Award at WHMA Members Exhibition

I am so thrilled that my colored pencil drawing Elise was announced the Winner of the Edith Burger Award for Artistic Excellence at last night's reception for the Whistler House Museum of Art Members Exhibition! Above is a photo of me by the piece, as well as my wonderful model, my sister, Elise.

I also had an oil painting accepted into the exhibit, Father and Son, pictured above with my other two wonderful models, my husband and son. 

The show is full of amazing artwork in a variety of media, and well worth the visit. I also recommend checking out the rest of the museum. For more information, see http://www.whistlerhouse.org/

Self Portrait with Martini

Above is my completed colored pencil drawing titled "Self Portrait with Martini". This piece is 20" x 16", Prismacolor colored pencils on Fisher 400 sanded paper.

Latest Oil Portrait Scan

Pictured here is a scan of my most recent portrait, 28" x 18", oil on linen mounted on panel. I used Richeson Shiva Series oil paints, and Art Boards oil primed lined art panels.

More Progress on Self Portrait

I've done a little more work here... some of the items on the shelf are the same as in Self Portrait with Tea and A Second Cup.

Self Portrait Work In Progress

Here is a snapshot of my self portrait work-in-progress. I'm calling it "Self Portrait with Martini", a third piece in a series of works including "Self Portrait with Tea" and "A Second Cup". This piece is Prismacolor colored pencils on Fisher 400 sanded paper.

Two Pieces Accepted into WHMA Exhibit

I am honored to have two pieces accepted into this year's Whistler House Museum of Art Juried Member Exhibition: my colored pencil portrait Elise, and oil painting Father and Son. The exhibit runs from November 13th through December 21st with a reception on November 16th. For more information, see my Events page or the Whistler House Museum of Art website.

Oil Portrait ...

I'm putting the finishing touches on an oil portrait, shown above. This was a joy to work on - I loved the pose and expression. I hope to varnish in the next week and then get a high resolution scan.

Next I have a portrait commission in pastel, and then I want to do something in colored pencil. Working  in various media keeps me on my toes!

Art Kudos

My colored pencil portrait, Elise, is a finalist in the 2013 ArtKudos International Juried Art Competition and Exhibition. For all award winners and finalists, see http://artkudos.com/, and to see my piece, go to http://artkudos.com/2013/page5.html.

New Portrait Commission

I recently completed the portrait shown framed above, which was given as a Father's Day present. A scan of the portrait can be seen on my website, but I wanted to post a photo of the framed piece to show how a harmonious frame can enhance a portrait.

OPA Juried Salon Show

I am excited to announce that my painting Father and Son has been accepted into the Oil Painters of America 2013 Juried Salon Show. The exhibition will take place in Petoskey, MI, from June 21 through August 31. For more information, see http://www.oilpaintersofamerica.com/.

FA Fine Art 28th Portrait Show

My portrait, Ethan will be on display at the upcoming Francesca Anderson Fine Art | Portraits North 28th Portrait Show. See below or fafineart.com for details.

What is a Portrait Painting?

Many people ask whether I work from photographs or from live sittings. The truth is that I would love to work from live sittings, but real life makes working from photos more feasible in most cases. However, I do not merely "copy" these photos. The point of a portrait is to capture the essence of the subject, which is always my goal in each painting. A photograph, on the other hand, is a snapshot in time, and can be very limiting in terms of illustrating one's true self.

When I take reference photos, I try and get to know the subject (if I do not already), and take hundreds so that I have plenty of material from which to paint the final portrait. The portrait is usually based on one or two photos only, but having many gives me more insight into one's personality. Here are couple of portraits and their reference photos that demonstrate how I've gone beyond the photo.

Final Scan of CP Portrait

Below is a scanned image of the completed portrait of Elise, 20x16, colored pencil on Fisher 400 sanded paper.

Almost Done...

I'll probably finish this tomorrow and get a scan sometime shortly thereafter.

Getting there

An update on my 20x16 colored pencil portrait (slow progress due to my working on it only about an hour a day!)

Highlights in colored pencil

Here is an update on my colored pencil portrait work in progress. In the past, I used many dark colored pencils for not only shadows, but also highlighted areas, using a light touch. For this portrait, I am using more light colors on the light side of the face, and finding the whole process a lot easier and smoother-looking. I just try not to go too light too soon, or else really bright highlights do not show.

Re-Learning Colored Pencil

I'm starting a new colored pencil portrait, and remembering a few things that I had forgotten - like reserving white areas and color mixing - very different from oil! I'm working on sanded paper so I can apply lights over darks, but the resulting color is always a mix of the colors used, so it involves a bit of planning. Luckily, I work in layers, so I have many opportunities to adjust value and color. Here you can see the underdrawing done in dark umber, and the beginnings of some layers. The earlobe on the left and the scarf are pretty much done, though I may alter them later after working on other sections.

Upcoming CLWAC Members' Show

My piece Danny will be included in the exhibition.

Getting there...

Portrait In (Slow) Progress

I've made some refinements here, and toned down the chair quite a bit. I still have a lot of work to do, especially on the sweater, hands, chair, and minor refinements elsewhere. I'm working only about 2 hours per day, and only a few days per week on this one... so progress is slow!

New Painting in Progress

Here are two snapshots of a painting on my easel. I started with an underpainting using burnt umber and thinned out with turpentine (I use Shiva Signa-Turp), and then started painting thicker layers. I still need additional layer(s) of paint on the chair to tone it down and refine, as well as the socks, hands, sweater, pants, and maybe some refinements to the face.

Salon International

I am so excited to learn that my oil portrait, Josh, has been selected for the Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art Salon International 2013! The exhibition will take place at the Greenhouse Gallery in San Antonio from April 13 to May 3, and will include original oil and acrylic paintings. The juror will beDaniel E. Greene, N.A. For more information, see http://hbedrosian.fineartstudioonline.com/event/41752/greenhouse-gallery-of-fine-art-salon-international

CP Lessons Learned

After being sick for so long, I finally finished this drawing, 14" x 11" colored pencil on Strathmore Bristol vellum. This is just a snapshot and has a lot of glare; I will probably get a scan at some point in the next few weeks.

I really struggled with the texture of the paper because I tend to work very fast, and do not have patience to fill in all of those tiny white spaces. I learned from doing this piece that I prefer to either work on really smooth paper (like Strathmore Bristol plate), or a highly textured sanded surface, which allows for a smoother overall finish because the pigment seems to stick to the surface more.

Update on Work in Progress

This piece is taking a back seat to other projects (and taking care of the little boy in this portrait!) but I thought I'd post an update nonetheless.

Artwork for the Solari Report!

I am so honored to have my artwork used for Catherine Austin Fitt's Solari Report: http://solari.com/blog/introducing-ben-lizardi-and-holly-bedrosian/