August 2024 Showcase - Colored Pencil Artwork
The three artists featured in the August 2024 issue of COLOR Magazine Showcase share the stories behind their beautiful artwork here in our blog.
Water Lilies by J. Lynne Schaffer
19.25 x 16 inches
Prismacolor Premier colored pencils on Stonehenge. (Artist’s own photo.)
I love the serenity of a pond where water lilies grow. It is always a tranquil setting. The water is so still. The reflections in the water mirror the trees, the sky, and the water lilies. This makes me want to try to capture the delicacy of the blossoms as well as the reflections I see in the water.
This piece was done after visiting the Japanese Garden in San Francisco with my daughter. I took a series of photos of the water lilies there. No one photo completely captured all the elements I wanted to include, so I chose the photo that most closely matched the feeling I wanted to convey. Then I added an additional blossom from another photo to complete my composition. I find adding elements is often tricky because of the need to match the lighting and the perspective.
About J. Lynne Schaffer:
Throughout her life, J. Lynne Schaffer has maintained a love of art. Since retiring from teaching, she has been able to immerse herself in artistic endeavors. Lynne works primarily with drawing mediums, such as graphite, colored pencil or pastel. For her, drawing provides the means for truly seeing and understanding the world around her.
See more at www.lynneschafferart.com
Abyaneh Soul by Farideh Afshani
13.7 x 17.3 inches
Faber-Castell Polychromos, Prismacolor Premier and Derwent Studio colored pencils on paper. (Photo by Hamid Reza Esmail. Used with permission.)
I worked in health communication for 15 years, but this never stopped me from pursuing my childhood passion for painting and handicrafts. While studying for my BA in graphic design, I came to understand my drawings and illustrations should be abstract rather than realistic to appear more creative and unique. However, after many years of work, accessing various artworks on social media and observing different artists sharing their experiences in hyperrealism made me think differently and led to a fresh start. In 2017, a call for a colored pencil painting group exhibition motivated me to return to painting. For this event, I chose to paint a puffy bird perched on a holly tree branch. In the next exhibition, I decided to create something that reflected my culture and traditions, specifically Persian miniature painting, which has always fascinated me with its intricate details. After searching several months for a reference photo, I came across Mr. Hamid Reza Esmail’s photographs of Abyaneh, a historic village in central Iran where people have preserved their traditions, language, and clothing for centuries. Among the photos, the most relaxed scene of Ameneh’s face in the sunlight captured my attention. Though the details of her dress took hours to complete, every moment I spent on this painting was a joy and pleasure.
Farideh Afshani:
Farideh Afshani graduated with a MA in social communication studies. After winning a colored pencil art challenge in August 2019, she truly believed this is her path forward. Therefore, she has decided to organize a solo exhibition featuring one of her country’s iconic cultural handcrafts in the near future.
See more at instagram.com/farideh_afshani
A Cracking Egg by Robert Strange
11 x 1 inches
Prismacolor colored pencils on The Langton Daler Rowney 300gms Hot pressed. (Drawn from life, en plein air.)
This drawing is part of my half-eaten confectionery series, where the chocolate is partly devoured and the wrapper is torn open. The drawing was a fascinating exercise in conveying two contrasting textures: the smooth chocolate and the ruffled, creased foil. The Prismacolor pencils were a perfect tool to use as they enabled the overlaying of several colors which were then burnished with a soft cloth to create a subtle representation of the chocolate’s texture and color. In conjunction with the heavy-duty paper it is then possible to scratch into the surface to reveal the highlights in the foil and the debris on the chocolate.
What makes this special is the fact that it was drawn for Easter and has a subtle reference to the tomb where Jesus was buried and rose again. The hollow shape reminds us of the empty tomb that was opened, leaving just the stone bed and shroud. Two chocolate buttons represent the two women outside the tomb, standing in astonishment. It was difficult not to devour the egg whilst drawing it, but I was tempted away by a couple of Dairy Milk bars and several biscuits to save any chance of the composition being compromised.
About Robert Strange:
Robert studied for a BA (Hons) in Fine Art and an MA in Art Education at Oxford Brooks University. He taught art and design in a secondary school before commencing a career in art where he has exhibited regularly in various exhibitions including the Royal Academy in London and the Royal West Academy in Bristol. He is a member of the SGFA AND UKCPS.
See more at instagram.com/robert_w_strange_artist/
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