Accent, pastel, 6" x 13" © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Accent, Pastel

This art is Accent, pastel, 6″ x 13″, on self-prepared pastel paper.

[ss_product id=’fe3e87c6-e719-11e5-850f-0cc47a075d76′ ]Wildlife, “Accent”, Pastel[/ss_product]

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Cardinals brighten my back yard all year round, and are especially brilliant on a snowy day. My back yard is a registered Backyard Wildlife Habitat and I have let brush and brambles fill in at the corners; this cardinal is in a tangle of wild grapevines with a fresh fall of snow. This was done en plein air—but not outside so I wouldn’t cause the birds to fly off, but from my back door.

The single cardinal in the branches and brambles touched with snow at the end of the yard was an inspiration for something a little looser and abstract. This is the “safe spot” for birds and small animals as I’ve let the wild grapevines, raspberries and blackberries and Roses of Sharon grow into a dense tangled mass which is excellent protection from predators and I place a seed feeder and suet feeder into the mess each autumn. A heavy snowfall which layers each branch with white and the play of light and shadow in the mass of branches creates one of nature’s most lovely patterns and shades more shades of blue and purple than I have in my box of pastels.

Where most of my drawing surfaces have some texture, I used scraps of matboard from framing to try out a variety of handmade finishes. This matboard had a laid finish that looked like woven cloth. I mixed marble dust and grit and brushed it on like swirls in plaster, giving the surface a rough brushed appearance. When I considered which drawing surface to use for the sketch I knew this one would be perfect for capturing the feeling of branches and snow.

The original painting was part of my exhibit “Winter White”. I also offer this art as a card in my “Backyard Birds” series.

SHIPPING

Shipping within the US is included in all the prices listed. All shipping is via Priority Mail. Prints are shipped flat in a rigid envelope. Canvases are shipped in a box to fit with padding. Since this original is small it is also shipped in a box with extra padding.

GICLEE PRINTS

The giclees are printed on acid-free hot press art paper for a smooth matte finish using archival inks. Giclee is the highest quality print available because the technique uses a dozen or more ink ports to capture all the nuances of the original painting, including details of the texture, far more sensitive than any other printing medium. Sometimes my giclees look so much like my originals that even I have a difficult time telling them apart when they are in frames. The giclees have 2″ of white around the outside edges.

I don’t keep giclee prints in stock for most of my works. Usually I have giclees printed as they are ordered unless I have an exhibit where I’ll be selling a particular print so there is a wait of up to two weeks before receipt of your print to allow for time to print and ship.

DIGITAL PRINTS

Digital prints are made on acid-free matte-finish natural white 100# cover using archival digital inks. While digital prints are not the quality of a giclee in capturing every nuance and detail of color, texture and shading, I am still very pleased with the outcome and usually only I as the artist, could tell where detail and color were not as sharp as the original.

The 5″ x 7″ and 8″ x 10″ digital prints are centered on 8.5″ x 11″ digital cover while the 11″ x 14″ has 1″ around the edges because the digital paper is 12″ wide. All are countersigned by me.

CANVAS PRINTS

I usually have at least one of the smaller sizes of canvases on hand, but order larger ones as they are ordered here because customers often want a custom size. Smaller canvases are a 3/4″ in depth, Canvases 12 x 16 and larger are 1-1/2″ in depth. I set them up so the image runs from edge to edge, then the sides are black or white or sometimes I slip in a color that coordinates with the painting. This canvas is white on the sides.

FRAMED PRINTS

I have one framed 9″ x 12″ digital print of this art, no mat, and a blue painted barnwood wood frame.

GREETING CARD

Cards are 5 x 7 printed on 14 pt. C1S, blank inside and available with a matching envelope.