SHADES OF GREY

This past December, our major newspaper ran a series of the early black and white Society photos of a famous photographer who had made his home in the area. They were so beautiful with all their rich black and white nuances, and they inspired me to pick up my graphite pencils again. I finished BLACK ON WHITE on New Years Eve and posted it at once. (Don't I have the exciting life!) I wanted it to be my first official piece of the new year, a personal symbol of change in my art and in my life. Two days later, I started the companion piece SHADES OF GREY.
I gave myself a bit of a challenge with this one by choosing to draw an Andalusian stallion in a foggy background - shades of grey.
Graphite is an exacting medium that requires much thought before putting pencil to paper, not only at the beginning, but all the way through. Graphite does not allow for any but the smallest of mistakes and reworking. This is a medium for the patient. It takes time, lots of time, to cover the paper one thin, carefully placed pencil line at a time; it takes time to gradually build up the layers of pigment to get the required depth, and to go back as often as needed to develop the subtle textures and detail. A reasonably simple 8 x 10 drawing like Shades of Grey takes me a minimum of two weeks - it took nearly two hours to do a one and a half inch by two inch area of grass beneath the big tree. Grass can drive you crazy. I like to work intensely for several hours until my hand, eyes, and concentration give out, and then stop unil the next day.
I have to say that it has been wonderful to dip back into this medium for a little while, and I will be returning to it more often after this, but now, I need to move back to colour again.
Both BLACK ON WHITE and SHADES OF GREY are available for $125. each.

Heather Anderson
http://www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com/

American Cocker Spaniel portrait

I think I am finally getting my breath back after the rush of Christmas portraits. The months leading up to Christmas were wonderfully hectic, and now I am enjoying the quieter pace of January where I have time to put my brush and pencils down once in a while to sit back and enjoy a cup of tea while it is still hot, and to watch the sparkle of snow diamonds outside my window.

It is always a delight to paint a beautiful furry face, and to me, they are all beautiful. But sometimes, a certain one brings back lovely memories of a dog I have known. This was the case with this pretty ASCOB American Cocker Spaniel. She reminded me of the days long ago when I couldn't wait to help out at a kennel full of these delightful little dogs. My favourite was a personable blond, very much like this one. As with most of my portraits, this was done in Coloured Pencil over Watercolour.





Heather Anderson


http://www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com/

BLACK ON WHITE Friesian graphite drawing

I decided to start the new year with the elegance of Black On White. Many years ago, I worked exclusively in graphite, and despite the medium's delicacy and unforgiving nature, I loved working in shades of grey. One of my art teachers told me that one day, I would discover colour and never look back, and he was right - for the most part. Eventually, I moved on to watercolour and loved it, but every so often, I still get the urge to get out the graphite pencils and work in a black and white world. I couldn't resist drawing this Friesian, my first new Horse Drawing of the New Year, in graphite.

Heather Anderson

www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com

Sleigh Bells

December is upon us, and this year, we have snow already. When we first moved to the village we live in, there were a lot of horse people living here, and sometimes in winter, you could see people driving past in their sleighs. It was lovely to hear the sound of sleigh bells approaching. One winter, with a borrowed driving horse and sleigh, I tried my hand at driving, and it was wonderful. This Colored Pencil painting, "Sleighbells" with a willing Morgan and delighted Shelties brings back happy memories of that winter.

Heather Anderson

http://www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com/

Pool Party

This past summer, I was asked to do a very challenging commission. My client wanted a painting with 7 Golden Retrievers in it for a Presentation Gift. All the dogs were owned by the person who was going to receive the painting.

I decided to go with Coloured Pencil for this one. Each dog was to be an individual mini portrait so there was no attempt to place them all in proportion to one another, but I needed something to pull the whole painting together. As so many of the photos of the dogs showed them playing in and around the pool, it was a natural anchor for my painting. Many photos were used in this piece, several of each dog, and I hoped that I had made each one an individual.

POOL PARTY was presented late last month, and now I am free to present it on my website and blog. The recipient loved the painting, and to my delight, effortlessly picked out each one of her dogs. Happy faces all around!

Heather Anderson

www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com

November

Frosty mornings, dark, leafless trees, and silvery skies announce that November is here again. On cold, rainy November days, the Shelties take as little time as possible on their trips outside, much preferring to curl up on a cozy couch in front of a window to watch the world go by. I love November. To me, it is a month of mystery and dark elegance. I think if November was a horse, it would be a Friesian.

www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com

BOO!

Here is our last Sheltie Hollow Spook. Bram is our leader, and he isn't about to let the girls get ahead of him. His favourite costume is this ghost that was made especially for him. He happily "haunts" the house for treats, and was gracious enough to pose for this little watercolour painting.

From Bram, Lily, and all of us here at Sheltie Hollow, have a safe and Spooktacular Halloween.

Heather Anderson

http://www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com/