Vernazza Cinque Terre Spotlight Splash Drawings

Dear Art Lover,

     Here are two of my recent charcoal drawings finished:  Spotlight and Splash.  They were inspired by a trip to the Cinque Terre in Italy… specifically, the coastal town of Vernazza.  Where the mountains meet the sea, drama often ensues.  And with what beauty!  I hope you enjoy these works.  They may sell individually, but I offer a savings if bought together or with any other of my artworks.  I will include free shipping so the math is easy.  See some process images and prices online:

 http://www.borsheimarts.com/charcoal-drawing/2017/SpolightSplash-CinqueTerreSeascape.htm

     So, I recently published days ago my September art newsletter with the theme, “Wind, Water, and Wisteria” because alliteration is just fun.  You may read the whole thing online with lots more images here:  http://www.borsheimarts.com/news/201709_Artnews_WindWaterWisteria.htm

     Now, off to continue this precision mural I stopped working on seems like a year ago . . . [it is in my own home, so … ]

Peace,

Kelly Borsheim, artist

http://BorsheimArts.com

P.S. IF original art, while affordable, is STILL a bit out of your budget, or the piece you adored has sold?  Or do you like arty things in different formats, to surround yourself with art?  Looking for a gift?  See my store online for pillow, phone cases, shower curtains, towels, tote bags, and yes, even prints on metal, wood, canvas, and so much more:

https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-kelly-borsheim.html

Colorful Compositions In Pastel and Easter in Italia

Dear Art-Loving Friend,

I am trying to prepare for my trip soon to Australia… I will be judging an art completion, teaching workshops, and much more for a couple of weeks in May during the Sarita Arts Festival, 25th anniversary… and then a sweet friend and I will be going to Tasmania. 

So, I want to start working on landscape images.  Just as my still-life studies are my attempts to get good at things in which I had previously little experience, my landscape works will lead, I hope, to larger and more complex compositions.  In the tradition of artists ateliers, most professional artist had assistants specialize in certain parts of a whole paintings… but I want to do it all.  Surprised?  Hahah. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these two pastel artworks.   They came from a trip I took to visit a friend in Santa Margherita Ligure, on the northwestern coast of Italy.   Several of us artists hiked to Portofino and I loved this grassy field we came upon during our hike.

"Santa Margherita Grasses I"
20 x 28 cm pastel on UArt Sanded Paper
copyright 2014 by Kelly Borsheim
http://borsheimarts.com/
Available $350 including worldwide shipping [or both for $600, including shipping]

"Santa Margherita Grasses II (con PomPoms)"
20 x 28 cm pastel on UArt Sanded Paper
copyright 2014 by Kelly Borsheim
http://borsheimarts.com/
Available $350 including worldwide shipping [or both for $600, including shipping]


On another topic, Easter (or Pasqua, as it is called here in Florence, Italy) is celebrated tomorrow.  Several years ago, they changed the mass with the Blessing of the Relic to Saturday evening before Easter morning festivities.  This is the post I wrote when I attended this mass years ago, with images, of course:
http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.it/2010/04/easter-in-florence-italy.html

And here are some of my images of a past version of the fantastical (or as one of my British friends called it:  Willy Wonka-ish) spectacle of the Explosion of the Cart, Florence’s Easter celebration:
 http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.it/2008/03/easter-in-florence-italy.html
Allora, Buona Pasqua!
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Did you know that my blog is searchable?   Just visit the main page:
http://artbyborsheim.blogspot.com
and see the search term entry box just below the subscription section on the right. 
Happy searching and if there is a topic you would enjoy my writing about, please let me know what it is.  Thank you for reading! 

Art and Life Pastel Painting

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Sometimes life and art coincide, sometimes they just do not seem related at all. Back in 1995, I had an accident on a three-way skateboard at a ToysRUs [no worries, the toy store took this disaster off of the market after my proof of its danger -- I can be quite convincing -- ha!] In a matter of seconds, I had damaged my spine and broken three of my front teeth. This year, one of those teeth started to rot [external resorption, the dentist called it] and very recently, it was removed. I will have quite the gorgeous smile for several months now, as my normal bone will grow in place of the cadaver’s bone that was put into the vacated space in my jaw.

Anyway, I recently finished a new pastel painting and was contemplating the title of the work. Sometimes I start with a title, sometimes they come to me as the work emerges, but this time…I needed some help. It is good to have friends!

I saw this image of a table for two with the leaf of a palm plant and a single white calla lily and unopened bottle of wine as a setting full of potential. It seems to leave more questions than answers, allowing one’s imagination to take off. What will be served? Who will enjoy the meal, the wine? What will they talk about? And after?

While I had fun with the technical aspects of painting transparent objects and creating another one of my pastel paintings, trying to be a bit of a minimalist with color on black paper, I imagined many a scenario.

I hope you enjoy “A Night’s Promise” and let your imagination run wild.


After my surgery, I was told to eat only soft foods for several days and that later, I will not be able to eat with my Essex retainer that hosts the false temporary front tooth. My imagination now turned towards one party at the table being too shy to smile or sipping only wine, or perhaps soup … ANYTHING soft to avoid sharing the beautiful reality during this one special dinner.

And that made me smile . . . again.


Allora, I GOOFED! E.A.S.T. is NOT happening this weekend, but the next two. My exhibits page is correct, while my overwhelmed brain is out to lunch.

Saturday, November 13 & 14 and again November 20 & 21
Sculptor Beth Schoen's Open Studio: guest artist Kelly Borsheim
4601 Smith Road
Austin, Texas
Tel. 512.740.7817
Both weekends, four days: 10 am to 5 p.m. Hope to see you there!

[Thank you, Simon, for the title of this pastel painting!]

Nicolas Original Portrait Drawing

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I have a friend named Nicolas who cheers me up every time I see him. He is smiling almost all of the time. He wears ORANGE after all (the happy, social color), but it suits him really. He has worked in so many parts of the world and in the most interesting jobs, including working for the French Consulate and being an actor in Hollywood. Last night he sat for me while I created a portrait sketch of him.

I hope you enjoy this portrait of Nicolas. He laughed after seeing my sketch and said that now he knows why he will never be married. Modest guy. I do not know if I have ever drawn anyone quite so jovial and I love the personality in this drawing.

Today while I was out spraying fixative over the charcoal and thick paper, my padrone and coinquillino (landlord and roommate, respectively) Luca thought it would be fun to put Nicolas (the drawing, not the man) into his lemon tree. Ok, so each person appreciates art in a different way. Nicolas (the man, not the drawing) would be the kind to turn lemons to lemonade.

But seriously, this original charcoal drawing of a man’s portrait measures 36 x 25 cm (14.25" x 10") and is available.

In the meantime, I have been enjoying schiacciata alla fiorentina, a cake with crème between layers and topped with decorative powdered sugars. It is specifically made by Florentines before Carnevale and has the Florentine fleur-de-lis on the top. It is delicious, and a good thing because the crème makes it not so easy to keep around.

Memories of Venice Original Art

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

One of the things I came to Italy to improve is my ability to add an environment to a figure in art. When I began drawing this lovely standing pose with my friend and model Valentina, I had no idea of where I was going. I mean, as far as what other shapes would surround her.

I know that people often call the style of art that I create “photo realism” but that is not the mentality I have when I approach my work. And thus, while I was designing the shape of the shadow the model cast on the floor, I created a wave.

This water theme stuck with me throughout the 5-week pose and what was in reality a slanted easel supporting the model’s hand became a famous and distinctive Venetian canal pole. And because one element does not a story make, I began to try other symbols of Venice to create a pleasing composition that did not take away from the figure.


Determining the composition has been a slow process for me. I drew the model in the late spring of 2008. I am not a faster producer, but also I tried many things that just did not work for me. Everything I arranged seemed like “too much information.” I played around with various shapes and sizes, until things felt comfortably pleasing to my eye.

There is an obvious diagonal going across the image plane, but I wanted something more to slow down the gaze. I wanted to move the viewer’s eye from the gondolas up through the cathedral to the model’s right hand and then face before traveling back down the left arm and then to the hand. For me, this was another nautilus shell composition. Apparently, I feel pretty at peace with shapes from the sea.

“Memories of Venice” will be part of my 3-week solo exhibit here in Florence, Italy, starting on 16 April. However, I have no problems exhibiting a sold piece, so if you know someone who would love to own this original drawing, please give him or her my contact information!

“Memories of Venice” is an original drawing in various materials (mostly charcoal) on Umbria brand paper. She measures 69 x 49 cm (27" x 19.5").

Painting of Venice Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

In the constant tug-of-war between land and sea, Venice, Italy, can be glorious. I have only been there twice, but each time was a different experience. The watery city is full of wonky mathematics that I find abundantly charming. Nothing seems quite right, the city itself is in motion.

The persistent struggle with the sea is opposite of the seemingly carefree life that most visitors see. I watched the gondoliers steer their gondole among canals that twist and turn and connect most everything. The gentile curves of these Italian boats remind me of the many bridges, turned upside down.

I created this painting “Shadows of Venice” to share with you the yin-yang of the Venetian play of light. In addition, the line following the curve of the gondola silhouette and moving into the curve of the bridge in front of it reminds me of a sine wave.

I hope you like the slightly loose brush strokes in the art, the drama of the shadows against a bright sunny day, and the tranquillity of this scene. Imagine yourself coasting along in the gondola and feel relaxed.

This original oil painting of Venice, Italy, is painted on primed wood and measures 18 x 24 cm (approximately 9.5 x 7 inches). Her price is $250 with free shipping from Florence, Italy, to you wherever you are. Payment plans and checks are also accepted if you prefer those to using the PayPal clickable button here.

I also wanted to thank those who wrote to me about the loss of my bicycle seat (which Doria told me is called a sella (‘saddle’ as if a bike were a horse) and then Luca corrected to sellino, which means ‘little saddle.’). I returned to Dario who runs the bicycle shop at Via Dei Macci, 63r. He set me up quite rapidly, changed out the lever mechanism to deter theft, and afterwards I bought a small lock to give extra protection from future thefts.

This is the third time I have been to Dario’s shop. He came recommended by my friend Elisabeth. One time I helped my friend Skye bring her bike in after she had an accident with a motorcycle the night before. She was OK, but her back tire was crunched horribly. Dario was thorough and fast and Skye was happy with the price. I am happy to have found him because I was not amused with the business tactics of the first bike repair shop I gave my money to.

Buonasera!

Against the Dying of the Light Sculpture

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I am so excited! And I owe many thanks to a generous collector of original art, who took advantage of my monthly payment plan offer. I not only received financial assistance in continuing my work in Italy this past year, but together we were also able to realize my newest bronze sculpture.

This autobiographical artwork is titled “Against the Dying of the Light” and he stands a total of 56 inches tall (x 14” x 13”). I created this work while thinking of the beauty and triumph in the struggle against something that feels greater than oneself. Two large hands grab a man’s extended legs as he angrily resists the pull, arching his back and clenching his fingers.

I did not create this bronze figurative sculpture to decorate someone’s living room. This work is intense and people recognize this and that is the word most often used in the description. I am OK with that. This sculpture composition is honest and pure . . . and I hope you agree, beautiful.

Many collectors have taken advantage of my monthly payment plan for adding my works to their collections. Basically, the offer is this: pay a non-refundable (but transferable) one-third deposit and then choose the amount and the date in each month in which you would like to purchase your Borsheim artwork. And the best part: NO finance charges!

Combine this with my pre-casting / introductory price on this new bronze sculpture, and it becomes easy to obtain the original art that you want. The Introductory Price on “Against the Dying of the Light” will be offered through the 15th of November. After that date, the price goes up 12%.

Contact me for more details.

Thank you for reading!

Original Oil Painting Mario The Naked Gondolier

Cari Amici,
Back in November, I did a sketch in a white pencil on a dark charcoal paper of an Italian model named Mario. Another “light emerging from darkness” image of a fairly classical style standing pose of a nude male figure.

I liked the shapes so much that I decided to make this study of Mario into one of my Naked Gondoliers painting series. (Mario is actually the first one completed in this painting series.) And so, I have painted this lovely male figure in oil on canvas in my favorite sepia tones: Mario, The Naked Gondolier. I wanted just a hint of Venice in the image, so there is a dark curve of a bridge behind Mario’s head and a gondola under his feet. There is a slight hint of light rippling in dark water to the right. I love the mysterious qualities of this image and may keep exploring these ideas.

Mario measures 45 cm x 30 cm (approximately 17.5 x 12 inches). This oilo sul tela (oil on canvas) will sell for $600, plus shipping and insurance from Italia $25.
I take PayPal here or I can send you an invoice via e-mail.

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And for those who are drawn to the original pencil drawing of the standing male figure, “Study for Mario The Naked Gondolier” is also available. The figure is about 42 centimeters (just over 16 inches) tall. I drew in the light shapes only with a white pencil on a dark charcoal grey Canson paper.

The paper for framing purposes is around 47 x 30 cm, not counting what would be under the mat and frame. The drawing is signed and dated 7 November 2007.

The original drawing of Mario sells for $200, plus $20 shipping and handling.

And again, thank for your making the dream possible.