Bern – Page 12 – Art Bern

Yellow Rose Botanical

Yellow Rose Botanical | 8” x 10” | Colored Pencil on Paper

I finished my botanical drawing (virtual) classes last week and this Yellow Rose is my final project. The sessions were 2 hours weekly for 8 weeks, the instructor (Jenny Granberry – @jennygeeberry) was hilarious, and I learned a lot about both botanical artistry and how to use colored pencils properly.

The biggest challenge was figuring out how to incorporate a range of colors beyond basic yellows to add interest, value variations, and realism. I was using a limited palette (12 pencils), but through some trial and error I managed to land on a few color combinations that added a lot of depth to the overall piece.

I’m hoping to do a few botanical series over the course of this year. I like the idea of colored pencil drawing because it incorporates drawing and a lot of oil painting concepts, although the techniques are very different.

#contemporaryatx #berntx #crashboomzip #rose #art #drawing

March 29, 2021 by Bern Categories: Drawings, Flowers, still lifeTags: art, botanical drawing, colored pencil, drawing, Flowers, rose 1 Comment

Dangling Paws

Dangling Paws | 18” x 12” | Oil on Canvas Board

This piece is inspired by playtime with Wolfy, who loves fetch despite the challenge of galloping around with his huge paws!

There were a few new challenges with this piece, namely capturing the various golden browns of Wolfy’s shepherd-hound coat, as well as the texture of his paws. The key to the coloring was working in various reds and warm yellows, but it took a lot of experimentation to get the right likeness. The paws were more about the texture from using a painting knife instead of a brush, which made the surface of the paws look rough and realistic.

However, the hardest part was the dog bed. I got it in my head that the pattern of the bed would help give the sense of plush comfort that Wolfy’s 85 pounds was enjoying as he slept with his head and paws dangling off the edges. It turned out to be effective, but the next time the bed will have no artistic flair.

Thanks for reading!

March 23, 2021 by Bern Categories: dogs, RescuedTags: #austinpetsalive, art, dog, impasto, oil painting, painting, pet, rescue dog 1 Comment

Vine Tomatoes in Colored Pencils

As we settle into a new year, hopefully a better one than 2020, I thought it was time to learn something new on the art front. To that end, I’ve been attending a weekly Botanical Drawing class. The theme of “new” is splattered all over this class – it’s done virtually (a first for me), focused on botanical drawing (another first), and in colored pencil medium (yet another first… kinda).

This week’s subject was a pair of tomatoes on the vine. The first two classes were graphite only, no colored pencils, so this was the first session that introduced color. I’m using a small set of 12 SoHo colored pencils, which are very vibrant and so far seem to do the trick. It’s going to be a challenge pivoting from oil painting, where colors are seemingly endless through mixing of a core set of hues. The colored pencils are a different challenge because there’s only so much layering of colors that the paper will tolerate. In oil painting, if you overdo it with oil paint colors it goes brown or a dirty grey, but you can wipe it off the canvas. The colored pencils, however, can only support a limited amount of mixing on paper, and it’s largely un-erasable. It’s a wee bit stressful at times!

I really like the challenge of capturing the reality of botanicals, which is at the heart of botanical drawing. It will be interesting to see how the various compositions evolve on the color and value front over the remaining 5 weeks of class.

This week’s composition vine tomatoes is done on standard paper and measures about 7 x 5”.

February 25, 2021 by Bern Categories: Drawings, still lifeTags: artwork, colored pencil, drawing, Tomatoes Leave a comment

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Oil on Panel | 9” x 12”

This composition is from a trip we made to Germany not too long ago, although after this awful year it seems like a hundred years in the past. Since traveling isn’t an option, I’ve decided to start painting great locations as a meager alternative.

If you Google Rothenburg ob der Tauber, this scene is what will show up in the list of photos. While I agree it’s an outstanding view, I wanted to drive the focal point to the clock tower instead of the orange wooden house in the foreground.

This is the end of a late Fall day, which wasn’t very clear without the addition of bundled up people walking through the streets. I struggled with the decision to add people to the piece, but in the end I wanted to convey the sense of season and a more idyllic time without tourists.

December 27, 2020December 27, 2020 by Bern Categories: Landscapes, still life, Urban LandscapesTags: art, germany, landscape, painting, Rothenburg, rothenburg ob der Tauber Leave a comment

“Something Blue” Auction

Trying out an eBay auction this week for a piece posted recently called Something Blue. If you’re interested in bidding check it out here. The auction runs through Sunday 5pm CT.

December 15, 2020 by Bern Categories: still lifeTags: art, auction, gift, painting, present, wedding Leave a comment

Something Blue

Blue Gift Red Bow | Oil on Canvas Paper | 12 x 9 | $30

Blue present with a bright red bow is a foray into holiday themed still life. Stay tuned for ornaments, candles, and more gifts.

December 6, 2020 by Bern Categories: still lifeTags: art, gift, holiday, painting, present 1 Comment

Live Painting Demo – Austin Studio Tour

Greetings art fans! If you’re interested in watching me create a holiday themed painting LIVE, tune in on my Austin Studio Tour live stream event this Sunday, November 22nd from 2-4pm Central.

The details and links to the Zoom stream are posted on the home page of the Impasto website, https://crashboomzip.wordpress.com. This is a come-and-go event, so drop in if you’re interested anytime.

#AustinStudioTour2020

November 19, 2020 by Bern Categories: EventsTags: art, austin Studio tour, demo, event, painting 1 Comment

Ball! Ball! Ball! Ball!

Oil on Paper | 6” x 8”

If you’ve been reading my blog for the past year, you’ll recall the familiar look of this battered tennis ball in the Ball! Ball! Ball! composition. This was done on paper, while the original was on canvass board. I definitely prefer the teeth of the canvass board because it allows for a more textured look, lending to more realism in terms of teasing out the hairs of a well used tennis ball.

The palette was simple, but I never got the clay court orange just right. I’ll have to experiment before doing it again on a larger scale. The green of the ball itself is a base of Permanent Green Light, straight out of the tube, with variations of Cadmium Yellow Light and a touch of red. The shadow side of the ball is more traditional green from Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Yellow Deep.

Lastly, a comment on fine details. This ball doesn’t look like a tennis ball until the final white seam is added. It’s amazing how a very simple object such as this ball doesn’t come into focus until the one identifying element has been added. Without the seam, they’re all just yellow green fuzzy balls.

Oil on Canvass Board (left) | Oil on Paper (right)

November 16, 2020November 16, 2020 by Bern Categories: still lifeTags: art, painting, tennis ball 2 Comments

Lotus Flower (Studies)

Oil on Paper | 6″ x 8″

This was one of the studies for the Brushes With Cancer composition. While it didn’t end up being the primary piece for the BWC cause, I like the colors and composition enough that I’m pretty sure I’ll return to this in the near future and do a more complete painting on canvas or panel.

Graphite on Paper | 8″ x 10″

I did a detailed drawing prior to the painting, which turned out really well. In fact, I think I like it more than the painting.

October 22, 2020 by Bern Categories: Flowers, LandscapesTags: Brushes with cancer, drawing, lotus flower, oil painting, painting Leave a comment

“Emergent”: A Brushes With Cancer Collaboration

Oil on Canvas | 40” x 30”

I’ve been working on a very exciting piece in a program called Brushes With Cancer, which “provides psycho-social support to those touched by cancer to improve the quality of life for cancer patients, their family and loved ones, through a unique art experience.”

Emergent is a collaboration with JoAnn Sackett, another participant in the BWC program, who is a cancer survivor and the inspiration for the piece. You can learn more about our pairing and the creation of this piece at our page on the Brushes With Cancer Austin event site.

It’s an honor to be involved with Brushes With Cancer and their Austin 2020 program. I hope you enjoy learning about their mission and enjoy the artwork in the links provided in this post.