Hmm...

Blog 200 Times this year??
Finish 30 Things this month???

FOCUS???

Squirrel!!! (Really.)
Really.

Time to put on some good music and see what the brain spews.
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Stuff HAS been finished - a pastel "portrait" of a bear is one such thing.

This guy was started probably in early Fall. I can't remember. I'd not worked on a pastel piece in quite a while. Sometimes, often?, an artist wonders if one still has anything left. So I found a medium-sized piece of black paper that has some tooth to it and started in. I'm a bad Planner. Sometimes that's good - sometimes I wish I would plan more. No - most often I'm a "grab a color, make a shape, see what happens" artist. I would not recommend this way of working. It's not how I work all of the time. But.... most.

So this bear  started out with an outline, bold colors as background, and no color to center of face. A bit of idea but no plan. When work was left that first day there were large areas of black paper still showing, but the bruin was breathing - a little.

And so it sat on studio - for months and months. Many other priorities.

Until January's Challenge. 
I looked around at MANY unfinished pieces in the studio. This one said "Pick ME. Me. Please?" That helps. OK - here goes.

1) Block out time to work on art.
2) Set piece up and consider options.
3) Pick up a piece of soft pastel and make that first mark. And another and another.

After blocking in his snout it was time to decide on expression.  Once the eyes were detailed and a few refection dots were in place this bear's personality started showing through. Whether working on an actual portrait or a whimsical fantasy piece never downplay the importance of a subject's eyes.

                                    Well, hello there, bear. 

Then it was time for a hot cup of tea.

 I don't know how many artists and craftspeople can concentrate solid hours at their tasks. I usually can't. Thirty minutes at a time on any one piece is about my limit. However, there are many papers and canvases in progress in the studio. So if one piece is put down another can be picked up.

The plan was to finish this piece before day's end. Such a goal DOES help me focus. So after a break - back to the bear.

Because my bears aren't realistic I'm free to play with color and form. My silent chats include discussing proper depiction of anatomy vs creating a form that might appear more artful, should the over-all temperature of painting be "warm" or "cool," should shapes remain broad or should they be chopped into smaller areas of color. 

Other questions:
What kind of music do I want as background? 
Should I re-set the timer?
How will I know when he's done?

Eventually the paper was filled with layers of pastel. I decided to let facial features float in a furry mix of colors, darken the ears, and put a few more flecks in the eyes. Playing with angling the paper behind the mat created a bit more drama than with the original position. Who is to know that the paper's not squared up? (Yes, I will tell the eventual buyer if this bruin is sold.)

Title time. After posting the finished pastel on Facebook I invited friends and family to suggest names.  Votes were taken and"Bernard" won out!

Welcome to the finished "Bernard." Pictured in 11" x 14" mat.

Not perfect, but perfectly fine.

Four acrylic on canvases and two oil paintings are hinting their turns are next.

But first, it's time for tea.

Fare-the-well,
Sue

www.suerowe.com
Facebook Page: Sue-Rowe-Studios