The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - December 2024

Flower by Barbara Pezze
7x9.5 inches, colored pencil on Clairefontaine Pastelmat

I recently met Katie, a lovely young woman who now takes care of our fur baby when we are out of town. Flower is her little Chihuahua. Flower and our boy are the best of friends. When Katie found out that I was a budding artist, she was very excited and enthusiastic for me. She asked me to draw Flower. The reference photo that she provided is so incredible, and I wasted no time in drawing her. There is nothing like a beautiful photo when drawing realism! She was a joy to draw and I believe, my best drawing to date!

BARBARA PEZZE:

Barbara started drawing in 2022, after a long career in public education (math). The pandemic offered her an opportunity to delve into her artwork with full enthusiasm. Since April 2023, she has been drawing pet portraits, wildlife, botanicals, and humans—her newly discovered talent!




Coat of Many Colors by Jim Foutch
14x20 inches, colored pencil on hot pressed watercolor paper

Coat of Many Colors was designed to show the wonderfully diverse and amazing culture we live in today. The vast amount of races and creeds demonstrate just how marvelous each and every one of us truly are. Each color and shape I used represents a unique and individual culture and all the colors together make up this vast and amazing world in which we live. Often times, we seem to forget that we are a minute yet perfect sect in the scheme of our diversity. I am proud of what I designed to represent exactly just how unique yet integral part of this planet on which we live.

JIM FOUTCH:

Jim is a self taught colored pencil artist who just loves to draw animals and portraits while incorporating as much detail and color in each rendering that he can possibly display. Art is his world along with his family and friends.




Calliope by Karen Witt
12x9 inches, colored pencil on Colourfix

This is a portrait of one of my beautiful Icelandic sheep, named Calliope. She has the most striking facial markings and always grows the fluffiest, softest fleece. Calliope often endearingly tilts her head to one side and I was fortunate enough to capture a photo of her in all her glory. I just had to draw her. I always love drawing wool — it’s amazing to me how different pencil strokes here and there build up to look like fluffy wool. I especially enjoyed using “squiggly” strokes to make the curly bits on the sides of Calliope’s face. This piece came together fairly easily and was a pleasure to draw.

KAREN WITT:

With a full time software engineering job and seventeen animals to care for, Karen’s art time is very limited. She primarily creates pieces for herself, featuring her beloved horses and sheep. Karen likes to work in many mediums, but colored pencil is her favorite.




Knitting Basket by Peggy Lohman
8”x10”, colored pencil on Bristol Vellum

I chose my knitting basket and its contents for this still life set up photo because I these are my own knitting supplies and I love the different colors of balls of yarn and the texture of the basket and the half-finished knitting pieces. The weave of the knitting basket was challenging, but i learned how to draw it, finally. The yarn balls were fun. I especially like the cast shadow of the basket handle on the wall. I enjoyed drawing the yarn balls, and pieces I was working on, so familiar to me. My mom taught me how to knit. I remember sitting and knitting with her, and talking. When I look at this drawing, I’m reminded of her.

PEGGY LOHMAN:

Peggy has been working with and learning colored pencil for over 10 years, studying under the expert direction of Andria Burchett, of Beech Tree Studio. Peggy has a BA in Art, with a specialization in Drawing, from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL. Peggy loves to draw still life.