The Pencil Box - Featured Artists - March 2022
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!
Pheasant by Carol Kerr
12x10 inches, coloured pencil on Clairefontaine Pastelmat
Our home in East Devon is surrounded by wildlife — including pheasants, foxes and deer. I just adore the pheasants. They seem, to me, to be the slapstick comedians of British wildlife — completely unaware and scatter-brained; with hilarious antics and mannerisms and not, apparently, designed to fly too far or too fast in order to get out of trouble. The variety in their colouring is amazing. The males are so showy and arrogant but also very trusting. We began by encouraging just one young male pheasant who over several years returned daily — later bringing his harem of six females and then coming back with his young ones. We now have generations of his descendants living close by. In this artwork, I wanted to achieve sharp focus on the feather detail using coloured pencils and to leave the blue sky and foliage of the surroundings very much to the imagination by letting the inks run where they wanted to.
About Carol Kerr:
Carol Kerr lives in East Devon, UK. Her art depicts wildlife and the natural world. She works mainly with coloured pencils using pastels, inks and acrylics in support. Her style is loose, painterly and energetic, aiming for a likeness that evokes fond memories of encounters and moments of connection with our many animal companions.
See more at: https://www.facebook.com/carolkerrmudlarkart
Ready for Action by Helen Seed
8x11 inches, coloured pencil on Bristol board
As a wife of an RNLI crew member, I see how brave each person is when they are called to help someone in need at sea. This portrait encapsulates the sense of service that the whole RNLI family has, from the crew members themselves, to the families and volunteers that support them.
About Helen Seed:
Essex based artist, Helen Seed is a pencil portrait artist, specialising in portraiture. Her work focuses on the beauty and fragility of the human condition. Her influences are Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and Salvador Dali.
See more at: https://helenseedartistry.co.uk
Hanging in There by Suzanne Borowicz
11x14 inches, colored pencil on Arches hot press watercolor paper
I’ve always been an animal lover, and as such, I’ve always believed that we can learn much about how to live from the natural world. On a visit to a small zoo, where the primate enclosure does not allow the animals access to the outdoors, my daughter took this photo. When I saw the photo, I immediately connected to it, and I knew I had to draw it. Drawing this small primate hand took me even closer to my subject. I think of the confined primates hanging on to life and making the best of it with whatever means they have. Although they are surrounded by glass walls instead of sunshine, and they have limited space instead of miles of jungle to roam, they adapt and survive in their artificial environment. With the pandemic restrictions and lockdowns, “Hanging in There” took on an even deeper meaning for me. It is, once again, the natural world leading the way for me in how I can live and survive in today’s unnatural circumstances.
About Suzanne Borowicz:
Although drawing was always at the heart of Suzanne’s creativity, it wasn’t until she retired from her day job that she discovered the joy in colored pencils. The color variety and the amount of detail that can be achieved with colored pencil allow her a depth of expression that no other medium offers.
Time to Care by Terri Neal
12 x 15 inches, colored pencil on Fabriano Artistico
I visited Churchill Canada in 2017 to observe the polar bears and arctic wildlife. I watched these magnificent creatures wait patiently for the ice to form on Hudson Bay. The stark beauty of the landscape with its colorful lichens was enthralling. It pressed home to me what a tragedy if this all disappeared.
About Terri Neal:
Terri Neal has lived throughout the US and finally settled in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She has a keen interest in animals and the natural world and received a biology degree from Hiram College in Ohio and Arizona State University. Having loved to draw and create from an early age, Terri has explored many mediums, pencils, fibers, ceramics and metals.
See more at: https://www.fergsartyside.com/
These artworks are published in the MARCH 2022 issue of COLOR Magazine.
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Comments (1)
I am a self taught artist wanting to get into colored pencils. What would be the best colored pencils to buy for easy blending.
David martin - Jan 17, 2022