The Icarus Art July 2011 Newsletter was just sent out. If you'd like to register for the newsletter, you can go to the homepage of Icarus Art and click the sign-up button on the top right corner.

The best way to describe my experience at the 19th Annual CPSA Convention and Exhibition in Dallas, Texas, is by sharing some of the special moments that I was able to capture with my camera. Enjoy!

This year the exhibition was held at the beautiful Charles W. Eisemann Center in Richardson, Texas. It will be showing until July 31st.

This is a close-up of the area where "Social Network" is displayed in the gallery. I'm thrilled to report that my artwork received "The Seattle Washington District Chapter Award for Exceptional Merit" from Juror Bob Malenfant, director of the South West Gallery in Dallas. For a list of all awards please visit the CPSA website at this link.

Debbi Friedman and Kendra Ferreira are two of my favorite artists who like to draw stones and rocks as I do. You can see how uniquely beautiful their interpretations of the same subject are.

CJ Worlein's portrait "The Sisters" won the Cippy Best of Show Award. Barbara Rogers' beautiful "Misty" was one of my favorite landscapes in the show.

The most touching moment at the artist reception was when I was introduced to Nathan, a 10 year old boy who liked my artwork and wanted to meet me. He was there with his mom, artist Christi Tompkins.  There's nothing more rewarding as an artist than to be able to inspire somebody, especially a young person. It was great meeting you, Nathan!

Here is a group of us, all dressed up at the Award Banquet. From left: Dianna Soisson, Debbi Friedman, Lynda Schumacher, Elizabeth Patterson, Kendra Ferreira and moi.

The Convention Trade Show was a great success. I enjoyed demonstrating the Icarus Drawing Board and chatting with many artists who were curious about it or wanted to try it.

I'm so excited to have been chosen as one of the artists featured on the PRISMACOLOR website's "Meet the Artist" section.

I'm sure you'll recognize some of the names, like Vera Curnow, the Founder of the Colored Pencil Society of America, or Abdi Farah, the winner of Bravo's Work Of Art, Season 1. Hopefully you'll browse through all the talented artist profiles.

If you'd like to read my interview, this link will bring you directly to my page. There you need to scroll down and click the tab "interview".

This is not what I usually draw or paint. It's quite small (6" x 4"), it has lots of fine details, it's very photographic, it doesn't have water, reflections, distortion, flowers or pebbles, and it's not made with the Icarus Drawing Board.

So, why did I do it and what have I learned from this experience?

Well, I did it as my contribution to the Los Angeles Colored Pencil Society Chapter project. We are putting together a compilation of small drawings of common California trees for the CPSA Convention in Dallas, Texas. I chose the eucalyptus tree because it grows everywhere in my area and it has a very attractive, colorful bark.

The drawing is so small and detailed that I really couldn't use the Icarus board nor any other wax-based media besides colored pencil. What I learned from this experience is that it's good for an artist every once in a while to do something out of the norm.

• Doing this small drawing reminded me how I really enjoy working big.

• The Icarus board would have allowed me to accomplish a much larger version in the same amount of time, especially with the addition of artist crayon or oil pastel.

• Photorealism is not my cup of tea.

• I missed pushing the colors as far as I usually do.

• I truly missed the magic of water.

I just can't wait to go back to my technique and artistic direction.

See you all in Texas in 10 days. Stop by the CPSA TRADE SHOW where I will demonstrate the Icarus Drawing Board.

Saturday, July 16, 2011 -  9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Renaissance Hotel, Richardson, Texas 75082

"Daydream" is the artwork that I will be donating to the Colored Pencil Society for its Silent Auction. This event, which will take place during the 2011 Convention in Dallas, TX, is called "Small Works of Great Magnitude".

9" x 9" - Wax-based Media (Colored Pencil)
Created with the Icarus Drawing Board.

I had the pleasure to spend some time with artist Deborah L. Friedman who traveled to Southern California from her home in Wellesley, Massachusetts, for a short family vacation. I've personally known Debbi for about a year but have admired her artwork for much longer.

It was her colorful stones drawings that attracted my attention, an example of which can be seen in this post. As a stones and pebbles aficionado, I'm always on the lookout for unique interpretations of this popular subject.

As soon as I discovered Debbi's stones, I saw them popping up everywhere, from The Artist's Magazine's All Media Competition, where she placed first in her category, to the Derwent graphite pencils tin box, where her artwork adorns the top.

After spending some time in my studio, where Debbi posed for the obligatory "swing portrait", we went walking along the shores of Corona Del Mar until we reached Pelican Point, a beautiful bluff south of Newport Beach. There's nothing like sharing a passion with a friend! During our walk we were both equally mesmerized by the little beach treasures found along the way, like seashells, sea glass, and last but not least, pebbles and rocks.

Debbi is accomplished in many different media, including colored pencil, graphite, pastel, oil, and printmaking. Her website is a showcase of her versatility in subjects and techniques and her love of nature is the unifying force. "Whether it's finding the wings of a luna moth in my garden, watching corn grow with my son, or quietly observing catbirds and great blue herons at the pond near my house," says Debbi, "I am constantly amazed by the natural world and strive to pass on some of this beauty and joy in my artwork."

To see more of Debbi's stones drawings and other artworks, please take a moment to visit her website.

To watch Debbi's TV interview, click the following link: Art Beat interview. It's available online until the end of May.

The list of invited artists to the Colored Pencil Society of America 19th Annual Exhibition is finally out! I'm thrilled that my piece "Social Network" has been juried into the show by juror Bob Malenfant, director of South West Gallery in Dallas. The exhibition will be at the Charles W. Eisemann Center in Richardson, Texas, from June 29 to July 31.

On Saturday, July 16, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, I will have a booth at the Convention Trade Show, where representatives from many companies will be showing off new products and old favorites. I will be working with the Icarus Drawing Board to demonstrate how to use it and be available to answer all your questions. Please stop by to say hi and to play with the Icarus board.

The Icarus Art April 2011 Newsletter was just sent out. If you'd like to register for the newsletter, you can go to the homepage of Icarus Art and click the sign-up button on the top right corner.

I just posted a new playlist of 17 video clips on our Icarus Art YouTube Channel. It's a condensed, sixty-minute video library of  a project called "Mussel Shell" from my 2010 CPSA workshop "Wax and Heat, a Match Made in Heaven".

For my workshop attendees this is a great opportunity to review the techniques learned last summer. For everybody else it's like taking a workshop for free. All voiced-over video clips are available in high definition and come with a downloadable supply list, an outline of the project, and an image of the finished mussel shell.

I hope you all enjoy practicing and/or learning the Icarus technique. You are always welcome to post comments and ask questions either on this blog or on YouTube.

View this playlist on Youtube.

The 2011 Pencil Painting Exhibition, presented by the Los Angeles Colored Pencil Society Chapter 214, is in full swing at the Cypress Community Gallery, 5700 Orange Avenue, Cypress, California. This is an outstanding exhibition of colored pencil paintings and drawings that represent the diversity of techniques that can be obtained by using colored pencils as a fine art medium. The gallery will be open until April 14 - Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

My artwork "River Odyssey" received an Honorable Mention.