Spring 2023
In March 2023 I was asked to judge the spring mixed media art show for the Palo Verde Artists in Sun City, AZ. This was their first in-person show since the pandemic and boy, did they come roaring back. From Beginners to Advanced, representational artwork to abstract, the skill level of these artists was impressive! I was just glad they had a lot of categories and a lot of ribbons to award, which made my job so much easier.
This was my first experience judging in-person and they made it easy and fun. After the judging came the reception and we walked the room while I shared my impressions of the artwork on display. Thanks for the invite, Palo Verde Artists!
Winter 2023
Journey to Shangri-La is one of 60 pieces selected for inclusion in
Art Fluent’s “Wanderlust” online all-media exhibition
Summer 2022
I am honored to announce Desert Gods has been selected for inclusion in
CPSA 30th Annual Exhibition and Colored Pencil Treasures 8
Latest Tutorial
Hot Dog! Featured Artist on Artsy Shark
A Rainbow of Flowers!
In late April, I was scheduled to be on a colored pencil Caribbean cruise, teaching alongside instructors Amy Lindenberger and Ann Kullberg. Unfortunately, the coronavirus had other ideas and we were all stuck at home. But Ann and I decided to offer our classes in a new way: online.
So in late April 2020 my cruise project, Rainbow Bird of Paradise (above), was offered free to subscribers of COLOR Magazine. We sent artists a step a day for 13 days, and artists posted their progress on Facebook. You won’t believe the gorgeous flowers the artists created. Congratulations to everyone who participated!
Lyra Award of Exceptional Merit
In August 2019 — whoo-hoo! — Desert King won the Lyra Award of Exceptional Merit at the Colored Pencil Society of America’s International Exhibition in Brea, California. Desert King was one of the first pieces I completed in the new crosshatching technique I developed called “fretting,” and took only 10 colored pencils to produce.
With Desert King‘s acceptance into the exhibition, I also earned Signature Status with the CPSA, which is achieved after an artist has three pieces accepted into the International Exhibition within the space of 10 years. This is a goal many colored pencil artists take years to achieve, and one I had my sights on from early in my colored pencil adventure. The gods were kind and I was able to earn signature status in four years.
And they give you this cool pin to wear, too.
Still Life with Harley Roars in Second at Edmonds
Still Life with Harley, (lower right in photo) took a second place at the Edmonds Arts Festival in June 2019. Also entered was Aloha! (upper left) which was shown at the 2019 Holiday Show at the Schack Art Center in Everett and was purchased by a private collector.
Sweeps at the Evergreen State Fair
2018 was an amazing year and the hits just kept coming! I was blown away to discover that both entries into the Evergreen State Fair won big awards:
These are the two most prestigious rosettes at the fair, and it’s just thrilling to receive the recognition!
If you have never entered an art show, your local county or state fair may be a great place to start. Entry fees are usually low or non-existent and you will gain experience having your artwork shown. And really, there is no better feeling than walking into an exhibition hall, seeing your artwork on display, and watching people admire your work!
A First at Edmonds
Spring 2018 was a great year on my amazing colored pencil journey, with two pieces accepted into the juried show at the prestigious Edmonds Arts Festival in Edmonds, Washington.
I’d recently found out about the festival and decided to enter a couple of pieces as the festival is held fairly close to my home. So for a first timer, getting into the show was a big deal, and Krysta nearly had to peel me off the ceiling when I found out my work had been accepted.
But that wasn’t all. After the judging, I discovered that one of my pieces, Wanderlust, won a First Place (yes, I nearly fainted), that came with a nice monetary prize, too.
April was Shaking at The Schack!
In April of 2018, Wildberries was accepted for the Schack Art Center’s 21st Annual Juried show. The piece was one of 121 chosen for the show from more than 600 entries!
The show featured many different 3D and 2D media and was a wonderful chance to represent colored pencil to a large audience. The Schack Art Center is located on Hoyt Avenue in Everett, Washington.
Woohoo! The Schack show made the Everett Herald and yours truly got a mention:
“Be sure also to see Bruce Morrow’s oil painting “Magpie Rodeo,” Tom Gross Shader’s oil painting “Farmstand,” Mike O’Day’s funny sculpture “Last Caw,” James Snitily’s two-textured ceramic vessels, Rhonda Dicksion’s Colored Pencil Drawing of “Wildberries,” and Kathleen Faulkner’s oil pastel “Southbound.”
“It’s a must-see exhibit,” Johansen said.
Way To Go, David!
David Cantrell recently completed my Dazzling Chrome tutorial (project above, available through Ann Kullberg’s website here) and did quite a remarkable job. The chrome just sparkles and this Harley Road King is ready to roar off the page! Thanks for sharing it, David.
Want to try it yourself? The Dazzling Chrome Tutorial provides step-by-step instruction that will guide you through 30 detailed steps for mastering reflective chrome. The kit Includes line drawing, full-color images, Prismacolor color chart and detailed method overview, plus videos.
Ribbons at The 2017 Evergreen State Fair in Monroe
It was time to do a few dog circles when I found out the two pieces I entered in the 2017 Evergreen State Fair won ribbons. Rose Crush took a second with 89 points, and with a score of 91 Still Life with Harley won a first place and the Judge’s Choice ribbon! Thanks to everyone in the fine arts division at the fair for your hard work and the care you take with the artwork… and the artists!
My First Workshop Class – Keizer Oregon, October 2018
Thank you to all of you amazing artists in my very first workshop. You held my hand and made it so much fun and I treasure each of you!