The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - April 2020
Corresponding with the art gallery that is featured each month in Ann Kullberg's COLOR Magazine, The Pencil Box blog series will give artists a bit more space to share insight and inspiration about their colored pencil art. Make sure to check out FB group links at the bottom of this post. Call for entry is posted every month in participating Facebook groups - join in the fun and your artwork could be featured, too!
Battle Weary Warrior by Kathleen Smith
16x26 inches Crescent Illustration Board
I have tried to put nine months of raw emotions of every sort onto paper. Trying to render feelings by way of symbolism. I used a lot of imagination and artistic license to project the emotions that have overwhelmed me for many months. I thought drawing how I felt might be a good way to release some anxiety to clear my head and let it go. Its been nine months since the diagnosis of stage four cancer. So many ups and downs, complications and hospital stays. Cancer can be such a brutal disease, that has affected so many people and their families. I want to dedicate my picture to all of those who have battled cancer or know someone that has. Our families' battle with this devastating disease continues, in hopes that one day there will be a cure.
About Kathleen:
Kathi picked up her first colored pencil in 2015. Her colored pencil artwork has been published in several publications. She has won numerous local awards for her artistry. Kathi is a member of The Colored Pencil Society of America and Gainesville Fine Art Association..
See more at: https://www.facebook.com/KathiLecasSmith
Jaguar by Alex Fleming
45x30cm Arches Aquarelle
I found the reference image utterly stunning and engaging. The jaguar has been captured perfectly in its quiet, understated majesty. Photo credit: Edwin Butter. The color profile has an almost dream-like iridescence, especially in the background, and I chose to enhance this in my interpretation of it. I like to think there's a natural body of water close by. While the predominant color is the lovely amber fur, a thread of green can be detected throughout. Polychromos pencils and their layering capability really come into their own when trying to achieve this effect. As wildlife conservation is a cause very close to my heart, I've chosen to donate 10% of all sales (prints and originals) to the World Wildlife Fund..
About Alex:
Alex Fleming, pet portrait and wildlife multimedia artist, b. 1985 and based in Lancashire, England. He uses graphite since 2007, charcoal and color pencil since 2019, and pastel since 2020..
See more at: https://www.facebook.com/AlexFlemingArt/
Rusty ol' Lamp by Nancie Quah
38cm x 56cm Fabriano Artistico
This photo very quickly caught my attention as I was scrolling through a collection of stock images. The contrast of the colors seemed to stand out a lot in this picture and I thought it would be interesting to recreate and perhaps play around with the textures a little. The lovely rustic design of the lamp gives off a different vibe from what I usually draw. It reminded me a lot of the days when I was little, since classic items like these are mainly only used for aesthetic purposes these days, so I thought, why not give it a try?
As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. On the outside, it’s just a rusty ol’ lamp, nothing extraordinary about it. Who in the right mind would even bother to spare another glance at it? Especially in the daytime, it doesn’t seem to be too fascinating, does it? But when night falls and you are lost in the middle of nowhere, with only the sounds of pattering rain to accompany you and you know only hopelessness and despair await you if you continue. But the rusty ol’ lamp comes into sight and its flickering glow guide you and take you home, safe and sound, without a word. You then realize the rusty ol’ lamp, often ignored and rather misunderstood sometimes, had warmed your heart with feelings of love and care, and you remind yourself to give special attention to the rusty ol’ lamp every day as you walk by..
About Nancie:
Nancie Quah, a self-taught artist from Penang, Malaysia and grew up with a fervent interest in arts. She always enjoyed drawing and painting ever since she was little and her passion for arts has only grown over the years. She have decided to hone her skills to become a professional artist.
Artemis in a Square Box by Dina Buckley
10" x 10", Clairfontaine Pastelmat (Anthracite)
This is my mischievous cat Artemis. She’ll keep you amused (or annoyed) with her antics until she falls asleep in a shoe box. We adopted her a few years ago from my neighbors who took in a feral cat that they just didn’t capture in time. (Surprise, kittens!) I guess because she’s one generation from “wild,” Artemis needs her outdoor time, and she gleefully accompanies my dog and I on the wooded trail around our house, climbing trees, and racing circles around us. But for all her “I got to be free” attitude, Artemis cannot resist a box. When a package arrives in the mail, she’ll beat the carrier to door, insisting we open and empty it right away for her (or she’ll try to open it herself). This particular box had no sooner hit the floor than she was in it, and I got down on the floor with her and got some great reference photos with my cell phone. I’d seen a Call for Entry with the theme “10 x 10” and it struck me as wonderfully ironic to do a portrait of Artemis in a Square Box.
About Dina:
Dina grew up drawing horses on whatever paper... and sometimes walls… she could find. An enthusiast of all expressions of art, she tends towards realism in her own work. Her subjects are often animals; domesticated, wild and the two-legged variety, but she’s also captivated by landscapes and flora.
See more at: http://www.dinabuckley.com
These artworks are published in the APRIL 2020 issue of COLOR Magazine.
FEATURED ARTWORKS FROM OUR FACEBOOK PARTNER GROUPS