The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - January 2022

The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - January 2022

Corresponding with the art gallery that is featured each month in Ann Kullberg's COLOR MagazineThe 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!


Bumble Bee by Gabriela Thiecke
27 x 20 cm. colored pencil on Pastelmat

As a child I was scared of all insects, especially bees, since I was once stung by one with a bad reaction. My message with this bumble bee is that once we look closer and come to understand, there is nothing left to fear, and exceptional beauty is revealed.

About Gabriela Thiecke:

After retiring from her naturopathic practice in 2019, Gabriela rekindled her artistic passion that she had let lie dormant for over 40 years. As a teenager, she loved to draw with a simple graphite pencil, taking her inspiration mainly from postcards that she had collected on family trips around the state of Victoria, Australia. Today, she uses artist-grade coloured pencils and loves to draw people, animals and all things shiny, always striving towards realism in her art.

See more at: https://www.facebook.com/GabrielasColoredPencilArt/



Luke 12:28 by Jennifer Lane
12x9 inches, colored pencil on Pastelmat

As a child, my grandmother always had hydrangeas growing in her yard and I always wanted to go out and look at the “puff balls”. Now as an adult, I have a few in my yard. When I look at flowers that are so perfect and beautiful, I can't help but think that God gave them to us to make us smile. As I type, I am looking at some gorgeous flowers that my husband gave me for our 18 anniversary. He gave them to me because he loves me and so does our Lord give us flowers because he loves us. “If the Father cares for the flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire, He will certainly care for you.” — Luke 12:28

About Jennifer Lane:

Jennifer Lane is a wife and mother of two adult children and a teenager. In her early 30s, she developed several pain disorders and wasn’t able to work her Paralegal job anymore. With lots of time on her hands, she decided to learn to draw using graphite and then subsequently learned colored pencils and pastels by watching YouTube videos. Her art has been published in several art magazines, blogs and local publications. Jennifer is very involved in her church and credits all of her accomplishments to her love for the Lord and his faithfulness.

See more at: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferlanefineart



Gertrude by Oksana Burr
9x12 inches, colored pencil on UArt 800 board

Please meet Gertrude, such an incredible and wise woman who is a godmother to my husband. Gertrude was born and currently lives in Kenya but occasionally travels to the US to visit her son and her granddaughter. The moment you meet her she makes you feel warm and very special right away making you feel comfortable and approachable to talk to her. When you talk to her, she captivates you in the moment with interesting stories of her life and her travels making you find out more and more. I felt such a privilege meeting her in person though I have heard about her from my husband and his family. Deeply in my heart I knew I was going to get along with her and that I would also learn a lot from her. She’s the wisest and kindest person I have met, and I was really motivated to draw a portrait of her. On the day that I saw Gertrude wearing her beautiful outfit with the combination of such bright and vivid colors complementing her skin I couldn’t resist and asked her if she would pose for me. It turned out that she didn’t mind at all and was rather humbled by the opportunity to be drawn as according to her words she really loved my art and would always praise it. Afterwards, we started talking and got lost in the conversation about safaris and places to visit in Kenya. She told me of her job working as a tour guide at safari resorts and all the people she had met. So in my portrait in colored pencils I tried to capture what I experienced face to face, especially her warm and kind personality. The challenge was to put feelings on the paper and evoke a viewer’s interest by looking deep into her soul and experiencing similar feelings that I have. I hope I was able to capture Gertrude’s essence through the knowledge of my colored pencil techniques, my personal effort and joy.

About Oksana Burr:

Born and raised in Russia, Oksana Burr is a full-time artist specializing in creating a wide range of photorealistic artwork using colored pencils, pastels and watercolors. She is a member of SAA, CPSA and UKCPS. Oksana continues to grow professionally and share her joy for art with others..

See more at: https://www.oksanaburr.com



Geisha Sakura by Spencer Phillips
11x14 inches, colored pencil on Strathmore 500 Bristol Plate

Ever since Japanese students stayed with my family many years ago, I have been captivated by the gentle beauty of the culture and find it endlessly inspiring. This particular image spoke to me not only because of the beauty and complexity of the fabrics, but also the sense of mystery with the wonderful pose. It suggests poise, determination, inner strength and endurance to me. I sense a whole story behind it, so it was very much something I wanted to translate to color pencil.

About Spencer Phillips:

Spencer had no history in art, but had always wanted to create. He bought a set of 72 pencils in 2018 and swiftly become one of the fastest color pencil collectors in the West. He is at his happiest with a collection of pencils in one hand, a coffee in the other and talking animatedly to whatever work in progress lies on his drawing table.

See more at: https://www.facebook.com/SpencerPhillipsArt


These artworks are published in the JANUARY 2022 issue of COLOR Magazine.

FEATURED ARTWORKS FROM OUR FACEBOOK PARTNER GROUPS

Comments (1)

Beautiful works of art all! Thanks for sharing.

Mireille Dalpe - Nov 16, 2021

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