This and That

This is the last section of the colored pencil show.  I didn't show the whole
thing in the last post...thought I should.  This wall contains mostly flower
subjects.

One day I was walking through Walmart, and these shiny
pinwheels were on display in the toy section.  I bought some
of them, thinking they would make a great drawing.  I arranged
them outside, and photographed them.  I worked from the photo..very
challenging to get all the reflections right.  I titled it, "What Goes Around, Comes
Around". I have prints available.

These are those two new ones that I completed just recently.

This is what I worked on today.  I have these black and white pen and ink
prints of Natchitoches, a historic town nearby.  I sell these to a gift
shop there, and she wanted 10 more.  So I spent the afternoon watercoloring
them.  

And this project, I have been working on for awhile.  These are 4 x 8 signs that
will be installed out on the highway.  They will be replacing some old signs
that are there now.  These new ones match the building better, and will hopefully
bring in some more business!

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Strokes of Color

I have been working to get this all colored pencil show all framed
and hanging in the gallery.  There were several pieces that needed
framing or new mats, etc.  But I finally got them all done, and now
they are up.  This section has all the bird images. 

This is one of the older pieces.  It is titled, "Pop Art", and is 100% colored
pencil, 22 x 30.  I used to carry these suckers for my little students when
I was teaching.  One evening after school, I came in and emptied my
pockets, sprawling them on the table.  And I thought it might make a neat drawing.
The lettering was the hardest, since all the white lettering is simply not colored.  I had
to color around the words...tricky!  But this was the piece that I earned my signature status in theColored Pencil Society with; it was accepted into the exhibition held in Memphis over 10 years ago.

And here are some of the big cats...

These are some of my "Riddle Pics"...the ones with the word puns and puzzles.

"Talk to the Horn"...a drawing of a rhino that I took at the
San Diego Zoo.  This one was in the CPSA exhibition in
California a couple of years ago.

I really like drawing water, and this is an example of a water drawing
with a nice dolphin!

I don't really consider myself a "figure" artist...but here are several
people!  The first one is a street musician in New Orleans.  Then, one of
my newer pieces, the clown in the Mardi Gras parade.  The Chinese dancer is
next, and then my great niece, Savannah swimming.  The Chinese Fisherman
is the last one in this section.

The show is open every day...10-5 Monday thru Friday, and 10-3 on Saturday.
It will be up through the summer.  Most of the pieces are for sale, and there are
prints of several of them.  Come by if you get a chance, and view this collection
from over the years.  Lots of colored pencil strokes!

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Anatomy of a Dandelion

During my walk this morning, I saw a lot of dandelions along the
road.  It was a beautiful day, and I decided to go get my camera.

I also grabbed a black sketchbook, and tried to hold it behind
the subject to give it some drama! So picture me sitting on the
ground, camera in my right hand, left hand reaching out with
the book in hand behind the thistle, trying to make sure and not block
the sun...awkward

Same photo, just cropped...better

So, then on the computer...playing with some effects.  This is black and white,
with a lot of contrast.

Of course, while shooting, I had some help.  Dewey had to get
under my leg, and snuggle up, shedding his black fur all over
me...lovely.  Thanks, Dewey.

Final image...I would print this one.  That's the beauty of
digital photography.  The computer can enable you to make works
of art from the simplest subject.  You can edit, play, do and undo,
flip, re-color, crop, sharpen, and saturate.

I hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy this beautiful world
of ours this weekend.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Bluebird for Sale

I finished this little drawing today.  It was much harder than I thought it
would be!  All of that background proved to be very tedious.  I had
to draw it around all the branches.  Maybe I should have done the background
first?! But I always do the subject matter first; I feel it is more important, and if
I don't get it right, there will be no reason to spend any time on the background!

This little bluebird lives in my backyard.  I keep several bluebird
boxes on trees surrounding the yard.  I enjoy seeing them go in and out,
taking care of their little ones.  I haven't seen my cats bother any of
them as of yet....but you never know!

I have finished hanging the colored pencil exhibit at the gallery.  I still have
some tweaking to do, but it is all up and ready to view.  I will have the
pricing and details done sometime this week.  I will have this little piece
for sale too.  There are also prints of many of my pieces available
as well.  I look forward to seeing some of you come by!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Bluebird on a Branch  Original Colored Pencil
9 x 12  $75.00  

Bluebirds and Babies

I have made a little progress on this drawing, mostly the background.
I will blend it a lot more after I apply all the pencil.  

And here is my sweet Clara Grace playing with her
very own little bluebird.

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Bluebird in Progress

Started on another little colored pencil drawing tonight.  I took
this photo of one of the bluebirds in our yard.  It was
early in the spring, and the leaves on the tree were just
budding out.  I like the composition: the leaves on the left
balance with the bird and the open space on the right.
It will be a lot of coloring in on the background...lots of
blue and green.  I will post some of my progress as I go.

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Student Work

I had the pleasure of framing these two pieces this week.
They were done by students at our local high school.  And they
are being sent to an exhibition in Baton Rouge, along with work from
all over the state.  I think they both did a really good job.

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The 3 Amigos

I finished this drawing of these poppies last night.  It is going
to be part of a colored pencil exhibit I am doing at the gallery.  I have
a retrospective show that includes some older pieces as well as
some brand new ones.  The show will open June 1st, and will be up all
summer.

I wanted to draw this photo of these flowers.  I am always
intrigued with shadows on white objects.  You can
do them in shades of grey, or purple, or blue.  I used
all of these as well as some browns and golds.
I used the solvent and the Icarus board to make the
background blurry and soft...out of focus.  I like the
contrast between the in focus flowers and the
soft background.  It also gives the illusion of depth,
which is always a good thing.

I will be doing a lot of work to get the show framed and up
by the first of the month.  I hope some of you will be
able to come by and view it.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Sign of the Times

I got a chance to finish painting on the wall this past
weekend.  It was fun!  I was trying to advertise many of
the things we offer in the shop.  So many people, even local
people, do not know all the things we have under our roof.
I am really hoping to entice some of those travelers on the highway
to take the turn, pull in, and come and have lunch, or dessert,
or a coke float!

You don't have to be traveling to come in and enjoy those things
either!  And we also do custom framing.  I can repair your broken
glass on an existing frame.  I can re-mat artwork or documents.

We have a full line of boutique clothing now; lots of jewelry; spa items
(lotions, scents, candles, bath products) as well as toys,
decorative accessories, antiques and "junktiques".  If you
haven't been in lately, stop by and check us out.  You will not be
disappointed!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Paint, Poppies, and Peaches

I had a very productive day today!

The weather was perfect for painting outside...and I did some
painting on the wall.  I put in some green text boxes.  I will add
some other colors, and then do the lettering in black.

Then tonight I got to work on this poppy drawing, and it is almost
finished.  I have been using the Gamsol and the Icarus Board
on the background.  It sure does make all that blending go
a lot faster...whew....

And I also had to make a cobbler for a customer today.  We make
this cobbler in our cafe...making a different one each day.  Peach is
everyone's favorite.  You can order whole desserts for eating at
home, taking to a function, or giving as a gift! Just give
us a couple of days notice.

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A Bird in the Nest...worth Four on the Door

Yes, I have baby birds again this year!! Right on my front door
wreath.  I have a ring side seat to watch them grow.  Last
spring, we had three, and as you can see, this time there are four.
They are about a week old, and the parents are BUSY trying to keep
the hungry little mouths fed!  I will try to take some pics
along the way, to see them grow up....(if I can keep my cats from finding
them!!?)

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Back in the Saddle

I got to teach some colored pencil on canvas to some
Talented Visual arts students today.  Mrs. Cyndi Beaubouef,
their teacher and former student of mine, invited me to come
and share with them these new techniques.

These were some of the younger students.  These girls have
a "Chinese" connection.  Mattie, with the bow, went with me to
China last year, and the little oriental girl came here from China only
two years ago.  cool!

There were three different projects that they could choose from.
These students chose one of the designs with yellow leaves
and a purplish background.

They all proudly showed off their finished creations.
Mrs. Beaubouef teaches at 5 different schools, and has to
travel a great deal.  But today, she had them all come to her
room at Weston High School.  It was fun to get to teach all of them,
from 1st grade to high school.

I hope to see some of these students down at my
gallery sometime.  Many of them were very talented,
and I hope they continue to pursue their artistic dreams!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

White Poppies

Making a little progress on this drawing...it is fun to draw.  I am really
inspired by white subjects.  Years ago, I did a whole show of white
subjects: eggs, white flowers, white doorknobs, etc.  It was titled: "The Colors
of White".  I sold many of those works.  It would be fun to do another one.
humm....

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Poppies and Owls

Who likes painting owls in art class!?  They dooooo.  We finished up our art
classes for the year today.  They completed these owl designs, and then
we enjoyed some ice cream outside on the patio!

On my way home from Texas this past weekend, I went by this wonderful
place.  It is the Wildseed Farm, outside of Fredericksburg, Texas.  I knew the
poppies would be in bloom, and I wanted to get some pictures.

And so I started this poppy drawing tonight from one of the photos.
I have always loved poppies...they are such classic flowers, and have
such beautiful form.  I will post some of the progress on this as I go along.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

LadyBug Style

Cute painted canvas that served as the guest book...visitors signed the canvas
which will be kept in her room.

These are the cutest cookies!!  Mrs Kay Slay makes these, and can
customize them to match any theme.  And they are delicious too!

This is the food table...lots of goodies

And the beautiful flowers

We have lots of showers in the cafe at the gallery.  This
was one of the latest baby showers.  Little "Fiona Quinn" and her
mother were showered with lots of gifts and goodies.  I
was asked to paint the ladybug canvas to be used as
a guest book...cute idea.  The guests signed the
canvas as they entered the party.  And the cookies were
works of art too!  Kay makes such cute designs.  If you
need some for a party, feel free to get in touch with her.

Kay Slay   custom sugar cookies
Winnfield, LA

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