Fine Art Friends (part 3 of 4)

The spotlight is on Jo Castillo today.

Jo is an amazing pastel artist who also works in oils, watercolors, and acrylics. She also does pen and ink sketches on a regular basis. I envy her dedication to do these sketches.

She does a lot of paintings of the beautiful mountains and skies of New Mexico. I am in awe of the vibrant colors she has in her palette. She definitely captures the beauty of the moment. Look at this beauty, Cholla Cactus .

Jo also does something I don’t have the nerve to do….Plein Air painting. She makes it look so easy.

She has lived in several different countries and states and has a great many paintings of her time spent in these places. You can see these on her website, Jo Castillo Art . Maybe you’ll find something to buy!

Oh, not to mention that Jo is a HUGE baseball fan! She and her husband go to as many games as they can. They also enjoy time spent on the golf course. They love to travel too. Jo shares some of their travels on her blog. Be sure to visit her often!

Fine Art Friends (part 2 of 4)

Today I am spotlighting another Fine Art Friend, Rose Welty . This lady is full of ambition and we all admire her for being organized.

Rose is goal oriented and each month she starts a list of goals she would like to accomplish. At the end of the month, she goes through her list and writes down what she accomplished. I must say, she pretty much accomplishes what she sets out to do.

She works in pencil, colored pencil, and is now trying oils. I think she’s worked with pen also. Anyway, her oils are coming along very nicely! Just look at After Degas Cassatt .

Rose has a website that you must visit, Art By Rose Welty,because she also does some digital work. Did I mention that she works quickly? So, yes….I envy her abilities.

Be sure to check out her blog frequently. She’s not going to sit around and not be learning something. I have a feeling that she’ll be trying more mediums than what she’s already worked with.

Fine Art Friends (part 1 of 4)

Over the next several weeks, I want to spotlight my Fine Art Friends. For those of you who don’t know about us, we are a group of five blogging artists who gather together for advice, support, and friendship. We started this group almost one year ago and I have learned so much from each of them. So as a treat, I want to put the spotlight on each of them individually!

So, in no particular order, here goes….

Belinda Lindhardt

Belinda is from Australia. She’s a published artist who works in oils, acrylics, colored pencils, and other mediums as she feels the need. She’s the mother of two precious boys. I like her ability to be loose or more controlled with her work. One of my favorite pieces of hers is "Contemplation" .

In addition to her fine art, she is a web designer, illustrator, graphics, and programming entrepreneur for her business Steelkey Designs .

Take a peek at Belinda's work. You won’t be disappointed!

Workshop Photos

A dear friend of mine who attended the workshop took pictures! Thank you! Although we finished before the allotted time, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. A big "Thank You" to all who attended! I am glad to have met new people and get reacquainted with others.

As requested by my Fine Art Friend, Jo Castillo, I have included the painting we did on Black Stonehenge Paper with colored pencils. The original reference has an ugly duckling that turned out to be very cute drawn in with the swans. This finished piece doesn't include it. Thanks to 'luckylurker' on the ScribbleTalk image library for the reference photo!

I'm sorry that I haven't posted in awhile. I've been getting children ready for the new school year. I'm looking forward to a fun year of teaching portrait classes to adults and color theory to children. You will be seeing more information from me about those classes throughout the year!

Workshop News

Well, I forgot my camera for the workshop. We had 10 people and they all seemed to have a good time. For the first time, we finished our painting two hours before the class was supposed to be done! Good, bad? I don't know. I think I had too detailed of instructions because I didn't have to demonstrate much. I like detailed instructions in case we don't get a painting done in the time allotted. That way the participants can finish it on their own later. Happy painting!

Workshop is Tomorrow

I'm ready! The workshop for learning how to use colored pencil on black paper is this Saturday! For those of you who live in my area and can't attend....be looking for portrait classes coming soon. I'll be posting more information about that in the next few days.