SUSAN'S . . . PLAYING AGAIN!

VEILED pastel + gold leaf I'm quiet once again in my corner over here, but have been  working away. Above, VEILED, is one of my current pieces. Have been playing with figures inanimate objects wrapped  in tulle. Fascinated with the slight sheerness, as well as the  look with the fabric draping over the face and body. Need to take a better image with correct lighting, but did want to throw this out there since I've been MIA.  

YELLOW 10" round pastel on wood Wednesday is a day I typically go to life drawing.  So wonderful to be immersed in the art of painting  from life! And I enjoy immensely on trying different  supports and techniques.  Above, YELLOW , is a sketch completed in 45 minutes.  This is on a wooden base and executed with underlying  pastel washes. I've been playing here for am giving a class in November at Oasis on pastel washes with still lifes. More about that coming up later! Below, RED CROSS ,  is the warm-up sketch I created  during the same session. This is the 2nd and the  wood substrate measures 7" x 4 1/2". This was created as a preliminary facial study and to see the effectiveness of washes onto the wood base.  Really like what I have going on!  RED CROSS  7" x 4 1/2" pastel on wood

CHROMA + RED  pastel sketch  How can someone look so dismal with all of those colors?

RED TURBAN pastel on paper With many thanks to Patrician Design in Albuquerque,  the Red Turban has gone onto a new home! Excited that I will have an upcoming show next year at  Patrician Design  on figurative art. More details will  be forthcoming in time. Happy holidays to all!

REDHEAD 12" x 9" pastel on paper Well I'm still on the fly with nearly all possessions in storage. But it is so nice to start getting into the daily flow of things!  Above, REDHEAD, is from a life drawing session today.  Nice to dust the cobwebs off and paint!

SKETCH OF CECELIA .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  SKETCH OF ME charcoal+ pastel As I had wrote in a previous post, last week the beginning drawing class had been drawing each other. "SKETCH OF CECELIA" is my class demo and "SKETCH OF ME" which I did about a year ago, was shown as  another example. My . . . I look serious huh?

2 BUTTERFLIES 10" x 8" mixed media glass + white frame Now here is an androgynous individual with somewhat of an attitude.  And some days one needs an attitude.

SKETCH OF ZAHRA 12" x 9" charcoal + pencil Returned one week ago from visiting family  in Albuquerque.  My does time fly! So time to sketch some memories.

THE DOWN LO 24" x 18" pastel + gold leaf Been working away on this series for an upcoming show  in August and September. Really getting immersed into body movement! And I'm going to Albuquerque in November to give a  demonstration as well to the Pastel Society of New Mexico Noah is a speed racer - go!

SUSAN 12"h x 9"w pastel sketch Very intimidating to paint oneself. After all, do you  think we perceive ourselves as others? I look so serious! Hmmmmm . . . . .  Need to expand my knowledge for the students in my  upcoming pastel portrait workshop at the San Diego Museum  of Art and the Intermediate Drawing classes at UCSD Extension.  So have been plugging away and revisiting with different papers and styles of execution.  Too easy to get cozy with a constant style.  So let's experiment!

A BITE 14"h x 18"w pastel framed 18"h x 22"w See . . .  it pays to eat!  Just received notification that this painting was  accepted into Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club's 116th annual juried exhibition. The show runs from October 2nd to the 26th at the National Arts Club of New York City.  Such a huge honor! 

RED HAIR 6" square pastel on canvas Always amused when I read of the artists swiping  their canvases. A pretty hard thing to do when one's  a pastelist . . .   or is it?  Some take a brush and wipe away, others may use an exacto  knife and slowly scrape away, yet I have another method.  and how? I prime a stretched canvas,  then I "swipe"  by washing with turpenoid to start over. 

3 BAGS 14"h x 18"w pastel Been awhile since anyone has heard from me. Pretty quiet, huh? Well I have been working away on  3 Bags . Here is the completed version. 

3 BAGS * ( CLOSE-UP  - * in progress) Still playing around with people. Here is a grouping of three, all carrying totes.  Mind you . . . this is not completed and below  are 2 views in it's preliminary stages. 

A BITE * 14" x 18" pastel *detail of painting And I'm off! Finally got a break in my hectic schedule, so going  off in another tangent with art for a completely  different series.  Isn't it refreshing?  Sure you other artists out there can relate. I've made some   changes - basically stopped creating petite daily pastels -  and focusing on larger art, as well as pieces for my two  upcoming shows (which entails my itty-bitty creatures, that seems to flip everyone out, but hey . .  everyone has their vices.) So back to my new stuff. I'm primarily focusing on figurative  work, with a different handling of the background. For years I  vowed that I do not +   would not blend, however the basis of  this background is blended. Well whip me, but I did find it  quite challenging. So I've journeyed to farmers markets,  with...

CLOAKED 8"h x 6"w pencil, gold leaf, fabric + acrylic  mounted onto stretched canvas sold / private collector The young girl was cloaked . . .  and peered from underneath the fringed lashes.  Wary . . .  from the unknown. Hidden . . .  from the world. Just a subtle security.

NESTLED COMPANIONS 12"h x 16"w pastel 16"h x 20"w archival white matt, glass + gold frame Snuggled and fast asleep.  What ever could she be dreaming about?

STUDY OF LISA * 11" x 14" framed $245 * Courtesy of Strandz Salon Memories . . .   of yesteryear. Hello Lisa!

STRUGGLE pastel + gold leaf SOLD - PRIVATE COLLECTOR Perils of life rocks deep the soul. Yet " Now I'm alive and well ..." (Succinctly stated on I'm Alive by  Kenny Chesney & Dave Matthews)