Saturday, July 31, 2010

LIfe's a Beach













I spent the day driving from Santa Clara up Hwy 1
to San Francisco. I drove through Half Moon Bay,
and up the coast. This beach was north of there.
I pulled over and walked down the cliff to the ocean.
It was deserted...and cold! I drove on into the city,
and took some pics of the Golden Gate bridge and
Fisherman's Wharf. will post those tomorrow
after I get home.
Went to the opening reception tonight. It is in the
Los Gatos Art Museum. It was well attended. The
show should be on the website: www.cpsa.org
Check it out.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Awards Banquet


I attended the Award's Banquet tonight and I
received the Five Year Merit Award. There were
ten of us altogether. This is the 20th anniversary
of the Colored Pencil Society. The founder, Vera
Curnow, gave us a history of the organization from

the beginnings till now, and it was quite informative.
The society has grown, and with it the reputation of
colored pencil as a fine art medium.

It will be interesting to see the exhibit tomorrow and
view the award winners in person.

Miracles at Monterey























I can still be amazed by God's unlimited imagination!
I spent the day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and I
took these photos (along with many more!) The jellyfish
were eerily beautiful. The seahorses are really neat. The
green one is called a "dragon of the sea", and mimics the
underwater plants so well, that you could not see them
unless they moved. The penguins were comical, as were
the otters. And I felt like I was underwater in the kelp forest.
All in all, a great day.
I am off to the awards banquet...should be really nice.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?








I am in California (after a few delays), but all is
well. I couldn't resist the highway sign, and I have
been singing the song ever since (some of you young
people will have no idea). And the fog rolling in is
such a strange site to me. We have fog in Louisiana,
but it usually is in the early morning, and mostly
along the rivers and swamps. I took these as I was
driving in my rental car..so they are not exactly
great artistic photos! And if driving on a California
freeway was on my bucket list, I could get to mark
it off. I have always heard of the "101 South" and
today I got to do it. It was easy to find the hotel,
and I am all tucked in for the night.
The rhino is the whole reason I am here. That is
the piece that is in the CPSA Juried Show to be
held in Los Gatos. The address is 4 Tait Ave, and the
time for the opening reception is Saturday from
6-8pm. I believe the show will be up for a couple
of weeks. Check the website: www.cpsa.org
Welcome to any of you I met on the plane today:
old friends and new ones! You can sign up to be a
follower: I give away something each month to one
of my followers. All aboard!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

On the Road again...






I leave in the morning for San Francisco. These
are the maps I ran off to take with me. I plan to
stay in San Francisco for awhile and take some
photos of the bridge and Fisherman's Wharf, etc.
I am staying in Los Gatos for the convention.
I am free during most of the day, so I am planning
to go down to Carmel by the Sea and visit some
of the galleries, etc. I hope to get some nice
ocean/surf photographs.
The awards
banquet is Friday nite, and I am receiving a 5
year merit award. (that means I have gotten
into the show 5 times within 10 years). It is
a real honor and I am looking forward to it.
Then, the opening reception for the art show is
Saturday nite, and the public will attend that event.
It is always great to see everybody's work, especially
in person. I have seen it before in the program that is
mailed out later, but it makes a real difference to see
the work in person. And it is fun to hear what people
say about your work...you can stand nearby, and
eavesdrop.
It should be a good trip. I will try to post while there.
Now, for some sleep.....I will count some sheep (!)

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

On the Line






I am busy washing and packing for my trip to
California for the CPSA convention. I thought it
would be appropriate to post these laundry
pics! The top two are from Corfu, Greece...one
of the favorite stops on my recent trip. And
the bottom photo was taken by my daughter
during her trip to Fiji last fall.
I was just talking to someone this week about
the role of a woman artist. I have always been
slightly envious of the men artists who rise in
the morning, and go to their studio, and paint
for 8 hours. They are able to do this because
there is usually a wife at home taking care of all
the life stuff that needs doing. Whereas, the
woman artist has to find a way to do all the life
stuff, and then paint or create too. Maybe this
is just sour grapes...we all make choices every day
about how we spend our time. But today, I haven't
done any art, because I am doing the laundry!!
For comments on this sexist post!!

Two That Got Away



I am still planning to attend the CPSA annual
convention this weekend in Los Gatos, CA.
Part of that convention involves a slide show
of all the entries that didn't make the cut. This
is a very competitive show, and they only select
one piece per artist. You can enter two, and if you
are lucky, one will get in. This is the first time I
have been in in several years.
Anyway, these are two of the pieces that did not
make the show. The popcorn, "Pop Art" was
entered this year along with the rhino, and the
rhino made the cut. Last year, the jazz man was
entered, and did not make it. You never know
what the juror is going to like. You would hope that
really quality work would always trump weaker
work, but I have seen firsthand that that is not
always the case. I don't believe the subject matter
is always the determining factor, but craftsmanship
should always be. I have noticed that a lot of the
jurors want some kind of "expression" or "message"
in the work. I am not really big on that...I just draw
stuff that I like; I am not as deep as some would
like to make me. (That always cracks me up...when
I overhear someone in the gallery telling someone
else what my inspiration was, etc....hilarious).
The convention should be enjoyable. I am looking
forward to taking some pics around the area. Will
try to post the trip. stay tuned....
sheltongail@hotmail.com

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Athens 4x4

I have a whole series of these famous city
images (Venice, Paris, London). And now I
have Athens! It is fun to go through my photos
and try and decide what the iconic images are
from a certain place. It has to "speak" to the
viewer; they have to know instantly what city
they are looking at. I had a few others in
consideration here: an olive tree, the Porch of
the Maidens, some moussaka! Anyway, I
finally chose these because they make a strong
composition, and they also communicate.

This is a series that I plan to submit to some
licensing companies for use as coasters, trays,
framed prints, etc. Since I am going to San Francisco
this coming weekend, I will probably add it to the
mix before I send them off.
I just watched a PBS program on the Monterrey
Aquarium, and it was fabulous. I think it is near
where I will be....will have to check it out, too.
(If anyone knows, please let me know asap!)
"Destination" designs Available as 12 x 12 Prints $40
NoteCards set of 4 designs/ 8 cards + envelopes $15.00

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Greece Sketchbook Finalized!

I did finish the Greece sketchbook today...whew.
If I wasn't such a perfectionist, it might have been
done sooner!~ I did do some extensive proof-reading
today, and did find several mistakes. I would have
been really embarrassed to have a misspelled word in
there...I am such a snob about that. Anyway, I still
just ordered one copy, and will have to check it all out
before I place the large order. I learned that with my
last one: when I got them all in, one of the pages was
out of focus, and I had to fix them all...nightmare.
Anyway, they say experience is the best teacher, and
indeed it is!

If you are interested in ordering one of the books,
please let me know in the next couple of days. They are
running a special on free shipping! and it would be
great to get that on the whole order. Just email me
or call the gallery if you would like one. Mine should
be in soon, and you can look at it first if you like. It will
have the leather cover, all of my watercolors from the
trip, and some of my photography. They are $100.00
each.

sheltongail@hotmail.com
Greece Sketchbook $100

Friday, July 23, 2010

"Drawn to Water"



Here's a couple of pics from the "Drawn to Water"
show hanging in the gallery now. The top piece is
"Savannah Swim", and it is going to the Natchitoches
Art Guild annual show next week. It is colored
pencil with some acrylic paint highlights on the water.
The other pieces are : "Girl's Day Out" "Dolphin Swim"
and "Swan Lake" There are several other pieces in
the show as well. It will hang until I have all the
Greece artwork ready to hang. sometime this fall.

Art Camp






Here are the Art Camp photos as promised.
They all did a really good job, and had a great
time. They finished up today with an art show
up in the gallery attended by their parents
and friends. Here they are with their fine
work. Good job kids!

One Page, Two Page, ...


Two more sketchbook pages today...getting
closer. I should be able to finish tomorrow.
I will order one, and get it in, and make sure
it all looks ok before I order several. Right
now it is going to be about 30 pages. I am still
tweaking a few things.
Greece Sketchbook Paintings and Photography
$100 Please email or call to order
Pea Patch Gallery 318-628-3560

Painting Progress


Making a little progress on this painting.
I am just about ready to cover all of this
first stage with masking fluid, that seals
off this part, and keeps water from touching
it. Then I will wet the whole painting, and
add the softer, more blurry background.
Then, I will remove the mask, and finish up
with some details.

Art Camp:
Daniel, (the current Art teacher at the
Middle School, and a former student),
is teaching an art camp at the
gallery this week. They have been really
good. He is doing pencil drawing, watercolor
painting, and origami, as well as a little Art
History thrown in. They will finish up tomorrow,
and I will try to get some pictures of them
and their artwork.

"Drawn to Water"
I am still hanging part of the new collection
in the gallery. It is shaping up, and I have most
of the main pieces in place. Will try to post
pics of that too.

Private Lessons:
I am currently doing some private lessons for
children or adults, age 10 and up. If you are
interested, just call or email me. We can set
up something for the fall.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Thursday, July 22, 2010

A Little Glazing


I have been making a little progress on this
painting. Just adding a few layers and darker
values.
We are in the process of rearranging the gallery.
I am condensing the Paris show into the back
half, and adding some pieces to the front. They
all have water in common, and I am calling it:
"Drawn to Water". I have some old and new
things...I have lots of art that includes some
kind of water. We still have the real fountain
in the gallery, and all the pieces are grouped
around it. I thought it would be refreshing to
feature some nice cool pieces on these hot
summer days.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

The Buzz on the "Blossom"




I started this watercolor tonight of
the bee on the crabapple tree. That is
my small set of watercolors that I usually
travel with (it just went to Greece!) But
it takes up less room on my desk, so I like
to use it. These are the initial washes, the
lightest parts of the painting. Watercolor looks
best built up in transparent layers. They call it "glazing".
I will work on these flowers in the foreground
until they are finished. Then I will mask them
out with masking fluid, and paint the background
looser and wetter. You can do it either way.
But since my masking fluid is all dried up! I
will have to do it this way. This painting (if
successful) may end up in the Blossom Art
Competition. will see...

Monday, July 19, 2010

An "Apple" Today

I am still choosing some subjects for the upcoming
"Blossom" competition. This is a crab apple tree that
is in our little town on an old boulevard downtown.
I like the bee..it gives it a focal point. The warm pinks
are a nice contrast against the cool blue of the sky.
I like the vertical format and the linear elements
added by the branches. There, that was an artist's
evaluation of a potential subject... a little deeper
than, "I like it!!"
sheltongail@hotmail.com

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Gregory Peck


I love to watch old movies. Right now I am
watching "To Kill a Mockingbird" with Gregory
Peck. It is the 50th anniversary of the novel,
and I thought it would be fun to watch the movie.
I also thought it would be fun to work with
this rooster painting. thus the title...cock a doodle doo!
For info on Art for Licensing:

Sunflower Blue

I have had this watercolor for a long time,
and I put together some stipe designs to pair
with it. It would make a neat flag design, or
paper plate and napkin, or greeting card.
I will add it to the others I have been working on.
I heard from another artist, Vickie, and she
is pursuing licensing as well. I believe she
is a little farther along than I am, and she may
be able to give me some good advice. You can

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Sketching onward...




Worked on these sketchbook pages up
here at the Pea Patch all day...I had
two customers all day! It's hard to
sell anything to invisible people! oh
well, I got some of this done, the day
is not lost. I have at least reached the
island pages...the end is not far now.
Greece Sketchbook $100 each
coming soon
By the way, any of you that do
Facebook...I did not put those
high school pics of me on there!~!
We have a reunion coming up, and
somebody thought it would be
funny...ha ha


Friday, July 16, 2010

A License to Paint





I have several projects going on right now,
and that is unusual for me. I am a very
sequential person; I usually start and complete
a project before I move to the next one. But
the things I am working on now are long-term
things that I can't quite finish in one sitting.
So I try to make a little progress each day
on something...and skip around to suit my
mood. (ooh, that sounds so much like an artist...)
Anyway, here are two art licensing pages for
the portfolio I am sending off to some licensing
companies soon. This is one of the many things
I am juggling around. The others are:

1. Greece sketchbook (coming along)
2. Licensing Portfolio
3. Entry for Blossom Art Show
4. Layout Design for cafe menu
5. Greece art for Fall Show


Just a reminder about the watercolor give-away.
I am up to 37 followers! and one lucky one will
get the painting at the end of the month. (it is
at the top of the post )
sheltongail@hotmail.com

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Blossom II Art of Flowers

There is a very prestigious art show held in
Houston called "Blossom". It is an international
competition with great prize money. It is sponsored
by the Susan K Black Foundation, and this is the
second year for the show. The deadline is September
30th.
I am deciding which flower photograph I would like
to paint or draw and enter. This photo is in the
running. This is a plumeria tree bloom. I bought
this tree in the airport in Hawaii five years ago! and
have managed to keep it alive. It finally bloomed
this year, and this is it. I think it is beautiful; it almost
looks like the yellow is airbrushed on. Anyway, I
will probably draw or paint this this summer and
see how it turns out.
If you are interested in the competition, you can
visit their website. www.blossomartcompetition.com

Dog Gone


I finished up this dog portrait late last night,
and the client saw it today, and loved it. It
always feels good when the pet owner is
satisfied with the art work. I thought it
turned out well, and it will be really nice
matted and framed.

If you are interested in a pet portrait, just
let me know. I am very affordable, and I work
from your photograph. They make a great gift
for the person who has everything! It is a
great time right now to order something for
this Christmas. You can email me with any questions.
Thanks!

sheltongail@hotmail.com