Academic Artists Association 60th National

I just received notice that my piece Self Portrait with Tea has been accepted into the Academic Artists Association 60th National Exhibition.

The Academic Artists Association is dedicated to promoting artwork of classic media rendered in a representational manner. The exhibition will include works in oil, watercolor, graphic, pastel, and sculpture, and takes place at the Karen Sprague Cultural Arts Center in Springfield, MA from April 25th through May 7th. Jurors for this event are Larry Preston and Arlene Fins. 

"Hands" Prints Available

I am now offering prints of two of my hands pieces, shown above, that were recently published in an article about my colored pencil work in American Artist Drawing magazine. To order, simply click here and select the size, finish, and framing options you desire.

A Couple New Oil Paintings

I recently painted the two oil portraits shown here using a toned canvas, a technique new to me. Basically, before sketching the figure, I applied a thinned layer of neutral colored mid-tone paint over the entire canvas. I chose a lightened mixture of black and raw sienna for one, and raw umber for the other. I really like how starting with a neutral toned canvas makes it easier to judge lights and darks, as well as warm and cool tones.

Also, these two portraits were done on very large grain canvas, which I have decided is not ideal for achieving details in portraits. I will probably stick to a finer linen in the future.

Drawing Magazine Article

I am so excited to be featured in an article in the Winter 2010 edition of American Artist Drawing magazine! The article talks about my path to becoming an artist, as well as some of the techniques used in my hands and self portrait drawings in colored pencil. You can subscribe to Drawing magazine on the Artist Daily website or order a copy of the Winter issue here: http://www.interweavestore.com/Art/Drawing-Magazine/Drawing-Winter-2010.html

Faces of Winter Exhibit

The Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists is holding a "Faces of Winter" exhibition beginning February 5th. My piece Eclipse will be among the over 70 portraits on display. See the exhibit announcement below for more details on the event.

New Year, New Studio

Over the holidays I've been busy moving into a new house and new studio. I'm really excited about having more room to store my art, as well as a larger workspace. The first two photos below show my studio with an extra deep chair rail along the entire perimeter of the room, which allows me to display some of my artwork. The last photo is of my art storage room, where I have temporarily set up an easel to work on my next painting. I plan on setting up a larger easel in my studio in the future and paint portraits from life. I also plan on hosting an open studio in the near future.

Exhibition Winners

The winners of the Whistler House Museum of Art Members Only Exhibit have been announced, and I am very excited to have won second place! See the award winning pieces here:

http://www.whistlerhouse.org/blog/?p=121

The exhibition continues until December 31st; see www.whistlerhouse.org for more details.