Thursday, June 26, 2014

Mesa

mesa abstract landscape drawing pastel artist janine aykens
"Mesa" Pastel 6" x 3"
A small abstract landscape in pastel.  This began as a non-objective piece with some random scribbles of charcoal, which I heavily sprayed with fixative to create a wash.  I developed the values a bit more, added some subtle olives, browns, and rusts, and discovered this landscape hiding in the work.

The surface is acid-free foam core board treated with pastel primer to give it some tooth.  I love the textures I get with homemade surfaces...well worth the extra prep time.

The original art is currently up for auction and can be yours for as little as $6!  Click to bid!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Purple Flowers

purple flowers contemporary still life drawing pastel artist janine aykens
"Purple Flowers" Pastel 3" x 6"
A small, contemporary still life pastel on a home-prepared, textured surface.  I referenced the shape of the vase in the flowers themselves, giving a rhythm to the piece.  I love the complimentary combination of purples, greens, and yellows...

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Still Life With Violets

still life violets bottle plant vase pastel contemporary drawing artist janine aykens
"Still Life With Violets" Pastel 10" x 8"
The largest of the contemporary still life works I've created lately...I used a different approach here, first creating a sketch, then printing that sketch on drawing paper.  I then mounted the paper to a piece of acid-free foam core, and coated it with a layer of clear primer.  The primer is textured to give me tooth for the application of pastel, but I could still see my sketch beneath.

It was a nice way to work, although I'd say I do enjoy the spontaneity of sketching right on my drawing surface and taking it from there.  Still, I may play around more with this method.

This original, framed artwork can be yours for as little as $14!  Click to bid.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Red Flowers II

red flowers contemporary still life pastel drawing artist janine aykens
"Red Flowers II" Pastel 3" x 6"
Not to be confused with my first "Red Flowers" pastel...

This was one of those magical pieces that seems to create itself; everything came together so quickly and so well, gives this work a wonderful sense of freshness and spontaneity.

Surface is primed, acid-free foam core.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Lean-To

lean to abstract non objective charcoal pastel drawing artist janine aykens
"Lean-To" Charcoal and Pastel 3" x 6"
It can be a bit of a challenge to come up with titles for abstract pieces sometimes.  This piece was starting to look a bit forest-y, but not quite...so I guess it started to suggest a primitive structure one might construct in a forest...?  It's mostly done in grays, but there is some subtle brown and sage green in there, too; each monitor is a bit different so hopefully you can see that bit of color in yours...

Monday, June 9, 2014

Flowers and Fruit

flowers fruit contemporary still life pastel drawing artist janine aykens
"Flowers and Fruit" Pastel 6" x 6"
Small, contemporary still life in pastel...can you tell I'm influenced by Cezanne?

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Bottle, Fruit, and Flowers

bottle fruit flowers contemporary still life pastel drawing artist janine aykens
"Bottle, Fruit, and Flowers" Pastel 5" x 3"
Contemporary still life in pastel, a study in complimentary blues and orange.  The round shapes of the fruit and flowers create a rhythm across the piece.

The surface is hand-prepared with a textured pastel ground applied to acid-free foam core.

This original artwork is up for auction on Daily Paintworks; it can be yours for as little as $12!  Prints are available at my Etsy shop.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Abstract in Red and Orange

abstract red orange pastel artist janine aykens
"Abstract in Red and Orange" Pastel 5" x 5"
A small, non-objective, relatively monochromatic piece in pastel.  I used Sennelier La Carte for my surface, which has a lovely sanded surface and comes in wonderful colors; some of the base color shows through in spots.

While I enjoyed working with the limited palette, it was very difficult to adjust the scan to accurately represent these colors.