"Dusk", blue soft pastel on black pastel/charcoal paper, 6" x 11" © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Dusk, Pastel

This art is “Dusk”, 6″ wide x 11″ high on acid-free Canson black pastel paper and one color of soft pastel © Bernadette E. Kazmarski, signed and dated 3/8/15.



ABOUT THE ARTWORK

It’s really some of my smaller, quick sketches that are deceptively simple where I feel I both captured the moment and my technique was right on spot, and this is one. Working quickly from life with light blue on black there is no room for “error”—marks can often be integrated into a composition, but can’t be removed or covered up in a sketch like this. I’ve got to trust the communication between my hand and my eyes to put down on paper what I’m seeing…that doesn’t actually exist.

But I captured not only the three sections of the old metal casement filled with blue light along with the light on the walls around, but also Mimi’s familiar little shape by not actually drawing her, but leaving her space open as negative space while filling in the windows, only to apply a few fingertips of pastel where soft highlights touched her fur to give her dimension.  The highlight on the cabinet top that faded into the darkness, too, and her shadow were quick guesses and blending out with the tip of my pinky finger.

If I stand there and think too much about the creation of a drawing like this, I chicken out. I have to jump right in.

(March 8, 2015) We spent so much time in the last few days enjoying the sun at this upstairs window that it’s only fitting we enjoy a sketch at this window to end the weekend—but not a bright sunny day. Just now as I carried the laundry upstairs Mimi ran ahead and jumped up onto the wardrobe, and crouched to watch the back yard gather darkness in a pose very characteristic of her. I dropped my laundry and grabbed the charcoal/pastel pad and a blue pastel that approximated the color of light and quickly sketched. She got up and came over to see what I was doing, but obliged me in returning to her spot in the approximate posture she’d been in. Now that’s a professional.

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.

ORIGINAL PAINTING

This sketch is 6″ wide x 8″ high on acid-free Fabriano Tiziano Pastello drawing paper and Sennelier pastels. It is matted with 1-1/4″ acid-free purple top and bottom mats, framed in a 1-1/2″ dusk blue barnwood 8″ x 10″ solid wood frame. The backing is acid-free foam core and the glass is premium clear glass. All framing is done by me in my studio.

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.

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 giclees have 2″ of white around the outside edges. 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 blue on the sides.

FRAMED PRINTS

The framed digital and giclee prints I’m offering are 5″ x 7″ prints in an 8″ x 10″ frame identical to the framed version you see in the thumbnails at the top.

MOUSEPADS

Mousepads are 8″ x 7″, always horizontal so in this case it crops quite a bit from the top and bottom, 1/4″ black foam rubber with the image printed on a flexible fabric on top.

DAILY SKETCHES

I endeavor to do at least a small sketch each day as a warm-up to my aesthetic senses, so I have a small pouch of art materials and a few various sized sketchbooks available in the house and out. Usually, these are done in pencil, my first and favorite medium, though sometimes it’s charcoal, ink, colored pencil, ink and brush, whatever strikes my fancy at the moment, the greatest challenge to keep it quick and not get caught up in details, let the idea flow onto the paper.

Most often, the subjects are my cats because they are such willing models, though sometimes I’ll also wander afield, literally, and sketch in my yard or anywhere I go for errands. Medium and especially style vary just so I get a chance to do something new.

Every once in a while, they are meant for framing, and I’ve designed a series of notecards, notepaper and notepads using other daily sketches (see my notecards section). Often I use them as illustrations for graphics projects I’m designing.

Other items with the same art or design To find all items on this site with the same art or design, use the search box for the name of the artwork and you'll find all that's available.

Flourish-darkgray-100Don’t miss any new items or opportunities!

“Follow” the Portraits of Animals blog with the link in the upper left. Sign up to receive posts in email, or in your favorite reader using the links in the right-hand column.

Sign up for e-newsletters

You can also sign up for my monthly e-newsletters to receive special discounts and find out where I’ll be with my artwork.

Click here for the Creative Cat Preview E-newsletter, for feline and animal-specific products and information.

Click here for the Art & Merchandise E-newsletter, for landscapes, nature, urban scenes and more.

For art, photos and writing as I develop it, visit my blogs.

See feline art and photos as they happen on The Creative Cat, along with feline news, health, welfare, rescue stories and more.

See daily photos as I post them on Today.

Read poetry, short stories, essays and more on Paths I Have Walked.

. . . . . . .

© 2022 | www.PortraitsOfAnimals.net | Published by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit “purchasing” for availability and terms.