Drawing Family

I enjoyed a big Thanksgiving meal and a few days of vacation with my family. With the gift of more time together, I made several sketches of my husband, kids, and father-in-law. Although I am primarily a landscape artist, I cherish these small images of the people that I love, and in the process of drawing them,  I appreciate my family all the more. Drawing people also helps to hone my drawing skills for landscapes.

Paintings Find Good Homes!

I'm really delighted that seven of my recent paintings have been purchased! I hope that these works on paper and canvas will share the sense of gratitude for and connection with the natural world which I felt as I created them.  I feel very fulfilled in knowing that my paintings connect with other people's lives and experiences in these ways.

I hope that you had a happy Thanksgiving and time with family and friends.

Consolidating in the studio

For the past few days, I've been working in the studio, developing new works from the sketches  I made outside last week.  I loved exploring the 500+ acre farm nearby, and have several pastel sketches which interest me.  I'm working on a long distance view from the farm, and experiementing with different 'keys' in value (how dark and light the colors are- kind of like octaves on a piano). I'm developing a darker version, and a lighter version, and will see what I can learn in the process, and how the moods of the paintings differ with choice of values. I'm also excited about working from other sketches on this farm- many interesting compositions and colors!

Evolution of a Work - 'Drifted Stream in Valley'

I explored a neighbor's farm in the coldest part of winter.  I'd really been missing painting on location, and it was too cold to take along my  full supplies, so I just took a very small notebook and pencil in the pocket of my winter coat.  Because the snow was up to my knees, I also had to figure out how to get around.  So I hauled out my cross country skis, threw them in the back of my pickup (four wheel drive to get around in the snow), and I was free to roam!  

Finished - 'Drifted Stream in Valley'

I followed the course of the stream, and liked the contrast of the dark water against the frozen and drifted-over sections.  I noticed something new about shadows in snow, where the most shaded bank on the left was a cool blue, while the shadows on the right were a warmer blue, reflecting the color of the sky.  I also really liked the zig zaggy path of the stream, really drawing towards the distance.

Original graphite sketch in pocket sized sketchbook

It was so cold, that I couldn't even take my hand out of the gloves, so I sketched in pencil still wearing them, recording the bare essence of the composition.  Meanwhile, I was learning and absorbing more in the process of sketching, filing away in my memory.

Oil sketch completed in studio to 'capture' the colors

 When I got back to the studio and warmed up, I made an oil sketch on canvas paper to record the colors that I had remembered.  I really like how the transparent blue on the left stream bank gives the feel of drifted snow and coldness.  With the colors and my memories of being there, the 'mood' or feel of the place that drew me to it began to take shape in the painting.

In progress on canvas

I then began the final painting on a larger, 18" X 24" stretched canvas.  The photo above shows the under painting, where the composition is laid in, and I played up the warm/cool color contrasts.  By the time I began this work, the season had changed, but my preliminary studies and the memory of having been there in the elements and what I'd observed were all I needed to complete the work

Painting outside today!

I found some beautiful, rolly land today, and walked it and painted it.  I appreciated the feel of the warm sun, and sense of discovery passing through harvested corn fields, finding hedgerows and farther views.  The leaves are mostly down now, but even in the grays of the woods there are many surprise color accents, and light and shadow play across the hills. I started two pastels, and am going back tomorrow in the early morning- still much more to discover, and to see literally in the 'different light' of morning.

The Show is On!

I'm really pleased seeing my new oil and pastel paintings displayed together at the Faustina Gallery in Lewisburg!  The gallery owner/director (Jody Horn) has done a beautiful job hanging the exhibit which features twenty one of my landscapes along with oil paintings by Simonne Roy.  The lighting, and spacious and relaxed setting are a beautiful place to see and savor the exhibit.  I feel very pleased with the quality of these works, and enjoy seeing them as a group where they do show the marks of the maker, and relate to each other as a group.

The exhibit/sale continues through Nov. 20 (gallery hrs. Tues.- Sat. 10 am - 5 pm; phone 570-524-5080)- stop by if you get a chance, and let me know what you think!

Alice Kelsey at Faustina Gallery viewing her paintngs

Let the Show Begin!

The opening reception for 'Ridges and Valleys' takes place tonight, 6 to 10 pm, at Faustina Gallery in Lewisburg.  I delivered the work yesterday, and am really excited about seeing it displayed as a group- 7 new oil paintings, plus 14 new pastels will be exhibited along with work by Simonne Roy.  All the paintings are landscapes of Central Pennsylvania.  I feel very connected to the natural world, and am pleased when my paintings can convey this feeling and my sense of gratitude. 

Alice considering color on in-progress oil painting

This photo shows me doing a fairly typical process when oil painting- most of the colors I use in my oil paintings I create by mixing from a few standard primary and secondary tube colors.  When I mix a color, I often hold a bit in front of the painting so I can consider how it would work with the colors already in the painting- I then can 'tune' that color so that it has the effect the painting needs.  It is amazing how colors interact with each other, and this always fascinates me (there is so much to learn!).