February 2025 - |
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Table of Contents |
Essence of an artist |
Although I am known for exhibiting and selling paper sculpture, I am so much more than one set artistic process in a single media. To be a true artist and creative, one must evolve in new directions, growing in a manner that is both true to their core soul, and adapting and responding to the new person they have become. I'd like to introduce the Essence series. This new body of work returns me to my roots - drawing, and introduces a new element for me - spontaneity. Almost all my work starts with a clear idea and begins life in my sketchbook through thumbnails, color and value studies. I have a strong plan and strong vision in my head for the finished piece. Essence explores the process of creation from a completely different approach. These are gesture drawings, a traditional artist's exercise for practice and learning. Quick drawings in a warm-up session may last between 30 seconds to five minutes. I started layering them simply to save pages in my sketchbooks - but I found I loved the texture and rhythm they create together. I don't know what the piece will look like when I start - my reference photos are cycled randomly. I respond to what's already on the page while exploring the motion of the piece and the subject. It's kind of fitting for me that this is the Year of the Snake, a time for change and letting go of emotional things holding us back. Kicking off the year is a favorite event, the Chinese New Year Invitational at Valkarie Gallery. Preview Essence of Snake directly below, then jump to the Upcoming Events section for the 2025 schedule that starts this weekend.
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| New Works |
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Essence of Snake: Orange & Green #1 Colored Pencil, Varnished on gallery wrap panel |
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Essence of Horse: Yellow & Pink #1 Colored Pencil and Sculpted Paper
Essence of Raven: Pink & Blue #1 Colored Pencil and Sculpted Paper
Essence of Raven: Graphite & Black #1 Graphite and Sculpted Paper
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Essence of Horse: Black & Pink #1 Graphite and Colored Pencil and Sculpted Paper
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Essence of Horse: Brown & Blue #1 Acrylic Marker, Colored Pencil, and Sculpted Paper
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Essence of Horse: Deep Tones #1 Colored Pencil and Sculpted Paper
Essence of Raven: Blue & Red #1 Colored Pencil and Sculpted Paper |
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| Upcoming Events |
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Society of Animal Artists:
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January 30 - May 25 Opening Reception |
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A Well-Behaved Beast 16" x 19" x 3" |
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This captivating exhibition brings together masterful works from the Society of Animal Artists’ distinguished members who produce the best animal art in the world. This showcase explores the intricate beauty of animals, their habitats and the broader natural world, offering a profound reflection on the interconnectedness of life on Earth. Featuring paintings, sculptures and mixed-media pieces, the exhibit highlights the extraordinary talent and vision of artists dedicated to portraying the richness of the animal kingdom and its environments. Join us for an immersive journey into a world without boundaries, where art and nature converge to ignite imagination and reverence for the planet we all share. |
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Snakes Alive! 10th Annual Chinese New Year Invitational |
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February 6 - March 2 First Friday |
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January 29th was the official start of the Year of the Wood Snake, or the start of the new Lunar Year. The Snake, symbolizing wisdom and transformation, offers opportunities for personal growth and change. Valkarie Gallery will be hosting their 10th Annual Chinese New Year Invitational. This year 85 artists have created a snake-inspired piece on an 8" x 8" panel. There is so much diversity this year - charcoal, watercolor, glass mosaic, oil, acrylic, fiber, mixed media, digital, wood and collage. |
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An annual love letter to the talented community that supports the nonprofit Foothills Art Center, the show continues to reach a wider and wider community of artists, featuring the members' diverse artistic talents and techniques. The FAC curatorial staff works to select an exhibition with engaging and creative content and the highest level of craftsmanship. This year explores the question of how exterior forces shape the creative process. |
Foothills Art Center February 1 - April 20 Opening Reception |
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Western Spirit
March 8 - April 19 Saturday, March 8, 6 - 9 pm
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The Western Spirit Juried Art Show & Sale is the premier annual juried art show in the Rocky Mountain Region for emerging and established artists who create original art interpreting the American West.
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Retrospectives: Celebrating 4 Decades of Paleo Advances will examine key discoveries, new technologies, and revised opinions that span the past 40 years. In addition to expert speakers, paleo artists will once again bring the past alive with their artwork. This symposium celebrates the Western Interior Paleontological Society's 40th anniversary. |
Western Interior Paleontological Society Saturday & Sunday, March 22 & 23 Colorado School of Mines Green Center |
Loveland Art in Public Places: March 5, 2024 - February 16, 2025 About Loveland's Art in Public Places With special thanks to poet Erin Robertson
Sweet Oasis was one of eight works chosen by Loveland's Art in Public Places and the Art Advocacy Project to display on-loan for a year at Loveland's Public Library. The City has partnered with the Loveland Public Library and the Loveland Poet Laureate Program to collaborate with eight local poets, who have written poems inspired by the eight works of art on exhibit. |
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| Awards |
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Award of Excellence
I am honored to announce that 'Flight' was awarded the Award of Excellence at the Society of Animal Artists' Art and the Animal 64th Annual Exhibition.
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The Society of Animal Artists is an organization comprised of members who produce the best animal art in the world. Artworks created by members of SAA have established new standards of excellence in fine art, and the Annual Exhibition has become the standard by which all others are measured. |
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 Flight - 50" x 20" x 6" - $11500 |
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I like to feature something a little different in this section, and well, there's a lot of lines in this newsletter already. I've been hitting the easel and painting lately... Here's a small experiment in a limited palette of hansa yellow, titanium white, and a black (I don't remember for certain if it was mars or ivory), on a pre-toned ground of a light sage-ish green color. The ground almost perfectly matches the green created by a combination of the three pigments. Both white and black are cool-hued in artist pigments, and do create a desaturated green when mixed! Continuing this experiment, I'm working on another version with a muted red ground. |
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Tiffany Miller Russell www.wildlifeinpaper.com |
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