June 2023 Showcase - Colored Pencil Artwork

Bei den blauen Bergen by Ronald Firla
11 x 15.75 inches
Faber-Castell Polychromos on Hahnemühle Nostalgie.
(Artist's own photo)

In summer, cows roam the Alps freely. They always have the right of way. Hikers are supposed to leave them be, but watching is allowed so long as you keep your distance. My picture shows such an encounter.

In November 2022 I looked through vacation photos and the imposing mountains and lush meadows immediately took me back to Austria. Filled with longing and wanderlust, I began to draw. I used a few of my photos for inspiration but didn’t copy them exactly. Of course there are no blue mountains. The color was more of an artistic, aesthetic choice to emphasize the contrast between this peaceful, comforting scene and the inhospitality of the high alpine mountains.

As always, I used solely colored pencils and my favorite paper called Hahnemühle Nostalgie. I think these two aspects in addition to my style make my artworks easily recognizable. This piece took me about 40 to 50 hours.

About Ronald Firla:

Ronald is a self-taught pencil artist who uses drawing as a hobby and lives with wife and kids near Dresden, Germany.

See more at: www.artmajeur.com/rofi13

Dinnertime Angela Mende
8 x 11 inches
Faber-Castell Polychromos, Luminance, PanPastel and Derwent Drawing on Pastelmat.
(Artist's own photo)

This spider was a sort of neighbor outside my home office window, and I would often stop and pause during my day to watch it spinning its web, catching a fly or hiding under a leaf when it rained. I don’t think I would ever have noticed how beautiful it was unless I had stopped to look at it. From far away, it looked like your everyday big, brown, hairy, scary, spider. Up close, however, revealed a wonderful surprise.

With this piece I wanted to showcase the incredibly intricate designs on the spider’s body, which are truly remarkable. This spider is called a cross-orbweaver (Araneus diadematus), due to the cross-shaped markings on its abdomen. I love doing close-up drawings of small creatures as it allows me to learn so much more about them and the world they inhabit, while trying to imagine life at their scale.

About Angela Mende:

Angela Mende hails from Montreal, Canada, where she works as a full-time architect while raising a family and producing as many colored pencil works as time will allow. Although she considers spiders to be her spirit animal, she loves and enjoys all animals, putting her feet in the grass, and connecting with the natural world.

See more at: facebook.com/angelamendeart

Out of the Shadows by Helen Coulter
13.75 x 19.7 inches
Faber-Castell Polychromos on Pastelmat.
Photo by Karen Broemmelsick. Used with permission.

I live and breathe horse. I constantly listen to the stories they whisper to me. I am inspired when I look into their eyes. Nothing can prepare you for the moment a horse sees you; you know he looks right into your very being and sees your truth.

Each person creates a different story when they look at my horses. Is it that they see the truth in themselves right then or do they see the story that is relevant to them at that moment in time?

This horse evokes strong responses in people; so many different versions of him exist in the mind’s eye. He speaks a language all of his own making. I called him “Out of the Shadows." He is the ultimate storyteller, weaving his way into your heart, drawing you forward from the darkness. To me he is an old soul, a life well-lived, much loved, with so much still to give.

I have long believed in the healing power of horses. With mental health issues on the rise, I believe they ease troubled minds and chase away the blues. I know just being with my horse, Riv, always leaves me with a total feeling of peace and well-being, and in turn I hope my artworks allow others to feel the same way.

About Helen Coulter:

Helen Coulter is primarily an equine artist, working in a variety of mediums, colored pencil being the latest addition. With meticulous attention to detail, her animals embrace you with their eyes and evoke a strong emotional response with their personality and soul. Her work hangs in private collections in Australia and overseas.

See more at: helencoulter.com.au/

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