"Scarlet Gaze"

"Scarlet Gaze" is another in my sagebrush series - absolutely love sagebrush - so many possibilities - here it is in snow - the snow defines it nicely, showing off the wonderful colors and dynamic design. I used a bright pinkish orange underpainting on this. 9x12" on UArt. NFS for now.

"Incessant Flourish"

"Incessant Flourish" was created after a recent walk up behind our place, through an orchard and up into the sagebrush - coyote tracks interspersed with quail tracks - and an occasional bunny track - made me wonder who hid well enough and who didn't.  There was about 6" of fresh snow on the ground - I love how the sagebrush and weeds poke through the snow, creating wonderful designs to paint. 12x12" pastel on UArt pastel paper. NFS for now.

"Sacred Chant"

"SACRED CHANT" 6x12 pastel ... this began as an 8 minute challenge from a friend, and it wasn't going well after 8 minutes... but I didn't give up on it... 25 minutes later this is how it ended!  I think I like the struggle and resolution - the problem solving - that's the most fun - to see if you can "pull it out!"

Inventing the Landscape

"Winter Hush"

"Winter Hush" is another of my invented landscapes. I used the same photo reference as my last post, "Sentries On Loop Trail," but changed the season and colors, moved objects and used my imagination! 6x12" pastel on UArt.  Approx. 30 minute painting.

Imperfection at its Best

"SENTRIES ON LOOP TRAIL"

"Sentries On Loop Trail" began as a thumbnail from a photo reference I shot years ago. For me, photo references are just a jump-off point: I will move objects around, make trees larger or smaller, change the color scheme and make up my own mood. This one was no different! My thumbnail was about half size, I used a marker and 3 colors to block in shapes. Then from there, I changed it even more, asking myself . . .

"What if ...."   "What if I made the trees all black?"  "What if I used just three colors?"  "What if I made those short trees tall?" and this happened ....   Remember, pastels are pure pigment and can last hundreds of years. Feel assured you will enjoy this painting for your lifetime and your children will as well.  6x12" Pastel 

Welcome to the Master's Circle!

"Ebey's Wild Lace"
has been accepted into the

IAPS 27th Juried Exhibition - 2015 Web Show

which qualifies me to join the IAPS Master's Circle!
Thank you jurors! 

THE SECRET IS OUT!

REMEMBER WHEN I was delivering a painting to Seattle for a secret project? Now you know ... "Proud Patriot" 18x24" pastel is on the cover of the 2016/2017 Dakota Art Pastels catalog! The painting itself is hanging in their Mt. Vernon store. Thank you so much Craig Lemley of Dakota Pastels!

The catalog is a work of art itself - beautifully designed and full of all the materials you'll need to create more masterpieces!

I will be giving a workshop at the Dakota Art Center in May 2016 so watch for details on that.

2016 Workshops are Shaping Up!

“The Beauty of Imperfection”
Pastel Workshops with Jen Evenhus

We throw perfection out the window, giving us permission to use an impressionist abstract
style employing simplification, bold strokes, exaggeration, mark-making and
happy little accidents as we explore shapes, design, space and color in
these intense 3-day workshops with PSA Master Pastelist, Jen Evenhus.
Each workshop has its own "theme" or "focus" like “Finding Your Voice,"
"Less is More" and "Mood, Magic, Melody." 

There will be demos, timed exercises, drawing, painting,
one-on-one coaching, group critiques, and more painting.
Emphasis is always on composition, value, and movement.

We won’t create pretty pictures -
we’ll create dynamic, eye-stopping masterpieces!

Two Honorable Mention Awards

THRILLED and honored to have "Rhapsody" 18x24" and "Dawn On Coyote Trail" 9x12 awarded Honorable Mentions in the Pastel Journal 17th Annual Pastel 100 Competition in which only 100 paintings were chosen from over 2300 entries. Many thanks to the Pastel Journal for showcasing the 100 winners in this special magazine issue, slated for April 2016, as well as promoting the pastel medium all year long; and thanks to jurors Terri Ford and Robert K. Carsten.

EMERALD WORKSHOP 2015 WRAPPED UP

See lots more photos and comments about my "The Beauty of Imperfection - Finding Your Voice" workshop at the Emerald Art Center in Springfield, Oregon on the Evenhus Workshops page (see link above).

SMALL PASTEL GOING TO CONNECTICUT

I'M PLEASED TO SHARE "Fresh Snow On Tyee Loop" pastel, 4.5x6" has been accepted into the 22nd Annual Renaissance In Pastel Exhibition of the Connecticut Pastel Society. The Show Dates are November 9th - December 12, 2015 at the UConn Stamford Art Gallery in Stamford, CT. Reception, Demonstration and Awards Presentation will be Saturday, November 21st from 12 - 4 p.m.

"Fresh Snow on Tyee Loop"  pastel 4.5x6"

BACK to EMERALD

Looking forward to head out for Springfield, Oregon to give another workshop at Emerald Art Center. We had a great class last year (see photo) and I'm looking forward to welcoming some of your students back again this year and meet all you newbies~!  Get ready for 3 intense days of painting, thinking, exploration, observation, and more painting . . . See you Thursday!

Photo from 2014 workshop

Photo from 2014 workshop

WHIDBEY WORKSHOP in FULL SWING

ENJOYING A GREAT VENUE in the Officers Quarters ... students are creating incredible art all day long... "The Beauty of Imperfection - Less is More" 

Three Amigos from New Mexico

MY TRIP to Albuquerque, New Mexico in June was an incredible adventure. My good friend, Pat Meras, a fabulous pastel artist, went with me to the IAPS (International Assoc. of Pastel Societies) Convention held in Hotel Albuquerque June 2-6. There is so much to do at this convention that is attended by over 700 pastel artists. There was the Opening Night of the Pastel World Exhibit (of which I had two paintings accepted), the Candy Store where you can stock up on pastels, paper and see new inventions and materials, the Meet 'n Greet night, the "Spicy Hot" Buffet held outdoors in the courtyard, all the pastel workshops and seminars held by the world's top Pastel artists, the formal Awards Banquet, and meeting old and new friends in lively conversation! We enjoyed visits to Old Town Albuquerque where we did some Plein air painting, to the Museum where we took in an exhibit of shoes, called "Killer Heels" - with lots of history of high heels - and on our final day there, we drove to Santa Fe to peruse their many galleries and then on to Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch where Georgia O'Keefe painted. The landscapes and skyscapes were amazing. They changed every three minutes!

One of my favorite things we did was paint in our hotel room. On the first evening, we wandered around Old Town and around the hotel and shot some photos to paint from. I found this nondescript corner with three trees - it caught my eye for some reason so I used it for 4 small paintings - changing each one up using my imagination ... I am in the process of painting large (30x40") oils from these small pastels - they should be knock-out paintings.

 

"Three Amigos in Front of Adobe Wall"

Pastel  4.5x6"  NFS

"Three Amigos at Sunset"
Pastel  4.5x6"  NFS

"Three Amigos, Dancing"
Pastel  4.5x6"  NFS

"Snowfall On Three Amigos"
Pastel  4.5x6"  NFS

"MIDNIGHT ARABESQUE"

"MIDNIGHT ARABESQUE" ... 12x18" Pastel  $425 plus tax and shipping.  ©Jen Evenhus 2015
A loose interpretation of Balsamroot out behind our house - nestled among sagebrush - I exaggerated colors to create a dynamic painting full love movement - a great piece that will brighten any room of your home or office.

INVENTING THE LANDSCAPE

During my recent workshop in New Braunfels, Texas, I showed my students how to create multiple landscapes from one photo reference... Pastels are perfect for these quick studies that sometimes turn into masterpieces! I sometimes don't know what I have until I step back 20 feet... I was working on "Indian Camp Melody" as a demo and kind of struggling with it, until one of my students said... Jen, step back here (12 feet away) and look at it. I stepped back and it came alive!  Always remember to step away from your work and also to take a break from it... Come back in a couple hours... Your muse may just put the finishing touches on it while you're away!   All images © Jen Evenhus
SEE THE PHOTO REFERENCE BELOW

"Dusk On Wild Turkey Road" © Jen Evenhus 

"Fresh Snow On Tyee Loop" © Jen Evenhus 

"Indian Camp Melody" © Jen Evenhus 

"Full Moon On Wolf Draw" © Jen Evenhus 

 This photo reference is under strict copyright and is only to be used in my workshops. Students and others may not use it as their reference outside the classroom.

"Appearances"

"APPEARANCES" 6x6 oil on panel ... the challenge here was to make these little
jars look like glass. I pushed the pink polish off the page to give it an uneasy feel...
love the black shadow and dark gray of foreground.

$220 includes tax and USA shipping. Copyright Jen Evenhus

Cut 'n Tagged

So much of my life is intertwined in the lives of other people ... this shows the country life that we live on our mini-ranch, and on the ranches of friends and family. When I was ten years old, I babysat 4 kids all summer to earn $100 with which I purchased my first horse. I've been in love with horses and the western lifestyle for as long as I can remember. My daughter even owns a small herd of cows that are bred each year, give birth in the spring and are then "Cut 'n Tagged" - cut, branded, dehorned, and ear tagged. This small piece shows a young calf after the chore is done. I love the diagonal movement here and the abstract shapes of the other calves in the background.
"Cut 'n Tagged"   6x6" oil on panel  $220  SOLD  Thank you Theresa in Oregon

VEGAS - GRAND CANYON - SCOTTSDALE 2015

Here are several paintings I did on our trip this spring. Love the desert!

 

"Show Girls"  9x12"   NFS

 "Pinnacle Peak Prince"  8x10"   NFS

 "Desert Disco"  8x10"  NFS

"The Strip"  9x12"  $150 +T&S

 "Vegas Nights"  9x12"  $175 +T&S

Final Symphony

THIS EVENING'S fun... "Final Symphony" Full sheet Rives BFK 22x30... Found a dead sparrow the cats were playing with, so I "rescued" it for reference ...vine charcoal, pastel ...such a great feeling to play on big sheet - whole arm movement. I can't say I love the Rives for pastel, I might play with it some more. I keep coming back to this experience in my mind... really enjoyed the process of full arm movement, a different paper, mark-making, layering, using a lot of vine charcoal... going to do more experimentation of materials along with pastel... perhaps using water to "paint" the pastel... I've done that before with interesting results.
"Final Symphony"  22x30"  $775.00 plus tax and shipping

Last Song

"LAST SONG" ...a little something different - exploring neutrals, shapes, design. I plan doing this several more times, different design, black & white, to see what transpires... 9x12 on UArt  $225 plus tax & shipping.

I'm in Pastel Journal Magazine!

I AM HONORED to have my work included in the Pastel 100 Competition with two Honorable Mentions - "Sage Symphony" in the Landscape Category and "Daisy Blues" in the Floral Category. You can see all the award winners and great articles in the April 2015 issue of The Pastel Journal. Many thanks to the jurors and to The Pastel Journal for sponsoring this beautiful collection of pastel paintings!

"Rhapsody"

"Rhapsody" is the result of listening to my muse... I was experimenting with a new pastel paper, pastel Mat, and wanted to do a landscape. It turned out very nice, but wasn't exactly what I was after. I was after more of a feeling than a landscape, and so I did a second one on uart paper, and it was closer but still needed to be pushed further. So I took a large sheet of UART paper, put a bright underpainting on it, and began pushing the color around and just going with my feelings instead of with the actual landscape and this is the result. 18x24" UArt 400. Copyright 2015 Jen Evenhus