Spring

Spring has finally arrived here in PA. All my bulbs have begun to sprout and bloom which caused quite a lot of inspiring moments this week. My mice were right there to enjoy and welcome back spring.

"Stretch"
Graphite, Watercolor and Acrylic on paper.
"Gift"
Graphite, Watercolor and Acrylic on paper.
"Daffodil Field"
Graphite, Watercolor and Acrylic on paper.

Live Sketching- Mohegan Sun Casino & Huns West Side Cafe, PA

This week flew without many posts, but I finally had an opportunity to take a jaunt out to the local bar and the casino to live sketch and I wound up with some fun stuff to share.

Most recently, during these sketching sessions, I've found myself in a darker creative mood. For whatever reason an old classroom assignment keeps popping up in my head whenever I visit these places. The assignment was entitled, "The Seven Deadly Sins" and class upon class that came and went through the hallways of Pratt were asked to illustrate one (or all) of these sins at one point in their career at the school.

I have image upon image floating in my head right now which are based on this assignment pairing with these images I've sketched. My recent excursions to bars and the casino have inspired me in strange new ways. Im not really sure where this creative vibe is taking me, but it's definitely fascinating to watch it unfold slowly.

These were the sketches from last night. The man with the cigarette is my favorite.

"Sunrise"
Graphite, Watercolor, Acrylic and
Decoupage on archival bristol board.

Elsie & Elsie

Two Elsie resins in the field.
The bay roan a commission, the grulla is for sale!
The journey in color began on both of these Sarah Mink "Elise" resins at just about the same time. One mare was being painted bay roan, while the other was being produced in a grulla. The nature of production on both these colors is based in glazing and both mares received many many coats of color by way of glazing techniques.

I was hoping to finish both around the same time so I could photograph the finished pieces together. In the final photos there is no mistaking the bay roan from the grulla.





This Elsie resin is FOR SALE
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More Cookie Art

More fortune cookie art this week. This one a donation to the "Art FUR All" Exhibition happening at the Mill Street Loft which is run by my good friend and fellow Pratt colleague Todd Poteet.
I thought it fitting for the mice to come out and play for this one. More information concerning this event and the sale of this donation to come on my Facebook page as I have more information.



close up

Restorations

My focus as of late has been on restorations. I enjoy fixing the show horses especially while Im at the shows and this Donna Chaney "Boxing Shire" came to me a bit worn from handling and showing. He had grown a bit yellow all around and a bit of sprucing up was needed.

I thought it might be interesting for some to see just what goes into restoring a leopard appy when they turn a bit yellow. Basically, the entire piece has to be repainted white and then details added back in. I only took a few shots of the process but I believe the viewer can get a good idea that it can be involved.

Once again, this horse is ready for the show ring.

First step, get the white areas bright.
Adding white with such a delicate pattern creates more work but
the first step is to just repaint all white areas.
Once the white is freshened up
the details can be slowly fixed.
Finished and ready for the show.

More

More finishes done in the studio. This time the finishes have been produced on a Sarah Mink "Elsie" resin (in bay roan) and a Brigitte Eberl "Mulette" resin (in dappled grey.) Both pieces took much longer than normal to paint because of the haring patterns, but I believe both created a good amount of challenge for me and I'm very pleased with how both turned out.

Both pieces have been produced using a variety of mixed media including: pigments, oils, acrylics and inks. Both pieces are also commissions and will not be for sale. My commission books, however, are open. If you'd like to work with me on a piece and have something specific in mind, please don't hesitate to contact me. (jenndanza@gmail.com)

Elsie resin in bay roan








Mulette resin in dappled grey