“Sunny Dahlias” 10×14″ Caran D’ache Luminance and Neocolor II on Stonehenge Paper
I took my daughter fishing for this piece. We caught the sunny at the fishing dock on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis. We had pretty good luck fishing there over all. The sunnies are savvy but you can trick them with some strategic wiggling.
The original work is Sold. Prints are available.
“Curio” 11×13″ Caran D’ache Luminance and Neocolor II on Stonehenge Paper
For “Curio” I had an idea, but no way to pull it off, so I made my family go shopping with me. I had envisioned a bell jar to put the rat in, but couldn’t find one in a suitable size. The jars I did find are very pleasing to me anyway. The detail in the lids was difficult to capture – but lots of fun to try. My aim was to create a tension between the two enemies within the fragility of glass.
This was my first experiment in Neocolor, a water soluble wax crayon. They layer over multiple layers of colored pencil beautifully, and I plan on exploring a lot more with them in coming days.
The snake and the rat were both unharmed during the photo shoot for my reference photography here. The rat’s name is Oopsie and she received lots of treats after this. The snake is named Corina and she was also fed appropriately after the shoot. Her meal was no one Oopsie knew.
The original work is available. Please contact me for more information.
“A Love Story” Caran D’Ache Luminance on Stonehenge
Immediately following “Still Life with Apple Jar,” I began work on this piece. I had the photo of a toad in a glass from another time when I had one captive to take photos of. I knew I wanted the toad to be in beer, but hadn’t yet thought of what else might work in a drawing with it. The vertical composition of “Apple Jar” gave me the idea to go that way. An empty beer bottle, a rose and some Photoshop later and “A Love Story” was born.
The original is available, framed in maple. The image is 13×19, framed to 24×30″ asking $750. Contact me for details.
“Still Life with Apple Jar” Caran D’Ache Luminance on Stonehenge
The idea for this piece was pretty simple; use the snake and apple motif in a still life. I bought the apple jar on Etsy and it has sat on my piano ever since. I did have to do some coaxing to get the snake in there.
This piece is the first I have done with a light background in a while. I originally had the background completely white, but added a greyed lavender to the back in the end. I liked how it turned out so much that you might see a trend in the pieces I have completed after!
“Still Life with Apple Jar” is available as prints and the original is also available, framed in a white frame with a nice thick mat. Contact me for details.
Caran D’Ache Luminance on Stonehenge; Framed to 18×18″
“Menage A Frog”. I am proud to say this piece will be on it’s way to Brea, CA in July for August’s CPSA’s 21st International Exhibition. This is a great honor in the Colored Pencil community, and I am psyched.
“Shiraz” Prismacolor and Caran D’Ache Colored Pencils on Paper
“Shiraz” is my first work using a lot of the Luminance pencils and they hooked me! This piece is available, framed in a black frame with white mat at 18×21″. Contact me for more details!
“Reflection” Caran D’Ache Luminance and Prismacolor on Stonehenge 13×12″ framed to 20×19″
The same toad who posed for my drawing “Lipstick” later posed for this piece for me. I was interested in the reflection I got in “Lipstick,” and so I set up a dressing-room style three way mirror. This was great practice drawing and seeing the same toad from different angles.
“Reflection” is available for $550. Contact me for details.
“Lipstick” Colored Pencil on Stonehenge Paper 15×11″ framed to 23×20″
“Lipstick” is about beauty. I always have felt like putting makeup on what I’ve got just looks like makeup on what I’ve got. It doesn’t improve anyone’s chances of being mistaken for a supermodel. Does it help this little toad? I’ll let the viewer decide.
I am proud and honored to say that this piece was juried into the Minnesota State Fair’s Fine Art Show in 2011. Prints are available at my Etsy Shop! The framed original is sold.
The toad model I used for this piece was very cooperative and looked in the mirror for a good amount of time. No actual lipstick was applied to the toad. Heck, if I don’t like to wear it, why should he have to?
“Waiting For His Kiss” Colored Pencil on Stonehenge, 17×12″ Framed to 24×19″
“Waiting for His Kiss” is a colored pencil drawing done on Stonehenge paper with Prismacolor colored pencils. This toad was kind enough to pose for me in my kitchen. The title, of course evokes the fairy tale “The Princess and the Frog.” In pop culture the princess kisses the frog to turn him into her prince. In the old tale, the frog demands to sleep with the princess in return for a favor. In some versions, the princess throws the frog against the wall in disgust. In others, she submits to his desires and frees him with a kiss.
I admit, I was only very loosely thinking of this motif as I drew this toad. Is he a prince waiting for his kiss, or a princess waiting for the kiss of her soulmate and savior? Either way, the lowly toad is a beautiful and intricate creature when you get down to studying the details!
This original art piece is available. Contact me for more information!
Janie Mork Artwork 