Two Entries Selected for the 2012 Statewide Pastel Exhibition

Yeay!  My pastels "Fire and Ice" and "The Lookout" have both been juried into the 2012 Statewide Pastel Exhibition.  Marla Baggetta, the juror, selected my work from 209 entries submitted by 84 artists!

"Fire and Ice", pastel, 18"x11"©Kim Werfel

Marla's comments on "Fire and Ice"  – The fiery invented color is what really makes this piece for me. Adding to it’s drama and intrigue is that the buck is in shadow. Great!

"The Lookout", 19x25", pastel ©Kim Werfel

Her comments on "The Lookout" – I love the combination of the tonal approach with line. The head of the “Lookout” poking out into the light while her family is in shadow is brilliant and stunning!

The opening reception and awards presentation will take place at Bev's Fine Art on Saturday, June 2, 2012 from 6:00-8:30 pm.  Bev's Fine Art is located at 7400 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC  27615.

The art exhibit is titled "On Common Ground:  Pastel Paintings From the Mountains to the Sea",  will have pastellists from all throughout North Carolina, and will be on display from June 1st - 30th.

Save the date!  Hope you all can come to the reception and/or see the exhibit.

Kim Werfel

http://www.kimwerfel.com





Artists for Animals Faire

Come to the Artists for Animals Faire tomorrow, April 21, 2012 from 10am-6pm at the Cloer Family Vineyards in Apex, NC.

"Baby Donkey", 9x12", pastel, $175 ©Kim Werfel

The Apex Arts Council will donate half of the profits to the Carolina Tiger Rescue, Paw Prints Animal Rescue and the Triangle Chapter of the US Equine Rescue League.

Cows, horses, cats, dogs and other animals will be available for purchase and adoption, and the vineyard will have wine for tasting and purchasing.

Admission is FREE!  Coffee, soft drinks, ice cream and snacks are available for purchase.

Come visit and meet me at my tent!  Twenty original paintings plus dozens of giclee prints and an assortment of artwork cards will be available.  Plus my dog Summer would love for you to give her a pat on the head :)

Hope to see you there!

Kim Werfel

http://www.kimwerfel.com



"Nicky in the Snow"

And now for something completely different!

After painting several small pieces and using different supports, I'm challenged to paint a large piece of a beautiful Sheltie in the snow.

"Nicky in the Snow", 18x30", pastel ©Kim Werfel

This piece is painted on Kitty Wallis paper mounted on my new favorite backing, 3/16" Gatorboard.  The paper is dry-mounted at the framers onto Gatorboard before I start, so I have a warp-free, lightweight board that easily framed too.

Nicky's portrait is for a repeat client who e-mailed me his photo taken in Asheville, NC.  He has two other beautiful Shelties that I've painted in the past.  See them here on my website.

I underpainted parts of this piece with a wash of acrylic paint in the dark parts to save some pastel build-up.  Since this is so large, I've included some close-ups....

Nicky's face was small here in proportion to the rest of the piece, so I needed to use my pastel pencils for detail.  Using impressionistic color for interest worked as long as the values and intensities were correct.

There were many more tree branches with lots of snow in the photo that actually started to compete with Nicky so I edited them out to create something less distracting, yet still told the story of snowy branches.

This corner of the work had some tangled underbrush which I simplified...keeping the color harmony with the rest of the piece.

Hope you enjoyed my journey with Nicky!

For a beautiful portrait of your own four-legged best friend, just e-mail me at k-e@mindspring.com.

Rates and commission info are at http://www.kimwerfel.com.

Thanks for following my work,

Kim



Ferdinand the Bull

This bull reminded me of the story of Ferdinand, the bull who would rather smell flowers than fight a matador.  I think he's got the right idea!

"Ferdinand", pastel, 6x6", ©2012 Kim Werfel

He's currently at Frame Warehouse getting framed in a beautiful black/gray wood frame with museum glass.  Holy Cow! (Sorry, I couldn't resist that)

I use the museum glass now when I can as it really shows off the pastel best without any glare, ultraviolet light or distortion.  Highly recommend it, if you can afford it.  Easier to afford

on the smaller paintings.  Check out the link to learn more.

Interested in Ferdinand?  Contact me here.



Fearrington Cows

Some fun last week was had at the "Meet the Artists" reception in the "Belties Lounge" at Galloway Ridge last Tuesday, March 27th from 6-8pm.

Me with "Fearrington Cows", pastel, 17x22", $550,©2012Kim Werfel

After a juried process, two of my pastels were in the show!  Pictured here are "Fearrington Cows", (otherwise known as Galloway Cows, from Scotland).  They're known for their distinct white belt....so they're often called belties.  Some call them Oreo cows, their white middle is like the cookie!

This painting is done in Fearrington Village in Pittsboro, NC...the little place where I live, so I see these beautiful cows every day, along with their belted goats....but that's another story for another blog!

The other painting accepted is "Fall Tree"below:



"Fall Tree", pastel, 11x14",$325 ©2012 Kim Werfel

This piece is framed with a cherry wood frame and filet with a soft grey/green mat. Framed size is 17"x20".

Local news photographers were there and I had my photo snapped by the Chapelboro photographer...see more images from the show here.

Contact me here if you're interested in these or of having a commission painted of your own.

Enjoy this Spring day!

Kim

http://www.kimwerfel.com