Amazing colored pencil artist and friend, Arlene Steinberg, is featured in the May 2013 issue of The Artist's Magazine along with other talented artists in the article "Colored Pencil Comes of Age" by Maureen Bloomfield.

Bloomfield says: "One reason Steinberg's color is so intense and saturated is that she works on an Icarus Art drawing board, a portable board that has warm and cool areas; the board is placed under the paper, and the wax reacts to the heated part of the surface" (54).

For a preview of this article visit the Artist's Magazine's blog post "Some Like it Hot/Colored Pencil Art Sizzles".

Below is one example of Arlene's brilliant artwork titled "Hibiscus Under Glass".

Arlene was also featured on the Icarus Art September 2012 Newsletter.

To view more of her art please visit her website: www.arlenesteinberg.com.

Arlene will be one of the workshop instructors at the 2013 Colored Pencil Society Convention, in Brea, California.

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.

Yesterday I drove to San Diego with my husband, Mario, to attend the opening reception of The Fourth International Exhibition of The Fine Line Artists at the Mission Trails Regional Park Art Gallery. The exhibition is located at One Father Junipero Serra Trail and will run until December 3rd. Hours are Sunday - Saturday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.

The Fine Line Artists is a group of artists who provide support for the development of their art and the business of being an artist. The five women who took part in the exhibition are: Katherine Tyrrell, Vivien Blackburn, Nicole Caulfield, Gayle Mason, and Louise Sackett.

I was glad to see Louise whom I've known from her days with the San Diego Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society. She recently moved to New Mexico and came back to organize and hang the show. She certainly did a great job - the exhibit was well presented, the reception lively, and the location really suited the art.

The subject matter was very diverse and included wildlife, still life, landscape, and botanical. It was a pleasure viewing up close artworks that I had previously admired online, and getting acquainted with new ones.

Mario and I came to the reception with the intention of taking many good pictures. Unfortunately my camera's automatic focus stopped working and the glasses I had with me were not very helpful in setting the focus manually. I hope you can still get a glimpse of this wonderful exhibition. Make sure to visit the artists' websites/blogs to enjoy more and better images of their art.

Virginia Carroll, a very successful artist from Arizona, recently came to my studio for a visit. When she found colored pencil, she began producing drawings at such a rate that she was able to collect a body of work exceeding 40 drawings in the space of seven months, and was given a "one man" show at the Hilltop Gallery in Nogales. Virginia senses beauty in all things, be it nature, architecture or a composed still life, and cannot limit herself to only one of them. She loves the flora and fauna of the desert, buildings and people, and will continue to explore the beauty in all things.

http://www.virginiacarroll.com/
"Pomegranate's Beginning" was made with the Icarus Drawing Board

Meet Betzi Stein, Los Angeles-based colored pencil artist who came to my studio for a visit after becoming a devoted user of the Icarus Drawing Board. In addition to colored pencil, she also paints and does collage.  A professional massage therapist and portrait artist, she is an avid violinist, a long-term meditator and has a background in jewelry design and sculpture.  She has always been drawn to portraying the human figure in all her artistic endeavors.

http://www.betzistein.com/
http://www.betzisteinmassage.com/

Barbara Rogers is a California artist who recently came to my studio. She's the president of the Los Angeles Colored Pencil Society Chapter. In her website you can see examples of her beautiful California coastal landscapes and figurative works. She's adept in both oil and colored pencil. I particularly love her landscapes.