This is a GREAT opportunity to acquire original framed art from some of the best contemporary realism artists out there today, as bids for every painting start at $300!  I will have 2 paintings in the auctions this month - Late Light (below, top) will be auctioned on March 4 (Lot #29), and Spring Creek (below, bottom) will be auctioned on March 13 (Lot #74).

Spring Creek (SOLD)

Late Light (SOLD)

“Last Straw”    (Pastel, 24 x 30)

I’m excited to report that my painting “Last Straw” received an Honorable Mention award from The Pastel Journal for its 2011 Pastel 100 Competition,  and will appear in the April 2011 issue of the magazine!   This painting is a particular favorite of mine as it  just returned from the Pastel Society of America’s 2010 exhibition at the National Arts Club in New York.  This is my first time getting into the Pastel 100 Competition, so it’s an honor and I’m PSYCHED!

I just found out that this painting “Indian River Reflections” received the North American Pastel Artists Association Award at the Audubon Artists National Show being held at the Salmagundi Club in New York.  Yeah!

I decided to ‘clean house’ this month and am having a virtual studio sale on eBay – first time I’ve ever tried this but so far it’s been great!  Here’s the link to my items – all are unframed for less expensive shipping, all are originals and most are matted to a standard frame size:

Julie’s eBay listings

I was fooling around with watercolor underpaintings today – the painting on the right was first, with watercolor washes put in and then dark and warm areas highlighted with pastel pencils.  I decided it was too linear and harsh-looking so I put the whole thing in the sink and washed it off, letting the color flow wherever.  The underpainting on the left is the final one.  I like the softness of the edges and will try to keep that feeling in my pastel layering.  I might even let the composition morph into something non-representational.

This is a 16″ x 20″ version of the same Swamp River scene (see below), with just the acrylic underwash done.  I really pushed the bright colors in this one, but will tone it all down with the pastel layers once I resurface the board.  Since getting laid off from my day job in February (!!!!) I’ve been able to throw myself into working on my painting skills – including speed, which I need to do in order to improve my plein air work – and have also experimented more with surfaces, underpainting techniques, etc.  So there’s the silver lining to being unemployed!

16″ x 20″
Pastel on pumiced Gatorboard

I’m trying to keep the energy going in this larger version of the painting study below.  I really liked the brightness of the magenta in the original, so have upped it a little here.  The surface I’m working on is kinda rough, though, so I have had to work it harder than with the study.  I’ll keep this version up and will post the final once done.

“In the Shadow of Greatness”

7 7/8″ x 10 3/4″
Pastel on sanded paper

I’ve had the chance today to wrap up not one but TWO paintings in progress. It feels good to finally get them “to bed” – I sometimes have paintings sitting around for 6-8 months unfinished, and I wait for the inspiration I need to put on the finishing touches. This painting started out being about the sunlight on the field, then I realized half-way through that what I liked was the little tree standing in the shadow of the big one. So, my focus changed, and the composition fell into place for me.