Pastels By Dave: Another spaceship related piece. This one is call...

Pastels By Dave:  Another spaceship related piece. This one is call...:   Another spaceship related piece. This one is called "Space Race" and features many 50's era spaceships that I wish I ow...

 

Another spaceship related piece. This one is called "Space Race" and features many 50's era spaceships that I wish I owned.

It is kind of an interstellar take on street racing from the 50's & 60's. You can see that the Buck Rogers Rocket Police Patrol is closing in on the other ships having a run through the cosmos.

The piece is 6 x 18 and is pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord, my favorite surface.

If the framing comes in, this one will be included in the show with Paul Chapman at the Corner Gallery, located on the first floor of the Shirt Factory in Glens Falls, NY



 

Finally, settling back into my studio after a visit to Hogwarts and Hogsmeade with my family. First major trip with the rv, and it was quite an adventure!

 

 

Here is a little 5 x 7 that I did today. Hope you enjoy, it's called "Rocket Racer"

 

I think the toy rocket dates back to the fifties, have to see if I can find some more from this era. Great old tin toys, with a lot of sharp edges.



 

 

Here is the latest update on the "One A Week" Series

This is week 7

The pastel is called "Flash Dance"

See if anyone can catch the reason for the title.

 

The still life actually happened by accident. I just grabbed some items off my shelf, set them up in a cigar box, and as I worked on the drawing it struck me that this could be a construction worker done for the day and he stopped by a dance club for a cold one.

 

Hope you enjoy



 

 

I know I promised an update a week, but I got a little behind working on entries for shows, doing some landscaping, and other projects.

Here is the latest One-A-Week:

 

This on is called "Al E. Gator", the last of my circus animals. All of the circus animal small paintings are part of a larger piece called "Tah-Dah! The Grand Finale".

I will post that image here as soon as it is finished.

Hope you enjoy!



 

Here is the latest in the

"One A Week" Series

 

 

This one is called "Panda Twins" and was complete during the week of April 21 - 27

It was a lot of fun to work on, I think the pandas enjoyed it, too.



 

 

New Pastel by Dave Francis, PSA

 

 

"In The Stacks"

This is a new pastel that I have been working on (and off) for about the month and a half. Other projects kept interrupting this on. It is based on the same bookstore in Cooperstown, NY that I visited last year. I like the feel of being on the floor looking through the stacks of books that couldn't find a space on the overcrowded shelves.



 

 

One A Week #4

 

The Shy Giraffe

Again, this is a small study done for a much larger painting. You can see hints of the other animals involved if you look closely.

Enjoy!

 

Next week: "Panda Twins"



 

 

One A Week #3

 

Here is the third painting in my one a week series.

It is called "Tah-Dah"

and is of one of my favorite plastic animals.

 

It was done during the week of April 7 - 13

Hope you enjoy



 

 

I forgot to mention that the "One A Week" pastel I posted yesterday was done during the week of March 24 - 30

 

 

Here is the pastel from week number two, it's called "Lion Up!"

 

Enjoy!



 

BIG NEWS FROM THE

Northeast National Pastel Exhibition

At View Arts, Old Forge, NY

 

 

 

My pastel, "Out of the Bag" was selected for an award at this year's national exhibition.

Really thrilled, also my good friend Corey Pitkin won the Outstanding Portrait Award at the same show.



 

 

Once again, it's been a while since I've blogged anything, but I have been busy!

 

I am starting a program to improve how I work, it's an idea that I adapted from the painting a day productivity program. Only I am setting out to do a small, 5 x 7, pastel each week from now through the end of the year. Below is the first of these little guys, I call it "Tiger, Tiger".

 

It's from my set of plastic toys.

 

The idea, for me, with these paintings is an attempt to work quickly and a little more loosely.

 I will post each week's pastel here and on my website: www.defrancispastels.com

 

I hope you enjoy the series.



 

 

A couple of updates.

I got really busy setting up a juried show at the Shirt Factory Gallery and forgot about updating the "All That Jazz" pastel. Here is the finished painting, and it has a "Hold" on it at it's debut show at the Clement Gallery in Troy, NY.

 

 

 

Had a lot of fun with this one.

 

Also, here is a new painting, inspired by a fellow artist that always tells me I should mat my pastels.

 

 

Another fun piece. I painted the mat board in first, then brought the air liner out over it. The painting is called "Now Boarding" Hope you like it.



Hitting the home stretch. Getting ready to put the finishing touches on. Will hit the studio again tonight after dinner. I'm hoping I should be able to finish it up tonight.

 

 

Here is today's update. Got quite a lot done.

 

 

Doing a lot of work on the background as well as foreground elements. Getting close to the
"home stretch", and close to finishing. Maybe a couple more days to go.



 

 

Today's late update, actually shows the results of a couple of full days in the studio.

 

 

A lot of work has been done on both the background and main elements. I had to get creative with the trumpet, as my model was missing the tube that connects to the mouth piece. I think it is coming along really well. Painting my hat is kind of a pain in the butt, though.

 

Saving the shot glass full of whiskey for last. For some reason, I've having a hard time keeping the whiskey in the glass. Must be evaporating before I can paint it.



 

 

 

Here is the latest update, will post another tonight.

 

 

 

Beginning the color work. Taking a lot of time with the background elements and the shadows being cast by the trumpet, very complicated background going on,



 

 

 

Here is the next step in my process. I have started doing more detailed drawings, then inking them in with sepia ink. This step helps me work out any potential problem areas ahead of time.

 

 

 

 

This is the ink and pencil drawing for "All That Jazz". This will later be transferred to an Ampersand Pastelbord support, my favorite surface for pastels.

At Long Last, New Work

It's been a long time since Ive posted anything, but once again, I am going to do my best to keep this blog updated and current. I will also be launching my new blog "Glens Falls Art Seen" with a review of the upcoming "Shirt Factory Juried Small Works Show" in March. Hopefully you will follow that one also.

Here is the set up for a new still life pastel.

 

 

This is a still life inspired by some smooth jazz that I've been listening to in the studio. I am imagining it as a back room, or dressing room, at a small jazz club where performers wait to go on stage. They share notes, music, and clubs they've played at as they wait to play the music they love.