Friday, October 29, 2021

The Portable Studio

 


This is my new studio - Portable Studio.

We are in between selling our house and buying a new house. But no matter where I am, with my portable equipment, I can continue to produce art. To be clear, I only made provisions for Colored Pencil Art. Clean. Easy to transport. No messy paints or glue or water or anything to clean up. 

The rolling storage cart can easily be moved room to room, even outside on the deck or patio. The easel is a table style. It can be set up on a variety of surfaces and is small and compact. 


I normally do not use an easel. I prefer sitting on the sofa with my art on my lap. My sofa is an orphanage for lost colored pencils. But I have noticed some of my drawings are a little distorted. This is a common occurrence when drawing on a flat surface, distorted perspective. With my new easel, I am going to create my art in the position in which it will be viewed.



For when I travel or actually move, I purchased an Artist Backpack. It surprisingly holds everything in the rolling storage cart with a few empty pockets to spare! 
It is very heavy, so i will not be carrying it around.


Here is my studio ready to go!

All of this is thanks to the Cultural Alliance 
2021 Artist Professional Development Grant.



Thursday, October 21, 2021

York Art Association 50th Juried Exhibit

 Thanks to the York Art Association, I am well on my way to showing my colored pencil paintings.



Two of my colored pencil paintings were juried into their 50th Juried Exhibit. I am very excited, as they will be very different from the normal art exhibited in their gallery; the oil, acrylic, watercolor, even pastel paintings, rarely is there a colored pencil. This is the start of my "Grant Journey" 

Opening Reception: 
Sunday, 10/31 from 2–4pm
York Art Association
220 South Marshall Street
York, PA 17402

717-755-0028


Friday, October 15, 2021

Colored Pencil Grant Journey

 

The colored pencil is a relatively new art medium, only making it's appearance in the early 20th century. It is still struggling to be recognized as a fine art medium.

Pigment is the operative word here. It is what makes the colored pencil a fine art medium. Acrylics, oil paints, watercolors, pastels, all art mediums have pigments. The technique used in colored pencils; layering and blending, also qualify this tool to be included in the fine art family.

The wooden case protects a narrow pigmented core. This core is made of either wax-based or oil-based pigment, additives and binding agents. The concentration of the pigment will determine the grade of the pencil. A higher pigment concentration will result in a professional grade  pencil, lower concentration will be a student grade.

Friday, October 8, 2021

Professional Artist Development Grant



Join me on my "Grant" Journey. 
Six months, ending March 31, 2022
My Grant proposal is all about my colored pencil art. I have a history of acrylic painting, watercolor, collage, mixed media, abstract and representational. Lately I have concentrated on colored pencils. The fact that I currently am without a studio inspired my Grant proposal.

I have broke down my Grant Journey into four parts:


PART 1

It all begins with the Studio and the supplies. I am in the process of down-sizing and moving, to where is still an unknown. So I need a portable studio, one that may be utilized in a home, an RV, a condo, on the back porch, you get the picture. Colored Pencils are the perfect medium for this scenario. They are clean, portable, and require very little supplies.

Shopping is the next step, oh how I love to shop for art supplies! A portable easel is the first purchase. It can be used on any surface in any location. It has a drawer to carry a limited amount of supplies. Then I added a storage cart, on wheels, to move to any location if necessary. And of course, new pencils. I researched which pencil colors had the best lightfastness quality and I created my new and improved pencil palette.


PART 2

My colored pencil "body of work". I love doing colored pencil art but I didn't think it was taken seriously by galleries and critics. So I  created in other mediums that I thought were more acceptable. On this Grant Journey I will focus just on colored pencils. Improving my skills and learning new techniques. I will create as many new and awesome colored pencil paintings as time allows.

PART 3

This is the most challenging part of my Journey, changing the art society's opinion of colored pencil art. Helping them realize that the Coloring Book Craze (CBC) is a separate genre completely. I hope to infiltrate a few galleries and exhibits to expose the public to this new genre of Colored Pencil Fine Art. Not only creating an appreciating new audience but also a few artist converts!

PART 4

Documenting the Grant Journey. Not only do I have to submit a final report to The Cultural Alliance, I will document this process for inclusion in a self-published book. This book will include basic colored pencil instruction and samples. Of course I will use my own art to illustrate this book. Ultimately, I hope this book will encourage more artists to try colored pencil art. The more artists painting with colored pencils, the better chance we have to change the opinions of society.

Monday, October 4, 2021

I am a Cultural Alliance Grant Winner!

Congratulations to me! I have been awarded the 4th quarter "Artist Professional Development Grant" from York, PA's Cultural Alliance. I have six months to complete my project. My 1st goal is to set up a portable studio. Due to downsizing and moving, I no longer have a dedicated studio. My 2nd goal is to spend the next six months creating colored pencil paintings. A perfect portable medium requiring little space or mess. My ultimate goal is to share these paintings and hopefully make people realize that colored pencils are an accepted fine art medium. 

Cultural Alliance of York PA

https://www.culturalyork.org/artist-grant-awardees-announced/

Artist Grant Awardees Announced

The Cultural Alliance of York County is pleased to announce the most recent recipients of the Artist Professional Development Grant. This grant provides financial resources to creatives in York County to do the work they are passionate about, and take the next step in their practice or career.

The recipients of the Artist Professional Development Grant in the 4th Quarter of 2021 are:

  • Judy Grupp – For the creation of a portable home studio as a covid-friendly adaptation to her practice and create a body of work and art show to boost the visibility of colored-pencil artists.
  • Annelise Vuono –To purchase high quality, art-related merchandise and booth rental  business space in shops to bolster income from her art while transitioning to running her creative business full-time.




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2022

   Merry Christmas