Passages

Progress: Sleeping Beauty

2011-10-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Made lots of progress last week. Still working on the underpainting of the dolls. Almost ready for color for them. Painting 6 miniature portraits at odd angles is more challenging than the girl. (click to enlarge)

Sleeping Beauty

2011-10-10T15:25:00.000-07:00

I started this painting last week. This is the nearly complete underpainting. (Then I will start adding color.) I need to buy a smaller brush in order to move on. I plan on keeping a lot of the raw look of the background in tact. Click to see larger.

Progress: Andrea, Twins, Nelle

2011-07-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

Andrea and Twins each have only a few hours of work left on them. Andrea has maybe 3 hours, Twins have maybe 1. Of course, this often turns into 6 hours and 4 hours because I'll find a few more things to do or I will get caught up in making a very small detail perfect.

Click to see images larger.

I began a new painting of Nelle last night. I worked about 3 hours last night and 2 hours this morning before taking this picture. For those new to my blog and painting process, it will be in color.
The background will have a texture of a curtain I hung behind her. I'm unashamedly referencing one of my favorite art movmenets with this move. (See last image below.)

Mary Magdaline

Frederick Sandys (Preraphaelite artist)

This painting is part of the Delaware Art Museum collection.

Speaking of DE Art Museum, they do have a great collection.

Check it out!

Progress: Andrea

2011-06-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

I still have a lot of hair to paint in around her neck. I haven't focused much on painting the shirt yet; it won't be as intensely white, I will be calming it down and bringing detail to it with glazes. Also, other various details yet to add.

While I work my favorite words that are in my mind about paint application are: opacity, trasnsulcency, and thinness, thickness. It is important to me that paintings feel like paintings. Applying all the paint equally will make for a less dymanic and interesting painting. These things you can't truely view or fully appreciate by a photographic reproduction. But I hope you enjoy viewing the work here anyway, even if it's not it's full glory (or even complete!). (This is the nature of the blog!)

Works in Progress Update

2011-05-11T18:20:00.002-07:00

Hello!

I've been immersed in painting and forgot to pay attention to the hours going into these.

Twin nieces portrait:

It's pretty far along but it's got a lot more to go. I'm purposefully not letting you see it straight on till its complete, so you can't critique as easily a work that's incomplete! No complaints, you're lucky this is even public yet!

Friend Portrait:

Still not quite ready for color. But will be soon.

I will be starting two more portfolio portraits within a month or so. One of another friend, and one of a little 3 year old girl.

Thanks for visiting!

Works in Progress Update

2011-05-11T18:20:00.001-07:00

Hello!

I've been immersed in painting and forgot to pay attention to the hours going into these.

Twin nieces portrait:

Friend Portrait:

Still not quite ready for color. But will be soon.

I will be starting two more portfolio portraits within a month or so. One of another friend, and one of a little 3 year old girl.

Thanks for visiting!

Works in Progress Update

2011-05-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I've been immersed in painting and forgot to pay attention to the hours going into these.

Twin nieces portrait:

Friend Portrait:

Still not quite ready for color. But will be soon.

I will be starting two more portfolio portraits within a month or so. One of another friend, and one of a little 3 year old girl.

Thanks for visiting!

Twins portrait: Day 3

2011-03-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

This is about 5 or 6 more hours of work since my last post. The tube of paint is Old Holland (my favorite brand, though I can't afford many of their colors, some are up to $70 for that size tube!). Cremnitz white is the color, an affordable color but one I need to not be sloppy about since it is a lead paint. There are many other kinds of whites out there, but none as lovely as cremitz white for my style of painting.

Lots of Activity!

2011-03-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

Things I am up to in my studio right now:

Coloring Book:

I have begun another history coloring book for Bright Ideas Press. This is for Mystery of History III, and so far is my favorite coloring book to create yet! This book covers the Renaissance! Yes! There is a huge amount of art and imagery to pull from.

Family Portrait:

This commission is a gift from my friend to her future mother in law. It's from an old photograph of them about 20 years ago. I am really thankful there are a lot of things that are nice about this picture to make it work for painting! Good lighting, sweet expressions, and I really love the two visible hands. I'm getting close to completion! Just one or two afternoons left for work on it!

Twins Portrait:

For my sister's 30th birthday I am painting a portrait of her twins! Painting baby fat is so much fun!!! She already had her birthday and she knows this is coming, so I may post progress occasionally on here. This is just the starting outline I did today, about 3 hours of work:

"Portfolio Piece":

I am working on some ideas about how I want to include more negative space in my portraits, along with some other thoughts floating around in my head about what I want my portraits to look and feel like. I am going to start working on some more pieces of my own (this includes the twins portrait) starting this month. My friend is also going to pose for me next week, giving me the opportunity to start to put a few basic ideas to canvas. My goal is to work towards having portraits that are much more unique to my individual artistry. I would like to have a more consistant progressive body of work. I'm not expecting this portrait coming to be incredible, but an exciting a stepping stone in the right direction! Look forward to my work to come!

I Need Some Negative Space!

2010-09-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking today about how my life needs more "negative space".

In art, negative space is the quiet area of a piece of work. It is the shadow space, the blank paper, or the area that has little or no detail. Negative space creates a place for the eye to rest. It enhances the experience and/or subject of the work.

If you go to one of my first posts, "Meet My Sketchbook", you will see how instead of crowding my pages with creative explosions, I like to leave much of the paper empty. This choice in my drawing first began accidentally. I once drew a tiny picture of three musicians on larger paper. The plan was to crop it down after I drew it. But once the drawing was complete, I realized that the space around them was perfect! It was like the musicians needed that space in order to fill it with their music! If I didn't leave the musicians "breathing room", it wouldn't have the same feeling, it would simply be a small representation of musicians.

For the "starving artist" what often occurs is that it requires work-work-work, create-create-create in order to pull it together to survive and be able to be an artist at all. The pages of my life have no quiet spaces. Besides painting and drawing, I work as a salon receptionist. I also pick up other random jobs to meet needs such as socks or immediate necessary car repairs. Why is it that I have trouble focusing on my art? Where did my energy for creating go? It's because there are no negative spaces in my life. The sketchbook pages of my life are crowded, busy, and messy. There is no room for the music. When I sit to work, I feel the pressures of time and other commitments that I need to meet. I need the negative space to give me a place to rest and pull together my experiences, who I am, and what I may have to offer others through my work. Then when I do have my tools in hand and meet my medium, I can focus on what is before me and freely commit myself to it.

Several years ago my friend bought the drawing I described, I will try to see if I have an image of it somewhere to share. Somewhat related is this little poem I wrote for my friend before passing the work onto him, entitled As the Flute:

Created to be empty
But not to be bereft
Created to be filled
With our maker's breath

Could your life need more negative space, too?

Papers everywhere!

2010-07-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

Nicole must be doing illustrations for Bright Ideas Press again!

I'm Back!

2010-06-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

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I promise I haven't been lazy since my last post! I had a large undertaking of a painting that was a suprize gift. (the painting is 30 x 40") This took up all my art time for a few months, so I had no other work to report back on this blog! Now that the suprize is over, here is the painting! It was part of a proposal gift. Instead of painting the actual couple in a proposal scene that hadn't happened for them, I decided to have a couple that looked similar to the original couple. This way the painting would be more about the relationship and experience than the physical representation of the couple. I chose the environment as a sort of indoor picnic (minus the food), to keep the lighting and space intimate. Also, instead making this an on one knee sort of scene, which would have communicated "Marry me!!" I chose to make this less about performance and more about relationship. While this is a moment of importance, her hand is in two of his, but the words you may imagine are deeper and more complex than "marry me". Their expressions say something more like, "I want to be with you now and always."
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Congratualtions Jen and Zev. :-)

Inspiration For Today:

2009-11-30T10:32:00.000-08:00

Ingres! LOVE his pencil portraits.

Complete!

2009-11-25T05:46:00.001-08:00

A little bit of the background is still wet, this is as much as I could reduce the glare from the wet areas of paint. Once it dries and I spray it with a protective finish it won't have that problem. Also, in these photographs the background is a hair darker than the original. The last update was more accurate in that aspect.

Almost there..

2009-11-19T14:12:00.000-08:00

Just a few little things left to finish up on this! (mostly refining the rope)

Sunny Fall Day!

2009-11-18T20:11:00.001-08:00

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I cleaned my studio Tuesday which made a perfect day today for painting in the studio!! I paint closer to the back corner to keep direct sunbeams off my painting, but have a perfect view of my clean space and the yellow leaves and sunbeams! The other chair and easel I sat in is out of view of this picture.

Below are a few views from out of my window this fall. Can you believe I live in a city and have such a green backdrop?! (Even if it is mostly weeds!) I am so lucky!
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Closing in For Completion

2009-11-16T12:08:00.001-08:00

You can click to zoom in on the first image. I don't know why I can't get it to happen for the second. Anybody know how that works?

Baby portrait is just about there!

Swing painting progresses. Sorry for the light glare. The surface is wet and shiny.
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Thanks for looking! Feel free to leave comments!
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Art find of the Day

2009-11-02T19:15:00.001-08:00

Check out this mural!

http://www.woostercollective.com/2009/06/boxis_to_die_for_on_the_streets_of_athen.html

It's a bit depressing but the simplicity of their pose and emotion is incredible. It's very similar to the work that I am doing now: simple expressions, simple poses, the weight of the subjects and lots of space!

I see stuff like this and wish I could have been the artist! (Especially since it's in Athens!)

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I need to pay better attention to upcoming exhibitions at museums. Maxfield Parrish work is at Delaware Art Museum right now! http://www.delart.org/exhibitions/fantasies_fairytales.html I'm thinking about going this or next Sunday. Come along!

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And with my own art:

I'm actually really busy with art right now. I'm working with Bright Ideas Press to do more coloring pages for a homeschool ciriculum Tyler and Helen have written. I have worked with Bright Ideas Press in the past to create coloring pages for this book: http://www.brightideaspress.com/YSGComposers.htm
I'll be sure to show a sample or two of the current project when I get them in ink and scanned in.

More for Today

2009-09-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

I started adding color. I need to make choices about how I'm going to approach the background. I won't touch the brush till I have a plan!

Works in Progress

2009-09-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

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Sorry it's been so long since an update! I'm finally getting back into a rhythm again. I'm really excited to show you what I have in progress now!

This first image is a portrait commission in progress. I am so excited about painting the most beautiful baby I've ever seen! I've only just started to add glazes of color to her skin. The background will be in muted pinkish-purples and whites and will fade into more of a watercolor effect.
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This second image is one you've seen before (if you follow this blog) in two different forms. One is a sketch from my sketchbook. Then another time I started it as a painting but ended up making it too big of an image for the effect I was going for. I named it a study and used loose paint strokes, bright colors, and just had fun with it. My original intentions have been to do this image as a painting the way it is now below with a lot of space and the girl painted with a sort of delicate detail. The space, the weight of the girl, and the little details are what make me excited about this piece. I will be adding muted color to this. Click image to see in detail!
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Both of these works are on board. Painting on board is going so much better for my style of painting than it ever was on canvas. Goodbye canvas! Hello higher quality work!
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My First Landscape!

2009-05-19T19:36:00.000-07:00

My friend took this photograph and had a lot of faith in my ability when commissioning me to paint my first landscape! It was a lot more fun than I anticipated. I really enjoyed painting the mountains and creating a depth of field much wider than the usual portrait requires.

Funny story- several days after completing the boat in the foreground, I had walked into my room and was very impressed by the luminocity of the boat! "Wow!" I thought, "I am better than I thought!" After a moment I realised the boat was luminous because the sun was shining through the back of the painting! It shone through the boat more because the paint wasn't as thick and opaque as the rest of the paint on the rest of the canvas! But Jen had the same reaction with me, so I'm not alone in my mistake. We still were excited about the effect! hehe...

Mark your calendars!

2009-04-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

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What? Art in the Park
Where? Mario Lanza Park, 2nd & Catherine

When? Sunday, May 17, 11am - 5pm
Why? Support yours truely!
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I think you need some art on your walls! I'm selling a variety of floral drawings and photographs. All are matted. Everything is $25 and under (!) so this is absoultely fantastic time to purchase a Nicole Petersen work of art. Your walls will never be happier! If you can't purchase anything right now but want to say hello, a walk by and a "oh look at this fantastic work!" to a random stranger would be completely sufficient! ;-) Here is a hint of what you can anticipate to find (click to see close ups):

Portrait and 3 Cherries

2009-04-15T07:53:00.001-07:00

I took better pictures before sending it off to its new home:

1 x 2" acrylic paintings for Nelle's birthday (being that her last name is Cherry):

I'm Still Here

2009-04-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

I've been busy with a variety of things so I'm sorry that I haven't been able to update lately. Here is a completed portrait I finished just this week. Forgive my bad photo quality.

Artist on Wire

2009-03-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

I watched Man on Wire yesterday as I was painting. Before putting it on I thought, "How could a movie about someone walking a wire between the Twin Towers be enough of a plot for 1 and 1/2hrs?" But I was curious and I was multitasking anyway so I put it on. It was a great film. Besides enjoying the story and the filmography, a couple things had an impact on me. One, the score is classical music. It's gorgeous. I forgot how fantastic it is to paint to classical music. When I paint to it I feel like my art is an extension of the music. Suddenly music isn't just keeping me alert and entertained, its giving me focus and purpose. The other thing that had an impact on me was this eloquent quote from the "skywalker", "If I die, what a beautiful death. To die in the exercise of passion.” Being an artist involes risks. Granted, unlike skywalking if I paint a stroke in the wrong direction or don't sell a painting I won't plummet to my death. I can catch a bit of artist vertigo every now and again if I look down, but that can't prevent me from making every effort. The fantastic thing is that when you succeed, as it was for the skywalker and everyone who witnessed his feat on the towers, the results can be breathtaking.

More Monkey Business

2009-03-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

I had a smaller square board that I wanted to paint something on it to go with the others. But I couldn't figure out what to do. I went back through my photographs and forgot that i had a picture of this stuffed monkey that the youngest put on the swing. He is happy to be part of the fun, too!

Swing Study no2

2009-03-21T05:44:00.001-07:00

I had so much fun with the last one that I couldn't wait to do this one. I decided to skip going out anywhere last night and painted this instead. Don't be fooled by the amount of time it takes me to do this oil in comparrison to my portraits. An average portrait I work on over a period of 4-6 months depending on complexity.

So here it is! The sister (one of them) of the other swing picture. My favorite thing about these are that both girls are using the swings unconventionally. I love kids. Don't they make you want to be one again, too?

Swing Study

2009-03-19T15:36:00.001-07:00

Today I was so excited about painting, I worked on a portrait commission all morning and straight through lunch! Not on purpose; once in a while when I'm having fun and making progress I don't get as hungry. The commission needed the rest of the night off, so I spontaneously decided to do a painting that I have been wanting to paint from the image of the girl on the swing. I ended up doing the underpainting too large on the board for the effect I was going for, so instead I did an energetic and quick color study with thick paint. Armed with new brushes, this was a fun process! Here is right after I decided to do more of a study. I started to paint the swings first.

And the complete study:

Business Cards!

2009-03-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

I got my business cards today! My little manakin wanted to model them for me. His life has been pretty well pointless till now. (For some reason every artist has to have a manakin, but I find it completely useless- and I even do figurative work!) Anyway, back to the point- I have business cards! The back is a watermark of the front with all the information on it. Annabelle is the fantastic model that you see on my card. Her beautiful face has definately got to help get business! Hehe, thanks Mel and Annie! Also, I want to thank Brendan for my fantastic website! Links to my website and photography are to the left of this page.

Pastel Portrait Suprize!

2009-03-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

Starring my nephew, Hayden!

I have been working on these pastels for my mom and my sister's birthdays. You are aware of the first pastel, which I showed you the work in progress. Here it is complete:

My sister's pastel started as only a black and white charcoal. When I was near finished, it exploded itself into a pastel project. Because of this it became another belated gift (by 8 days), but I think maybe this made the suprize even more effective! In order to finish these projects in my goal time I worked late last night. I was so involved in the process that I also recieved my own suprize when I was getting ready for bed and saw myself in the mirror:

I don't know if you can tell to what extent, but the brown pastel is all over my face! This morning I worked on the pastels from 8-10:00am and then I drove to Dover to suprize my mom and sister with my presence and pastels!

Here is my sister's gift. It is from a photograph I took about a year and a half ago. The original photo was out of focus and Hayden had a pacifier covering a lot of his face. I had wanted to make it into a drawing since I photographed it. My sister had never even seen the original photo.

The visit made for a lovely Saint Patricks Day today! Hayden (now two) recognized himself and his mom in both images. He's my most honest critic!

Happy Belated Birthday, Mom!

2009-03-05T15:50:00.001-08:00

It's not quite finished, but I'll probably have it ready by Saturday.

Before this, the last time I did a color pastel had to be 2002. And I actually never tried pastel for portraiture. Now I see why its such a great meduim for creating skin and clothing textures. But I do get annoyed with the mess and the large width of the pastel.

When it's complete I'll take a better quality photo for the blog!

Primarily Updated

2009-03-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

She walks
collecting the light
and the colors
that will prepare her palette
and illuminate her canvas.

Check out the link to my photographs on the left to see some of my photography. I put some brand new portrait ones up today!

Snow Day!

2009-03-02T10:45:00.001-08:00

Really, a snow day is just another work day for the artist. But the snow brings a beautiful view for working and excellent lighting for painting! Sunny days are very difficult, everything gets glary and I have to keep shifting the angle of the canvas as the sun changes. Here's a bit of what my work space looks like today! Time to stop typing and embrace this perfect day for working on a commission. I hope you're having a wonderful snow day (or sunshine day to my non east coast friends)!

Note from the Past

2009-02-23T13:20:00.000-08:00

In middle school I used to draw all the time. I forgot that this was something that was such a part of me back then as it is now; that others knew me for my love of art even at an early age. Today my mom gave me a letter she found of mine. It is a dear note from a girl in elementry school to her middle school age friend (me!).

"Dear Nicole,
I wish we could be friends again because someday I would like to draw just like you. And if you want to be my friend agian drop this on my front porch."

Primarily

2009-02-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

I was playing with an effect in photoshop yesterday, and accidentally ended up with this primary color scheme. I loved it so much, I couldn't wait to do a study! This isn't quite complete, but I wanted to share it. It's on 12 x 8" board. My thoughts on this are about the basic beginnings of the painter, the primary color colors and the light that illuminates her world.

Meet My Sketchbook

2009-02-16T18:48:00.000-08:00

This sketchbook was truely created with artists in mind.

Its cover inspires me to draw in its pages with detail and elegance.

My goal in this sketchbook is not to fill it to the brim with work, but let the space speak.

An Artist's Poem

2009-02-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

Suspended hand over fate;
Curiously creation waits.
Movement breaking silent space
Grants the artist's heart a face.

By Nicole Petersen, written today for her first passage of her artist blog.