September 2024 Showcase - Colored Pencil Artwork

The three artists featured in the September 2024 issue of COLOR Magazine Showcase share the stories behind their beautiful artwork here in our blog.

Green Sea Turtle by BJ Kamler
12 x 18 inches
Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils on Legion Stonehenge. (Photo by Noemi, licensed through Adobe Stock Images. Used with permission.)

A friend of mine had just finished building a condominium in Maui. He saw some of my colored pencil drawings on Facebook and asked if I would consider doing a commission. He told me about diving and seeing the sea turtles in the waters around his home.

When we decided on this particular photo, I knew this was going to have to be a large drawing to get in all the details of the coral and the turtle. My drawing table accommodated the larger size nicely. I wanted to do the background first because I could see it was going to take a long time, and I didn’t want to rush through all that detail once the turtle was complete. I ended up turning the paper around often to get to the top and bottom. But early on I learned I was rubbing the color off even though I was using a piece of glassine to protect the finished parts. So, I had to change strategies. Since I am right-handed, I began working left to right. After 3 months of working 3 to 4 hours per day, 5 to 6 days per week, I was very happy to reach that right-side border.

About BJ Kamler:

BJ has done realistic drawing in charcoal and graphite for more than 20 years. She began exploring color pencil in 2019. She is a resident artist at Missouri Artists on Main in St. Charles, MO, where she sells her artwork and teaches. Her work has been published in CP Hidden Treasures magazine. She is a member of the Colored Pencil Society of America.

See more at www.bjkamler.com

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The Great Traveler by Grace Netanya
13.5 x 20 inches
Prismacolor Premier colored pencils on Strathmore smooth Bristol board. (Artist’s own photo.)

It's a long held tradition in the West for high-status individuals to use portraiture as a means of bragging about their accomplishments. Prior to our age of being able to take a flight across the country in six hours, traveling was a privilege reserved for the very wealthy. Because of this, an individual’s portrait would often include references to the many exotic places they had traveled to. Now, with our wealth of technology, and this new magic called “the internet”, anyone is capable of “traveling” across the full spectrum of human knowledge and experiences.

The Great Traveler is a commentary on how our technologically evolved world has changed the definition of accomplishment. Our daily access to technology is, in its own way, an adventure into a new world.

Grace Netanya:

Grace is an imaginative realist who specializes in mixed-media techniques using ink, graphite, and colored pencil. She has exhibited with such prestigious organizations as The ARC Realism Salon and The Colored Pencil Society. Her awards include The Copic Award 2019, Martha Vineyard’s Drawing Prize 2022, and Boyne’s Artist Prize 2022 Second Place.

See more at www.gracenetanya.com

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Captain Camo by Kathleen Smith
21 x 25 inches
Prismacolor and Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils on papier maché and papier maché clay. (Original design, drawn from life, en plein air.)

This piece was made using the plasticized molded mask made for my husband’s brain cancer radiation treatments. Wallace battled stage 4 lung cancer and metastasis for four years. After his radiation was completed, I knew that I must keep the mask. I envisioned making a superhero mask out of it right from the start. It took about a year, before I could start the project. I used papier maché and papier maché clay to cover the mask and form facial details. I painted the back underside of the mask with black acrylic paint. Generic watercolor paints and Tombow markers were used as a basecoat and then rendered layers of Prismacolor and Polychromos colored pencils. I embellished the mask by appliques of lightning bolts and a John Deere patch on it. Although Wallace never saw the superhero mask I made, I know he’d be very proud. His long, courageous battle is memorialized by Captain Camo, my superhero.

About Kathleen Smith:

Kathleen has been using colored pencils as her medium of choice since 2016. Several pieces of her artwork have been published and have received awards. Some of Kathi’s latest endeavors have included working with textiles, tie dyeing and painting unique art apparel.

See more at facebook.com/KathiLecasSmith

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