Soulful in Ink

Today's featured portrait, titled "Soulful in Ink", is actually a second version, or rendering, of the same subject, titled ironically enough "Soulful".  The first version was completed in Scratchboard, and was a return to that medium for me after a few years away.  The link in the title will take you to my Profile page on FineArtAmerica, where you can see both versions, as well as all the other artwork posted there.  Although Scratchboard and Ink are similar looking in the end result, getting there is quite another story.  In some regards, I liken Scratchboard to Sculpture or Carving, where you start out with a clump of clay or a block of wood, and try to imagine what the negative space of the final product is, and then peel it away a little bit at a time.  Although you're working on a 2-dimensional sheet of scratchboard paper or board, the thought process is similar.  You have to think about the ink that shouldn't be there and scrape it away, and hope that the end result will be at least somewhat 3-dimensional. 

In this case, I had a couple of small scratchboards, measuring 5"x7", lying around that I wanted to experiment with.  The first attempt was my piece titled "Barn Owl", which can also be seen at the FineArtAmerica Gallery.  Then, as I was working on "Soulful",  I thought that this particular piece would make a good ink rendering as well.  However, I didn't want to limit myself to the constraints of working on such a small piece, so I upped the measurements to 8"x10" for the ink version.  What a difference those 3 inches made.  That and the fact that I was back in my comfort-zone of working with laying down the ink, rather than scraping it away.  I felt that I was able to get a little more depth into the end result by adding layers as I needed them.

It should be pointed out that working in Scratchboard is not always a question of taking out the negative space from the image you are working with.  You also have the option of starting out with a sheet of paper or a board that has been treated with the white, chalky clay, but has not been coated with ink.  This is great when you are going to have large areas of white in the rendering.  Scraping away the ink coating would not only be tedious, but the end result often will not look very uniform.  Instead, you add the ink to the areas that need it, and leave the rest uncovered.  In this case, you will then actually add the ink as you would in an ink rendering, a stroke at a time.  The desired result here is that the transition between the ink work and the scratchboard work flows seamlessly, and you can't tell where one or the other technique begins or ends.

Just a reminder here:  anyone interested in purchasing Giclee prints or fully-customizable note cards through my FineArtAmerica Gallery can take advantage of 20% Savings through 2/26/2011 by using the following Discount Code:  GDPDBZ

A Trail Band Christmas

Time for our annual excursion to the Trail Band Christmas Concert in Salem, OR.  The Trail Band is an 8-piece all-star group of musicians from Oregon that present musical theatre performances dramatizing the history and music of the West.  Featured in the group are Marv and Rindy Ross, of Quarterflash fame ("Harden my Heart"), and the Christmas Concert always features guest performer Linda Hornbuckle as well. Click on the link in the title to go to their website to meet the Trail Band, check out their performance calendar and listen to some of their music. They are an amazing group of talented musicians and put on quite a show each year.  They are very reminiscent of a group I used to perform with, The Colorado History Theater, and our production of  "Legend & Legacy".  Where "Legend & Legacy" told of the history of Colorado Springs and the surrounding areas through vignettes, character studies and music, The Trail Band is mostly music with some humorous anecdotes.  Their Christmas CD's are great, as are the CD's that focus on the early settlers.  I think we must have just about every CD they've come out with so far.  If you live in this area of the Pacific Northwest, you should definitely try to see one of their performances, and if not, I highly recommend starting your own CD collection.

Liberty's Journey

Wow, two days in a row! I'm on a roll! No artwork today.  Earlier this week, some friends lost a very special member of their family to bone cancer - they're own Lady Liberty, or Libby for short.  In their email informing us of the news, they included this link to a website that had been set up for Libby 9 years ago. Click on the title to read all about her story.  It is truly remarkable, at turns heart-breaking and heart-warming, and amazing how this little Rottweiler pup brought so many people together along her journey. It particularly hit home with us because we said goodbye to two of the companions pictured with me in the profile photo this past summer, Henri and Sheba. They were each about 14 1/2 years old, brought us endless hours of joy, and are sorely missed.  We've added another companion to keep Boots company, Cooper, but that's another story.  Actually, they all have their own stories, and maybe someday, I'll post them here as well.

New FineArtAmerica Gallery

 Okay.  Here I go again.  Now that I'm getting more into the whole Facebook, Twitter thing, I thought I'd check back at the blog again, and wow, I see that I haven't been here in over a year.  Time flies when you're having fun (or not) - it just flies!  Anyway, lots of new goings on, so I may as well get started.  Today's post refers to my listing at FineArtAmerica, which basically acts as a second website for me.  I've been posting work there for a few months now, and it really is a great site.  There are thousands of artists listed there with lots of great work.  Giclee Prints are available in a variety of sizes, on canvas or paper.  If you like, they'll even provide matting and framing services for you, or canvas stretching if necessary.  Also available are fully customizable note cards on high quality paper.  You can order the note cards singly, or in packs of 10 or 25.  Pictured here is one of my more recent posts to the Gallery, "Homesteader".  Take advantage of 20% savings on all of my artwork on FineArtAmerica by simply using the following Discount Code:  GDPDBZ   Offer valid thru 2/26/2011

Since it's been awhile since I've been adding to the blog, over the next few days, I'll be working on updating info and links, as well as posting new artwork, and getting used to all of the new features here.  One of the features I really like are the new templates.  The one I'm using here is so apropos to winters in Oregon!  Looks like the view out my window every day.

Boots

I haven't posted any artwork in awhile, so I thought I'd start off again with a portrait of Boots, our Shetland Collie, or Sheltie. He's been with us now for about 3 1/2 of his almost 7 years, and he has quite the personality. Before he was part of the family, he was involved in a little "dust-up" with our Australian Shepherd mix, Henri. We found out that his previous owner was soon to enter an assisted-living facility which did not allow pets. So our plan was to take him to the vet to make sure he was okay, and then try to find a good home for him. Well, after about 2 days, we decided he wasn't going anywhere. Henri "made-up" with him and they are now best buddies, and Sheba is so mellow that she was agreeable to the new arrangement as well. As I state on my website page for Boots, he's quite the clown prince, although we have learned that a Sheltie trademark is their barking. He barks at everything, doorbells (even on the TV), cars, birds, people going down the river on kayaks, planes flying overhead at 20,000 feet, you name it! Another of his unusual traits is his "clacking". He clacks his teeth together when he is playing or excited, almost like barking without the noise. Quite funny, and I've never seen it before, so I can't say if it's a Sheltie trait or strictly a Boots trait. This portrait was done in graphite, and is available as notecards and prints on my website, and on a wide range of products on my CafePress storefront, which you can access through the link on this page (under the "Links" heading).

Pt. Robinson Lighthouse, Washington

Located on the northeast corner of Maury Island in Puget Sound, the lighthouse marks the halfway point between Seattle and Tacoma. Often shrouded in fog, Point Robinson began as a fog signal station on July 1, 1885. A light was added to the station in 1887. Before 1925, Maury Island was only accessible by boat or bridge at high tide. Now, however, the island is easily reached from the larger Vashon Island, via a paved road on a narrow strip of land. This rendering is the third in my series of Washington lighthouses. I still have about 24 to go to complete the series, so I'd better get back to the drawing board soon. In the meantime, I'll continue to post the rest of my Oregon Coast Lighthouses, as well as Horse, Pet, Western and Wildlife portraits. For a complete tour of my "Gallery", please visit my website, and since it's never too early to think about Christmas gifts, check out the products on my website as well as my CafePress storefront.

North Head Lighthouse, Washington

Here is the rendering of the North Head Lighthouse mentioned in last entry. It is located just two miles north of Cape Disappointment Lighthouse because mariners approaching the Columbia River from the north could not see the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse until they had nearly reached the river. So, North Head Lighthouse was built to act as an "early warning" of the mouth of the Columbia, and was lit for the first time on May 16, 1898. North Head shone a fixed white light while Cape Disappointment alternated red and white flashes to differentiate between the two. This rendering is the second in my series of Washington State lighthouses. Next up will be Pt. Robinson, and then I have to get back to the drawing board to continue the series.

What's new!

Just a little information today. I'll post my next image over the next day or so. For now, I just wanted to post an update on what's been going on in the past year. As I've mentioned in my profile, I added a wholesale outlet for those who may be shop-owners to check out. This can be found at WholesaleCrafts.com, and I've provided a link in my "Links" section. Just look for me at Art from the Inkwell (catchy name). Of course, anyone interested in wholesale can always contact me through my website as well. I've also joined a viral network geared to women, (since they do most of the shopping) called HerOrbit.com, and a link is provided for this site also.

I've incorporated a PayPal shopping cart on my website, for safe, easy and secure shopping, and I've just added a Gift Certificate option. This will be updated shortly, as PayPal now offers this option as well, so I just need to get the html for my site. I've also added to my CafePress.com storefront, so for those who like to get a head start on Christmas shopping, I now have quite a few options available to check out. Everything from notecards, to T-Shirts, to calendars, to laser-engraved gift items can now be found on my website or other storefronts.

Over the coming months, I'd like to use this blog to not only feature my artwork, but that of all my artistic friends. I'm not sure how I'll do it yet, maybe Artist of the Month or something like that, so check back often for more details. And hopefully, I'll be able to start participating in other forums (sports, politics, movies, etc.), and the blog will be used to expand and expound whatever topics are being discussed.

So, I guess that's about it for now, but hey, I actually made two posts on consecutive days. That's something of a record for me. More later.

Let's try this again!! Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

Whew! It's been awhile. The last time, I took a 3 month break. This time it's been over a year. Time flies when you're having fun (or not - it just flies, especially the older you get!) Anyway, I have some new artwork to post, so I thought I'd get going again. I'll start off with a couple of lighthouses, since that is where I left off last go-round. Cape Disappointment is the first in my series of Washington State lighthouses. The lighthouse is owned by the Coast Guard, and the grounds are open to the public, although the tower is closed. The lighthouse has continued to watch over the entrance of the Columbia River since it was first lit on October 15, 1856. It stands 53 feet tall with a focal plane 220 feet above sea. Its black horizontal stripe was added later to distinguish it from North Head Lighthouse located just two miles north. (North Head Lighthouse will be my next posting). The cape, located on the north side of the mouth to the Columbia River, was originally named "Kah'eese by the local Indians. On July 6, 1788, Captain John Meares sought shelter here from a particularly turbulent sea, but to no avail, and he named the cape "Cape Disappointment". You'll notice the name Meares from a previous posting, Cape Meares Lighthouse, located near Tillamook, Oregon. Something new: I now have a listing on WholesaleCrafts.com, as well as HerOrbit.com, and will add these links to the panel on the right. The eBay storefront has been closed for the time being, and that link will be removed. Finally, I now have gift certificates available on my website as well, and hope to be adding more artwork and more products there in the near future. Appreciate any feedback from this or previous posts. Thanks.

Cape Arago Lighthouse

This rendering is of the Cape Arago Lighthouse, located 12 miles southwest of cities of North Bend and Coos Bay off U.S. 101. Stands 100 feet above the ocean on an islet just off Gregory Point. Light atop 44-foot tower was first illuminated in 1934, making it the newest in terms of service, although earlier structures were built on site in 1866 and 1908. Both of these succumbed to weather and erosion. Not open to the public, but good views are available from trail at Sunset Bay State Park south of the lighthouse. Listen for the unique fog horn. There are ten Lighthouses along the Oregon coast, seven of which are open to the public, and one that is a private residence. Lighthouse portraits make excellent gifts for all occasions. Look for your favorite lighthouse or collect the whole series. My Lighthouse note cards are available as a package of 10 cards of the featured lighthouse, or as an assortment, each package containing 1 of each rendering, plus an extra card of the featured lighthouse, in this case Cape Arago.

More lighthouses

Well, this time around it's 3 weeks instead of 3 months, so I guess that's a sign of progress. This is the Cape Blanco Lighthouse. Towering above the western-most point in Oregon, 9 miles north of Port Orford off U.S. 101, it is the oldest standing lighthouse on the Oregon coast. It was commissioned in 1870 to aid shipping generated by gold mining and lumber industry. Clifftop location is 245 feet above the ocean, and the tower rises an additional 59 feet. Automated equipment was installed by U.S. Coast Guard in 1980.
There are ten Lighthouses along the Oregon coast, seven of which are open to the public, and one that is a private residence. Lighthouse portraits make excellent gifts for all occasions. Look for your favorite lighthouse or collect the whole series. My Lighthouse note cards are available as a package of 10 cards of the featured lighthouse, or as an assortment, each package containing 1 of each rendering, plus an extra card of the featured lighthouse, in this case Cape Blanco. To see more of the lighthouses, stay tuned to the blog, or visit my website at: http://artfromtheinkwell.com

Back again! Umpqua River Lighthouse

Well, I certainly didn't think that over 3 months would slide by between posts, but it sure has. Now I've forgotten everything that I was just getting the hang of and will have to start all over again. It has definitely been a busy 3 months. I did a number of Holiday shows, culminating in the Best of the Northwest at the Portland Convention Center in December, and then right after the Holidays, jumped into the Portland Gift Show, also at the Convention Center. This proved to be a very good show for me, as I was picked up by Made in Oregon, the largest local retailer in the state (not counting the national chains). As a matter of fact, I'm getting their first order ready to ship now. Anyway, to get things rolling again, today's post will be of one of the lighthouses that I completed during the past 3 months, which now completes my series of nine Oregon Coast Lighthouses. I'll post the complete series over the next week or so.

Pet Portraits

Here's an example of one of my Pet Portraits, in this case, the subject is Henri, our 11 year old Australian Shepherd mix. You can also see Henri in the profile photo. This was done in Pen & Ink, and then I added some watercolor pencil highlights. What a ham! You can do just about anything to Henri, as long as you're paying attention to him. I hope to add portraits of Sheba and Boots soon, but to see additional portraits in my Pet Gallery, just click on the link in the title. You'll notice that I don't have many (all right ANY) cat portraits yet, but I hope to remedy that situation soon as well. For more information on commissioning a portrait, please don't hesitate to leave a comment or contact me through the website.

House Portraits

Here's an example of one of my house portraits, or in this case, an "Office Portrait". This is a dental office that I did a few years ago for one of my clients. I've also worked with Real Estate agents, and the renderings were used either for promotional purposes or for closing gifts. Some of the other structural renderings I've done include golf course clubhouses, historical buildings, lighthouses and wineries. I'll be showing more of these over the coming weeks. The link above will take you to the "Homes" page of my website, and you can view all of them in one fell swoop. Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is any interest in commissioning a house portrait of your own.

Horse Portraits

Well, I have a couple of eBay auctions set to end today (my previous two posts), and since I'm not ready to post another item at auction yet, I thought I'd post some examples of the different types of portraits that I do. Some earlier posts of my "Faces West" portraits were good examples of my people portraits. Today's example is "Midnight", which I did a few years back, while living in Colorado Springs. "Midnight" is available through my website on a variety of products - Prints, note-card packages, and many of the wood products that feature laser-engraving of the artwork. Also, through my CafePress storefront, "Midnight" is available on everything from Mugs and Mousepads to T-shirts and Sweat Suits. I welcome all comments and feedback, and I'm still trying to figure out how to tweak this blog and add additional pages besides the posts.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse (click here to bid)

Here is another item that has been posted to my eBay auction site. I'm actually a little late in getting to this posting, so there are only 3 days left on this auction (as well as the auction for the Cape Meares Lighthouse gift box) as of today. Yaquina Head Lighthouse is located off U.S. 101, 3 miles north of Newport, Oregon. The original is a 14" x 17" Pen & Ink rendering, and I'll shortly have prints, note-card packages and more available on my website. Ditto for the Cape Meares Lighthouse products. So far, I've completed 5 of the 10 Lighthouses along the Oregon Coast, and hope to have the complete series finished over the next couple of months. If either of these gift boxes do not sell at auction, they will be available through my website, or you can contact me for more information.

Cape Meares Lighthouse (click here to bid)

Great! Just when I was starting to get the feel for the blog, now I have the beta blog, so I'm back to square one on the learning curve. Anyway, this item has just been posted on eBay auction, so anyone interested in placing a bid can link up to that page on eBay from the title here. This is a Large Presentation Box, featuring a laser-engraving of my ink rendering of Cape Meares Lighthouse, located about 10 miles west of Tillamook, Oregon. The box is Cherry, with a felt lining. Makes a great gift for any occasion, and the engraving gives the artwork a uniques 3-dimensional effect.

The Duke

The last of my "famous faces" from Faces West. This portrait was done in Graphite, so it has a little bit of a softer look than the Pen & Ink. And yes, I've finally actually made my first consecutive daily posting! Whether or not I keep the streak going remains to be seen. I still haven't figured out how to add "additional stuff" to the blog, so that viewers can comment on anything from my artwork to elections to sports - whatever, so if anyone actually reads this and has any ideas, please leave me a comment or drop me an email.

Bronson

Here's another of my "famous faces" from Faces West. This portrait was done entirely in dots, over about 15-20 hours. I lost count, but either way, that's a lot of dots. This is also about the 3rd template for my blog that I've tried. I kind of like this one. Any feedback is appreciated.

Man with No Name

Well, it seems like my "daily" posting has turned into a "weekly" posting, but I am trying to resolve that. Part of the problem is trying to tie into my eBay auctions or storefront. Since that in itself seems to be changing on a fairly regular basis, I'm thinking that I may start linking back to the various galleries featured on my website. With that in mind, I'm starting off with one of my "Faces West" portraits. More will follow over the next few days. I promise.