Capital Artworks Juried Show Acceptance and Figure Drawing

I really am bad about this whole blogging thing. I really need to get better at it. Anyway, here’s some exciting news! One of my pieces was accepted into a juried show at Capital Artworks gallery in Sacramento, CA!

The piece that was accepted is quite different from the abstract pieces that are in my portfolio. Something not everyone may know about me is that I have a passion for creating figures and portraits just as much as I have a passion to create my abstract works.

I think my interest in drawing figures must have started in the first grade when I drew a woman wearing a nightgown standing next to a slanted table. Honestly, I’m not sure I ever seriously drew stick figures (until college that is and that’s another story for another time).

Heather’s first grade drawing of “Woman and Slanted Table”

In college I must have taken a life drawing or life painting class almost every semester. I remember my small scale sculpture professor used to have us draw a portrait of the person sitting across from us on the first day of class each semester. I remember him saying something along the lines of “Heather, your portraits are really good, why are you in my metal class?!” I’m pretty sure I said, “I want to know how to do more than one medium. I plan on living a long time and I don’t want to get bored.”
Since college, some of my friends, family, and my significant other (though reluctantly at times) have posed for my drawings.

I’m fascinated by how malleable our bodies are, how they change over time, and how expressive we can be without even realizing we’re being expressive. Every body is fascinating to look at.

The call for artists asked for tasteful nudes and bathers and the artists interpretation of staying cool in the summer time. Here’s a picture of the piece that will be in the show at Capital Artworks.

“Summer on the Rocks” Charcoal and Conte on Paper 15.25″x19.25″ (framed)