New Baby Girl Portrait

This blond beauty was fun to capture in pastel.  Her delightful grandmother worked at my bank and decided to have her granddaughter captured at the tender age of three.

Blond Toddler, pastel, 13x14",©Kim Werfel

 

 

The portrait is painted on a light blue Art Spectrum paper mounted on mat board.  The parents may plan to make giclee prints, and if so, I plan to get one too.  I like American Art Editions in Apex for my prints - great people to work with and excellent quality.

 

Her pink dress and white collar with her embroidered initials are lovely with her pale porcelain skin.  I had to change the background color from the photo, as it was a dark orange and didn't work with her coloring or the dress.  To help her come forward, I added cool darks with a touch of lavender behind her.

 

These make great gifts that become heirloom pieces handed down through generations.  Contact me at k-e@mindspring.com to discuss creating a your own pastel portrait.

 

Thank you for following my blog :)

 

Kim

 

http://www.kimwerfel.com



"Fire and Ice" wins award

My pastel painting "Fire and Ice" has won 3rd place in the 10th Annual Fine Art League of Cary's Senior's Art Exhibition!

"Fire and Ice", pastel, ©Kim Werfel, $600

 

 



This same piece got juried into the PSNC's Statewide Pastel Exhibition this Spring.   It's a departure from my commissioned portrait pieces...painted in fun for myself as a color experiment.  I need to do that more often!

This artwork is available in giclee prints and greeting cards. 

Contact me at k-e@mindspring.com if you're interested. (makes a great Christmas Card!)

Thanks for following me :)

Kim Werfel

www.kimwerfel.com




Come to the "Passion for Pastel Exhibit" reception this Friday!

The Waverly Artist's Group Gallery in Cary, NC invited me to participate in a "Passion for Pastel Exhibit"...my first invitational!  I've included two pastel paintings "The Picnic Place" and "Leading the Way". 

"The Picnic Place", pastel, 16x20"©Kim Werfel, $650

 

 

"The Picnic Place" is a view down my block where my neighbors and I have picnics now and then.

 

"Leading the Way" is from a photo taken of a doe and her fawn right outside my window...

 

 

"Leading the Way", pastel, 19x15"©Kim Werfel, $540

 

 

Both are personal favorites of mine...but I decided I should show them...if the right person responds it's meant to be :)  I've made cards and prints of Leading the Way just in case.

 

A surprise bonus third painting may be shown if there's room...so I may have "Rooster and his Chicks" there too!

 



"Rooster and his Chicks", 14x18", ©Kim Werfel, $450

 

The show will also feature works by Christine Berndt, Vinita Jain, Wendy Musser and Lori White, all fellow members of the Pastel Society of North Carolina and excellent artists.  The show runs from August 28th - September 24th.

 

Should be a beautiful show, so come on out to the reception this Friday, August 31st from 6-9 pm.  It's a full moon, so everyone should be up for a good time!!

 

Hope to see you there!

 

Kim

 

www.kimwerfel.com



 





ArtsCenter Instructor Open House Demo and New Fall Class Info

The ArtsCenter of Carrboro is sponsoring an "Instructor Open House" event this Saturday, August 25th from 4-6 pm to help kick-off the new fall classes.  I'll be there with my pastels and a painting demo on my easel.

 

Here's a photo from my current pastel class, showing one of my fabulous students at work on a pumpkin still life set up.  Brand new to pastel painting, she took to it easily and is making wonderful progress.

 

My next "Introduction to Pastel Painting Class" is on Thursday mornings, September 13 - October 18th, from 10 am to 12 noon at the ArtsCenter.  Class #1024 on page 11 of the new Fall ArtsCenter Class Catalog.

Click here for the catalog. 

This class gives an overview of different pastels, pastel pencils, papers and materials, as well as pastel blending techniques.  We will work from both photos and still life set-ups, with emphasis on shapes, values, and hard/soft edges.  Special care in framing pastels will be discussed as well.

Class runs for 6 weeks, $120 non-members, $108 members.

Materials list can be found here.

 

You can register in person at the ArtsCenter front desk, by mail with the registration form in the Catalog, by phone at (919) 927-2787 x201 with a credit or debit card, or online at www.artscenterlive.org.

 

Come join us, whether a beginner or intermediate level student, and learn about the wonderful medium of pastel! 

Questions?  E-mail me here.

Come meet me Saturday and sign up for my class!


Kim Werfel

www.kimwerfel.com
 

 



Rescue Sheltie-Mix Commission

Meet Frankie, a rescue Sheltie-mix commission.  He's to be a surprise gift for my client's friend, who lives out in Colorado.  Needless to say, I've never met Frankie, so had to work from a photo send to me by e-mail.

"Frankie", pastel, 13x18"©Kim Werfel

 

It's always better when I can meet the animal and take lots of reference photos, but I did my best with what I had.

Here's the original photo.  I eliminated the leaves and bricks as they were distracting and busy.  The bricks added too much warm oranges, and the patterns of both of them became as important as the dog....not what you want in a portrait.

I did keep his green leash, as I thought the owner would recognize it and it makes it more personalized. The dark blue helped balance the warms and brought him forward.

For some reason, the purples are jumping out at me on the computer screen, but are much more subtle and blended in the original art.  I've re-worked this several times, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Sometimes work just doesn't translate to the computer screen!

Hope you enjoyed viewing my art!

Check out my website for more www.kimwerfel.com

 





Husky-Shepherd Mix Commission

Meet "Beau" (or rather the southern version "BO" as his owner's wife said.)

This commission is a birthday surprise.  BO has passed on to doggie heaven, and was much loved by his owner.  I never got to meet BO, but somehow in the process of carefully painting him, I always feel a connection.

"BO", 14x18", pastel, ©Kim Werfel 2012

The owner's thoughtful wife never knew BO either, but knew her husband loved him so.  There are only two photos of him, so I chose the one with him looking at the camera....seemingly happy to me.

This work is painted on Wallis paper that I undercoated with a burnt orange pastel and wet into the paper for a warm ground to liven up all the blue-greens.

Birthday is in August, so I must let him go so he can be properly framed for the birthday surprise. 

Now instead of a small snapshot, he'll be honored with his own portrait, a loving reminder of a faithful companion.

Love being able to do this for people.  It's the best.

Kim Werfel

http://www.kimwerfel.com

Introduction to Pastel Painting Class!

Introduction to Pastel Painting Class!

Now's your chance to play with this exciting medium!
Beginners and intermediates welcome.  I mentioned this in an earlier post, but since it's starting next week I wanted to send a reminder..................

I'm new at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro....I thought it might be cooler in the evening...and we can relax and enjoy ourselves :)

3018. INTRODUCTION TO PASTEL PAINTING: Tuesday, 6:30-8:30pm, July 24-August 28
(6 weeks)

Tuesday, July 24, 2012 to Tuesday, August 28, 2012
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Enjoy the world of soft pastels with this informative and structured class designed to give you the opportunity to learn how to combine your drawing and painting skills to create successful pastel paintings. Pastel painting techniques, an overview of materials, attention to shapes and values, use of hard and soft edges and implementing color theory will be included in this course. Students new to pastel painting, as well as returning students are welcome.

*Click here for the materials list for this course.

*This course is part of The Artist at Work Certificate Program. Please click here for details about the Program.

Instructor: Kim Werfel

Tuition: $120

Members Tuition: $108 Not a member? Learn more!

Late Registration: $125

Click here to Register Now!

Any questions about the class, please send me an e-mail or call 919 240-4552.

Spread the word!  Starts next week!  Hope you'll be joining me.

Let's get creative - you'll love pastels!

Kim Werfel

www.kimwerfel.com

k-e@mindspring.com