Erin Go Draw!

Two new drawings this week!

As Sacred as Water on a Hot Day • Charcoal on Paper • 12 in x 18 in

Summer Spirits • Charcoal on Paper • 11 in x 14 in

Here they are framed:

And the best part is that I got to work outside in this incredible / baffling weather! I've discovered that I can focus much better outside than inside as long as I have my ipod. So much less distracting that working indoors. I had my kitty cat hanging out with me on a leash for part of the time too!

Happy St. Pat's everyone!

War Paint

Me after a hard day working in the mines evening charcoal drawing.

Ron says it looks like I'm wearing war paint

No matter what the medium, I typically end up wearing my artwork. On a good drawing / painting day, I get really into it and loose track of my motions - which includes any marks I make on the paper or elsewhere. This is a good thing, but is always also a messy thing (which is probably a big part of what makes it a good thing).

Tonight, this is the cause of all that mess:

Charcoal on Arches 300gsm watercolor paper - bright white

... And now to wipe off all the charcoal smudges on my keyboard!

Super Spring!

Spring is in the air! It is bright and warm outside (though still freezing in my cubical) and everyone is in a better mood because of it. We product designers work a year ahead of time at Darice and I've been happily drawing spring things all week. This is a much easier task when I can look out my window at blue skies anytime my eyes need an LED break.

At home this weekend I drew this piece of Ralph McQuarrie (RIP) fanart for the RBMC:

I've been in cute-mode lately, what can I say?

This week I plan to:

• Work on a few more charcoal drawings
• Finalize my curriculum for my Costume Cabaret figure drawing class (Space is still available, so sign up now!)
• Do a Moebius tribute illo for the RBMC
• Get back in the pottery studio on Saturday (for the first time in months - hooray!)
• Art Club / Group Therapy on Sunday - YES!
• RELAX

What do you have on your plate?

BEST IN SHOW!!!!

I have some very exciting news...

My painting, "Modern Pixie" won BEST IN SHOW at BAYart's Spring Juried Show!
I am still a little in shock...

If that wasn't enough...the gallery director told me that BOTH of my entered paintings were actually up for the award - which is CRAZY! The judges eventually decided to give "Modern Pixie" best in show and "Crown Wearer" first place, but when they found out that both paintings were by the same artist they rightfully changed their mind so that more artists could be honored.

Here are the two paintings in the show:

the WINNER!

I couldn't be more thrilled!

A veteran sculptor we met at the opening, Louise, asked the question that was most on my mind after I got over the shock of winning: "So, where do you go from here?" ....Goooood question....

In this month alone I was in 5 shows (Small Good Things, Dewey's Coffee Shop, A Study in Wanderlust, BAYart's Juried Show and BAYart's Faculty Show), won a major award, and sold about a third of my inventory. If that isn't proof that I have something here worth pursuing, I'm not sure what would be. So I think the next steps in this career are the following:

1. I need to develop a better internet presence for my gallery work (and illustration too while I'm at it). This means hiring someone to build me a website. I could do it myself, but I don't know enough to make it a smooth build and I would rather spend my limited time making artwork than struggling through the learning process. I also now have a Facebook page for my work. Check it out here: http://www.facebook.com/ErinInArtLand
2. I need to pursue gallery representation in other cities. I think that the truest test of my work will be to see if it could survive in venues that are unfamiliar with me. Starting in baby steps, I will try to seek out galleries in other cities to show my stuff. Pittsburgh and Columbus - I'm looking at you.
3. I should enter my work in more prestigious competitions. So far, most of the awards of my professional career has come from one place. I am incredibly grateful to BAYarts for all they've done for me - and of course I'll continue to support them - but I think I've got something here and I need to find other places to showcase it. You never know till you try, right?

 So that's my plan in a nutshell. This has been a crazy ride so far and though it hasn't been without it's bumps (some bigger than others) - I can't wait to see where it'll take me.

One more time.... EEEEEEEKKKKKK!!!!! BEST IN SHOW!! OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG! hahaha

BAYarts Faculty Show

The art center where I teach is having a faculty show. We were all asked to contribute one water-related piece. I chose to do an encaustic, since it is a good representation of one of my more unique classes.


Before:

and After:

Oil and Water • Oil, Encaustic and Mixed Media • 8in x 8in

 Come see it live, as well as many other incredible pieces, at the show opening this Friday at BAYarts!

The next class I teach is called, "Costume Cabaret" and is a fun spin on figure drawing / painting and staging illustrations. The class starts on March 20th and runs until May 15th. Here is more information (You can sign up for classes online here):

Costumed Cabaret (Mar 20-May 15)

Instructor: Erin Schechtman

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

6:30-9:00 pm

teens and adults

March 20-May 15 (NO CLASS APRIL 10)

Costumed Cabaret: Drawing and Painting the Clothed Figure

Throughout art history, costumes have played an important role in defining the message of any given painting. In this exciting new class, students will have a unique opportunity to tell stories in their work by painting and drawing from costumed models. Special emphasis will be placed on composition, lighting, illustration, and props. Possible themes include: Victorian, Swinging Twenties, Cabaret, SciFi and others. Students should expect to work in both charcoal on newsprint and in oil paint.

member $175   non-member $190 (model fee included)

member registration - February 25
open registration - March 3

Hope to see you there!

Rust Belt Monster Collective

So... you know how I go on and on about how important it is to have a commnuity? Well... this is MY support network:

5 of the most talented artists and kindest people I've had the pleasure to have known. And yes... that's me in the middle...

We ARE:

• Ben Hale
• Craig Worell
• James Giar
• Randolph Crider
• Tim Switalski
• And...er... Erin Schechtman (you are already at my blog)

Together we form the Rust Belt Monster Collective: a group of 6 artists who, on the constant quest to get BETTER, do weekly art challenges based on randomly chosen topics. This week, we are on Topic 9... a tribute to late concept art powerhouse Ralph McQuarrie ... though we normally draw muppets, superheros, and silly stuff like that. Check us out!

Blog URL: http://rustbeltmonster.blogspot.com/

A Study in Wanderlust

I am happy to announce that my show "A Study in Wanderlust" opened today at Kendal at Oberlin.

The show features 23 new works, all but one of which were created in the last year. This is the artist statement for the show:

I spend a lot of time thinking about the sacredness of everyday moments. With each subject I choose, it automatically becomes important - it is now Art instead of just another fleeting experience. With that in mind, I try to elevate details or moments that usually go unnoticed. For "A Study in Wanderlust," many of these ordinary moments occurred while I was traveling. This show is my way of remembering, reliving and reproducing the fond memories of my travels in small vignettes.

The work in "A Study in Wanderlust," was primarily created in charcoal on paper. In this medium, I spend much more time thinking about the subject itself than I do while working in my normal mixed media. Most of the images depicted are from Paris or London, though there are some from Boston, Cincinnati and Cleveland as well. There are also a few figurative encaustics (beeswax) and oil paintings that were created with the magic of Northeast Ohio summers in mind.

"A Study in Wanderlust" is open until Wednesday, May 9th. An artist talk and reception will be on Thursday, April 12th started promptly at 2:30 pm. See you there!