TIME TO GET TO WORK

"Colorful Me"
Prismacolor Nupastels on 6" x 10" Hahnemuhle Velour Paper

I've been totally focused on directing another murder mystery dinner theater as a fundraiser for our local, emergency youth shelter so there's not been much time spent on my easel.  The show premiered last weekend to sold out audiences and we have two more, sold out shows this coming weekend.  They say never to do a show with children and animals and I wrote a show that included both.  We have everything from singing nuns to spit takes all performed in an old, abandoned hotel lobby just off our main street.  We turned the venue into a working speakeasy filled with silent film stars, gangsters and flappers.  I'm really pleased with the show.

Since the show is up and running I am finally able to return to drawing and painting.  *sigh* It's good to be back!  My students have been busy working on color theory studies, paper mache' mask making and my second year students are creating their first pastel portraits.  My room is filled with pastels so I decided to warm up by doing a quick pastel self portrait/color demo combined.  I also brought a variety of different pastel papers including a tablet of velour papers to show my students.  The velour papers proved to be a joy to work on.  I forgot how rich pastels look on the thick, velour. 

I plan to exhibit at our local, spring art festival and am looking around for other gallery/show possibilities.  It's exciting to turn my focus back to the freedom and bliss of creating my own works of art.