The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - February 2021
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!
Forest Fantasy by Virginia Carroll
19" X 15.5" Grafix .005 dbl side matte drafting film
I saw this “Fairy” at the Renaissance Fair. She was sitting at a picnic table, and I was taken by her costume. When I prepared to draw her, I felt that she definitely needed to be in a magical forest setting, so that's where I placed her. I think she's just where she needs to be! The forest background is done on the backside of the drafting film so that it seems to recede, as it should. The fairy, her seat on the fallen, moss covered log and the foreground flora is drawn on the front side of the film.
About Virginia Carroll:
Virginia Carroll primarily works on her Icarus Board using Drafting film as her support. She has won many awards and has been published in several art books and magazines. She is a double signature member of CPSA and Vice President of her Arizona District Chapter.
See more at: http://www.virginiacarroll.com
COVID Shenanigans by Doretta Remy
9x12, Fisher 400 Sanded Pastel Foam Board
This piece was created from a photograph that I took of my brother and his cat while FaceTiming during the big pandemic shutdown this past spring. My brother lives in CA while I live in TX, so I have not seen him in person since January 2020. The snapshot I took turned out so comical that I felt I just had to recreate it with my colored pencils. Creating this piece was very therapeutic for I felt closely connected to my brother and Wolfie (the cat) across space and time through every stroke of the pencil! I have found that working on portraits with colored pencils causes me to slow down and to truly get to know the individual and or animal on a much deeper level.
About Doretta Remy:
Though Doretta Remy has formal education in the fine arts, she considers herself self-taught when it comes to working with colored pencils. Doretta is the owner of the community art studio, Doretta’s Lair, where she spends her days doing what she loves most, teaching art and creating colored pencil paintings..
See more at: https://www.facebook.com/crazycoffeecatcreates
A Head Of Steam Thru A Winter's Tale by Leonard Atherton
19 x 13 inches, Pastelmat, light grey
This image reminds me of the time of those bygone days of my youth when my family relied so much on the power of steam to take them on their annual holidays and day trips. I can still hear the sound of the guards whistle and the boiler hissing its annoyance at having to cease its production of power in order to pick up more passengers. Indeed, as child I lived very close to a busy railway line and often a few of us would run to the old iron bridge, as we called it, to stand bathed in steam as the engine passed by underneath — something we would always emerge from blackened by soot, coughing like a miner with eyes streaming stinging tears. Days when travel was slower allowing us to take in the often majestic beauty of this planet we simply call our home. The title I have given it will probably be strange at first to some but, “A Head Of Steam” is what gives the engine its power and, “A Winters Tale” comes from the Elizabethan times of our history when any good story told on a winter's day was referred to as a winter's tale. I would suggest anyone travelling on this train through a wintry forest in Germany would have many a story to tell.
About Leonard Atherton:
Len began drawing at school before becoming a professional singer. Upon his retirement he began drawing again after buying a small set of colored pencils. 18 months later that relationship has blossomed and now Len is a seventy-year-old man who is simply full of life.
See more at: https://www.fineartbylenatherton.com/
Ancient Giants by Caryn Coville
13.5"x18" on Stonehenge paper
My reference photo of the Gomero trees (Ficus Elastica) was taken when we stopped in Buenos Aires, Argentina, before going on to Patagonia. Located in the Recoleta district, these huge trees dwarfed us. Standing tall with their large canopies, I found the roots of the trees fascinating. I love the color in the roots and the way they twist and turn. I was inspired to draw them. Trying to balance the roots and trunks with the canopy of leaves was challenging. I kept adding more and more leaves. The drawing ended up having a darker feeling than I was aiming for, but I think it draws the viewer in and creates a mood. I hope it helps you feel like you were there too, walking among these ancient giants.
About Caryn Coville:
Caryn’s work is inspired by nature, her travels and the beauty she finds in everyday objects. Caryn is a featured artist in numerous art publications and is a contributing artist in the book Masterful Color by Arlene Steinberg. Her award-winning work has been shown in solo, juried and group exhibitions.
See more at: https://www.caryncoville.com/
These artworks are published in the JANUARY 2021 issue of COLOR Magazine.
FEATURED ARTWORKS FROM OUR FACEBOOK PARTNER GROUPS