Kitty Kitty

Double Trouble (36 x 24, oil on linen panel) - click for a larger view

availability and info on my website

 

Generally, when I approach a painting with this amount of complexity, I have a pretty good plan for executing it. I hope I won't take the magic away by telling you that this kitty (Rosie) was not actually sleeping on that slipper, nor was she actually playing with that string, nor was she actually asleep on that particular floor. Those are all elements I wanted to introduce to tell "my" painting's story. When working through the steps, initially I thought I would paint Rosie and then paint her full reflection on the black tiled floor.

 

Um, what was I thinking?! As soon as I started painting Rosie, I realized I would need to paint both Rosies at the same time so I could exactly match the color on my brush for both cats and (as accurately as possible) capture the exact opposite stroke/direction for the fur in the reflection. Well, I wasn't using my right hand for much anyway so I turned the canvas horizontally and picked up a second paintbrush.

 

 

And this was how I painted most of the painting. There were points where I thought maybe I was headed for the crazy house (or perhaps I was already there) but, like a really good puzzle, I found that concentrating on one section at a time was my only hope for sanity. In the end, I like to think I was able to maintain that :).

 

Cheers,

Sandy



Love is Love, 18 x 24 pastel on La Carte

availability info on my website

 

Through flight and fields of feathers, true love returns to where it belongs because regardless, Love is Love.

The Trumpeter Swans gather in the fields of Skagit Valley (Washington) every year and every year I dash out with my camera hoping to see them. They cover the fields in the valleys, nearly looking like fields of snow from a distance. It doesn't seem to matter that I saw them last year, I want to see them again this year. I want to meet the new arrivals and watch their spectacular displays (always keeping a respectful distance, of course).

Until one sees them up close, you might not realize how large these birds are. In fact, they are the largest waterfowl of North America with a wingspan (males) of six to eight feet. And you might be able to imagine what a field of trumpets, all playing at the same time, must sound like! It is something to behold.

Another lovely fact; Trumpeter Swans, generally having a lifespan of twenty to thirty years, also mate for life.

 

Stand Beside Her (work in progress)

Stand Beside Her

(24 x 18 dry pastel)

 

It feels to me that I live in the most blessed place on earth. It doesn't seem to matter what simple chore I am doing, I am surrounded by beauty. Lucky me, lucky, lucky me. I have to stop what I love doing (painting) to dash to the grocery store (which I don't like doing) and am greeted with THIS view on the way. Along my merry way. So, it is an incident as simple as this that renews my living philosophy that God is ever-present and blessings abound in every task.
 

Following are some images of how she was created. Well, you know, not from the beginning, just my feeble attempt on the easel...

This is the"rough-in" stage on salmon-colored Sennelier La Carte paper.
(click image for larger views) 

 

 

Pastels are MADE for painting clouds. I think it's as close as one can get to the feeling of actually making real ones.

 

 

After getting the sky pretty much in place, I started working on the land, from the furthest piece forward.

 

 And, here's the final again - just to complete the WIP series.

Thanks for stopping by
Cheers,
Sandy

 

 

Pumpkin (11 x 14 pastel on Sennelier La Carte)

availability info on my website

 

You know, Pumpkin can hardly WAIT...

20 minutes - what's the rush?

14 x 11 value study/quick draw - oil on linen panel

 

A friend and I hired a lovely model for our value and color exercise. It amazes me how quickly 20 minutes can fly by when one is trying to put eyeballs and noses in the correct place. I can see I did not do that in this piece but I am allowing myself those errors since this was a 20 minute piece with no room nor time for fixes. The purpose of this quickdraw was to warm up to the model's facial structure in increasingly longer poses. We started with a 5 minute pose, then a 10 minute pose, then 20 minutes then an hour+ with breaks for the model every 20 minutes. The time certainly flew by for us artists, especially under these conditions! Now that I have a value study and a color study, I feel confident I can produce a nice piece from the photos I took during the model session. We'll see :).   

October Skies, Plein Aire Study

 

October Skies (10 x 8 Plein Aire Study)

availability info on Daily Paintworks

 

I'm finding with plein aire painting (I'm new to this) that there is a pull between slowing down and speeding things up and knowing the right time to do which one. For instance, I have found it important to spend some time getting a "feel" for the place I am going to paint. I don't want to just jump in and start painting. I want to bond. Maybe it's corny but it's the truth. That being said, I also find once I am set up and ready to paint, nature takes over and sometimes pushes me along to paint faster before the sun leaves that spot or before the storm arrives. Both of which were the case in the painting above from a couple days ago.

 

Of course, it's not always like that but I am finding lots of enjoyment in the challenges being tossed at me with each new adventure!

 

This is my simple set-up just before starting the painting. You can almost see the gray clouds forming on the left. They didn't stop me though, today I headed back to the beach in 25 mph winds :).

 

 

Out there, somewhere

I haven't been "here" because I've been out "there" and I'm trying to catch those few extra rays of sunshine while we still have them. I never used to be too keen on painting outside (plein air) but I think that might be because I didn't have the right setup. Now, I do (thank you Larry).

I started out with carts full of stuff and the setup seemed so cumbersome. Now, I am down to things I can just sling over my shoulder so I'm pretty mobile. Here's what I started with - yes, I know, it looks like my entire studio on wheels. But, because I didn't have the right stuff, I needed a lot of extra stuff. Until I got my Best Brella, I had to have the cart to attach my umbrella to (otherwise it would fly away) and I had to have the smaller cart because I didn't have anyplace to put my palette when I worked with oils. And, I had to have the bigger cart because my little cart couldn't go most places I wanted to go because the wheels are too small.

 

This is my new setup :).

 

Attache Aire (for oil or pastel) & bag (holds my pastels, paper/panels)

Winsor Newton Easel / Easel Butler (for pastels)

Best Brella

Walkstool

Accessory bag (turp/oils/brushes)

 

 

 

This is the Attache Aire set up for pastels. Those pointy things are magnetic & there's a tray below the painting so the dust doesn't get all over the pastels below. The paper on this is 11 x 14.

 

 

This is the Attache Aire set up for oils with a vertical palette! SO awesome for keeping the palette on the same light plane as the working surface (in the shade). I can't take credit for the idea, it was an idea inspired by David Kassan and shared by my friend, Cary. Larry adapted it to our Attache Board (still in protype) and now to the smaller Attache Aire. I am in love with this puppy!

 

 

 

This is so, cool, too - the palette flips over and screws facedown onto the board for transporting wet paint and fits into a Masterson Wet Palette storage container for longer term storage. Nice.

 

So what about the horse? Hahaha. Well, I was painting last night with a friend and this horse showed up for a nice stroll along the beach. Okay, he did have a friend with him, too, but it was still a little out of the ordinary and just another great reason why I enjoy going outside to paint.  

 

Cheers, all!

Golden Trail

Golden Trail (12 x 18, dry pastel, info on my website)

click image for a larger view

Hello and Welcome,

Having just juried one art show and soon getting ready to jury entries for the Pastel Journal Pastel 100 competition, I've been doing a lot of thinking about what makes a good painting. Of course, over the years of learning to paint, we artist all consider these things practically daily! What I find extremely useful when jurying a show is being accountable for the choices I make. Writing critiques makes me think harder and longer about why I make the choices I do; not just for the work of others but also for my own work. 

There are lots of reasons artists enter competitions; exposure of work, prize money, building a resume, etc. I am not a competitive person but I do consistently try to find ways to push myself beyond my own comfort zone when it comes to my art. One way I have found that helps me improve, and work a little harder to get a little better, is to enter competitions. Lest you think I might get full of myself when I win an award, please take note that I have a folder full of rejection letters to keep me in line. It is my opinion that an artist who chooses to enter competitions needs to build up competition calluses. And, like calluses, the first ones are a little tougher to take than the later ones but eventually, you take them in stride.

Last year, a painting that won first place (for me) didn't make it into the finals the year before. I reviewed the painting, thought about the results, decided I was still quite pleased with the piece and felt it was strong in all aspects. I left it as it was and re-entered it. Jury results can be a useful tool but ultimately you are the one who is the best judge of your work.

Cheers,

Sandy

Chasing Summer

Chasing Summer, 20 x 16 oil on linen

I never tire of seeing little feet in the sand nor water rushing to shore.

Below are a few progress photos of this painting that is done on one of my hand mounted linen boards. Pure luxury, as far as I am concerned...

Click on any of the images below for a larger view.

Below are details images showing the lusciousness of the linen.

Paint, live, love, enjoy and thank you so much for visiting my blog!

Here Fishy Fishy

Lilypad Playground (dry pastel, 25 x 41 framed) by Sandy Byers

As a child, I could spend endless hours laying on a dock with my head hanging over the edge just waiting for something to move. Anything! Then, when it did, I recall getting all excited trying to figure out what made the ripples in the water. I looked quickly from side to side and checked under the dock and around the poles, searching for the culprit.

Sometimes, it would be something a small as a minnow kissing the air that would set off circles and circles of waves intended to drift out to sea.

I still find that enjoyment in the water at the edge of a dock.

This piece will be part of my upcoming show at the Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes. If you get a chance to stop by during the opening reception, I would love your company. Plus, it will be during the Anacortes Arts Festival so there will be lots and lots of fun things to see and do!

Scott Milo Gallery

August 3rd - Sept 4th

Artist Reception August 3rd (Friday) 6-9 pm



Waves of Langley

Langley Wave (11 x 14 dry pastel on La Carte)

This is a piece I started on Sunday during the festival in Langley, Washington. It was quite warm (well, to me anyway) so painting some nice cool water seemed really refreshing. Although I took a lot of my pastels with me, I used a very small palette to work on this piece - really, just a handful of colors. This piece will be part of my upcoming show (August 3rd - September 4th) at the Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes.

Waves to you,

Sandy

Fun at the Festival

Me, soaking up the rays! 

First in order is a huge thanks to Whidbey Island Fine Art Studios for all the work they did to bring together such a great gathering of artists and models; THANK YOU! It was wonderful to be in such great company and in the company of those who were kind enough to visit the festival, too.

I enjoyed meeting so many nice folks, artists and patrons. Everyone seemed in super spirits and I have a hunch that was partly due to the sunny skies that graced us for both days.

The festival was the first public appearance for the lastest version of the Attache Board, which is a tool my husband (Larry) built. You can see it right behind me with all my stuff attached to it. Pretty soon we'll get a video made so it will be easier to see how it works but it was great to see other artists' reactions to it. We sold several of them and I am excited for others to start using what I think is an incredible studio tool. It was initially built with a pastel artist in mind (me :-) but because I also paint with oils, Larry incorporated some additional accessories that work really well for holding smaller sized canvas and boards.

Moe, who is hanging out on the Attache Board, was keeping an eye on everyone at the fair and I think he even fell in love a time or two. I could mostly tell by the look in his eyes...oh-so-dreamy...

11 x 14 pastel on paper

availability info on my website

And, have I mentioned how fabulous it is to be painting again?!

Speaking of painting...off I go. Thanks for stopping by and thanks to those of you who have signed up for my newsletter.

Cheers,

Sandy



Demo at Langley

Just a quick note to let you know I will be doing a pastel demo (or two) at the Choochokam Arts Festival in Langley, WA, on Saturday.

If you get a chance to stop by, please look for me and introduce yourself. I am honored to be at the Whidbey Island Fine Art Studio booth where there will be lots of amazing art happening.

Hope to see you there.
Cheers,
Sandy

Chillin in the Summer

Frosted Woolley Fields (pastel 16 x 20)

availability information on my website

Because it's so hot out for a lot of folks around the country, I thought it might be fun to post a winter painting. Before I get started yapping about it though, I want to say THANKS to those who have sent their well wishes either in mail or thoughts for my recovery. I am now back at the easel and loving it!

I am honored to annouce that I have been selected as Artist of the Month by artistsnetwork for July and in the online article I spend quite a bit of time talking about reference photos and how I use a variety of them to compose an image.

Defining objective: In any painting, I first want to define my objective - my personal investment in a piece. It doesn't have to be some huge statement but it does have to mean something to me on a personal level if I am going to invest my heart and time in a piece.

For this piece I really wanted to recreate a scene I see and enjoy often on my way to town. When I drive past the field in the photo below, there are usally sheep hovering around the clump of trees. During the winter, when the sun hits the trees, it seems like they light up and the fields have a beautiful winter frost on them. This field, when the sheep are grazing, exudes a sense of calmness to me. This is the "thing" I want to capture and share with others in my painting. So, I have defined my objective.

I have chosen the photo below for a color reference and also for noting the frost on the fields.

Now....where WILL I find those sheep.....

As I mentioned, the sheep are usually hovering around that clump of trees or out in the field just in front of the trees but that doesn't seem to be the case if I have my camera in the car. Do you suppose they are camera-shy?

No problem, I have other sheep photos I can use. The sheep who live across the street don't seem to mind the camera.

I don't need a lot of detail for the sheep so this image will work well for the pair I want in the back. Now, for the guy in the front...

Okay. That will do. So, now I have all my reference photos. It is a matter of working out a composition that will be inviting and interesting. I work through several thumbnail sketches and work through some ideas in photoshop until I come up with something I like but I am careful not to "overwork" my idea. All I want is a good roadmap. I want to leave the creative process for the easel!

Thanks for visiting!

the end

Before the Fall

Skagit Skies, 12 x 24, pastel (sold)
click for a larger view

details on my website

So, this time I actually have a really good reason for being away for so long.

I admit I am calling out the sympathy card a bit here, but mostly I just wanted to check in to let you all know I  have been lurking but not typing much. I recently fell about 4 ft off a hill in our back yard onto our paved driveway, head first, and fractured my left elbow (I’m left handed) and sprained my right wrist. I haven’t been able to paint for awhile so the piece above is from "before the fall."

After a spell of not being able to use my arms, at least I can type now so I’m getting back in to the swing of things (so to speak). I hope y'all are doing well.

Happy Painting; I'll be joining you soon!

Cheers,

Sandy