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With Spring comes change. Time to change out art in my studio. Sometimes I just have older pieces of art that had been forgotten or pieces that are almost finished. Sometimes it's time to paint the studio. Sometimes a friend gives you a collection of custom made miniature wood frames. The opening in these frames is 2x3", pretty small for me, but I realized I have several reproductions that I could use in these frames. I have framed them up and they are ready for sale. In fact one has already been sold!

It's time for Spring Cleaning Sale!

 

I am keeping the prices low, covering shipping within the Continental U.S. The frames do not have hangers on the back most of them are deep enough they will hang on a nail. If you would like a hanger we can make that happen. Each piece in the collection has a number/letter to reference the work you may want (example: Owl 1A). I am posting the pictures here and you can go to my website: www.lindaharrisonparsons.com Click on Artworks  go to Spring Cleaning Mini Sale - scroll down click View Collection. You will be able to see the details of each piece, size and price. You can email me directly on pieces you are interested in and if purchasing more that one discounts may be applied. Email: [email protected] 

Thank you and Enjoy, Linda HP

 

 

    

 

 

                             

 

                                                  

 

 

                                     

 

                                                                      

I recently had the opportunity to have a Eurasian Eagle Owl land on my arm. The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson offers many educational experiences like the Avian Adventures. I was inspired by the photographs that I took to create a pastel painting. I started this painting to demonstrate at the Phippen Museum in Prescott, AZ for the AZ Pastel Artists Association exhibit. Click on the video to see the technique I used for this painting. If you have question you can email me  through the website or at: [email protected]

Thank you and enjoy, Linda HP

P.S. 

I came upon the research I did for sealing pastels. This first part is the testing I did and at the bottom a summery of what I do now to seal my charcoal, pastel and mixed medium works.

Tests on sealing soft pastels 2012-2013

By Linda Harrison-Parsons

                                                                                                                                       

Pastels: pictured below

*Left to right picture

1   Sennelier (White) bottom

1A Unison (Yellow) top

2  Schmincke (Green)

3  Holbein (Sky Blue)

4  Nu pastel (Medium Blue)

5  Charcoal Pencil 2B (black line mid-way)

6  Rembrant (Burnt Sienna)

6A Caran d’Ache (cross-hatching)                                                                              

7  Daler-Rowney (Brown)                                                                                                       

8  Terry Ludwig (Dark Purple)                               

 

Papers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Canson Mi Tentes                                                                                                                               

Kitty Wallis

Bristol

Watercolor Paper cold-press

Handmade watercolor paper

Rives BFK

 

Protecting & Framing Without Glass

Sections on tests paper # along side

1st   Top line of chart - Pastels with no spray

2nd Line on chart       - Fixative 4 passes

3rd  Line on chart       - Fixative + UV 4 passes

4th  Line on chart       -Fixative + UV + Kamar Varnish

5th Line on chart        -Fixative + UV + Matte Spray

 

Sorry the picture is not better.

1/1A                 2                        3                       4              5         6/6A           7                    8

Products used

Krylon Workable Fixative (spray)

Krylon UV Resistant Clear Acrylic (spray)

Krylon Kamar Varnish (spray)

Kryon Matte Finish (spray)

Grumbacher Matte Medium & Varnish Acrylic (brush on)

 

Test 1(4x4x4plus)

Workable Fixative – 4 sprays

 Spray lightly one pass do not over spray

Dry between sprays at least 15 minutes

Rotate work with each pass for even coverage

 

UV Protective Spray – 4 times - done after spraying with Workable Fixative – repeat above process using UV spray

 

Kamar Varnish – 4 plus sprays

Repeat 4 spray process

Check after 4^th spray dries in light & dark areas gently touch with clean, dry finger; if pastel comes off continue to spray.

More than 6 layers of Kamar Varnish will start to build up a texture.

This technique works best on lighter applications of pastels, many layers & darker colors are harder to seal. Works well on charcoal & graphite drawings.

 

Test 2

Additional sealing can be done after Test 1 by using a Matte Medium & Varnish.

Brush on the Matte Medium with a soft brush in long strokes. This will make the work slightly darker & a shiny surface can be seen at an angle. But, it does protect it & makes it more water resistant.

If the work is not seal by first process the matte medium will pick up the particles and can dull the surface. It can be wiped away with soft cloth while still wet but will alter the work, removing details.

(linda harrison-parsons, research & testing)

 

Test 3(4x4x4plus)

Workable Fixative – 4 sprays

Spray lightly one pass do not over spray

Dry between sprays at least 15 minutes

Rotate work with each pass for ever coverage

 

UV Protective Spray – 4 times - done after spraying with Workable Fixative – repeat above process using UV spray

 

Matte Spray – 4 plus sprays

Repeat 4 spray process

Check after 4^th spray dries in light & dark areas gently touch with clean, dry finger; if pastel comes off continue to spray.

The Matte spray has less build up then the Kamar Varnish. The Matte spray has a bit of a shine with multiple sprays (more then 4-5). This spray works well on dark colors but there is some change in the work.

 

Always test these techniques before trying them on a finished piece of work. Use an old pastel or make a test piece with your own style & technique of working.

 

Note: Test 2 can also be applied to Test 3 – to make the work more water resistant. Again, make sure the piece is sealed before applying the liquid medium.

https://www.lindaharrisonparsons.com

e-mail [email protected]

 

FOLLOW UP NOTE: 2025 Final results of tests.

Do not spray on windy or rainy days.

1^st Shake cans very well, check that the nozzle is clean and start spraying off, to the side of your artwork just in case droplets come out first. Begin with Workable Fixative, light spray about 12-15” away, like a breath, dry 15 mins. Check, adjust whites if needed, repeat.

2^nd Spray with Kamar Varnish, lightly, check, adjust any white or light colors if needed. Repeat till all colors are sealed, same technique as above. Rotate artwork after each spray for complete coverage. Average spraying 4 times, once with each turn of the artwork. Softest and darkest colors may need more spray to seal.

3^rd After sealed with varnish option to spray lightly twice with UV Protection. Spray one direction up & down, second spray side to side.   

 

Side Note: Very soft pastels and deep rich colors can be harder to seal.

Charcoal seals very well.

Graphite, watercolors, and mixed media pieces can be sealed with this technique.

Too heavy, too many layers of spray varnish can create a texture on the surface of the painting.

 

When storing spray cans, turn upside down spray to empty nozzle. Store on side, seems to keep nozzles from clogging.

 

Any questions email me at [email protected]

         

Monarch & Two-tailed Swallowtail Butterflies " Double Duty" 

 

This month I have been working on a special project. The Rotary 100 Club of AZ does charitable works. They put out a call to artists to used these aluminum butterflies, create a design in their style to be auctioned off at the Shemer Art Center on March 24th, 2024. The address and some websites will be listed at the end.  My newsletter post Art - Love & Possibilities will have a little different take on this project. I thought I would use the blog post for more technical information. With some step by step pictures to help describe the process. 

            

The aluminum butterfly I worked on was approximately 31x30" and about 1/2" thick. To start it was cleaned with alcohol, sanded to created a tooth and cleaned again. Spray paint went on first to create the background color. In the 3rd picture you can see a light pencil sketch to work out the details. 

          

 Black spray paint was used along the edges. Looking at photo references there are small black dots coming into the yellow area. Additional acrylic paint was used to define the black pattern. Blue acrylic paint was used for lower spots and to carve out the second part of the two-tailed swallowtail. 

   

Yellow, bronze, iridescent acrylic was used for the spots. White and black dots were applied using the bottom rounded end of a paint brush. Even though these dots will be hard to see from a distance, they will help with light and shadows. 

 

     

Side two: Cleaned, sanded and sprayed for under color, light pencil sketch for details. Used black acrylic for outline and edges. White, bronze and iridescent acrylics were used for spots. Yellow and orange were added to body. Black and white dots applied with bottom of paintbrush. Since, the monarch does not have the extension on the lower wings I use milkweed and a caterpillar to fill in those areas. Alizarin, Windsor Blue, Perm. Green, Light Yellow, White & Black were needed for these small spaces. 

 

This is just one medium size butterfly to be auctioned off March 24th, 2024 at the Shemer Art Center: 5005 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, AZ. This will take place during the Art in the Garden Event open 10-4pm. The auction will take place that afternoon and an online option will be available soon. Check on the www.rotary100.org website for additional details or email them at [email protected]

Pictures of additional works can be found on FaceBook and Instagram. 

If you have any questions on techniques email me at [email protected]

 

Thank you for reading, linda

 

September I started a daily challenge to create each day something from life. I work a lot from photographs to capture animals. It pushed me to work differently and presented opportunities. I am not a plein aire painter but I do sketch from real objects. My favorite for the month of September was the pinecones. They took me about 10 days to complete the charcoal work. I had attempted to start it directly on a canvas but what I had in mine was not working. I changed my direction and toned a watercolor hot press board and each day added a new section of the pinecones. It was a meditation in art. 

 

October I signed up for the Inktober Challege. I had thought about doing it and this year I kept pushing myself to keep working each day. This time I could work from photos but the focus was working with ink. I pushed the concept using ink within my mixed medium style. 

 

  

I did do some works in B&W, experimenting with white inks on black paper. The dragonflies were done on coffee stained paper that    was mounted on 6x6" canvas boards. Some watercolor paint was used but the main focus was the pens to draw the delicate wings.  

 

 

The leaves were done in a stippling, dot, technique over watercolor background. This too is 6x6" paper mounted on canvas panel. The tree was originally done using watercolor crayons. It felt like it needed more details. Pen work brought in that detail to the bark & roots.  

 

Sometimes you need to push yourself, work outside that box, outside your comfort zone. I enjoyed both months and maybe next year will do one of them again. Since, I have created a lot of small works I have put them in a separate page on my website under Artworks: 2023 Small Works. They are on sale for the holidays. Enjoy!  

              

 

Sometimes it is hard to keep the creative spirit going. When opportunities to challenge yourself are right in front of you, take them. This September I saw the online Strada Easel Daily Challenge. It requires you to work plein air or live, from something real, not photographs. I work from photographs a lot because I draw  animals or see a tree in another state that I may never get back to draw in plein air. 

 

                                              

 

I was a few days late getting started worked to catch up so I had all the days covered. I don't work super fast, some pieces took two or more days. Landscape painting has never been my passion. Trees, love to draw trees. Trying to figure what I would draw live each day, other than the sunrises and sunsets from my backyard. A comment on the page work is posted to each day caught my attention. You can use the same subject over and over. I can do that! Feathers became my theme for several days.  

 

Making the time to create was part of the challenge. It is too easy to say I can't find the time...the challenge for me personally was to make art a priority in my life again. I had let daily things get in the way. Getting older presents it own difficulties but trying to just keep moving. Keeping the mind, body and creative spirit moving forward. Kind of forward, at least moving. It feels good to know that each day I will spend some time in my studio. 

 

Continuing with the challenge this month, I remembered I had a branch from a pine tree with lots of pinecones attached. I have had it for years. Each year I kept thinking I would get there, draw, paint that pinecone branch. Finally this challenge has led me to making it happen. It is detailed and has become what I work on each afternoon, sometimes a little in the mornings. It will take me through the rest of this week to finish. It is a good feeling. Runners get a physical high from endorphins. Do artists get that same rush as they get into the flow of creating? I think so, at least for me it works. 

 

I will continue to take daily photos as I work on the pinecone branch and will write a blog in October. Until than here is the branch and a starting point. I have set a deadline to come as close as possible to finishing this piece by September 26th. Back to smaller travel sized pieces for the rest of this months challenges. 

Take care, love to hear how you challenge yourself in the creative process. linda hp

www.lindaharrisonparsons.com

[email protected]

 

Barn Owl on handmade paper work in progress

 

What's on the drawing board(s)? Many things! I travel with artwork. No surprise there, some pieces start as demonstrations for a class. Other works have been waiting to be finished. I have two owl pieces and two tree pieces that are almost finished. The tree pieces just need highlights added and they hopefully will be done by the end of the week. I will post pictures of them finished. 

 

Barn owls are the featured bird this month. One is being done on handmade paper. I have discovered that the pan pastels work very well on the delicate yet textured surface. With a little luck and time I may get this piece finished this week. The second barn owl, was started as a demo piece using Rives BFK paper toned with pastel and using a reductive technique. More on that when I get back to that piece.  

 

If you would like to see my progress I will be working on one of the owls this weekend at Willow Oaks craft cider & winery, Saturday, July 22nd, 2023 starting around 11:00 a.m. My artwork along with several other artists are throughout the tasting room. The cidery is open 11-5 on Saturdays & Sundays if you would like to drop by and just relax a bit. It is located at: 6219 Harley Road, Middletown, MD. Check their website for additional information and events. www.willowoakscraftcider.com 

 

       

View from Willow Oaks craft cider & wine, located on the oldest organic farm in Maryland.

 

 

 

 

It has been a very busy Spring. The Spring Cleaning Art Sale is done and gone. Thank you to everyone who helped clean out my art studio, giving me room to create new artwork. 

 

Coming up next is the 17th Annual International IGOR Juried Exhibition, held at Sugarman-Peterson Gallery. Located at 130 W. Palace Ave. #A, Sante Fe, N.M. The exhibit opens June 2nd with reception from 5:00 - 7:30 PM. The exhibit will be up through June 26th, 2023. If you are in the area I hope you can stop by and check out the show. "Looking to the Sun" will was selected for this special show. I will not be there for the reception but plan to stop by the gallery June 23rd. 

 

 

SPRING CLEANING ART SALE

 

 

 

Spring is in full bloom! Which means lots of things going on, Spring Cleaning Art Sale is up till June 1st. Go to Artworks on the website, click on 2023 Spring Cleaning Art Sale to see all the artworks with very special low prices. New works will be added to this page till Sunday May 7th, 2023. You can find news works posted on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Email me if you have question or to put a piece on hold. 

 

Art can be paid using Invoices from The Square via Debit/Credit cards. You can also pay by check or cash. A few items may include shipping but most art shipping fees will be in addition to the sale price. All information will be included in the Invoice. 

 

Additional fees for matting and framing can be applied. It is an easy no pressure way to shop. Mother's Day is just around the corner, graduations and weddings too! Pick up something special for your someone special. 

 

https://www.lindaharrisonparsons.com/collections/190703 

 

 

Common Ground on the Hill! I will be back to teaching live this year. "Art Unlimited" tricks and tips in pastel & mixed medium", July 2nd - 7th, 2023. The link below should take you to Programs & Workshops click on Traditions Weeks. I am teaching week two periods 3&4. This class is geared to everyone, learn new techniques or refresh old ones, share ideas and try new ones. Lots of new reference materials to work from and try a few hands-on materials you may not have used before. Come enjoy, take some time to create. Held at McDaniel College, Westminster, MD. 

 

https://www.commongroundonthehill.org/experience/programs-and-workshops/traditions-weeks/what-are-traditions-weeks

 

Thank you and take care, Happy Spring! 

 

"Those Eyes" mixed medium on paper, 5x7" image matted to 8x10". This piece was won by Michelle Greeson Ferris! She won this by being one of my newsletter followers. It was that easy, just sign up for the newsletter and you too could win a piece of art in the future. Newsletter members can get discounts on special sales. There will be Spring Cleaning Sale coming up soon. Just go to the newsletter section on the website and sign up, it's easy. 

 

take care, linda hp

The beginning of March, I posted a tree mixed medium piece that needed a title. Congratulations go to the winner, Claudia K. with the title "Below The Surface". I use a computer program and it pick's a name. I must tell you there were some great titles and it would have been hard to choose one by title alone. With permission I will use some of the titles submitted for future works of art. 

 

 

Continuing with a little March Madness, I am giving this owl piece away to someone who follows my newsletter posts. Again, using the random selector program, everyone's name will be submitted and the winner will be announced April 1st. No April Fools Joke, you could win an original piece of my art. "Those Eyes" a little screech owl is 5x7" matted to 8x10" mixed medium. I will cover shipping within the Continental U.S. 

 

All you need to do is sign up for my newsletter on the website: www.lindaharrisonparsons.com 

 

Good Luck!