Completed Art Workshop with Casey Klahn and Ken Elliott: April 2019

Here are photos from the April 2019 Workshop with Casey Klahn and me. Casey and I were honored to work with this remarkable group of artists. A number of new ideas were tried out, new pathways opened and breakthroughs were in abundance. Artists in this workshop were working in oils, pastels and watercolor. There was some serious fun thrown in as well. 

Grateful Notices: Sunset Pond, pastel, 9 x 12 inches

Sunset Pond, pastel, 9 x 12 inches  Private collection
Exhibited: Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art

I had the wonderful pleasure of visiting a friend on a lake. She had a paddleboat that came with two great incentives: the view and a Starbucks on an opposite shore. A lot of time was spent on the paddleboat and one of the lake photos yielded this sunset view.

This pastel was a delight to do. My intention was to keep it really simple and the center of the pastel reflects just that. OK, so I added a bit more detail to the clouds but then it changed everything. Now the edges of the scene called out for more detail as well. Adding foliage to the sides was very helpful but the center as it was originally done was now lacking something. If you change a thing in one place then it often requires adjustments elsewhere.

I realized I had the perfect opening in the center part of the view to heap more color on the band of trees. I put in a variety of colors as an atmospheric glow... that worked out nicely.

The work could still take more. Go farther! So I aded the bright yellows to punch up the sky and the glowing, blue counterpoint to further accentuate the water,

With just a few additional moves, it all came to life in a way I never imagined.

New Work: Last Colors, pastel, 12 x 18 inches

Last Colors, pastel, 12 x 18 inches  $1350 framed
Exhibiting: Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art

This is all about a singular color and how to keep it interesting. I don't typically work monochromatically but the idea was to catch the greens lit up by a setting sun.

Everything was kept a bit rough at the edges so that the extra detail would add to the complexity. As the pastel progressed, the contrasting colors away from the sun looked best as red-browns and blue-greens. The harmonies were kept tight by using a minimum about of brights and darks.

I'm thinking all the pieces worked together successfully because my eye keeps circling around the pastel, taking it all in.

Grateful Notices: Brightly Lit Woods, pastel 22 x 22 inches

Brightly Lit Woods, pastel 22 x 22 inches
Purchased from Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM

This work started out as a drawing of a wood with a stark, evening light bathing everything. I was going to fill it in with full foliage but as the drawing progressed, the simplicity prevailed. I put it aside for a very long time - it could have been a year because of the power of it and my lack of any idea to make it better. Finally, I added bit of feathery greens and touches of reds around the water, leaving plenty of the original, high-contrasts areas to fuel the strong and stark effect.

The pastel exhibited in a couple of prestigious shows including the Madden Museum of Art, Denver and at the PACE Center in Parker, CO.

Happily, it has been purchased for a private collection in New Mexico.
Thank you!

Video: British artist Steven Wiltshire draws the N.Y. skyline from memory.

NY Times video by Benjamin Norman, Nathan Griffiths and Kaitlyn Mullin
This is a 360 video, so you can use a mouse to move around the video, With a smart phone or tablet, move your device to see the video in all directions.
View it here

After a 45 minute helicopter ride, Steven begins a drawing commissioned by the Empire State Building for their observation deck upgrade project.

His sister says that Michael was mute until he was 5 years old, a special needs child. His school discovered his amazing ability to draw very detailed scenes from memory.


It took him just five days to complete this very large work. Clearly, he has a rare gift and amazing focus.

Thank you Michael, for showing us what is possible. You are my hero.

Michael offers, "Do the best you can and never stop regardless."