Self-Portrait from Photo, Susan Donley. 8x8 inches. Graphite pencil on paper.
I've been an artist for over 40 years, first selling my art in junior high -- $2 for a set of four pencil drawings of the Monkees! My career took me through art and museum education, instructional media, web design, and related disciplines. But the itch to pick up the low-tech pencil and draw has brought me back to my first love.
I love how the beautiful continuous tones of graphite on paper focus attention on the essential forms and textures, revealing the character of my subject. Let's hear it for black, white, and infinite shades of gray!
Color is OK, too, of course! ;-) To capture the nuances of color in those subjects that cry for it -- birds and flowers come to mind -- I use watercolor, colored pencil, and oil pastel in any combination that does the job. Middle age has its privileges -- mixing media with such abandon (within archival limits) was unthinkable in art school!
For now, my favorite subjects are the animals and plants with whom we share our lives and God's Creation. I'm currently sharing mine with a black Standard Poodle Rosie, though I have been owned in the past by a succession of dogs, cats, and birds.
If your breed, species, or hair-do isn't in store, I accept commissions, all of which include a section starring your pet in my CafePress store! Email me for more information!
Sue's studio is in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA (a suburb of Pittsburgh), near the Oakmont Country Club, site of the PGA U.S. Open in 2007.
Email: info @ petspictured.com
Phone: 412-828-8679
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