I gots learned... by a still life.

So I'm finally over my sickness and have more energy to get stuff done; namely work on art and other various activities around the house one of which includes doing away with the hideous border wallpaper in the kitchen.

The Other Half and I are also getting ready to head off to Florida in a few weeks and we're trying to make sure that we have everything that we need since I am notorious for forgetting important items. In relation to that, one of the tasks I got done this week was book our car rental and I think it's fair to say that the Other Half is now more excited about that than the actual trip itself since I have supposedly rented us a Dodge Avenger. What I failed to mention to him was the fine print that said: 'Or vehicle of a similar class'... whatever that means.

I haven't done any more work on my equine piece but here's another one that I completed just before Christmas that I'm particularly pleased with:

"Simple Pleasures"

Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes

Copyright Rita Woodburne

I have this vessel out on display at home and I've always loved it. Love the colour, love the shape, love the glossiness... basically I just love everything about it. This is the first time I used it in a composition and I can say with certainly that I'll use it again. Even though the composition for this is really very simple it made me appreciate the difficulty in getting things 'just right' in terms of placement and lighting. That said, I enjoyed the process since I learned something. Yes, I am trainable.

So, I also have a few other projects on the go and one Top Secret project that will remain in that state until further notice. If I'm feeling cheeky I'll be sure to drop hints every now and then just to drive folks mad with wonder.

Stay tuned!  :)

Art vs. good weather

Just a small update this time. We had some unexpected snow yesterday and I couldn’t resist taking the dogs out to play, especially since it’s been quite mild the past few days making it very comfortable for getting outside (even if I do still have a cold). 

 Still un-named...

Coloured pencil on Colourfix

I’ve filled in more of the background and punched up some of the colour on the horse and am letting it sit for now. I need to mull over exactly how I’m going to finish up the background and I also need to figure out how to push the values more to make them “pop”.

I have another work that I finished up awhile ago that I’ll share in my next post. So just a small update and if you’ll excuse me now I’d really like to take the dogs out again.

Toodles!

Cough. Ack. Patooie!

Hi folks!

Sorry for the delay in updating. I've been sick the past few days and when my throat wasn't bothering me my body was aching and it felt like there was a troupe of dwarves performing a rendition of 'Riverdance' on my brain.

Good times, good times.


So below is part 3 of the yet un-named equine piece:

Still untitled and I'm open to suggestions...

Coloured pencil on Colourfix

I'm having quite a bit of fun with this one since, as I mentioned previously, it's been awhile since I worked on colourfix and to be able to whip out the yellows, oranges, hot pinks and purples at this time of year is always a treat! It's also been a good long while since I've done an equine piece and this particular one is just the thing I need to get back into it.

Oh, and here's part 4:

Really... suggestions for a title??

My apologies for the slight blurriness of this one but Gizmo, aka- the Thunderbolt Kitten, was milling about the desk and was knocking my pencils off and subsequently attacking them and carrying each one off to its imminent demise. If it were a mouse I wouldn't care but when the pencils go for about $2 a pop you better believe that the only demise they'll be meeting is from the wrath of my pencil sharpener.

So there's the update for now. I've had about 3 tablespoons of Buckley's, played with the dogs out in the snow (or "Snowmageddon" as one Kingston radio station referred to it), ate a piece of cheesecake and am now feeling significantly better and that my sickness is just about over. I'll have another update this weekend and perhaps even a rant over some of the idiotic things I've seen on the roadways as of late. After all, who doesn't love a good rant?

Until next time...   :)

Throwing caution to the wind

So as promised here’s some of what I’ve been working on. Staying true to form, I have several pieces on the go right now since I get bored easily.  ;)

I'm just going to post one since I have several shots of another and not a great deal of time to do this post. This one is actually an experimental piece in that the support I’m using is Masonite that’s been gessoed. I’ve tackled this particular subject before but I used oils and it was many years ago. I liked the image a lot but wasn’t quite sure if I was ready to try it in cp’s and what support I should use. Far be it from me to do anything easily so I figured why not make this as difficult for myself as possible and not only re-create the subject in cp's but also on a support I’ve never used before.

 Untitled

Coloured pencil on masonite

Copyright Rita Woodburne

So there she is in all her work-in-progress glory.

It's supposed to be the temperature of Hell freezing over this weekend (and by that I mean not even the dogs want to stay outside) so I'm planning on doing a lot of indoor activities such as art, reading and removing the hideous border wallpaper from our kitchen.

In my next post I'll have some pics of the other piece I've been working on and, if I'm brave enough and the wallpaper doesn't give me too much trouble in its removal, some updates to this piece as well.

I guess I could include the kitchen as a work-in-progress as well...

There's the door, Winter.

I'll be honest, I'd really rather be outside right now but before I give into temptation I just wanted to post a quick update on the ACEO I had on the go. Here it is:

"Daybreak" ACEO
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne

It was fun to break out the yellows and oranges again, and this little work rekindled my love of flowers as subject matter. Not that I ever really despised doing them, but (and I'm sure you other artists out there would agree), after awhile of doing the same subject matter over and over again you get a little tired. Yes, it's true, even flowers can lose their novelty.

So, on that note, I have done what I set out to do and now I must get outside and indulge in the wonderful weather we're having.

Dare I say it? Is Spring actually upon us?

Really? 350?

See? I told you I'd be back!

So today's post is Happy 350th post to me.

To be honest I didn't even realize it until I logged in and in the stats for my blog I noticed that my last post was #349. Yay observant me!


Anyhoo, here are a couple of updates for the two previous pieces I had featured here. Both of them have essentially passed what is fondly referred to in the coloured pencil artists world as "the ugly stage".

Freisian Stallion- WIP
8x10, Coloured pencil on Colourfix

True, every piece of art during its creation goes through an "ugly stage". The problem with coloured pencil, as any artist that uses them extensively will tell you, is that the ugly stage can last a long time. A veeeeery loooong time. In fact, it's often during these ugly stages that pieces get abandoned, like those errant single running shoes seen at the side of the highway.

Who gets so mad at their shoes, nay, a single shoe, that they feel the need to chuck it out the window while travelling at top speed in their vehicle? When they stop and have to get out do they regret throwing the shoe out the window? These are the questions that plague me... but I digress.

Silver & Cherries- WIP
11x14, Coloured pencil on Colourfix

So those are the updates for this week. My drooling ACEO isn't complete yet as I have another artistic project that I'm working on for my brother's abode. In typical guy fashion he has nothing on his walls and, as an artist, it pains me to think that there are nudist walls somewhere that are crying out for some decent clothes to wear. "Clothes", in this case, being art.

On that note I must go now and continue the noble quest of creating wall clothing. Toodles!

WIP's up the wazoo!

Sorry for my disappearance into la-la land last week. Schoolwork took up more time than I had anticipated and then the Other Half and I were away this week-end enjoying the odd Summer weather we've been having.

At any rate, I'm back today (and later this week... really!!) with some more art.

WIP's to be specific. If you recall from the last post (you can look below, I'm not re-posting the same image, consarndit!) there was the large piece I was doing of the silver jug and cherries. Here is another update to the piece:

Silver and Cherries- WIP

11x14, Coloured pencil on Colourfix

As per usual, I've done more to this one than I'm showing for today only because 1- I'm on dial-up and there are only so many pics I can upload at any given time before I lose my mind and 2- I have another WIP I'd like to share with you, dear reader. :)

The other WIP would be this equine piece:

Friesian stallion- WIP
8x10, Coloured pencil on Colourfix

Friesian stallion- WIP
8x10, Coloured pencil on Colourfix

Again, I've done more on this one than I'm letting on but you'll just have to contain your excitement to see how it turns out. Think of it like one of those "The Be Continued..." episodes of a show that you're totally hooked on.

I've also got an ACEO on the go that I'll share later. I'd like to finish it up and do an entire WIP post for that one because it features food and I swear the reference looked so good that I may have drooled on it a bit.

Speaking of food, I may as well share that I've been typing the last half of this post with a banana in one of my hands. Yup, that's right, my talents aren't simply limited to art; I can type while weilding a banana as well. Will wonders never cease?

Until later this week (with possibly a drool covered ACEO) keep on art-ing!

Done with dimples... for now at least.

"Lusciously Lit Lemons" ACEO

Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne

And there it is, my first miniature piece featuring some dimpled fruit!

Like I mentioned yesterday, considering this is the first time I've tackled lemons I'm content with how it turned out. Sure, I cheated a bit because half the darn thing is in shadow but I like to think of it as a baby- step towards including other interestingly textured produce into my artwork.

Having said that, the next WIP I have on the go is of a horse. So unless I include a carrot in the composition (highly unlikely) the only other piece I'm currently working on is another one that was left in limbo before my hiatus. It can be seen below:

Silver and Cherries WIP
Coloured pencil on Colourfix

I've actually gotten a bit more done on it than this but I'd really like to get this one wrapped up soon 1- because it's a large piece (for me) at 11x14 and would be the first large still life piece that I've completed and 2- it's been on my drawing table since the Winter and it's getting to the point where I'm almost certain that it's laughing at me every time I walk past it. Almost as if to say "Mwahaha! You'll never complete me and as such I shall inhibit your growth as an Artist for all eternity!"

Okay, so maybe that last bit was a bit over-dramatic but every once and awhile... I'm sure I can hear it snickering at me.


So, I've got a busy art, school and gardening day ahead of me and with a list of tasks lined up in front of me I feel I should get the rest of my day underway. You know, so my list of "things to do" isn't laughing at me as well.

Until later this week, keep on art-ing!

Dimpled fruit... yes, you read that right.

Hi there, dear reader!

So I'm back again with an ACEO WIP. I told you I was itching to get back into doing art; and what better way to start than with a challenging miniature piece? I say this one was a challenge because, for lack of better words, I've never done dimpled fruit before.

That doesn't really sound right, does it?

Lemon still life ACEO- WIP
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes

Anyhoo, this being my first foray into a still life with a dimpled fruit I decided on a nice reference pic featuring some lemons that I got from the artist forum WetCanvas!, although I can't recall the name of the individual that contributed the particular photo.

I think I find dimpled fruit to be a challenge because of the way I work with cp's. That is, I like to "block in" areas of colour and then start layering. When you have dimples and divets in things (not just fruit, although I can't think of anything else off the top of my head that presents the same texture) there are all kinds of considerations to make regarding lights and darks and sometimes, to be perfectly honest, that's just too much calculated planning for me.

Lemon still life ACEO- WIP
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes

That said, I was up for a challenge and since this is my first attempt I'm pleased with the results and hopefully I'll be able to start including all kinds of textured fruit now. Limes, oranges, strawberries, lychee fruit (okay, maybe not)... the possibilites are endless!!

This ACEO is complete but I'm going to leave you in suspense until tomorrow when I'll be posting again. Now if you'll be so kind as to excuse me I have a loaf of cinnamon zucchini bread that needs to make it's great escape from the oven.

Till tomorrow! :)

Cherries and snow

Well, we didn’t get that much snow on the week-end and after checking the forecast it would appear that it’s actually coming overnight and throughout tomorrow. Other than a few errands I have to run tomorrow I think I’ll be spending a good chunk of time working on art since I didn’t get as much done over the week-end as I was hoping to.

Despite time constraints over the week-end I do have this little ACEO to share as well as the beginning of an 11x14 piece I started.

"Red, red and more red" ACEO- Part 1
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne

"Red, red and more red" ACEO- Done!
Coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne

For the larger piece it’s a re-do of an ACEO I completed last year. The original reference image is from WetCanvas! I believe. In the original photo there’s a lace tablecloth on the table and when I did the ACEO I omitted it but I’m considering including it in this piece. Since this is a larger piece it would be much easier for me to include the detail of the lace as opposed to the ACEO where I’m quite sure had I attempted to include the lace my eyeballs would’ve fallen right out of my head.

No title yet... WIP
11x14, Coloured pencil on Colourfix

Copyright Rita Woodburne

The other thing I did with this one was use solvents for the background. I really wanted that solid black and since I’m working on Colourfix for this one I knew that no amount of burnishing would get me that solid black... not without waxy consequences anyway.

I’m debating whether I want to attempt using solvents for the cherries as well since I’m pretty much a newbie when it comes to combining cp’s with solvent. I may try a few test pieces to figure out how much manipulating I can do.


So that’s what I’m up to for now. If anyone out there has suggestions for using the solvents I’m all ears!

Pastelbord loves me... it loves me not.

Ah the joys of Pastelbord, it’s a nice support, it doesn’t require glass for framing, it comes in a variety of coloured grounds to save artists some of the value work and, really, who wouldn’t feel just a little hoity- toity drawing on something that’s made with ground marble. I mean it just sounds fancy.

That said, the stuff is driving me nuts. My love/ hate relationship with this particular support is going on much longer than I had hoped. Take, for instance, my first few experiences working with Colourfix. At first I really didn’t care for it at all and then after doing a few pieces on it I’ve not only fallen in love with working on it but I daresay I’ve become horribly addicted to working on it (although not for everything). Colourfix grew on me much the way that nice little vine- type plants like Morning Glories grow on trellises. Pastelbord, on the other hand, is growing on me in the same way that mold grows on bread that’s gotten too old.

My biggest qualms with it are that I’m an artist that works in sections rather than from left to right or top to bottom. This means that at any given time I may need to rest my arm or hand over a section of my work and with Pastelbord I find that when I do this I’m lifting off not just a small portion of my work but a whole clump of it in a puffy coloured pencil cloud. It’s ticking me off to say the least. I’m also finding that, unlike Colourfix, I can get quite a few layers down but not oodles of layers. Oh, and by the way, here’s where my Scottsdale rider is so far:

Scottsdale Western Rider
11x14, coloured pencil on Pastelbord
Copyright Rita Woodburne

With all my frustration with Pastelbord you’d think I’d have given up already but alas, not so. Why? Because I’m really, and I mean really, stubborn. That and after having several pieces of glass break en route to art fairs I’m really keen on being able to frame something without glass. I hate that shuffling, scratching, clinking noise that you get when unpacking art that has broken glass.


So here’s my appeal to artists that use Pastelbord on a regular basis:
How do you get around pigment lifting off the surface aside from being really, really careful? Fixative? Mylar/ vellum sheet? Voodoo magic? .... or are you just really, really careful? Also, is there a trick to getting lots and lots of layers down the same way you can with Colourfix?

I feel like I’m missing something here, some kind of trick to working on it and like I mentioned before, I’m stubborn so I’m not about to give up anytime soon.

Happy Labour Day!

Happy September, dear reader!!

As I mentioned in my previous post I intended to be lazy. Quite lazy, in fact, since this is the last real ‘Hurrah’ of Summer before weeping children head back to school and the population in general in my neck of the woods starts getting ready for the on-set of cooler weather. (Must stack firewood, must stack firewood...)


I have spent my ‘laziness’ being rather productive, relatively speaking, in creating art and starting some new pieces, finishing off older ones and coming up with new ides for “works-to-be”. One piece was of a fox kit that I posted earlier in one of its beginning stages as you can see below:

Fox Kit, WIP
8x10, coloured pencil on Colourfix
Copyright Rita Woodburne

And here is where that piece is now:

Fox Kit, WIP
8x10, coloured pencil on Colourfix
Copyright Rita Woodburne

There’s still some work to be done on it yet, that’s for sure, but I feel pretty good about where it’s going and I suspect that I’ll be able to wrap it up this week.

Another piece I’ve started is this one:

Scottsdale Western rider
11x14, coloured pencil on Pastelbord
Copyright Rita Woodburne

It’s (obviously) in a very rudimentary stage at this point and it’s featuring a rider and her horse from the Scottsdale Arabian Show that took place back in February this year. It was a really nice pose and I had to chuckle to myself because the Arab looked so Quarter horse-y in all the Western gear, the only thing that really gave him away was that he didn’t have that tell-tale QH rump on him. This piece is on pastelbord and since this post is long enough already I’d like to leave my next post to talk about the love/ hate relationship I’ve developed with this surface and make my plea to other artists that are using this surface.


So there you have it. Regular readers will know, Autumn is my favourite time of year, not just because of the colours, which tend to be just scrumptious I might add, but also because this time of year always seems to feel like a “New Year”. So stay tuned because I suspect that with a bit more free time on my hands and the prospect of me returning to my original intents with my art that some interesting things are sure to come.... :D

Art and alien space pods

Nope, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth... at least not yet anyway.

The past couple of weeks have been hectic and as the last of the lazy, hazy (or in our case cool and soggy) days of Summer come to a close I realize how much prepping we still have to do before Winter. After all, the paddocks won't seed themselves and firewood isn't going to cut and stack itself.

The Women's Art Festival went well and the weather held out despite some dark, threatening clouds that rolled in mid-afternoon. Then last week-end the Other Half and I were off camping with friends. Getting any amount of art done has happened at a glacially slow pace, although I do have this to share:

"Enlightened"
5x7, coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne

There's a weird glare at the bottom part of the picture which I apologize for, I'll need to get a better pic of it later. I also have a couple of WIP's on the go and I hope to post them this week-end since it's a long week-end and I intend to be as lazy as possible before the Fall rush of chores begins.


Also, because things aren't weird enough for me on a regular basis here on the farm let me share with you with my story of discovery...

So last week Rosebud and I were walking through the woods. It was a nice sunny day and we were enjoying our morning constitutional and as we wandered here there and everywhere I can recall thinking 'It seems quiet... too quiet'. After all, it's the woods, there's usually leaves rustling, birds chirping and crazy squirrels chattering away as we walk past them.
As this thought crossed my mind I remember feeling somewhat anxious, as though something wasn't quite right. So, with that feeling of uneasiness coming over me, Rosebud and I started to head back. We were on the homestretch and as I rounded a corner approaching the surface ponds I saw something that darn near made me require a change of pants. It was this:



Oh yes, a scary mylar balloon. Except this balloon (which measures a good 2 1/2 feet in height I might add) still had enough helium in it that it was standing upright.

So there I was, standing in the woods with my heart pounding and face to face with what I initially thought was some type of alien space pod. Then I realized it was a smiley face mylar balloon and I was even more frightened because, really, who the Hell expects to see a sunshine smiley face balloon staring at them in the middle of the woods. Not me, that's for sure.

After I figured it was safe to approach the balloon and there weren't any booby traps set out to ensnare me I picked up the balloon and took it back to the house with me because I can only imagine how the horses would've reacted had they seen this horse- eating monster in one of their favourite snacking spots.


So there you have it, the fun and weirdness just never ends for an artist living on a farm. I like to think of it as my own little 'The Gods Must Be Crazy' experience. Better a mylar balloon than a Coke bottle, 'cause the balloon makes for a much better story. ;)

Back on the long week-end!

Head for the hills... the zombies are coming!!

I know, I know, I’ve been MIA...but for good reason...

The other day over on her blog, Greywaren Art, Maggie posted her thoughts on the potential of a zombie attack and whether the artist side of us carries over into the wee hours of the night. More correctly (I hope, and please correct me if I'm wrong), are you an artist through and through? Regardless of whether you’re awake or not, selling your art or not, beginning artist or seasoned veteran? Are you being true to yourself?

"Enlightened" WIP
5x7, coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes
Copyright Rita Woodburne

This was something I’ve been thinking about a lot over the past few months and most especially when I injured my back and was forced to do nothing but lie on my stomach and stare out the window and watch the world go by. I also did a lot of reading on art history and interviews/ articles on contemporary artists as well. Life got in the way of me pushing forward with my art in a gung-ho kinda way and, to be honest... it was probably for the better.

I've pulled an about face and decided to focus a lot less on selling my art and instead have shifted my focus on developing my skills and style. For me to do that I need to set the business side of being an artist aside and I need to just focus on my art and, as I posted in the comment section of Maggie's post, to Hell with the rest of it.
Now, potential collectors don't go tucking your cheque-books away just yet. I'm still selling my art in art fairs and, if the Universe unfolds as it should, by next year it'll also be in galleries but I'm cutting back on commissions drastically. I simply have too many projects of my own that I want to explore and my free time to pursue those projects has become very limited as of late.

So basically what you see here and on my website (which should be updated soon) is what I'm doing and I'm shifting into purely visceral mode with my art. It was what I did when I was younger and didn't have a care for anything else except doing exactly what I want... and when I was doing that I was happy as a clam with legs.
Yes, I'm regressing and taking a child-like approach to my art again and quite franklyI can't wait to see what happens. I'm sure I'll return to an artist/ business person approach to my art eventually but for the forseeable future this is what I need to do... zombie attack or not.

I'm Back!

VanGogh project daisies, WIP

5x7, coloured pencil on Colourfix

Copyright Rita Woodburne

Wow, have I been on hiatus or what?

So this Sunday, from 1- 4 pm the Lilac Tea takes place at the Tyendinaga Twp. Public Library. I’m very excited to see what kind of turn out we have and what responses we get from the artists who are participating in the show. Over the past week I’ve been toodling away with finalizing the artist brochure and getting some signage ready as well as making sure I’m not scrambling at the last minute to get my art show “stuff” together.

Taking part in and helping to plan an event like this is very exciting for me because 1- I’m anal about planning things and love to see things go off with very few hitches and 2- anything to do with promoting fine art and literacy is always worthwhile in my books regardless of where it takes place. If you happen to be in the area, or are looking for an excuse to go on a country drive, be sure to stop by and see the fantastic art that's going to be on display and meet the artists!

Cynthia, if you’re reading this, I’d love to help out next year because now all the surprises are gone and I’ll know what to expect! ;)


Next week I'll resume with regular posts and more updates on art and gardening. Until then though the remainder of today and tomorrow is going to be spent getting everything together that I need for the show on Sunday. Oh, and in case you're wondering how the above piece is coming along for my VG project...

"Catching Some Rays"
5x7, coloured pencil on Colourfix
Copyright Rita Woodburne

... it's done!!

Overall I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out and the Colourfix gave me a lot of flexibility for layering that I didn't have with the Mi-Teintes. Any comments? Crits? Can't get better without them.

So until next week have a fantastic week-end!

Untitled
8x10, coloured pencil on pastelbord

Copyright Rita Woodburne

Hidy-ho there, dear reader.

My apologies for my absence this week but first Blogger decided it didn't like the idea of me posting and then I was swamped with art related tasks such as getting some artist promo material ready for the Lilac Tea, which is only 2 weeks away I might add, and picking out pieces to head up north to be displayed at Bon Echo on top of my growing pile of works-in-progress that are screaming at me to be completed. I'm doing this on top of all the regular day-to-day tasks involved with living on a farm and tending my veggie garden.

Sound hectic? You bet, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. ;)

On a lighter and more exciting note I'm pleased as punch to share that not just one but both of the pieces I entered in the Quinte Arts Council "Expressions" show, you can find out which pieces I entered here, both garnered Honourable Mentions from the jurors. Oh yes, I'm just grinning from ear to ear.


So I do beg your pardon but I need to get back to work. I'll be posting this week and next but it will be sporadic... just thought I'd let you know so you don't think I've dropped off the face of the earth.

You know, because that sort of thing happens so often to artists. ;)

Yes, I used Yellow Chartreuse

It’s done!!

Yes, the experimental daisies are done and, to be honest, I’m quite relieved that they are. About half-way through working on it I remember thinking: “Damn...why didn’t I do this on Colourfix? I can get way more layering on Colourfix...and it’s easier to hide mistakes.” Alas, I didn’t do it on Colourfix and I also couldn’t bring myself to scrap this one and start over. So I just kept on trucking through it and I’m glad that I did. Without further ado, my Van Gogh Project experimental daisies:

"Sun Seekers"
5x7, coloured pencil on Mi-Teintes

Copyright Rita Woodburne
(Sorry 'bout the shadowing on the right side, I'm working on my photography skills...)

Bright, sunny and cheery, the perfect picture to be working on at this time of year. Reminds me that some of those wee daisies are hiding under all that manure I’ve been scooping and they’ll be popping up soon enough.

I’m happy with the way that this one came out and I think that I did as much with this one as I could. Now that it’s done and I’ve had a break from it I can see things I would’ve done differently and most of the issues I encountered were ones that could’ve been avoided if I had given some more thought/ planning to the piece prior to actually starting on it. However, I’m more of a “jump in head first and hope the rocks are small and deep” kinda person so planning was not at the top of my list of things to do.

I decided that since I was working with a solid colour background I would play around with using complementaries in the daisies themselves to add some interest to the piece and satisfy my need to play around with the colour. The nice thing about working with white is that you have some fantastic options for adding colour and with this being a bright piece I felt comfortable adding colours like Yellow Chartreuse and Parma Violet... right next to each other!


I know, I’m just so wild and crazy.


Anyway, here’s a close up of one of the daisies and you can see some more of the colour I’ve played around with:

"Sun Seekers", close-up

Copyright Rita Woodburne

So there you have it. I’m really open to comments and crits for this one because, like I said again and again, this was an experiment. What do you think of the colour? The perspective? The subject matter? The price of tea in China?

I had fun with it. So much so, in fact, that I’ve started another daisy piece. I know, I'm such a glutton for punishment.

Until later this week, keep on art-ing! :D

It's Not Gaudy!

Well howdy there, dear reader.

Glad you came back to find out what I'm up to with my Van Gogh project. As I mentioned in my previous VG post I've been working on a new approach to doing art in my (seemingly) never-ending quest to incorporate more colour into my work.

Last year over on WetCanvas! I posted a piece that I had been working on in which I had used some colours that wouldn't have been part of my palette at the time. You know, colours like Periwinkle, Pale Vermillion, Raspberry and Yellow Chartreuse. I love work that features bright, bold colour but at the time the thought of using them in my own work scared the bejeezus out of me.
I posted my work (and to be honest I can't even recall which one it was) in the hopes of getting some feedback and critiquing. People were more than happy to offer up their thoughts and opinions and it was one comment in particular that prompted me to think that perhaps I was on the right track. The commenter wrote that they liked my use of colour (as in colour not typically considered for the subject matter) because it worked well with the piece and that I had used it in a way that didn't look gaudy.

Sure, some folks may think that sounds kind of blunt or perhaps wouldn't have even given the comment a second thought but I was quite pleased with myself for having received this particular comment. As I mentioned before, I like work that features bright, bold colour but I've also seen some works where I have to ask myself whether the artist wasn't quite in a proper state of mind... if ya know what I mean.

In the big book of Van Gogh that I've been reading (and yes, I've been reading other articles and books on VG) there was a particular letter he wrote to Theo describing the colour and people of Arles in which he states:

"...Although the people here are grossly ignorant about painting in general, in themselves and their way of being they are far more artistic than in the North.
... They know how to add a touch of pink to a black outfit, and have a knack of putting outfits together in white, yellow, pink, or even green and pink, or indeed blue and yellow, so that nothing needs to be changed from an artistic point of view."**

That particular passage, combined with the comment I received last year gave me such a clear idea of what I'm trying to do with this project. I'm trying to attain that knack that VG is speaking of in regards to the people of Southern France but in a way that I can apply said "knack" to my art.


Now I know I said I was working on a daisy picture as my experiment but it's not the piece I have to show you today. Instead I finished up my "snow day" work of the horse and with the above thoughts in mind I figured colour-wise I'd just go for it and see what happens. First is the beginning stages, the second is a close-up of the forelock and the third is the completed piece:

"Mystic", WIP
8x10, coloured pencil on Colourfix
Copyright Rita Woodburne

"Mystic", close- up of forelock and head.

Copyright Rita Woodburne

"Mystic"
8x10, coloured pencil on Colourfix
(With my apologies as the colour is slightly washed out in this pic)
Copyright Rita Woodburne

Now I must admit, I'm quite tickled as to how this came out. I managed to keep the softness that's part of my style and I got to use Henna, Lavendar, Limepeel and a slew of other colours that I wouldn't normally have picked up when working on a piece like this... without it looking gaudy!

I pat myself on the back.


Now don't go thinking that I've forgotten about my daisy piece. Far from it, in fact while I was finishing this one up I was working out the daisy piece in my mind and figuring out ways to apply the same ideas and methods to that one. At the moment I can see two main issues that I'm going to encounter in completing the daisies: 1- Aside from the lilac piece, it's been a good long while since I've done a floral. Flowers have lots more fiddly bits than horses and I've chosen an image with a rather different perspective so I've double whammied myself in that regard and 2- I'm working on Mi-Teintes which isn't as forgiving as Colourfix because it doesn't allow for as much layering. With that in mind I'm going to have to be very deliberate in my application of colour and how heavily it's applied.

With those obstacles laid out on the table I'm hoping I can finish it up this week-end and have it posted to you for next week. I do love a challenge.

Until Friday, keep on art-ing! :D


** "Vincent Van Gogh: A Self-portrait in Art and Letters" Edited by H. Anna Suh and published by Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, New York