Recent Exhibition and People's Choice Award

This past weekend, I participated in a group show in  St. Albert.  The first picture above are some  portrait studies I did in coloured pencils of the models that I hired.  The second picture are two of my pastel drawings.  Ama, shown with the red ribbon, won first place in people's choice award from the  participants in this city and now is hanging in a collectors home.  Congratulations to the new owner of Ama,  and wishing him many years of happiness and beauty in his home for years to come. Thank you to the participants who voted for me.  I am honoured and grateful for the vote.

There is something that I wish also to discuss on my blog as I was approached this past Friday while attending the opening of the show by a lady who asked  if I would consider  reducing my asking price on one of my pastel drawings. Perhaps there are artists out there who may bargain and reduce their prices, and this lady felt it was acceptable to request a price reduction but I was shocked by her question.  Upon discussing this matter with other artists, they too have been approached from time to time about a price reduction in their creations.  Although I cannot speak for the other artists and represent their thoughts, I can address mine and the current reality of my situation and explain why I do not bargain my asking price. First of all,  every show that I have participated in takes a percentage of each item sold ranging  between 20-30 percent. If I was represented in a gallery a greater percentage is taken.  The second thing is that the people I draw are hired individuals.  The third thing is money is spent on the materials used in the creation of the picture as well as the framing costs.  Perhaps the final thing to consider is my time invested in each drawing.  The pastel drawings specifically take me over one month to come to fruition and larger pieces take more time. In reality my asking price doesn't even cover my investment in time. Moreover, the time invested in education and my experience are also a factor.

Finally I wish to address the point on investing in art and paying the asking price.  Perhaps up front it may seem to some people like a chunk from their pay check (less than a month's rent) but in reality art will last a lifetime and beyond. Unless exposed to the elements, it is one of the few items that can last for hundreds of years.  Can't say that about vehicles.   If the piece speaks to the individual, it is worth having beauty in the environment for years to come.  No price can compensate for the joy and happiness and beauty that art adds to a life. Since it lasts for many many years, in the end consider the fact that it is less than a penny a day for the benefits attained by the purchase.

Pursuing Dreams

Success is focusing the full power of all you are on what you have a burning desire to achieve – Wilfered A. Peterson

The above quote by Wilfered A. Peterson accurately describes the mentality of a young girl named Melanie, who came into my life many years ago. For a young lass she had an incredible work ethic, was committed to excellence, persevered through difficulty and was determined to excel.  I was blessed to teach her privately for six years and when working with an individual on a one-to-one basis, the accumulated time together enables me to get to know and understand a person’s characteristics.  From the get go, Melanie was a focused, disciplined and an eager student.  She worked hard during her lesson as well as at home during free time. She was the type of student who always wanted to do her personal best in any given situation and embraced challenges enthusiastically which allowed her to perform remarkably.  Melanie was a perfect pupil for any teacher to experience.

With my time with Melanie, her art skills soared dramatically. And it came to no surprise when she won numerous awards locally, nationally, and internationally.

I was inspired to do this drawing with Melanie playing the violin as a tribute to her character as well as to reveal the complexities of learning a musical instrument or anything that requires skill development.  To be proficient in any skill such as drawing , playing a musical instrument or sports, it requires an investment of time, perseverance and striving for constant and never-ending improvement.

She was a real gem to teach and a very rare focused girl at her age.

For Sale

Drawing size 21.63 x 15.5" plus frame and mat

Please contact susanne@lamorearts.com

Moonlight Sonata

When photographing models, the wardrobe, the angle of light to the person’s features, and the position of the camera relative to the position of the individual are considered.   During the photo session, I will take several photos of the model to capture the right look and pose.  Moreover, the photo session with the model may take several days to get a few useable photo references.  This is what I did with my all of my models.

In the drawing entitled Moonlight Sonata, I was inspired by Rembrandt, a seventeenth century Dutch artist, who is famous for the technique employed in his art work called Chiaroscurism (strong contrast between lights and darks). Bold, strong values in a drawing give the composition a sense of drama.  I wanted to capture that drama in my drawing and found the perfect opportunity while photographing Ama.  Wanting her face, hands, and the violin to be the main focus in this drawing, Ama was dressed in black to cause the unimportant features to be lost in the shadows.  I positioned the spotlight on her and removed any secondary light source that may have conflicted with the effect.  I liked how her glasses shimmered against the darkness and how radiant she looked with the violin.

Moonlight Sonata

Pastel

20.75x15.4" + frame

For Sale

For more information please contact susanne@lamorearts.com

Embraced By Light

 Since there is a tapestry of cultures that participate at Edmonton’s annual Heritage Days, it was a perfect place to photograph people for future drawings. One little girl caught my eye. It was by accident that I saw this girl as she poked her head out of the tent.  I knew immediately when I saw her I had to photograph her.  Although, it was an overcast day, I did manage to sneak a few shots but when I got home the quality of the photographs were somewhat compromised.  The next day much to my delight was sunny and armed with my camera I set out first thing in the morning.   I liked how the sun embraced this little girl from behind and on top of her head causing her beads to glisten in the warm light.  The sun’s strong light created interesting shadow shapes on her face.  Perhaps the most challenging thing for me when I did this drawing was to capture her happiness and joy while being enveloped in the warm light.

Pastel

15.5 x 18.5"

framed

for sale

Ama

  I was attracted to how Ama was looking off towards the light and the strong shadow on her face.  Moreover the contrast between the texture of her smooth skin in relation to her shirt and hair was a great challenge to capture using my pastels and tools.  Ama was a wonderful model and I did a few drawings of her for this exhibition. 

This drawing is sold

Framed size: 21 5/8x19 3/4

Muskoka

Muskoka was a commissioned piece for a Christmas present that I completed awhile back. I did a few thumbnail sketches, some studies of the features and finally started the real drawing. I can honestly say while I was working on Muskoka's eye, I was holding my breath.  Sometimes I have had to scrap the  drawing in the past because the eyes were not correct. The eyes, in my opinion, are the most important feature on a face.   The rest of Muskoka's features were easier and everything went smoothly.  The framed picture above is hanging in the clients house and now decorates  their bedroom.  I am grateful to the person who commissioned me for this portrait and wishing them many years of happiness with their picture.

I have also been exceptionally busy with preparing for my solo show in March.  I have not posted my art work at this time because I want to keep people in suspense. (for a little while at least) Just to let everyone know, I have been working very hard, getting up early and  working long hours.  I have cut back on some teaching because I am a slow worker and need all the time I can spare on my art.  I have been doing many thumbnail sketches, studies (loads of them) and my pictures are a good size.  I may from time to time post some of my studies up in the near future. Tomorrow I start the whole day over again and hopefully I start working at six like I did this morning.

Muskoka
9x12"
Sold

Simba

I had started this drawing in early September, but let it sit for some time before posting it. Leaving a drawing for awhile allows me to take visual break from a piece when I believe I am finished.  When I go back to the drawing, I am able to look at it with fresh eyes and adjust the values or texture as need be.  Currently, this is drawing is the last one for a while that I will do of a cat (although I still need to post a commissioned feline drawing that I completed in September).  It is not because I am tired drawing cats, rather, I want to explore the challenge of drawing people.  Simba was on display at the group show this past weekend (see previous post), however, all of my felines plus Ama will be for sale at an upcoming solo show in March.




Simba
9x12"
Pastel
Currently Unavailable

Pixie II

Well I did get my vitamin N during the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, however, I did not unload those branches after all.  I was somewhat disappointed when I came home to discover that my parents already completed the strenuous task. However, my father did leave one branch for me to contribute my effort on the farm.  Well on Sunday, my father and myself went for that walk across the field and I did indeed bring that branch and made my contribution to clean up the mess from the windy summer.  Although the weather on that weekend was not particularly good, I did manage to walk everyday and enjoyed the experience tremendously.  With my sister and her family, she brought her friend's dog to the farm and it was quite enjoyable walking with him alone in the morning.

The drawing above, Pixie II, has been completed for sometime now.  With this pose of Pixie, she is  sitting down across the sofa looking out a window and her attentive gaze is what inspired me to draw this portrait.  Although this pose is very similar (but not exact) to the previous drawing I did of her awhile back, I wanted to explore black pastels for this composition. This weekend Pixie will be in group show at City Hall in St. Albert.  I will be exhibiting four pastel drawings and five oil paintings.
Tomorrow, if there is time, I will be posting another drawing of a cat in brown pastels.


Pixe II
Pastel
For Sale

Amber Anne

Amber Anne, who has Amber coloured eyes, was nonchalantly lying on my bed on sunny spring morning. The sun began to creep across her and I grabbed my camera and began clicking wildly.  Spontaneously, I stood above her and she leaned back and gave me this perfect pose.  I just had to do this drawing and will be revisiting this composition in full colour in the future. Amber is quite the character as she loves to play fetch and sometimes before going to bed she brings her mangled green coloured mouse( she only likes the green one) for me to attempt to throw it. Strange girl indeed!

The drawing of Amber is currently unavailable as I am working towards a solo show coming in March 2013. 

16x20"
Pastel
For Sale: please contact susanne@lamorearts.com

Amber Anne In Progress

A sixteen by twenty pastel drawing that I have just completed.  The picture above shows my progress last month.  I will not be posting the completed drawing of Amber Anne for a little while as I give my eyes a break and with time, look at my drawing with  fresh eyes. The drawing of Amber Anne will not be available to purchase as I am currently having a solo show next March (2013)  and need to get inventory. Today I have made a decision on my next drawing which will be a person and yet need to determine the size.  Moreover, I have started doing some studies of a new medium I am exploring and will be doing a small 5x7" picture.  I hope to have that one posted towards the end of June if all goes well.

Pixie

I attempted this drawing with pastel.  Historically I have used sepia coloured pencils to create a similar look but they do take a long time and trying to do one a month is more reasonable with pastels than the pencil medium. I love drawing cat's eyes and dread the challenge of the ears. They are challenging but I learn from each experience.  Currently I am working on another drawing with pastel but it is 16x20 and if you are interested see my other website at www.lamorearts.com. This drawing which is in progress is featured on my blog there.  I just finished a show this past weekend where Pixie and Eyes of the Beholder were shown and am grateful that Pixie sold.

9x12" unframed and 14x17" double matted framed

sold

Eyes Of The Beholder

 At the beginning of this year, I decided to do a drawing per month and this  one was completed in January.  Cat's have the most amazing eyes and their gaze truly demonstrates how luminous they are.   Before I start any drawing, I generally do a few studies to synchronize myself with a technique or feeling I wish to convey.  Here I used charcoal and conte around the eyes and experimented with different methods of applying these mediums.  Since I raise money for the "Hervey Foundation For Cats" (www.herveycats.com), many of my drawings in the near future will be focusing on the feline subject.

9x12" unframed and 14x17 framed with a double mat.

sold