On My Drawing Board: January 2011

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Sarah Emma Edmonds II: Transformation, Step 7

My focus at the moment is on making the left third of the woods dark, threatening -- almost the sense of having been scorched by fire. To that end I've started adding some black to the trunks and limbs I want to have appear the darkest. This portion will be representative of Sarah Emma's childhood, dominated by a father who clearly resented the fact that she had been born female rather than male, and characterized by her constant frustration and bitterness at never being able to win his approval.

To view my complete series' of Civil War-themed colored pencil works, please visit http://www.CivilWarFineArt.com.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Sarah Emma Edmonds II: Transformation, Step 6

A few more changes have taken place; I've started adding more Tuscan Red and Indigo Blue to the upper left trees, and some color to the figure in the small inset on the lower left. I've also begun adding a border of wormwood to that inset. I'm starting to get in the "flow", now. Working on it was sometimes a struggle, up to now, but I've got a clearer idea of what I'm trying to do so now I'm getting more excited about working on it.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Sarah Emma Edmonds II: Transformation, Step 5

Not a lot new to show; I just want to get back in the habit of posting on a more regular basis. I have started laying in the center section trees. I also spent a lot of time studying the image and deciding what to insert in the box shape in the lower middle section, as well as what might go into a similar shape in the lower far right section. I'm hoping to have more time to work on this piece this afternoon.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Sarah Emma Edmonds II: Transformation, Step 4

Finally had a chance to make a little progress with this. I think I've figured out how I want to handle the addition of the superimposed images that aren't part of the woods, but that perhaps tell more of a story about Emma's transition. I've started to indicate the first of three images in a "frame" in the lower left. We'll see how this goes! (In other words: we'll see if I continue to like this plan!)

In other news: yesterday I made the happy discovery that Sarah Emma Edmonds I: Departure (show title, Departure), a piece whose progress I posted on this blog when I began it a year ago, has been accepted into the Colored Pencil Society of America's online exhibition, Explore This! 7. The exhibition can be viewed on their website, http://www.cpsa.org/, beginning February 1 and running through January 31, 2012. Though I don't always submit entries to this show -- which stipulates that the artist must use colored pencil in combination with another medium or non-colored pencil element -- this is the first time I've had a piece accepted into this exhibition. I'm quite excited about this opportunity!

To view more of my Civil War-themed works, please visit http://www.civilwarfineart.com/. To view my other work or learn about the classes and workshops I teach, please visit http://www.AmyLindenberger.com.

What is the "Civil War Chronology Project"?

(formerly called The Civil War 150 Project)

The commemoration of John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), which was held in October of 2009, is widely considered to mark the beginning of the Sesquicentennial -- or 150th -- anniversary of the Civil War era. Over the next five years, many states and local communities will be marking the 150th anniversary of battles and important events that occurred in their areas during that era, and state and local commissions are being established to bring attention to those events.

Since I first began developing my series of images inspired by Civil War-era America and its people, my goal has always been to provide a complement to the images of battle scenes and famous generals focused on by most other Civil War artists. My approach has been to get to know these people in their pre-war identities and culture, and try to move through the War era in a chronological fashion, hoping to gain some sense of what they experienced as the War unfolded and engulfed them. My work can essentially be described as homage to life in the midst of war, but it carries a contemporary sensibility in hopes of encouraging viewers to see parallels between their lives and the lives of Americans gone before us.

The Civil War Chronology Project is the title I have given to the ongoing project I have developed for myself, to chronicle the lesser-known people and events of the Civil War era beginning with the publication of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852 and continuing through the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in April of 1865. I currently have created more than twenty pieces which were inspired by the incidents and people in the years leading up to, and then including, the First Battle of Manassas (also known as First Bull Run). To view the works created prior to 2010, please visit my website, http://www.civilwarfineart.com/, and specifically, my Beyond the Battlefield gallery page. Since helping viewers establish a more personal connection with the people of the Civil War era is a primary goal of mine, I welcome feedback from my audience. Thank you for viewing! ~~Amy V. Lindenberger