Conservatory Urn with Flowers
March 25, 2015 § Leave a comment
I just needed to brighten my day and hopefully yours by adding this colored pencil of flowers at the Como Conservatory in St Paul, MN. The colors were amazing!
Face of Hope
March 15, 2015 § Leave a comment
At an event I attended, a remarkable young girl caught our attention and imagination. She was with her father and another male family member and they were so protective and caring towards her. She had these beautiful eyes which spoke volumes about her. Patience, hope, and caring were all traits I saw in her small face. I was honored to be able to capture that essence.
Grand Dad Harry
February 25, 2015 § 6 Comments
This is one pulled from my archives. It is a painting completed for a demonstration and one of which I am most proud. My grandfather, Harry Roberts, was a very instrumental person to the history of southwest North Dakota. His writings for local newspapers in his column “As I Remember ” documents his growing up among the ranchers on the prairie near the Elk Horn Ranch of Teddy Roosevelt.
Oil Painting from a Modeling Session
February 17, 2015 § 2 Comments
Years ago, we were fortunate enough to have a gracious man from the Bismarck/ Mandan, North Dakota area pose for our painting class. He was very careful not to let us see certain ceremonial garb and we learned a lot from him. This oil is from a composite of sketches I made during the class. I felt that the lighting helped to dramatize the pose and bring out the colors in the composition.
Imperfections in Printmaking
February 12, 2015 § 1 Comment
This is an example pulled from my portfolio from a class in printmaking taken many years ago. The goal was to achieve as much uniformity within the series as possible. I, however, seemed to revel in how much diversity of color from each piece that I could get.
Definitely not one of my strong suits!!!
Leaves in Space
January 28, 2015 § Leave a comment
Another example of using the negative space to create a sense of balance with the positive. Here the leaves fill the lower left area giving it density, yet the introduction of only a minimal portion of the subject anchors the upper right and works with the space to create harmony in the composition moving the viewers eye up and off the page.
Creating a Sense of Harmony and Balance Between Figure and Ground
January 21, 2015 § Leave a comment
Continuing in the series based on two dimensional design concepts, we look at allowing the spatial areas of our compositions to step forward and claim power on the page. Too often, we tend to try and fill our artwork with subjects that are figural. In order to create a sense of harmony and balance, we need to allow the negative passages to hold as much power as the positive. Here we see the leaves and berries enter the composition from the edges. They reach out to activate the surrounding space. Notice how important the small passages involving the interplay of space and form become.
Which is Leaf and Which is Space?
January 7, 2015 § Leave a comment
Here is where I eat crow!!!! In years past I would give my 2D students an assignment where they create as much form in the positive space as the negative. This effect is enhanced by using black and white. Most of us can relate to this by remembering the face vase picture. A vase in the center is framed by faces on either side. Sometimes when we look at it we see the vase as form and the faces as space. Other times we see the faces and the vase becomes spatial. Finally I had to complete such a picture for The Little Book of Drawing and I can tell you it was darn hard!!! It is much easier to instruct someone how to do something than to do it yourself; thus the eating of crow!!!! In this composition, which is an extension of using the leaf form in more complex pieces, we see as much form in the black forms as the white. Other terms for form and space or positive and negative are figure and ground. Which are the leaves and which define the space? It is a tricky thing to accomplish as you need to create absolute equality between positive and negative aspects.
Two Dimensional Design Form
December 28, 2014 § Leave a comment
From the writings of Wucius Wong, I would construct my two dimensional design courses around the construct of a unit form. The students were asked to create a form; either white on black or black on white, that would interact and activate the surrounding space. They would then be asked to repeat the form creating a sense of rhythm and repetition. This would provide the basis for more complex compositions.
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Dr. Mary McNaughton and Drawing 
