Some Pig

"Some Pig" Pastel, 11" x 8.5"

This is "Some Pig"...not in the Charlotte's Web sense, but rather, it started out as a very different piece.  The reference photo was Canada Geese having a swim, if you can believe that, but after fussing and fighting it and not getting anywhere, I turned it upside-down and just started blocking in areas of color, and it turned into...some pig.

Dead Tree

"Dead Tree" Pastel, 7" x 14"

Deer In A Field

"Deer In A Field" pastel, 7.5" x 15"

Houses From La Belle Park

I used a new paper for this piece, which is a view of some houses from La Belle Park in Columbia Heights, MN.  It's Shizen Pastel Paper, which has a lovely deckle edge, but not much tooth...and it warps quite a bit when you use fixative.  I think I'll use it for colored pencil instead.

"Houses Seen From La Belle Park" pastel, 8.5" x 11"

Trees

Went way more abstract than usual with this one...

"Trees" 12" x 9", Pastel

Raccoon With Crayfish

"Raccoon With Crayfish" 11" x 16", Pastel

Distant Pond

"Distant Pond" Pastel, 13.5" x 5.5"

Piggy

From one of my State Fair pics:

"Piggy" Pastel, 9" x 4.5"

Patch of Flowers

The reference photo for this piece was sort of a mish-mash of different views of a patch of pink flowers.  It's more of an abstract treatment of the the subject; I wanted to focus more on the rhythm of the forms than a true depiction of the scene.  It was pretty fun!

"Patch Of Flowers" Pastel 10" x 10"

Up Ahead

"Up Ahead" Pastel, 10" x 10"

Up Ahead: WIP

The start of my latest landscape, from a photo taken while walking my dogs:

Update: Some refinements made, now I think it's time for some fixative.  I'll go back and bump up the lightest areas, but I think it's close to finished...

Mini Bulldog in Repose

"Mini Bulldog in Repose" pastel, 18" x 6"

This piece is on display (March 23 - April 21, 2013) at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine’s 26th Annual International Exhibition on Animals in Art.  This piece won an Honorable Mention and has been sold.

Bulldog: WIP Phase 2

Second layer on Milo the Mini Bulldog...I'm pretty happy with it, so maybe just a few tweaks and it will be done.

The latest version.

Bulldog: WIP

Work in progress: a pastel piece inspired by a photo of my Mini Bulldog named Milo.  The pose fit perfectly into a 3:1 format, which is really fun to work with.

Original photo, cropped.

Initial sketch on gray Ampersand Pastelbord.

First layer of color.

Old Barn

"Old Barn"  Pastel, 12" x 9"

Update: This piece has sold to a collector in New Mexico.  (By collector I mean my good buddy that I've known since college...but a collection must start somewhere!)