Four New Pastel Paintings For You

Dear Art Lover,

     These four pastel paintings came with me to Texas.  They are each created on UArt Sanded paper designed for pastels.  And they are mounted on acid-free foam core.  Each is the 12 x 18 inch size with the foam core slightly larger for handling.  However, the board may be cut to suit whatever frame you choose.  Each artwork shown here is priced to sell at only $600.  Please contact me if you would like to add any of these or others to your art collection.  http://www.borsheimarts.com/contact.htm

Florence (Italy) Street Scene at Night

Inside il Campanile di Giotto Firenze

     I will be leaving Texas in about a week and traveling to Florida to help my baby sister celebrate her marriage.  After that, I will be traveling to see more family in North Carolina and Virginia before arriving at Don Elliott’s Franklin Barry Gallery on Monday, May 15.  I hope to see you there, or later in Austin, Texas, for a visit.

    

 If you like, please have a look at some more of my pastel drawings online here:

http://borsheimarts.com/pastels.htm

 

Austrian Valley - Pastel

Childhood in Casignano - Pastel

Calendar:

Monday, May 15, 2017:  Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

The Franklin Barry Gallery aka The Frame Shop, Indianapolis [normal gallery hours 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.]; 617 Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana  46204;  Tel.  317.822.8455

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Friday and Saturday, May 19-20, 2017:  Austin, Texas

Rue Artsier presents LiberArte event spettacolo!

Friday, May 19, 2017   from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturday, May 20  from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Where:  615 W. 7th St., 8th Floor, Austin, Texas 78701

R.S.V.P.  Brenda@rueartsier.com

Lists of artists:

Luis Rico- Mexico

Adrian Moraru- Moldova

Leandro Klapputh- Buenos Aires

Maria Fotaki- Greece

Denis Chernov- Moscow

Kelly Borsheim. Austin & Italia

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I cannot wait to see you!

Peace,

Kelly

P.S.  Subscribe to the art newsletter here (it is FREE):  http://www.borsheimarts.com/contact.htm

Fiesole Still Life Painting

Dear Art Lover,

     It is October, the month of orange, no?  A few years ago, I saw this hearth-like scene at a friend’s house during their holiday party.  Orange always seems like a happy color to me and I wondered if I had it in me to tackle it in art to create a similar emotion. 
     This pastel on heavy Fabiano Artists Watercolor Traditional White paper - 140 wt depicts a Tuscan vase with a couple of metal kettles.  The dried plant stems make me think of a bad hair day, but they lend a wonderful element of contrast to all the other shapes and tones.  They all sat upon a shelf made from an old log and other wood parts.  

"Fiesole Still Life"

21.5" x 29"
Pastel on Fabiano watercolor paper 140 wt.
© 2010
Kelly Borsheim

"Fiesole Still Life" - 22" x 29" framed in black

      Fiesole is a quant small town up in the hills above Florence, Italy. Tuscany is famous for its orange warm colors and I liked the coziness of this scene.
       The pastel is framed in a simple, but angled black frame with Museum Glass and includes a black spacer so that the art does not touch the glass. No mat so you may focus on the warmth of the art and it looks more like a painting. [Museum Glass is a trademarked product that SERIOUSLY reduces glare. It is wonderful.]
This would look great in any room in which you want to feel cozy and comfortable, perhaps a reading room or social room.

 I chose to create this pastel painting on a highly textured watercolor paper. It is a thick paper and I was able to use the texture to beautiful effect. I like it that the closer one gets, the more texture one sees. I am also fascinated with the layering of colors and the play of cool and warm pigments together. Note that in the grey vase on the right, I added purples and yellows into the greys. I hope that you enjoy this composition in pastel.

     Now, if you have read this far, I want to share that starting with this cheerful and warm piece, I will be offering selected artworks at an enticing price over the next several months.  “Fiesole Still Life” is priced at $1600, framed.  If you mention this savings project, you may acquire this original artwork for only $1200, plus free shipping.  AND, if you already own an original Borsheim artwork (painting, drawing, or sculpture), you will receive an ADDITIONAL 10 % off!

Contact me.  sculptor@borsheimarts.com

    

Peace,

Kelly

http://BorsheimArts.com

P.S.  Welcome into the world, Noah!  My brother’s second grandchild.

Framed in simple angled black frame on the left

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 Workshops Pastel Sight-Size

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I am planning to be in Florida, Texas, and North Carolina (USA) around mid-May to mid-June... I would love to teach some workshops in one or more of these areas. Please contact me if you are interested in learning something artistic (tell me what) and are near any of these areas. Thank you. I will focus on 2-dimensional art this time since I will be flying in from Italy and logistics and supplies/tools may be an issue for me. I see that May 24-May 27 is Memorial Day weekend: I am not sure how that impacts you. Thank you for the feedback!

Thus far, the votes are coming in for pastel painting workshop and using the Sight-Size method of drawing and painting. Pictured here is the pastel painting “Reluctant Temptress”

"Reluctant Temptress"

12" x 9"
Pastel on Pastelbord
© Kelly Borsheim

Like this original pastel painting? There is a one-time offer going on right now to celebrate my “taking the plunge to full-time” art anniversary. Act before 15 February and enjoy more art for your bucks. See details of the twelfth anniversary ART EVENT, here: http://www.borsheimarts.com/news/2013_01_GuggenheimSerraBilbao.htm

Sleeping Angel Pastel Painting Art

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Well, it seemed like a fun idea for me to start a tradition of creating and exhibiting a work of intentionally erotic art for a wish of abundant joy while heading into the New Year. But I seem to be getting tamer as each December arrives! Still, I at least have a new pastel painting of a MALE FIGURE for you! This one is called “Sleeping Angel” and was inspired by light and also the famous Italian artist Caravaggio and his "Sleeping Cupid."

If you would like to read more about the inspiration for this work of art that I have created, please click HERE to read my latest art newsletter. However, I have made a few changes to the 18” x 24” pastel painting and thus, here is a newer image of the ”Sleeping Angel.” I hope that you enjoy him and that you have at least a year of joy, peace, and above all, love.

Links to the other New Year’s Eve posts:
• New Year’s Eve 2011: Art and the Nude Artist poses in front of composition by artist Darryl Pottorf for Roberto Rauschenberg, in Robert and Darryl’s beach house in Florida
• New Year’s Eve 2010: “Anthurium” Nature repeats the patterns she enjoys
• New Year’s Eve 2009: “Tesoro!”
  freely offering our own vulnerability to another is quite a turn-on!

P.S. I am delighted to be able to announce now that my original stone carving "Kiss Me Blue" has been given to a very enthusiastic young woman in America as a Christmas gift (by her parents). So lovely to end the year with a sale, and for a new collector of my work!
”Kiss Me Blue”

In addition: There's a Caravaggio exhibit at Los Angeles County Museum of Art which continues through February 10, 2013. [Thanks to blog reader and art model Andrew Cahner for this tip.]

“Bodies and Shadows: Caravaggio and His Legacy”

Anthurium Art

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Nature often repeats her patterns and shapes, especially when they are successful. No doubt you have seen the spiral in the nautilus shell (often used as a visual to explain the mathematical terms of the Golden Mean or Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci Sequence). That spiral shape is also found in many plants, such as in the branches of an agave, the petals on the head of an artichoke, fruitlets of a pineapple, and in pine cones.

Ripples, twists, fractals, branching and more … we see recurring Nature’s patterns everywhere from the cracked dry earth to the veining in leaves to the billows of cloud patches, the scales on a snake, soap bubbles, honeycomb, and the staggered rows of kernels on corn cobs. Under water, over water, even water: the repetition of shapes, lines, and textures are everywhere. We are fascinated, as well as comforted by their beautiful design.

In what may be becoming my New Years' Eve tradition, I now would like to introduce you to another intentionally erotic artwork… if this is not your kind of thing, please just stop reading and go do something more interesting.

The concept, of course, is about the beauty and function in Nature’s repeating patterns.


“Anthurium”
pastel on black Firenze-brand paper
9” x 25”
$1800 + $20 shipping (6.75% sales tax to Texas destinations)

The idea for this pastel painting titled “Anthurium” was birthed back in 2007 in Florence, Italy. I did a commissioned pencil drawing for an Italian flower vendor who opened shop every day (but Sunday) in the piazza closest to my rented flat.

One day he asked me if I could do a drawing from a photograph and when I responded with a shrug, “Perché no?”, he pulled out a small, dark photo of himself, posing in shorts with an almost body builder physique. He seemed quite pleased to see the surprise in my face. It had never occurred to me that he would want me to do a drawing of him.

At the time, I had not yet created many images of a figure in an environment. Despite my very long days at the Angel Academy of Arts, I came home each night and worked really hard to create a drawing that I wanted to sign. The reference photo was horrible, so I immediately decided to create my own design around the figure. I came up with a border reminiscent of the shape of Florence’s famous Duomo and drew flowers around my friend’s image.

When I was nearing completion, I took the drawing over to show him and he actually made me remove one of the flowers I had chosen for its compositional value, and he said to me with a straight face, “THIS is my favorite flower.” I looked at the flower he pointed to, looked back at his expression, and thought, “You have got to be kidding me!”

I never could tell if he was or not, but I finished the drawing with his beloved anthuriums and he seemed genuinely delighted with it. Some ideas hang inside my head for years before they manifest themselves. I hope this one makes you smile.

I wish you a colorful and joyful 2011, full of ups more than downs and an honest appreciation of Nature’s offerings. Thank you for reading my blog and cruising along with this artistic journey.

Florentine Sunset Pastel Painting

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

So, we are still in bella Italia - at least in my mind anyway.
A lot of cities are built around rivers. They often remain much of the focal point and a cherished part of each city. While I have not traveled as much as I would have liked to, nor do I normally live in a city, I love the energy of Florence, Italy. Her river, the Arno River, is not one that I would neither swim in nor eat anything that came out of her. However, she enchants me just the same.

I have been lucky enough to live in the central part of Florence for long enough stretches of time that I have seen many gorgeous sunsets during the course of my “haunting” the city at dusk. It never gets old.

I decided to create a pastel painting, with metallic acrylic painted highlights, to share with you some of my absolute delight with Florence’s Arno River and one of the several bridges over her.

“Florentine Sunset” (Firenze, Italia)
12” x 16” Pastel with Acrylic Painting
copyright 2010-2011 Kelly Borsheim
$800



Would you like to learn how to do this for a Hawaiian sunset? If yes, come join me at Kona Village Resort on the Big Island in Hawai’I for art workshop “Pastels in Paradise”. Dates are April 17-22. 2011, so register now!

Reluctant Temptress Pastel Art

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Well, I guess I am a bit more of a feminist than I ever imagined. Every time I get accused of being a feminist, my initial response is, “You take that back!” I think the feminists gave women a bad name. After years of feeling frustrated and defensive, they pushed too far. When I was in high school, I understood them to be men haters.

My friend Laurie defended her name-calling to me in college by explaining that she meant that I do whatever I want to do and it never occurs to me that I cannot do it because of my female-ness. Perhaps that is a perk of growing up with three very active brothers. And I have always been aware of my short temper with people who cross that line between lifting themselves up and (by) pushing other people down.

So, you might imagine the problem I have with the Book of Genesis. Even the children’s bible that I still own portrays the misogynist view. For one example, that whole “Adam and Eve” story really gets me. I do not have the space to go into it here, but suffice it to say, Eve was doomed from the very beginning.

And yet, is there not some beauty in almost every person? (I would like to remove “almost” but fear I might sound to idealistic – ha!) So, this next pastel painting comes from another one of my explorations of the duality in our humanity. Imagine a modern day Eve (any woman actually) who follows her passion, but hesitates as she is reminded of a cultural weight. The future might be full of love and family and even fame (in Eve’s case), and yet, that apple . . .

I do not know. I could go ‘round and ‘round with all interpreted meanings of my latest pastel painting (and the bible). Sometimes an apple is just an apple . . . It will be more interesting to learn how YOU feel about this image.

“Reluctant Temptress” (aka Eve)
12” x 9” pastel on board
copyright 2010 Kelly Borsheim
$550 + $20 shipping (Texas destinations pay 6.25% sales tax)

If you or someone you know would like to more about classical art techniques and the medium of pastels, check out this workshop I am teaching in one version of Paradise:
Hawaiian Art Journey presents Pastel Workshop with Kelly Borsheim. Six full days of art while someone else takes care of cooking or cleaning for you – get away from your normal life to focus on making yourself a better artist.

Cascading Clouds Austria Pastel

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Austria is a lovely country. I had a chance to visit it the summer of 2009 as a guest of a woman I met while living in Florence, Italy. Sylvia took me hiking during several of the days I stayed with her in her charming village south of Salzburg.

I tend to move slower than most people. This is because I stop a lot and look at all kinds of things. Paths in the mountains do not always involve retracing one’s steps in order to return. And even if they did, the light will most definitely be different. So, I tend to pause to glance back often. One day in Austria the afternoon light began to change fast. You could smell the impending rain in the air. I turned to look behind me and was completely blown away by the loveliness of the sky.

Clouds seemed to be gushing towards us over the mountains like a river bursting from a dam. I saw pinks and purples in the light and dark parts of the changing sky. It was a moment to stop and drink in. Sylvia and I did just that. I felt mesmerized and at peace. I wanted to stay longer, but my friend was concerned about the approaching darkness and rain.

I wish that I could paint smells. But maybe the pastel painting I created of this Austrian landscape will remind you sometime of the peace, drama, and beauty of the Natural world. Maybe you can recall the scent of approaching rain. I hope that you enjoy “Cascading Clouds – Austria”. She is a pastel on board and measures 16” x 20”

Libri Riviste e Fumetti

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Back to memories of Florence, Italy, … I knew that at some point I would paint Piazza Ciompi in Florence. There is a seemingly random-appearing raised platform of stone with square columns and repeating arches over it, right next to a flea market - antique shops that are more like sheds. This platform appears to have had no purpose other than marking one part of an edge of this mid-sized piazza.

During one of my many walks past this structure, I noticed the light filtering into the city and between these square columns. To my delight, a young woman was enjoying a moment in the winter sun reading her book while leaning against one of these columns. I stopped in my tracks and began to work out the painting in my mind. Later, as I got closer, I realized that she was a friend of mine! Even better.

I will introduce this new pastel painting (only a 9” x 12” on panel) this weekend. Her title is named after the sign on the “shed” behind the reading girl. It says simply, ”Libri, Riviste E Fumetti”, Italian for “Books, Magazines, and Comic Books.”

Naturally, you are invited to my last event of the year:

Sunday, December 12, from 2 to 6 pm.
The Curiouseum Arts Weekend inside the Community Renaissance Market
6800 Westgate Blvd. (NW corner of Westgate and Wm. Cannon)
Austin, Texas 78745
Tel.: Ruth: 512.744.3411 and Susan: 512.925.4085

Music lineup:
David Perkoff plays flute and saxophone from 2 – 4 p.m.

The Flying Balalaika Brothers play Russian folk music & a wide variety of other styles from 4 – 6 p.m.

There will also be a fashion show happening at the other end of the building from the gallery. Please pass this one to anyone you think might enjoy this kind of variety on a Sunday afternoon. Thanks!

World Traveler

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Oh Italy! How she changes a person. This next newly finished pastel painting is titled “World Traveler” and is part of my (casual) series of shop windows in Florence, Italy. He is making his debut at my just installed solo exhibition at The Vineyard at Florence (Texas, that is!). Your invitation to Thursday’s reception is below.


“World Traveler”
pastel on black Firenze paper
24” x 18”
copyright 2010 Kelly Borsheim
$2100 + $20 shipping (+ sales tax for Texas-based destinations)

“Italian Inspirations”

solo art exhibit by Kelly Borsheim
The Vineyard at Florence (central Texas, USA)

You are Invited!

Dates:
17 Nov 2010 – 18 Jan 2011
Reception: 18 November (Thursday), Hours: 6-8:30 p.m.
LIVE jazz!

Kelly is exhibiting over 25 paintings and drawings and 5 bronze and marble sculpture (such as “The Offering”) in this invitational solo exhibit, mostly inspired by trips to Florence, Italy.

8711 W FM 487
Florence, Texas 76527
254.793.3363 (office)

Exit 266 from IH-35, head west to Florence, then right on Main,
4 miles to the Vineyard on right
I hope to see you there!