Debbi Friedman's Blog » News to Share

It’s National Pencil Day!

Debbi — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:35:04 +0000

Yes, even pencils have a day of their own. Today is National Pencil Day, and I figure that given how much time I spend holding a pencil (colored pencil, graphite pencil, watercolor pencil, and yes, a regular old #2 yellow pencil) I would give it a shout out on my blog. Here’s a fun link, with some activities at the bottom, about the Pencil Day.

National Pencil Day

Amber Bowl wins First Place in the Artists Magazine’s On-line Media Competition

Debbi — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:36:17 +0000

My colored pencil drawing “Amber Bowl” was awarded First Place in the Graphite, charcoal and colored pencil category of the Artists Magazine’s On-Line All Media competition. I am so honored to receive this recognition for my work, especially as there are so many fine entries for them to judge from. I spoke with Chris McHugh, the Managing Editor of The Artists Magazine, who told me that there were over 1,800 entries this year. You can see all of the first place winners and honorable mention award winners at The Artists Magazine.

In spite of my lack of blog entries lately I have been working hard. I’m planning to post a photograph of my latest drawing, last written about on February 11th, by next Monday. So please check back soon!

It’s official!

Debbi — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:06:59 +0000

I was very excited last week to receive in the mail one of the new Derwent “12 Graphic Soft” pencil tins featuring my commissioned drawing on the cover. I had been waiting until I saw it with my own eyes to officially announce the news on my blog. They’ve also designed all new inserts highlighting their sketching and drawing ranges, and my piece is included in a montage on that cover as well, along with two beautiful drawings of a red fox and a seashell. The new tins will most likely be available in art stores in the US in about one and a half months, as they are currently being shipped.

I also had a small exhibition of colored pencil drawings last night in conjunction with a wonderful concert by the Choir of King’s College London. This was part of the St. Andrew’s Performing Arts Series (SAPAS). More information about upcoming SAPAS events can be found at www.sapas.org.

These college students gave a superb performance of Renaissance and contemporary choral works. The Choir of King’s College London is one of the most acclaimed mixed voice university choirs in England, comprising about 27 undergraduates who are awarded choral scholarships, and in addition to performing Renaissance polyphony, they have an extensive and well-reviewed collection of discography available.

I wanted to include a copy of the program cover, which includes my name in such a prominent way that, had they not put “(colored pencil)” after my name, it looks like I was a star soloist! I found this quite amusing, as it’s the closest I’ll ever get to performing with my voice in public!

A little zen drawing

Debbi — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:45:53 +0000

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been working on a little graphite drawing, and here it is. It’s a very simple and zen-like composition. A black stone used in hot stone therapy that was given to me by a masseuse, a small peacock feather, placed upside down atop the stone and some shadows are all that composes the drawing. It’s small – maybe about 7″ x 7″.

I’m eager to move onto the next drawing in my rock series, and plan to try and incorporate water in the drawing. Coincidentally, I’m just back from the 17th Annual Exhibition and Convention of the Colored Pencil Society of America, where I took a workshop with CPSA Artist Pat Averill on the power of water. . . entitled “Unleash the power of water in your drawings”. Below are two photographs from the workshop: one of friends Dee Overly (left) and Mari Kaye Moehl (right) working on one of the four projects we tackled that day, and the other of workshop instructor Pat Averill. I’m not sure that the workshop concepts will transfer to my drawing, but you never know! We worked on the distortion of images in reflected water, drawing moving water (ie – surf), drawing water moving over rocks, and looking at wet sand to dry sand within the context of a seascape.

Playing with rocks in my studio

Debbi — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:35:41 +0000

I’m finally getting back to work in my studio. My younger son is off to camp for three weeks, and I’m recuperating from a minor surgical procedure yesterday on my right leg. My mind finally feels freed up again. I don’t think I realized how preoccupied I was with the surgery as it loomed in front of me – I’m so happy to have it behind me. And since I can’t ice skate or exercise for at least one week, I have plenty of time to catch up on all sorts of things in my studio! I’ve already organized many details that I had let slide – completing a list of unframed and framed drawing sizes; deciding which competitions to enter for the remainder of 2009, those types of things.

Now I am playing with stones in my studio, and toying with the idea of doing a series of 10 drawings and trying to complete them this summer. Working on the Canson Mi-tientes goes a little faster than the Strathmore Paper I usually use, so maybe this is possible? I have all sorts of ideas about combining stones with other simple elements, much like the drawing I just completed – “Rocks and Egg in Vase”. It’s an entirely different thing to see if it works. But I like the idea and am going to try and run with it!

Happy Summer, and if you live in the Northeast, let’s hope the sun comes out soon.

“Shhhhh” is complete, and CPSA show news!

Debbi — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:47:59 +0000

I am posting a photograph of the finished fish tank drawing “Shhhh”. I may end up tweaking it a little, but basically it’s done. It’s an unusual drawing for me, and it took longer than I had anticipated it taking. I am eager to move on to something new!

I also have news to share, which is that my drawing, “Garden, Late Summer” was juried into the Colored Pencil Society of America’s 17th Annual International Exhibition, which will be taking place from July 9 – August 29, 2009 at the Hudgens Center for the Arts in Duluth, Georgia. The show was juried by Graham C. Boettcher, who is the William Cary Hulsey Curator of American Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama. Approximately 125 works were selected for inclusion in the show. In addition, I will be receiving my “Signature Status” by having had my work juried into three shows within ten years. Also receiving her signature status will be fellow artist, Lynda Schumacher from Michigan. More information about the show can be found by going to the CPSA web site, www.cpsa.org.

Best in Show for “Sunset on Route 16, Wellesley Hills”

Debbi — Sun, 03 May 2009 23:38:48 +0000

My colored pencil landscape of Wellesley Hills in traffic at sunset won “Best in Show” at the 75th Anniversary show of the Wellesley Society of Artists. The opening and awards ceremony was this afternoon, and here’s what the juror had to say about my piece:

- Great value range with wonderful mood. Great sense of late afternoon light. Good division of space. Striking piece!

A Bird in the Hand

Debbi — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 13:56:09 +0000

How sweet is this? Artist friend Lynda Schumacher from Michigan rescued a brown creeper that had injured itself on the side of her house last week. She went outside and found this barely conscious bird on the ground. Taking it indoors and holding it in her hands for ten minutes, the bird slowly came to life and suddenly switched into an “I’m ready to fly in the world mode”. (Lynda, feel free to add anything I may have missed!)

Graphite Commission

Debbi — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:34:53 +0000

While it has been a quiet time on my blog, my studio life has been anything but slow! I was contacted by someone in product management at Derwent House in the United Kingdom about doing a commission with their graphite sketching pencils. This was an exciting opportunity for me, as for many years I worked exclusively in graphite. It was fun to switch back and try out their pencils, which are very nice to draw with.

They wanted something stark along the lines of the little egg still-life or beach stones piece I’d done; something to show off the tonal range of their graphite collection. I tried combining an egg with several stones, but none of the photos and set-ups had the feel I was looking for, so I switched the composition to only stones. It was strange to work with graphite again at first, but after the first couple of stones, I switched back into a more “black and white” mode and found it refreshing.

Derwent also makes a line of graphite tinted pencils that would lend themselves to drawing these beach stones I’ve collected, and I may well try that out at some point in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, the sharp-shinned hawk drawing is back on the front burner and I’m making wonderful progress with it. I’ll post a photograph of it later this week. (And thanks to everyone who’s given me advice at the Pencil Pushers blog on how to handle the paper smear!) Here’s a photo of the completed commission.

Went flying today with my son

Debbi — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:42:32 +0000

I had a very unique experience today – my son who has his pilot’s license took me up flying for the first time! He’s studying Aviation Technology at Purdue University and home for December break, and we had a lovely day to see the sights around the suburbs just west of Hanscom Air Force Base. We headed west to the Wachusett Reservoir in a Cessna 172, and I have to say he is a very confident and smooth pilot! I’m posting some photographs I took of the ground and a vista of Boston. It was lots of fun. Maybe next time I’ll let him show me how one “stalls” the plane, but for this trip, a tight circular curve, and an “S” curve over Route 495 were just fine for me!