" on the photo.  The first place winner was a large and magnificently done watercolor of a man on a boat fishing. 

I'm going to end this blog entry (One because it is 4:00 am now and I'm starting to get tired again) with a challenge and a quote.  Don't be intimidated by other artists but rather take every challenge to put your work up against that of your fellow artists because each time you come away with a feeling of what you are going to enter next year that will be even better.

"Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly. Taste the relish to be found in competition - in having put forth the best within you."

Henry J. Kaiser

"Taste of Summer" is now available

"Taste of Summer"- 18x24 Original Oil painting

I know that summer is here when I see those large bins of watermelon available at the grocery store.  I'm not talking about the sad selection that we had all winter, but piles of beautiful round, sweet melons.  Cutting into that first melon of the summer is pure joy. 

And of course what is summer without pitchers of fresh squeezed lemonade.  That frosty tangy sweetness is the answer to a hot summer afternoon and believe me when I say that in Las Vegas we know HOT! 

Yes, it is the fruit that I look forward to in the summer.  All winter we have endured a limited selection of apples, oranges and bananas but now we have beautiful berries and melons to add to our culinary delights.  I hope this painting makes you want to grab a straw and enjoy the "Taste of Summer".

This piece was painting in my Las Vegas studio.  The original is currently hanging at The City of the World Gallery at 1229 S. Casino Center Blvd where I have a number of my pieces hanging.  If your interested in the original you can contact me directly and if you would like to consider ordering a print you can find it available at http://fineartamerica.com/featured/taste-of-summer-julie-townsend.html

What is your favorite summer fruit?

One of the many things that stand out in my mind when I think of summer is all the wonderful fruits that are in season, especially watermelon.  I try to buy one a week because there is just something refreshing about cold sweet watermelon on a hot summer day and in Las Vegas the word HOT is an understatement.  So when the City of the World Gallery that I am part of announced a summer art contest amongst the artists for the month of August this idea of a colorful pile of lemons and berries along with beautiful sliced watermelon came to mind.  I decided to add the blue straw to composition and title this piece "Taste of Summer".

It's a big change from my normal gold prospector or Nevada landscape but it was a lot of fun.  I don't think I have used so much yellow on one palette before.  I hope you enjoy the piece and I encourage you to come stop by the gallery on the corner of Casino Center and Colorado for next weeks "First Friday".  I'm sure there will be some great SUMMER art to see and you can probably find a cold glass of lemonade to enjoy.

TASTE OF SUMMER- 18x24 Original Oil Painting