Relations II and IV sold

Yelena Shabrova ~ Relations II ~ mixed media, 8" x 8"
Relations II ~ mixed media, 8″ x 8″
Yelena Shabrova ~ Relations VI ~ mixed media, 8" x 8"
Relations IV ~ mixed media, 8″ x 8″

Relations II and IV are on their way a new happy home in Silicon Valley, CA. Thank you, Vickie! Both are 8″ x 8″ mixed media on stretched canvas.

Both are 8″ x 8″ pen and ink drawings of Japanese maples in spring, with young leaves not fully unfolded yet. Each drawing sits on top of a paper collage secured on a stretched canvas.

“Relations I” at Around Oregon Annual 2019

Very happy to announce that my 8″ x 8″ mixed media piece on canvas has been juried into the Around Oregon Annual 2019 show. 

Yelena Shabrova ~ Relations I ~ mixed media, 8" x 8"
Relations I ~ mixed media, 8″ x 8″

“Relations I” is a part of the “Relations” series of four drawings that were originally created for the Four Eights show benefiting the Sherwood Center for the Arts. I’ve documented the creative process for it here.

Around Oregon Annual 2019 show will be held at The Arts Center, 700 SW Madison Ave, Corvallis, OR 97333 (map) from June 20 till August 9, 2019.

The Arts Center hours are: Tues – Sat, from 12 pm till 5 pm.

I will be at the opening reception on Thursday, June 20 as soon as I can get there after finishing my shift at the Three Rivers Gallery and Gifts.

The reception is from 5:30 pm till 7:30 pm and is a part of the Corvallis Art Walk.

Please come if you can!

Updated May 2, 2019

See the full list of participating artist below:

Updated June 20th, 2019

Damascus Open Studios Tour 2019

I will be participating in the Damascus Open Studios Tour May 17, 18, and 19, from 10 am till 5 pm each day.

Local artists and their guests will show awesome and diverse art in 6 studios in and around Damascus. You can find the map of the entire tour with all details here: https://damascusopenstudios.com/studio-map/.  This is a wonderful opportunity to see how art is being created and talk to the artists.

Talented clay artist Brenda Scott will host me and a fine jewelry designer, Cheri Bosserman, at the studio #6 (25251 SE Bohna Park Rd, Damascus, OR 97089).

Stop by to see my original drawings, giclee prints, and greeting cards!

Updated May 20, 2019

A big thank you to to everyone who came to see my art and beautiful creations of my fellow artists Brenda Scott and Cheri Bosserman this past weekend. The Damascus Open Studios were great. Wonderful company, lots of good talks, and many sales. Could not ask for more!

Pause

Yelena Shabrova ~ Pause ~ colored pencil, 5x7
Yelena Shabrova ~ Pause ~ Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor colored pencil on Daler-Rowney card paper, 12 x 16 cm

Got notified that my card for Twitter Art Exhibit 2019 safely arrived at Edinburgh, UK. Phew! I was so unbelievably late this year that I was not even sure it would make it in time for the opening night on May 11.

For my artist friends who would like to participate next year, here is the TAE website: http://twitterartexhibit.org. This year they support an Edinburgh based charity, Art in Healthcare, that organizes workshop programs for patients.

Updated May 15, 2019

Just got notified that my card has been sold! Yay!
The live Twitter Art Exhibit is over, but their fundraising for Art in Healthcare continues at https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/tae19.php

Updated May 16, 2019

https://twitter.com/SharonsArk1/status/1129093697948258304?s=03

Updated May 26, 2019

My little Jay that got sold at #TAE19 looks all pretty in its new happy home. Thank you for sharing the photo, Sharon! Great choice of frame! 

“Improbable Dreams of a Tree” goes to the HIP 2B Square show

Yelena Shabrova ~ Improbable Dreams of a Tree ~ colored pencil on primed wood panel, 12" x 12"
Improbable Dreams of a Tree ~ colored pencil on primed wood panel, 12″ x 12″

Delivered my latest drawing to the Sequoia Gallery today. It is for the HIP 2B Square show that benefits this nice and cozy cooperative gallery and its artist studios. The show opens on April 2nd with a reception and award announcements and runs through May 3.

Sequoia Gallery is located at 136 SE 3rd Avenue, Hillsboro, OR 97123. Hours: Tuesday – Saturday from 10 am – 5 pm.

The gallery provided an option of a 12″ x 12″ Blick canvas or primed and cradled wood panel, and I chose the panel.

After the fiasco with an Ampersand panel it was interesting to try something different. To my delight, the texture of the gessoed wooden surface was strong but pretty even and was almost as easy to work with as good textured paper. I will do more with it, just maybe without cradles. Not a big fan of working edges of those things.

Updated on April 4, 2019

Silent auction for the Oregon City Chamber of Commerce

Changing Colors - pastel pencil on drawing paper, 4 x 6
Changing Colors – pastel pencil on drawing paper, 4 x 6

“Changing Colors” is going to the silent auction at the Oregon City Chamber of Commerce annual celebration night on February 23 at the Pioneer Community Center. The auction is going to help support the Chamber. OCCC is very supportive of arts in the local community, of TRAG where I am a member, and of events that TRAG organizes. It’s a pleasure to help them a little too.

Beaverton – Your Art Moment series 2019

Two of my drawings, Newborn and Sun Kissed, have been accepted into the first quarter of this new year-long, daily series showcasing artworks via social media to inspire the community to take a moment to reflect and appreciate art and artists. I love the idea and am pretty happy to be a part of this program.

One artwork will be posted per day and artists will be credited using the artist’s name, title of work, year created and mediums. All posts will carry the #YourArtMoment hashtag. Watch for it for your daily moment of local art!

Yelena Shabrova ~ Newborn ~ Derwent colored pencil on Bienfang watercolor paper, 11" x 14", horse portrait
Newborn ~ Derwent colored pencil on Bienfang watercolor paper, 11″ x 14″
Sun Kissed - colored pencil on colored paper, 8" x 10"
Sun Kissed ~ colored pencil on colored paper ~ 8″ x 10″

Updated on March 12, 2019

And here is the first of selected images shown by the City of Beaverton on Instagram:

Updated om May 7, 2019

My little foal featured by the City of Beaverton!

Tsunago: the pencil sharpener that creates a never-ending pencil

The biggest problem with pencils is that you can never use all of them. There are always leftover stubs that become too small for your hand and must be thrown out. It may be not a big deal with graphite, but what about colored pencils that can be quite expensive?

I learned to split the stumps and either crush leads from them for backgrounds or use them whole in a clutch pencil. But apparently there is a better way to fight stump waste: a Tsunago sharpener that actually creates a never-ending pencil. I need to try it!

Before the light ~ sketch done with black Faber-Castell PITT and white Gelli Roll pens on Strathmore toned gray paper, 6″ x 4″ [SOLD]

Finished this during last weekend’s Holiday Art Show. It’s my first experience with the Strathmore gray toned paper, and because art shows tend to be busy, I chose a subject that allowed me to work in short spurts without losing focus. Loved small darker fibers in the paper, they add to the look of the finished sketch.

Before the light (or after, if you prefer) ~ sketch in pen and ink, 6" x 4"
Before the light ~ black Faber-Castell PITT and white Gelli Roll pens on Strathmore toned gray paper, 6″ x 4″ [SOLD]

Experiment with colored pencil on a gesso board

This is take two. Take one happened two weeks ago and went so wrong that the piece could not be saved. I started with darker colors thinking I would lighten distant ridges later. But apparently at a certain number of layers pigment clings to the surface for dear life and refuses to be lifted with any kind of eraser. So I am going with a much lighter hand now, and it seems to be better that way. The surface is not as smooth as it looks. I am glad it’s mountains and not some young face.

Updated: May 17, 2018

I am working on this between other things, but here is what I’ve learned so far. Darks are more work on a gesso board than on paper. Even canvas is more agreeable. It’s not that the board doesn’t accept dark pigments. It does, but the wavy texture lines on it that go vaguely vertical keep some narrow areas persistently lighter than the rest and require ongoing touchups. But I like the sturdiness of a gesso board very much. I am starting to wonder if maybe graphite or charcoal would be easier, but that’s for the next test or two. Also need to look up other brands in case some have a really even texture.

Updated: July 23, 2018

What I thought would be a quick experiment turned into a long argument with the gesso surface. Mountains changed their look at least 4 times, and I am not touching them again. The future sunset sky is all mapped, and the gesso texture that gives me so many headaches is showing in its full glory right now.

Updated: September 29, 2018

Well… I am going to admit the defeat. This is not working. The texture of the surface is too weird for colored pencils, and I am tired of fighting it. It will not cooperate no matter what I do. Time to move on!

Silent auction at the Oregon City Festival of the Arts

This was the first time I participated at the silent auction at the event organized by the Three Rivers Artist Guild of which I am a happy mamber. All proceeds from the auction go to support the guild. Guess I missed the memo before, I do that regularly.

This year I gave this one to the auction:

Yelena Shabrova ~ A sketch a day: rocky terrain ~ oil pastel, 6" x 4"
Rocky terrain ~ oil pastel, 6″ x 4″

Glad to help TRAG a little bit.

Character for TAE 2018 – colored pencil, 12 x 16 cm

Yelena Shabrova ~ Character ~ colored pencil, 12 x 16 cm
Character ~ colored pencil, 12 x 16 cm

Finally mailed my postcard art to the Twitter Art Exhibit (TAE) today. I blame Creatacolor pencils for the delay. It was my first time trying oil-based colored pencils, and as a Prismacolor/Derwent girl I found their behavior way too different.

This year TAE helps an Australian charity, Pegasus Riding For The Disabled of ACT Inc., http://www.pegasusact.com.au/. All proceeds from postcard art sales go to the charity. If you feel like helping out, the deadline for submissions is March 19, 2018: http://twitterartexhibit.org/call-for-artists/

Updated on February 12, 2019

Here is how “Character” came to be.

Yelena Shabrova ~ Character ~ colored pencil, 12 x 16 cm

Copying Other People’s Art Can Boost Creativity, Study Finds

Creativity and copying appear to be the opposites. Therefore, it seems unlikely then that there would be a link between copying another artist’s work and being able to create fresh, original work of your own. However, Kentaro Ishibashi and Takeshi Okada, an architect and a professor at the University of Tokyo in Japan respectively, have been researching this topic for several years, and they found that copying may help facilitate artistic creativity.

The increased creativity is not really a product of the copying itself, Okada says. Instead, it’s about being pushed beyond the familiar, being exposed to other possibilities, questioning the other artist’s choices and thoughts.

Relations I – work in progress

Updated: October 9th, 2017

And this is how the whole piece looks. Layer one – an ink drawing on tracing paper. Layer two – a tissue paper collage with grated pastel. Layer three – a canvas.

I need to remember to never, ever use a gel pen of any sort on tracing paper except for small details. The gel stops flowing rather quickly, and after the first time it keeps happening more and more often. No amount of cleaning the ballpoint helps. My next white ink of choice is going to be Derwent Graphik Line Painter.

Updated: October 6th, 2017

Freshly mounted on the canvas.

Updated: September 28th, 2017

White gel is done too, I think. The bright orange paper will not be a part of the final piece, it’s just there to help me see what I am doing with white areas.

Updated: September 26th, 2017

Black ink all done.

Original post

I am starting on the first piece for the upcoming show at the Sherwood Center for the Arts, Four Eights.

Last year taught me that square canvases are not really all that square, so this time I am making each piece of tracing paper for an ink part to match its designated canvas. No more odd paper edges, or so I hope.

And another change I am making concerns the preliminary sketch for the ink drawing. It is now rough and loose, just a general idea of the composition. I used to make a precise sketch and then map it on the tracing paper with sparse ink marks, but it is quite time consuming, so this time I am doing the final ink drawing on top of the rough sketch using it as a general guide.

If the experiment goes well, I will try it on an animal portrait that would be more demanding than branches, leaves and flowers.

My new mixed media pieces at Four Eights 2017

I will have four new 8″ x 8″ mixed media pieces in the Four Eights Artist Challenge II exhibit and art sale at the Center for the Arts.

This exhibit will showcase artworks created during the Four Eights an Artists Challenge II that tasked participating artists with creating original artwork around a singular theme on four square canvases, each canvas being 8″ x 8″. All artwork will be for sale and priced between $30 and $100.

My theme this year is “relations” expressed through flowers, leaves, and branches that make a bush or a tree, all different yet inseparable. See how the first canvas came to life.

An opening reception for Four Eights will be on Thursday, October 12, from 6:30 p.m. till 8:30 p.m. Stop by to meet the artists, curators and other art lovers, enjoy refreshments and live acoustic music.

Show location
Sherwood Center for the Arts – 22689 SW Pine Street, Sherwood, OR 97140
Map

Open
Art Exhibit & Sale – October 12 – December 12
Monday – Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Yelena Shabrova ~ Relations I ~ mixed media, 8" x 8"
Relations I ~ mixed media, 8″ x 8″

Yelena Shabrova ~ Relations II ~ mixed media, 8" x 8"
Relations II ~ mixed media, 8″ x 8″

Yelena Shabrova ~ Relations III ~ mixed media, 8" x 8"
Relations III ~ mixed media, 8″ x 8″

Yelena Shabrova ~ Relations VI ~ mixed media, 8" x 8"
Relations VI ~ mixed media, 8″ x 8″

Beaverton Arts Mix! 2017

Two of my drawings were juried into the Beaverton Arts Mix! show and sale. The show will open on October 5 and run through October 8 at the Beaverton City Library. Reception will take place on October 6, 7:00 – 8:30 pm. If you will be in the area stop by to enjoy more than 100 juried artworks by Oregon artists!

Show lacation
Beaverton City Library, 12375 SW 5th Street, Beaverton, OR

Open
Thu – Sun | Oct 5 – 8 Art Show & Sale
Open during regular library hours

Yelena Shabrova ~ Stories of the Forest I ~ mixed media ~ 9" x 12"
Stories of the Forest I ~ mixed media ~ 9″ x 12″

Yelena Shabrova ~ Stories of the Forest IV ~ mixed media ~ 9" x 12"
Stories of the Forest IV ~ mixed media ~ 9″ x 12″

More information about the show can be found on the city’s website

“Fortitude” and “Sun Kissed” earned the Special Merit Award at the 7th Annual “Botanicals” Art Exhibition

Yelena Shabrova ~ Fortitude ~ Prismacolor colored pencil on drawing paper, 9" x 6"
Fortitude ~ Prismacolor colored pencil on drawing paper, , 9″ x 6″

Sun Kissed - colored pencil on colored paper, 8" x 10"
Sun Kissed – colored pencil on colored paper ~ 8″ x 10″

My colored pencil drawings “Fortitude” and “Sun Kissed” have received the Special Merit Category of the 7th Annual “Botanicals” Art Exhibition held by Art Space & Time Online Art Gallery.

I am still browsing through images of artists recognized in different categories and admiring the talent and vision of so many.

The show will be featured on the Light Space & Time website for the month of August 2017 and then will remain online in the Light Space & Time archives.

Stress-related hormone cortisol lowers significantly after just 45 minutes of art creation

Whether you’re Van Gogh or a stick-figure sketcher, a new Drexel University study found that making art can significantly reduce stress-related hormones in your body.

Although the researchers from Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions believed that past experience in creating art might amplify the activity’s stress-reducing effects, their study found that everyone seems to benefit equally.

Stories of the Forest series finished

image of Stories of the Forest I, mixed media drawing on canvas board, 12" x 9", by Yelena Shabrova
Stories of the Forest I ~ mixed media on canvas board, 12″ x 9″
image of Stories of the Forest II, mixed media drawing on canvas board, 12" x 9", by Yelena Shabrova
Stories of the Forest II ~ mixed media on canvas board, 12″ x 9″
image of Stories of the Forest III, mixed media drawing on canvas board, 12" x 9", by Yelena Shabrova
Stories of the Forest III ~ mixed media on canvas board, 12″ x 9″
image of Stories of the Forest IV, mixed media drawing on canvas board, 12" x 9", by Yelena Shabrova
Stories of the Forest IV ~ mixed media on canvas board, 12″ x 9″
image of Stories of the Forest V, mixed media drawing on canvas board, 12" x 9", by Yelena Shabrova
Stories of the Forest V ~ mixed media on canvas board, 12″ x 9″

This series started with a title, and that almost never happens to me. By the time I sketched the very first piece I could not remember how exactly I came up with “Stories of the Forest,” but the initial idea was to make ink drawings of groups of trees and shrubs that would gradually fade into the paper collage background to showcase the beauty of common plant inhabitants of Western Oregon forests where I often hike. Every little plant, every shrub and tree have a story to tell if we look close, and together they weave a more complicated story that makes some unassuming spot in the forest look amazing.

It all looked good in pencil, but moving forward with inking was a different story. It looked too busy. Varying density of strokes and dots didn’t really work, so two ruined drawings I decided to change the approach. Maybe pen and ink was not the right choice for what I wanted to achieve, or maybe (and more likely) I failed to collaborate with my pens properly.

So I started to remove details that were less essential from my sketches, starting with varied growth under and behind tree branches, then with nonessential branches themselves. I do all corrections on tracing paper laid on top of the original sketch that needs to be improved. This considerably speeds up the process and keeps new ideas flowing without interruption of redrawing the same parts of a sketch.

And that’s how I’ve ended up with just a few leaves and scarcely spaced branches, letting the gently colored background to hint at whatever a viewer wants to see in the finished piece. There is special beauty in simplicity, and that old saying “less is more” gave me exactly what I wanted.

How to draw 3 points perspective

I finally found out who was the author of the perspective drawing with a rubber band video that was making rounds on FB:

It’s Reza Asgaripour. Would like to know why the second part of the YouTube title of the one below is in Russian, but regardless… it is as neat as the older one, if not more:

Reza Asgaripour is on Instagram too: https://www.instagram.com/architectdrw/, and here is one more of his neat videos:

It’s fascinating to watch even if the art you create does not rely on getting perspective right.

“Gathering” series at the Three Rivers Gallery and Gifts

I am excited to have my drawings in the Three Rivers Gallery & Gifts through March and April. The gallery is located inside the cozy Singer Hill Cafe in Oregon City. The gallery is hung salon style and offers paintings, drawings, ceramics, jewelry, and about anything you can think of. The cafe serves excellent coffee and features beautiful vertical gardens indoors and outdoors.

The artists’ reception will be on March 19, 2017 from 1 to 3 pm. Stop by if you are in the area to meet the artists and see their wonderful art.

Address: 613 7th Street, Oregon City, Oregon 97045, inside Singer Hill Cafe
Open: every day, 9 am – 4 pm.