Stone Carving Swan Sculpture ~ Putting First Holes 2021-12-16 with artis...

The work on the swan marble carving continues. Today, showing you how I drill/carve holes into the stone and how to insure that I end up in the correct places. Here I have used a combination of my Bantam, a small pneumatic hammer with a three-tooth chisel; a double-cut carbide tip with a 6-inch shank for reaching into small hard-to-reach places; and a diamond disk for cutting open the space between the swan's wings in the back. 

 

 I appreciate your feedback, if these videos are interesting and worthwhile for you (or not). Leave your comments or questions below. And to see some of my finished stone carvings, go here: https://BorsheimArts.com 

 

Thank you for your interest and time! Cheers, Kelly

 

 

Free Holiday Gift, Art Giving Ideas ~ Borsheim Art News

Dear Art Lover,     

     Hello and happy December!  I know you are busy this month, so here is a quick summary of what is in this letter:

• The Art of Giving ~ tips by Singulart
• FREE gift for subscribers
• Holiday ornaments, but order SOON.
• Choice works of art
• Guest Artist gems

 

The Art of Giving

     If you are considering giving art of any kind, or even any gift other than food or consumables (candles, fire-starters, practical stuff, etc.), this article may be of use to you to help you decide WHAT you would like to give.

     My favorite quotes from this article, The Art of Giving from Singulart:  
"Your main goal here is to spark an emotion: may it be joy, serenity, confusion or surprise."

     "Gifting is about sharing. If you are happy about your purchase, you will share your emotions along with the gift and the recipient will feel it too. So keep it fun and inspiring for yourself too!"
https://blog.singulart.com/en/2020/11/27/the-art-of-gifting/

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FREE GIFT for subscribers!

     I currently have four designs of digital download GIFT TAGS.  If you visit my Etsy shop, please e-mail me or respond to this newsletter with the link copied from the browser of the ONE image that you would like to use for your holiday gifting, and I will send you the files as shown in the listing.

Go to the shop at:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/borsheimarts
See the menu at the left and select the 2nd one:  Gift Tags Wrap, click on the one you want and then send me that direct link for your free tags.  Buone Feste!



https://www.etsy.com/shop/borsheimarts?section_id=31926484

Not subscribed to Borsheim Art News yet (8 times per year)?  You may do so at the bottom of any page on my site:  https://BorsheimArts.com

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NEW stuff - Let us go Vintage!  

     Vintage Italian Digital Papers:  seems an oxymoron, no?  I photographed these antique designs hand-printed in Venezia, Italia and turned them into digital papers for scrap-booking, collage, and other craft uses.  I hope you enjoy (and more coming, little by little).

See them here: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/borsheimarts?section_id=36132521

 

Vintage Italian Posters: Great gifts for kitchen, dining room, or bar decor!

Check out these food & drink vintage posters: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/borsheimarts?section_id=36026976

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Venice Shoe ornaments: 

     I am so enamored of this illustration inspired by the Serenissima Island City.

1)  Plastic ovals ornaments with Venice Shoe design, printed on both sides and includes the year (hurry, because US shipping seems to be problematic this year):
https://www.zazzle.com/store/borsheimarts/products

2)  If you prefer wood ornaments (printed only on one side, but has a magnet on the back side), go here:
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/venice-shoe-kelly-borsheim.html?product=ornament&ornamentType=ornament-wood-oval
[Note:  I ordered two, and they arrived inside ONE gift bag.  Plan accordingly.]

and my shop there in case other images grab you:
https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-kelly-borsheim

     I take requests... if you want another image you do not see on this page, please write me and I will upload the one or two you want.

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Featured art for this lovely holiday season:

Fontana di Lucca, oil painting on canvas, 1200 USD: https://borsheimarts.com/products/fontana-di-lucca-painting-of-statue-womans-torso-lucca-italy

Together and Alone, bronze sculpture, 4200 USD:  https://borsheimarts.com/products/together-and-alone-bronze-sculpture-of-man-woman-couple

Entwined, charcoal and white pastel on grey paper, framed, 1700 USD:
https://borsheimarts.com/products/entwined-interlaced-fingers-charcoal-drawing  


Diver, one-of-a-kind marble sculpture, only 1800 USD:
https://borsheimarts.com/collections/stone-sculpture/products/diver-stone-carving-red-white-grey-marble-verticle-male-figure-sculpture

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Guest Artists: 

     Listed on the menu under Sculpture, check out creations by my friends:
https://borsheimarts.com/collections/guest-artists

Vasily Fedorouk: 

Pillow, ceramic sculpture --- so fun this one! And only $1000 US!
https://borsheimarts.com/collections/guest-artists/products/vasily-fedorouk-pillow-figure-ceramic-sculpture

Dragana Adamov:

For more information, click here:
https://borsheimarts.com/products/dragana-adamov-collection-plate-bird-on-hand

 

Large and small prints available.  Discover more here:

https://borsheimarts.com/products/venice-shoe-by-dragana-adamov

Kumiko Suzuki:

Marble Head ~ Woman, Carrara marble sculpture, 2200 USD:
https://borsheimarts.com/products/kumiko-suzuki-marble-portrait-sculpture

Charles Umlauf:  

For more views, visit:

https://borsheimarts.com/products/charles-umlauf-bronze-sculpture-the-kiss


     Happy Soltice soon enough.  Happy holidays!  I hope to disappear into my studio in this time of merry-making, but I would love to hear how you spend this month.

Cheers and hugs,

Kelly Borsheim, artist

 

Contact Borsheim Arts Studio

 

     Thank you for your comments and feedback.  It helps to create art content that you want to see.

Be the first to see new art:  Subscribe to this newsletter on my site (links above)!

Postcard of Lucca, Italy Commissioned Painting ~ Adding Streetlight Rays...

Waking Up in Castelvecchio Valleriana Toscana Italia 2021-09-22 by Kelly...

Dumpster Diving in Seravezza

Happy mid-September... new art post:

Behind the scenes look for Patrons on Patreon for as little as $2.

and a huge thank you!

 

One man's waste really could become another man's treasure...

https://www.patreon.com/posts/56140087

Simpatici Gondoliers in Venice Italy

 Love Venice, Italy?  How about the people?  Here you see Fabio and Stefano, two cool gondoliers, being playful for me while we chatted one foggy evening.  Get this and other downloadable photo files instantly and print out for personal use.

SALE!  20% OFF

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1059187678/venice-italy-photograph-of-two-playful

20% off on all listing in this shop... Customize your home decor now. Prices start around $4 and go up.

Sale ends when August does.

#venicewallart #gondoliere #VeniceItalyphoto #Simpatici #artprintable #digitaldownloadItaly #photooftheday #peoplephotography #Italianmen 

 

 

Hummingbird Moth in Valleriana, Toscana, Italia, Images by Kelly Borsheim

Pastel Painting ~ Lavender In Grasses 2021-07-31 with artist Kelly Borsheim

Atlas Stone Carving 2021-07-17 Leg Anatomy with Kelly Borsheim

Pastel Drawings Promo Video 15sec BorsheimArts.com

Drawing Charcoal Pastel - Ayala and Leopard 20210621 Pt1 with Kelly Bors...

Atlas Marble Stone Carver's Block WIP 2021 June 9 Sculptor Kelly Borsheim

Atlas Stone Carving WIP 2021June 2-4 Kelly Borsheim, marble Sculptor / A...

Visualizing Art in Your Home

      Do you have a difficulty (as I do) in imagining how the mat and frame will look in its entirety around your chosen artwork just by looking at the corners the frame shop shows you?
     While I like the classic offset mat (slightly more mat on the bottom of the art) with a simple black or dark frame and non-glare glass for charcoal and pastel drawings, I do not have an eye for framing.  The good thing is that I know it and thus, most of the time, I trust my framers to use their taste and skills.  For the framers I know and trust, I often just drop off my art and do not even look at some of the choices they think about.

    Well, to this end, the same logic occurred to me that maybe people have a hard time envisioning how a work of art (drawing, painting, or sculpture) will look in an environment, home or garden.  

    Thus, I have been spending a lot of time these last several months buying some room mockups and learning how to create faux demonstration frames and finally, recently, I learned how to create shadows, at least for wall-hung objects.

     "A picture is worth a thousand words."  How true.  I do worry that the mockups are too clean to be seen as real living spaces, but on the other hand, I think it is obvious that the goal is to help YOU envision the art in place.  And you, naturally, recognize that your home is unique and thus, you are only looking for a better idea of how the art might look installed somewhere.  

    Also, the images give a better idea of the artwork size.  It is difficult to be precise on this when I am creating these images, but I try to be as accurate as possible.   Prints of my 2-dimensional creations can be made in a variety of sizes, so ask away if you need something in a size that you have not seen yet on my site or in either of my shops on Etsy.  
[I have two shops on Etsy, specializing in slightly different media
Fine art prints from drawings, pastels, and paintings:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/borsheimarts

and
Photography, mostly available as digital downloads at prices under $10 US, often under $5.  Print for personal use.  You receive the files immediately upon payment.  Just download with the easy link provided (or see your e-mail for the link), print on material of your choice (from paper, canvas, wood, metal, pillows, mugs, tote bags, etc... as long as it is for personal use (gifts) and you are not reselling my images.
Shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/borsheimartsStudio

Now, some more images to help you visualize my art in your home... and thank you for your interest.  Share and please comment.
Thanks,
Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, artist
P.S.  See behind-the-scenes creations stuff at:  
https://www.patreon.com/KellyBorsheim

Hammer Chisels and a New Marble Sculpture Atlas

 Hello and happy June!

   This special Patreon post is about a new marble carving WIP about Atlas (too tired to keep holding his burden of separating the sky from the Earth). I show you three different hammer and chisel options, as well as sharing some thoughts about the pose and anatomy to support the idea of the artwork in the making. Come on over and have a look!

https://www.patreon.com/KellyBorsheim

#stonecarving #supportart #marblesculpture #artpatron #stonetools #hammerandchisel #artprocess

 

 

BorsheimArts Marble Sculpture WIP-start of Plum Flowers 2021 05 04

Ponte Canal Venezia: Adding the Figure in the Tabarro Part1a-1b 2021-04-...

Ponte Canal Venezia Charcoal Drawing Finishing Touches before Adding Ano...

La Benedizione dell'Ulivo, Castelvecchio in Valleriana, Toscana, Italia ...

Mural painting - Fixing a Too-Bright Color tone with artist Kelly Borshe...

Moving Marble Sculpture "Serenity" BorsheimArts 2021-03-15

Deciding on Polish Level, Carving Stone with Kelly Borsheim 2021-03-09

Buon San Valentino!

Happy Valentine's Day and thank you for sharing the love!

It has been a difficult year for all of us and hopefully we appreciate now more than ever our social connections to one another.

 

I hope that you are able to spend this holiday, at least, with someone(s) you care about. In lieu of that, go out and make someone's day just a bit brighter. A smile, a hug, a conversation, or a shared meal make a world of difference. Especially now.

I appreciate you! Hugs,

Kelly 

 

     Here, I would like to share with you one of my favorite photos taken in 2020.  It was Halloween and I was wandering around a foggy Venezia in Italia.  These two gondoliers, especially Fabio (on the left) REALLY wanted me to buy a ride on a gondola.  Venice, Italy, has become a bit of a ghost town after Covid hit.  It is a city that depends heavily on tourism.  However, Fabio and Stefano were simpatici with me and we had some fun conversation.  If I had had the money, they would have received it, and I would have gotten some wonderful images of Venezia in the fog from the point of view of the Grand Canal.

 

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/948539948/venice-italy-gondoliers

 

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/946521546/charcoal-nude-figure-drawing

 

 

And thank you so much! Enjoy your art,
Kelly

P.S. To see the rest of my fine art offerings here, go to:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BorsheimArts

To buy digital downloads of my PHOTOGRAPHY, go to:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BorsheimArtsStudio

My original art, including also sculpture in stone and bronze, visit my site:
https://BorsheimArts.com

Carnevale Sunrise . . . for those who love Venezia!

 

Carnevale Sunrise . . . for those who love Venezia!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/955086927/venice-italy-painting-carnival-prints

I hope you find a way to celebrate this Carnevale, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, as you wish!

How to Self-Critique a Drawing in Charcoal - Realistic Art Venice Italy ...

20th Art Anniversary Sale: FRAMED Art

     My 20th Art Anniversary Sale, through Feb. 15, 2021. These five images are all FRAMED reproductions of my original charcoal and/or pastel artworks.
Each of the four large ones you see here are ON SALE for $200 US [plus shipping from Norfolk, Virginia USA]. 

The small nude of Valentina in Venice, Italy, is ON SALE for $150 US, plus shipping.
Message me to claim your artwork! 

Left to right: World Traveler (Pinocchio with old world map and music and globe); top: Ponte Vecchio (Florence), below: Hindsight; The Letter; and Memories of Venice.

[please note that the text you see on the Ponte Vecchio and Hindsight is only a reflection inside the gallery. These are framed in either a clear plastic [better for shipping] or glass [the small one]. I do recommend changing that out if your display area gives too much distraction in reflection and buy Museum Glass or any other type of non-reflective glass.]

More about the pastel and charcoal drawings:

World Traveler (Pinocchio):  A well-told story will travel further and through time more than its author can! $200, plus shipping from Norfolk, Virginia USA, Framed 24 x 18-inch reproduction

 

Please contact the studio directly if you would like to acquire World Traveler:  

https://borsheimarts.com/pages/contact

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 The Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), Florence, Italy:  Maria the beggar casts a long shadow while the tourists ignore her for views of the Florentine landscape.  

$200, plus shipping from Norfolk, Virginia USA, Framed 14 x 18-inch reproduction

 

 Please contact the studio directly if you would like to acquire Il Ponte Vecchio ~Florence, Italy:  

https://borsheimarts.com/pages/contact

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The Letter:  A woman receives a letter during a party in a Tuscan home above Firenze.  What story would you put with this image?

$200, plus shipping from Norfolk, Virginia USA, Framed 33 x 16-inch reproduction

Please contact the studio directly if you would like to acquire The Letter:  

https://borsheimarts.com/pages/contact

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The Nudes:

Hindsight:  In the quiet moments alone, what thoughts enter . . .  

$200, plus shipping from Norfolk, Virginia USA, Framed 19 x 25-inch reproduction

 

Please contact the studio directly if you would like to acquire Hindsight:  

https://borsheimarts.com/pages/contact

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 Memories of Venice, Italy (Valentina):  Live Models have a lot of time while posing to virtual travel.  This reproduction is smaller than the others above.

$150, plus shipping from Norfolk, Virginia USA, Framed 15 x 11-inch reproduction

 

Please contact the studio directly if you would like to acquire Memories of Venice:  

https://borsheimarts.com/pages/contact

At these prices, these realism drawing copies are a great way to brighten and personalize your home or even give art as a gift!  

Thank you for supporting my work,

Kelly Borsheim, artist

https://borsheimarts.com

 

Borsheim Art Newsletter Excerpt: Museo Stefano Bardini

 Dear Art Lover,

Well, this transition took me a while. How are you? I have now been back in Italy for over a month and am working to create new art for another solo exhibit here in Florence in June. I enclose here a small thumbnail image of the pastel painting "Still Life: Fiesole" inspired by one of my friend's home in the hills above Florence. Click on the image to see more.

--------------------- Museo Stefano Bardini - Florence, Italy       Florence, Italy, recently celebrated its "Notte Bianca" (White Night). This is a night in which all of the famous central part of the city comes out to play, even more than usual. Street performers are out, wine and music are flowing, and there was a wonderfully dynamic video installation projected over (and using) the architecture of the Uffizi Gallery's Corridor.         One of the other perks is that some of the museums stayed open late and were free to enter. So, I want to share with you some of the jewels inside the Museo Stefano Bardini.         Stefano Bardini was an avid art collector and is said to have had a natural ability to successfully display together works from different time periods. The first thing that one must notice is that the walls are a soft blue, very unlike the typically warm Tuscan yellows. But the blues perfectly enhance the creamy colors in the stone sculptures.          Perhaps I should admit one of my weaknesses: I rarely remember the names of the artists or the titles of the works. I realize that is perhaps unhealthy for a professional artist. However, especially in a museum, I find myself overwhelmed with what I AM looking for, that the labels often seem unimportant. Even as a child I was interested in the idea more than the source, unless that source was essential to that idea.        So, if you want to know more about the artwork that I am showing you, please visit the Museo Stefano Bardini. They also have more clear images on their site than the ones that I have shot here. See the full article with images here:  https://borsheimarts.com/blogs/news/museo-stefano-bardini-florence-italy        I just love the two animals in the upper right corner of the image on the right. My favorite are the ears!        I first became interested in bas-relief sculpture after spending two days working with it in a sculpture workshop with Eugene Daub many years ago. I learned then its potential and have since stopped calling it "Puffy Painting." However, it has been Italy where I began to appreciate the full range of what one can do in relief. Sculptors know that we must carve for the light and we only can assume, for the most part, that that light will come from above.      Look at the detail shot of the pulpit - can you see how the artist maximized the use of undercuts to create the shadows necessary to distinguish the form. If you really look at this stone carving in relief, you will notice just how many different tones are there, based soley on the way the stone was carved or how deep or angled an undercut (narrow and angled creating a darker shadow). Brilliant! And lovely.      Oh, the expressiveness. Oh, the creativity. Oh, the technique. Without electricity, these forms were cut from stone. Do you know how difficult this really is?        Such magnificient and imaginative creatures. These carvings seem a bit crudely created to me and yet, they have their own charm.      Really, I was so enchanted not only by the blue, but the way in which busy carvings were put together with a harmony of line and simplicity.  Maybe from the Della Robbia studio, famous for the blue backgrounds on white ceramic bas-relief sculptures. These stairs remind me of Michelangelo's Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, also here in Firenze.       The ceilings are spectacular! What is amazing is that some of the designs and executions may not appear complicated, but put together over a large area, and ... wow, what an effect! "The drawings in Bardini's collection were mainly ascribed to Giovan Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) and his son Lorenzo (1736-1776)." (I photographed the sign . . . )      "These bronze statuettes are ascribed to Severo da Ravenna's workshop. They are really expressive and represent sea monsters, pagan gods, winged dragons, lamps, acrobats and little naked angels, licentious satyrs, candle holders and other profane subjects." [sic, on the grammar]      "There is another lamp representing a licentious subject, so as to instigate laughter when it was lit. These kinds of objects were requested above all by humanists, often fond of studying nature. That's why the bases were frequently cast on real animal legs, such as the cock's foot on this lamp."         I found this crucified figure intriguing because his body did not fit the shape of a cross. Perhaps I am crude to say that the abstract shape appeals to me as having a graceful flow to it.      From the museum: "Over them [two figures not shown here] is hung a Crucified Thief, of which the cross has been lost. In the 1918 New York auction catalogue, Bardini presented the bronze as a work of Zaccaria da Volterra, based on Michelangelo's design."      I do not understand how they can place this figure on a cross -- would not both feet have been secured? The lower arm was dangling from a rope on the arm of the cross? The figure's back is as well formed as the front. I am certainly no expert, but many sculptors only shape the parts that will be seen. On the other hand, perhaps a slender cross would allow spaces in which the body could be viewed. In that case, a sculpture in the round would be much easier to create and better for a thorough viewing.      Now, here is a happy fellow in this center image! And displayed among other bronze reliefs of madonnas and religious figures (not shown).[I do apologize for the refection of my camera in this shot!] It is sad to see the damage done to this wooden vessel. But what a glory piece she is!      While I am not personally much interested in weaponry, the part of me that loves science fiction and fantasy art was intrigued by these spear shapes. Perhaps the holes were made to make the metal lighter, but they are still beautifully crafted. Gotta love this: Naked guy angel on a gun? Just look at the size of those thighs! Mamma mia! Stone, metal, wood: Sculpture is da bomb!      Oh, I wish that I had gotten a better image of this lion in restoration - this area was behind a locked glass door.       I know a tour guide for Florence who recently posted on Facebook that although the Florentines used the lion as their symbol before they adopted the current fleur-di-lis (different from France's), the artists had never even seen a lion, other than looking at ancient artworks. However, this lion is so much more elegant in form that it makes me wonder . . . For example, I love that graceful triangular taper from the rib cage to the hips.   Giambologna's frightful creature Diavolino (little devil) gives me a theory about where Dr. Seuss came up with "The Grinch that Stole Christmas".     I must say that I enjoyed this idea of wallpaper (in truth a fresco) turning out to be a curtain.      Maybe these works are not famous (the sculpture on the right is a fountainhead), but I hope you recognize the artistry in them. And I hope that I have left you wanting more. ------------------- Recent Blog Topics: The Fisherboy, bronze sculpture by Gemito in Bargello Museum Pastel Streetpainting in Florence, Italy Liberation Day - Italy The Ceiling of the Uffizi Museum Part Two of Day with the Diva Judy Witts Francini and the Conti Family (food market tour)   Interested? Subscribe online at: http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.com (This is a different subscription list than the one for this art newsletter.)   That's it for now. I hope to see you soon! Thank you for reading and by all means, forward this newsletter to anyone you think would enjoy it. All of the events mentioned here are open to the public.   Pace (peace), Kelly Borsheim 5 May 2010 Sign-up to receive FREE e-news or printed mail. Return to Read Other Newsletters - Table Of Contents Page   If you enjoy Borsheim Art News, please forward it to friends and colleagues. It comes to you about 6-8 times a year from Cedar Creek, Texas-based artist Kelly Borsheim.   Home  | Contact Artist Copyright © 2010 Kelly Borsheim All Rights Reserved