Artist's Journal

Baby Knits

2011-04-04T07:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I wrote anything on this blog, as it's been quite a hectic year. I had a rather eventful pregnancy, to say the least. All's well now though, and we have a beautiful baby girl, Dylan. I taught myself to knit whilst I was on bed rest (well, retaught, my Nana used to knit with me when I was a little girl), and that is where all my creativity has been channelled for the past year. I keep trying to pick up my sketchbook, but I'm so distracted and bedazzled by Dylan, that I just can't commit to drawing her. Knitting kept me sane for the time I needed it, and I still knit when I can now. It's such a meditative thing, I'm so glad to have found it again. I get a lot of patterns from Ravelry , and found a beautiful book called Natural Nursery Knits, by Erica Knight. I use 100% natural yarns, like wool, alpaca, bamboo and cotton.

I'll be teaching a class at LTCC during the summer, so I'll be working on reintroducing art into my life again soon. Spring is here, and the landscapes are calling. Maybe Dylan can be my Plein Air Baby!

Final Exhibition at the Doiron Gallery

2010-04-12T12:11:00.001-07:00

Vitro
Oil on Canvas
30 x 30"
$750

The Doiron Gallery in Sacramento is closing down next month, so they are having a 'last blast' sale of gallery artists work. The gallery, on Del Paso Blvd is showing three of my Kokanee paintings, and are priced to sell! So if you're in the area, please pop in and take a look!

Dance of Life
Oil on Canvas
60 x 40"
$1500

Synchronocity
Mixed Media on Paper
20 x 30"
$375

Doiron Gallery is conveniently located in the heart of Sacramento’s Uptown Arts District, one mile from Arden Fair Mall and only six minutes from downtown.

DIRECTIONS:
From Business 80 North: Exit RIGHT at El Camino, at 4th light LEFT onto Del Paso, after 2nd light on your right, past Winnipeg Street across the street from Bank of America.

From Business 80 South: Exit WEST at Arden Way, at 5th light, RIGHT on Oxford St; next light, LEFT on Del Paso, .on your right past Winnipeg Street, across the street from Bank of America.

From Downtown: Take 16th Street (160) North to Del Paso exit. On your left between Forrest Street and Winnipeg Street across from Bank of America.

From I-5/ Natomas: Take Arden/Garden Connector LEFT on Del Paso , on your left between Forrest Street and Winnipeg Street across from Bank of America.

Doiron Gallery
1819 Del Paso Boulevard Sacramento, CA 95815

Phone: 916-564-4433

Briana

2010-03-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

Briana
Conte on Paper
30 x 22"

After careful consideration and soul-searching, I've decided to shelve the oil paints for a while until I've had my baby. So...what do I do in the mean time? Well, the Yu Ji lecture I attended at LTCC last week gave me some inspiration to focus on drawing again - so I'm taking this as an opportunity to really work on my draughtmanship. I really enjoyed this drawing, and I think doing more of this sort of work will improve me as an artist. I'm horribly impatient, and usually work far too fast, so I think being able to modify my speed might help my painting when I get back to it. I've also ordered some watercolours and a lovely new moleskine sketchbook. I'll get my colour fix that way, and hopefully learn to handle a medium I know almost nothing about. Here's to new challenges!

Two Fabulous Cupcakes

2010-03-23T10:38:00.001-07:00

Two Cupcakes
Oil on Panel
6 x 6"

Here's No.2 in a series of lovely cakes from the Sugar Pine Bakery in Tahoe. Katie also makes wedding and other speciality cakes, pastries and scrummy artisan breads. You can email her for more details: katie@tahoekatiecakes.com, or call 530.542.7000

Portfolio Development Class at LTCC

2010-03-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

I'll be teaching the 'Portfolio Development' class at Lake Tahoe Community College in the Spring semester, starting on April 9th. Classes are on Fridays, 9- 10.50 am. This is the official description:

This course is designed to assist art students in preparing a complete portfolio which would be available for career and advanced study opportunities. The course will include the preparation, development and presentation of a portfolio of original art, photographing art in producing a slide and digital image portfolio, developing an artist's resume and an artist's statement. The course also addresses preparing the developing artist for the professional world of art: pricing of artwork, copyright, and an introduction to art galleries.

I'll also be covering a lot of online marketing and communications, such as blogging, building websites from templates, social networking, online newsletters and email etiquette.

The required text is 'Taking the Leap' by Cay Lang, available in the college bookstore, or online at Amazon.com (prices starting at $7.64 used)

Register now!

A Fine Creation

2010-03-03T17:31:00.000-08:00

A Fine Fruit Tart
Oil on Panel
6 x 6"

We've got a fabulous new bakery in Tahoe, and I'm so excited I just had to paint some of their creations. The hardest thing was not eating it before I'd finished. A friend suggested one bite would make for a more dramatic painting, ....but I'm pregnant, so there's no such thing as one bite!

If you're in Tahoe, please visit the Sugar Pine Bakery at 3564 G, Lake Tahoe Blvd, South Lake Tahoe. You can read a brilliant article by Becky Bell on the bakery here: Tahoe Arts & Mountain Culture.

8 on 80...

2010-02-28T12:05:00.000-08:00

Andre
Charcoal on paper
14 x 11"

This is another of my portraits from the forthcoming book, 8 on 80 - written by Kim Wyatt, and published by Bona Fide Books. This amazing woman is in her 80's, still skis as often as the sun shines (which in Tahoe is a lot!) and is just an inspiration. She has the most beautiful skin, which you notice when you sit and draw someone for an hour whilst they're being interviewed. She also knits amazingly complex sweaters, one of which she was sporting for the interview. I couldn't possibly do it justice in a quick sketch, so an implication of the stitchwork on her shoulders was all I did.

It's always a little nerve-wracking, showing someone their portrait after struggling with movement, gesticulation and shifting light. Drawing someone whilst they're talking is great because they're more animated than if you labour over a formal portrait for hours, days, or weeks - but it's not without challenge. I realise when I'm doing this how much I rely on studio lights to create exciting forms and contrast. Without that sort of control, and the pressure to create a believable likeness in a very short amount of time...well, it keeps me on my toes!

So the 'ta-da!' moment arrived after the interview was finished, and I turned around my sketchpad to show the sitter her portrait. My 80-something year old sitter simply said, "You made me look old."

Private Tuition Available from March 2010

2010-02-16T18:30:00.001-08:00

Wild Iris and Mount Tom, Bishop
Watercolour & Pastel
22 x 30"

Starting in March, I'll be tutoring adults and children at my studio in California. For kids, materials will be included, and we can work on coursework or anything else they'd like to try.

For adults, a no-pressure, supportive environment in which to learn, or refine artistic skills. I'll be offering still life, portraiture, figure drawing and painting from the model, critique service and in the warmer months, plein air painting around the Lake Tahoe area. Adults will provide their own materials, but I can help you select and order whatever you'll need.

Rates: $30 Per hour for children, $45 per hour for adults. Models are an extra $12 per hour with a two hour minimum.

I'm willing to travel to your home at extra cost if you are unable to make it to my studio.

If you are interested in private tuition (one or two people maximum) please email me at shelley.zentner@gmail.com for more details.

Studio sale

2010-02-14T19:08:00.001-08:00

Pitcher & Peaches
Oil on Panel
5x5"

This painting is for sale on Ebay

I'm having a studio sale of small works, all at rock bottom prices. You can bid on these little collectibles by clicking on the link above.

Self Portrait 2010

2010-02-04T20:28:00.001-08:00

Self Portrait 2010
Oil on Panel
6 x 6"

I've been a little blocked lately, so this is what I do when I can't face painting for a while. Self portraits aren't always about vanity, and sometimes aren't even about soul-searching. When I'm blocked, this is the perfect thing for me to do. I don't have to worry about a model, sales, or whether anyone else will like it. I do it for me, an exercise. I'm a familiar subject, but I've changed since last time I did this, so that's always interesting...and a little revealing too!

8 on 80

2010-01-28T09:17:00.000-08:00

Ken
Charcoal on Bristol Paper
14 x 11"

This was actually the first drawing / interview we did for our forthcoming book, 8 on 80. It's pretty challenging to draw someone whilst they're talking, and the light is shifting. It was almost dark by the time we'd finished, so I had to really stay on the ball and work fast. It's amazing to meet people who really embody that whole 'Peter Pan' idea, still living life to the full well into their 80's. This guy said that he rarely skis with anyone else, because they can't keep up with him! It must be the Tahoe air....

8 on 80...a sneak preview

2010-01-26T08:06:00.000-08:00

Martin
Charcoal on Bristol Paper
14 x 11"

Kim Wyatt (of Bona Fide Books) and I are producing a book called 8 on 80. It's theme is rad 80 year old Tahoe locals, who still ski almost every day of the season. Kim is interviewing them, and I sketch them whilst they tell us about their lives, and reveal a little of the secret of staying active and living life to the full into their 80's. More to come...

New Artists Statement

2010-01-23T10:04:00.000-08:00

Artist’s Statement, January 2010

I have a busy brain, and I’m sensitive to body language, facial expressions, and other non-verbal clues about people. I tend to analyse everyone, looking for a story in their faces. The portraits and figure paintings I create are the result of the fascination I have with wordless storytelling.
The “widescreen portraits” are inspired by what I call “painterly films” such as The Piano, The English Patient, and Finding Neverland, which I find visually fascinating. I’m intrigued by the cropping and camera angles that create dynamic compositions, which when viewed as a still, speak of unseen drama and the bigger picture we can’t see.

When I paint nudes, I’m looking for what the body will tell me—about the individual in front of me, and of the human experience we all share. I’m also looking for the things I’m not supposed to know, the things we cover up. I enjoy the polarity of raw markmaking and carefully finished details, as an expression of the duality of primal energy and conscious control. These marks create the sensation of movement and stillness in the same person, on the same canvas.

Lately, I have been working with costumes, wigs, and make-up. The idea of partially revealing what is beneath the surface of things is continued in this series, using props to more literally disguise/reveal the real person. I wanted to capture a person in the act of applying or removing the disguise, or the private moment of doubt before “the show.”

Limited Edition Giclee Prints

2010-01-19T14:09:00.000-08:00

Divine Light
Signed Limited Edition Giclee Print on Archival Paper - Special Edition.
Prices start at $95.

I've added a new portfolio to my website, containing a new collection of prints available. Starting at just $95, these collectible prints are signed and numbered Limited Editions of 500. They come professionally matted with a neutral, acid free mat - ready to frame. Shipping is free in the United States, $20 worldwide.

I accept Paypal, the safest way to send money.

Please visit my website to see the full collection:

www.shelleyhocknell.com

Waiting (iii) & (iv)

2009-12-06T09:21:00.001-08:00

Waiting (iii)
Oil on Panel
20 x 16"

Waiting (iv)
Oil on Panel
14 x 12"

Waiting II

2009-12-03T12:06:00.000-08:00

Waiting (ii)
Charcoal on Paper
30 x 22"

This is a study for an oil I did yesterday - I'll post it as soon as it's dry enough to photograph!

Waiting

2009-11-25T13:04:00.000-08:00

Waiting
Oil on Panel
30 x 15"

I have a new muse, and an extra layer of visual storytelling has become possible. My new model is an actress, and came with a bumper box of costumes and ideas - I'm so lucky! I actually borrowed this wig a little while back from an artist friend, Ali Warren, and had been turning over ideas about how to use it ever since. It's so incredibly tall I had to really think about the best way to compose a painting around it. This was a good exercise in edges too, as I haven't really painted tight curls before. It's still hair, so can't be too hard-edged, but is also a very structured (man-made) thing, so can't be too soft and fuzzy either.

I met with fellow creatives Phyllis Shafer, Suzanne Roberts and Kim Wyatt last week for our first critique group (Tahoe Artists Network), and took this piece along with me. It was an incredibly valuable idea exchange, and I came away full of inspiration and drive to create more of these paintings.

Life Drawings (Autumn/Winter 2009)

2009-11-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

Annie
Charcoal on Paper
30 x 20"

For sale - contact me for a price.
shelley.zentner@gmail.com

Life Drawings (Autumn/Winter 2009)

2009-11-11T16:39:00.000-08:00

Seated Nude
Charcoal on Paper
30 x 20"

For sale - contact me for a price.
shelley.zentner@gmail.com

Cassy

2009-11-08T09:06:00.001-08:00

Cassy
Oil on Panel
12 x 12"

I'm pleased with the energy in this oil sketch. The light was shifting due to a rare occurrence of clouds in our otherwise flawless Tahoe sky. It made me work faster, in a more intuitive way - whilst still bearing in mind all the valuable lessons I'm learning about edges and colour right now. I used a much more restricted palette than I have been using of late, and it really forced me to consider the relative temperature and value of each patch of colour. The big omission from my palette (which was a challenge) was black. This forced me to create dark values from other colours, which makes the temperature more 'adjustable'.

Learning to love green

2009-11-04T07:26:00.001-08:00

Untitled Study in Green
Oil on Panel
15 x 30"

"Green how I want you green. Green wind. Green branches."

Federico García Lorca
Spanish Poet and Playwright, 1898-1936
"Romance Sonámbulo"

"Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises."

Pedro Calderon de la Barca
Spanish Poet and Playwright, 1600-1681

"He had that curious love of green, which in individuals is always the sig of a subtle artistic temperament, and in nations is said to denote a laxity, if not a decadence of morals."

Oscar Wilde
Irish Playwright, Novelist, Poet, Short Story Writer and Freemason, 1854-1900
"Pen, Pencil and Poison," Fortnightly Review (London, January 1889)

"Absolute green is the most restful color, lacking any undertone of joy, grief, or passion. On exhausted men this restfulness has a beneficial effect, but after a time it becomes tedious."

Wassily Kandinsky
Russian-born French Expressionist Painter, 1866-1944

"Green represents the dead image of life."

Rudolf Steiner
Austrian Philosopher, Literary Scholar, Architect, Playwright, Educator, Social Thinker and Esotericist, 1861-1925

This was a study I did in Phyllis Shafer's figure painting class, and was an exercise in colour. We were looking at Secondary Colours, that is two primary colours mixed together - green, violet and orange. Now, I would never usually use such a revolting combination to paint a human being, or anything else for that matter - which just goes to show how much I understood the properties of colour. I had visions of lurid fauves - type imagery, which is fine if that's what you want to create, but I don't, so I was slightly appalled at the task in hand.

Then Phyllis demonstrated the colours when mixed and desaturated (mixed with white, black or grey) - and my horror subsided into curiosity and wonder. A new visual world was opening up to me, which I had resisted partly due to my arrogance (I know what I like, and I don't like that!) and partly because I had no idea about how to use these colours in a naturalistic way.

"There are no "beautiful" or "ugly" colours. Those words describe our feelings about colours, not their intrinsic properties. "Wrong" or "muddy" colours are simply mixtures that are the inappropriate relative temperature for the area in which they are placed."

Richard Schmid, Everything I Know About Painting.

The model was posed on emerald green velvet, and despite my initial, "oh god, I actually have to use that Viridian with the cobwebs on it", I really enjoyed painting this. I took my time, used every ounce of observation skill at my disposal, and pieced together this study from all the tiny shifts in colour I now saw in the models' flesh tones - as reflected by the green velvet and the light I now understand a little better.

So now I understand a little more about the properties of green, and how it affects the colours around it, I'm learning to love it.

The Earring

2009-11-02T08:51:00.001-08:00

The Earring
Oil on Canvas
50 x 40"

So this is the painting I posted as an underpainting a while back. I tried really hard not to lose that energy in the markmaking that I loved so much. It was hard because I've been working on wood for so long, and then painting on canvas again is completely different. I primed it 6 times, but it was still more absorbent than I wanted it to be. I'm torn now, because I like the texture of canvas, but I like my paint to slide around on the surface more than my canvas will allow. Perhaps I just need a finer weave? If anybody has any suggestions, please let me know.

Sujet

2009-10-30T15:28:00.001-07:00

Sujet
Oil on Panel
49 x 24"

Fabula and Sujet (also sjuzhet, syuzhet, sjužet, or suzet (сюжет) ) are terms originating in Russian Formalism and employed in narratology that describe narrative construction. Sujet is an employment of narrative and fabula is the order of retelling events. They were first used in this sense by Vladimir Propp and Shklovsky.^[1]

^{This painting has been sitting in my studio waiting patiently to be finished for a few months now. I really dislike leaving pieces half completed, but moving house just meant that certain things couldn't get done normally.}
^{My ideas about the body telling a story really came through with this painting, I think. I'm becoming more and more interested in the emotional value of 'unfinished' brushstrokes, when juxtaposed with more 'refined' areas of interest in a painting. I think it adds a raw quality to the piece, an energy which I've been looking for to balance the new things I'm learning about the more technical aspects of painting.}
^{I've got a lot more work to post, and it's interesting for me to compare this piece - which was really at the beginning of the change I'm seeing in my work - with the paintings I've done over the past few days. I'm still working my way through Richard Schmid's 'Alla Prima', and right now I'm very preoccupied with edges. And colour.}
^{Sometimes I feel like my head will explode with all this new awareness of the visual world; other times, a lesson I learnt just appears in my mind at the right time, and I get to try it out for myself. It's very satisfying but I'm very much out of my comfort zone right now, and it reminds me of learning to drive.}

Bragging Rights!

2009-10-13T14:58:00.001-07:00

"There is an ancient enmity between daily life and the great artwork"

Rainer Maria Rilke

So after a rather lengthy on/off hiatus due to housebuying, and then adding a new roof in the nick of time before the first snow hit Tahoe, I'm back on track (I think). I 'interviewed' one of my new models this morning, paid what must be my 100th visit to Meeks this month for studio essentials, and then (with a little glee) came across this issue of Tahoe Quarterly in which I appear alongside some pretty heavyweight 'Tahoe Masters'. It's their 10th Anniversary Issue, and they published a list of artists who'd been featured in TQ over the years, as artists, "who have mastered their craft."

Excellent ego boost for me at a time when I was starting to wonder if I'd ever feel like an artist again. Thank you Elizabeth Korb and Tahoe Quarterly!

In the spirit of reviving my dormant artist-self, I've also posted an invitation on my Tahoe Artists Network Facebook Group to a critique group on November 5th. If any locals are interested, drop me an email - I'm looking for professionally minded creative people to share and discuss your creative practice. I've also posted a discussion starter on the board - Influence & Originality, so if you're not able to make the meeting, feel free to throw in your ideas on the subject.

Charcoal Study

2009-08-23T13:14:00.001-07:00

Danielle (i)
Charcoal on Tinted Paper
22x15"