The Fall Line, 24x24"

"The Fall Line" 24x24" Pastel ©Brenda Boylan

Urban scenes continue to inspire me because of the activity, lights, and pops of color. I Portland, OR., where I live we have a metropolitan transit system called the MAX.  There are several routes that travel throughout the various areas of the central region often crossing bridges, and sections of town. Some of the the routes are identified by the color of the trolley.

In this particular piece, I focused on a triad color scheme of orange, purple and green with a dominant warm color temperature. Because it was a Fall scene, I chose as the dominant hue.  Look closely and you might see hints of orange in the street.  

How to be a Cover Girl, well sort of...

I would've never expected it, but my piece "Stopping Point" was selected for the December 2014 cover story for the Pastel Journal.  I can now honestly say I am a Cover Girl, but not the kind that renders up images of a 13 year old with Photoshopped lips, but I digress.

"How did that happen?" one would ask.

Well, it all began a few years back, I think it was back in 2010, when I met a journalist named Angie Young at a plein air event showcase.  Our discussion revolved around the challenges of being an artist with a young family, like how can one have an art career and still be a Mom? We continued our conversation for some time and then I hired her to write a story of these very challenges with the intention of getting coverage in an artist magazine. The story took a circuitous route, but we finally agreed on the direction of the story. I paid the writer, after discovering that there was a procedure process from which we did not follow, and I thought the submission would be filed. I submitted the story anyway, along with several images to support the story to The Pastel Journal. Then I waited.....

Then on a summer day, I think it was July or August of this year, I received an email from the Editor of the Pastel Journal, Anne Hevener, that she had some of my images on file and was wanting to know if I'd like to be interviewed for an article on my work.  Are you kidding me?  "Why YES I would" I replied.  So I was contacted by journalist Michelle Taute and we set a date for a phone interview. She dove right into the story with some great questions about my fascination with urban scenes and my "how" of pastel painting.  She wrote the article as if she lived inside my mind, clearly writing my thought process without any hesitation. 

The article was polished with accompanying imagery and then I was able to review it for accuracy and content. Then sometime in September, Anne Hevener informed me that one of my images was being considered for the cover and I had to be hush hush about it.  Woah! How cool would that be?  I asked,  "What are the deciding factors for a cover image?" Apparently the Art Director , Marketing and other important decision makers have the challenging job of selecting the cover image based on interest, sales potential and color. I'm sure there is a lot more involved with this editorial decision than one could imagine. Anyway, it seems to be a pretty tough job, much like a jury for a national competition.  

HOW Do you get into a magazine?

So you may be asking "How do I get noticed by an editor or staff writer for an article on my work?" Well, I'm not an expert here but I can offer some ideas that may work, some of which I employed over the years.  First of all you have to ask yourself "Why do you want coverage"  Do you create something interesting that is unconventional and can be interesting and new to the readers? Or do you wish to be "famous" just so that Mom and Dad have bragging rights over coffee and donuts?  What is your motive?  Magazines find artists and subject matter in a number of ways. Participation in National shows comes to mind, perhaps your online social media can assist in name recognition, but did you know that most magazines have a process of inquiry?  Publications typically post the guidelines inside the cover page. Sometimes a magazine may support a National arts organization, giving the magazine first opportunity to see who the rising stars are.  You can find most of your magazine inquiry information on the net these days. Here is one magazine submission process clearly posted for The Artist's Magazine.   Or check out Empty Easel on the topic HERE

So there you have it!  What month will you be? 

~Brenda

Twilight on 33rd, 24x24 (process)

"Twilight on 33rd" 24x24" Pastel

Getting back to my favorite medium, pastel, I have decided to work on furthering my urban series for a Portland gallery that has been wanting to represent my pastels. I currently have only two pieces available and must create more for a nice presentation for this gallery if I wish to show with them. As I was contemplating what to paint, I stumbled upon a photo I had taken last year from the passenger's seat of our car as my husband was driving me out to a special dinner. He had planned a surprise birthday party for me, and I had no clue! But I digress. As we were arriving in the Belmont district of SE Portland, the sun was low and the neon signs and traffic lights were in dire competition for my attention.  The atmosphere was dense for an October evening. It was the perfect photo for my next urban painting.

First things first, I sketch out the idea to check value patterns

Laying out the sketch onto the mounted Wallis sanded paper. 

I do not use any grid system to map out the idea. 

The beginning of a painting is where drawing skills are most important, as the keen sense of dimension, depth, angles and such can be taken off course, making the finished piece impossible to read well.  When that happens, we end up re-rendering and fixing (fighting the work) throughout the piece instead of using our intellect in the beginning process of the work. Once the rendering is set, and all questions of illusion are solved, I can leave the intellect behind and enter into the intuitive part of the painting process. Mapping by grid is a great way to solve complex illustrations and I will use them from time to time, but I haven't mapped since I began painting plein air. (perhaps another blog topic)

I start out with a value driven, monochromatic warm underpainting. 

I chose a warm underpainting because the atmosphere of the day was very warm and muggy. Had I used a cooler, perhaps a blue underpainting, the mood of the work would have been more sombre. 

I blocked in the main colors of most of the structures, asphalt street and sky. 

I then began to layer veils of similar values over one another. Not sure if you can see in this photo, but the sky has about 8 different colors, all pretty close in value and temperature to each other.

 Developing the details and playing with more punches of color here and there.

As I am looking at my resource photo, I notice the play of warmth from the surrounding car lights on the asphalt and so I added some more color to the asphalt. The reflections on the sides of the cars, and slightly suggesting figures and signage are some of the final details to be added.

All lines are drawn in while holding my breath!

Finished!

UPDATE!  This piece was entered into the IAPS (International Association of Pastel Societies) 23rd Juried Online Show. This honor has earned me a total of 2 points towards the 5 needed for "Master Circle" designation. Looks like I am well on my way!

Winding down the Plein Air Season

Crossing Sellwood, 8x10" Oil

The weather cooperated for a wonderful Fall outing of plein air painting these past few days here in Portland so I took the opportunity to work my magic out on the streets of Old Sellwood's antique district to finish up this one painting that I started last year.  As you can see the viewpoint could be a bit distracting to the traffic, but it made for a unique viewpoint.  There are so many street scenes I'd like to paint but I'd probably be killed in the process. Here on SE 13th Street in Old Sellwood offers a small island with a crosswalk for pedestrians to stop and take a peek at what's on the easel.

The only drawback to this location is that the island didn't offer much

room to step back to view the work in progress.

Then on Saturday, I drove out to Oregon City to participate in the Willamette Falls Festival plein air portion of the festival. There were a handful of artists out working the incredible views of the city and falls. I was stationed on Main Street at the very end of the bridge with a viewpoint of the ever-so-stiff icon of the city, the Elevator that has a viewing platform on top of the cliffside.

Main Street Elevator, 10x8" Oil

I used a panel that had been "prepped" with a reddish underpainting. I used a dry brush effect on most of the piece, allowing the underpainting to come through, much like how I work with my pastel work. After I completed the artwork, I ventured up onto the bridge to see what the view was like downstream. Below is my quick study of the Willamette Falls. I was told that the falls have the second most volume of water next to Niagra Falls.  The cliffs on the right support an old turn of the century Zellerbach paper mill that once was a major cause of pollution in the Willamette River. It no longer is in operation because it could not be retrofitted to new safety standards. Imagine all the logs coming into the mill by way of the river to be processed into paper. I asked the organizers of the Willamette Falls Festival event if they ever offer a tour of the 100 year old building that I would love to tour it and perhaps document it's history in paint.

 "Oregon City Crossing" 8x10" Oil

So I'm hoping for more good Fall weather to bring out the paints again to document the turn of seasons, but already the weather man has dashed my days away with rain. Oh, so Oregon!

Marshland Overlook, 12x16

"Marshland Overlook", 12x16" Pastel

Last Wednesday I painted this pastel demonstration for a lively group of artists at the Sequoia Gallery. It was a lot of fun as the organizer of the event, Claudia, also scheduled a dinner out at The Venetian prior the demo. Those who made it to dinner all had a great time eating and talking about art. I couldn't think of a better way to start off a "working" evening. In the studio I was honored with a large audience with loads of questions. I'm hoping that it spurs some on to study this medium as I have learned so much about color with it.  I first started this painting out with a analagous under painting of warm reds and oranges and took a photo of it, but darned that I had that image, somehow losing it in translation to  my computer. Oh well.  

Anyway, I am preparing for a First Friday Art Show and will be unveiling my newest works in oils and pastels.  I do hope you find the time to come by on Friday, December 7th at Caswell Gallery from 6-9pm. Event listed on the right side bar --->