Kelly in Warm Colors, pastel © B.E. Kazmarski
Because I always hope she feels the warmth of love.
I hadn’t set out to do quite this, but this was what resulted from a lovely ideal of Kelly sleeping quietly in the sun…right after her hatha yoga bath. It turned out to be all about Kelly today, but she was so enjoying the sun on that cabinet, and I was so enjoying her.
This is done in my old friend, pastel, or chalk pastel to differentiate from my new friend oil pastel (read this article to understand the difference between and how they are made). Normally my “native” medium, I’ve been wandering away from it lately just to get a break and experience other media. This is the joy of daily sketches for me, that little exploration. Now I am eager to get back to my friends, my pastels.
A few notes on the colors, as always…the deepest colors on her are two shades of warm purple, more like violet than indigo, as it appears here, which softens the shadows instead of sharpening them as you see here. Also the blue in the background at left is cooler, not the turquoise you see; I think it draws too much attention to itself. But nothing is ever perfect, and I am never happy with what my scanner does with color. I hope you like it nonetheless.
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Click here to see other daily sketches, and for a gallery of the ones available for sale, visit my Etsy shop in the “Daily Sketches” section.
All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.
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[...] before dawn, I awoke to Kelly on my chest looking just like the painting I’d done of her, “Kelly in Warm Colors”, and a lovely piece of music on the radio, Claude Debussy’s Arabesque No. 1, its gentle [...]
[...] to it, enough to hold a layer of chalk pastel though I could never add more layers and blend like Kelly in Warm Colors—that is drawn on paper with enough tooth and texture to hold lots of [...]
[...] Above is “Kelly in Warm Colors” in a frame I hand-tinted in tones of gold to match the warm colors in the sketch. For the mats I used a forest green suede-finish mat for that wonderful richness it imparts and the natural patterning of suede that mimics my blending and fingering style when I work my pastel on drawing paper, and a gold liner mat that brings a little bit of reflected light next to the painting. Overall it’s 8″ x 10″, and I’m very pleased to see this sweet little sketch in this more finished form. I am also offering it as a digital print, and in the very near future will also offer this and many others as small prints on stretched canvas—my first proofs of these have worked well and been very attractive. Read more about this sketch from the day I posted it. [...]
[...] Above is “Kelly in Warm Colors” in a frame I hand-tinted in tones of gold to match the warm colors in the sketch. For the mats I used a forest green suede-finish mat for that wonderful richness it imparts and the natural patterning of suede that mimics my blending and fingering style when I work my pastel on drawing paper, and a gold liner mat that brings a little bit of reflected light next to the painting. Overall it’s 8″ x 10″, and I’m very pleased to see this sweet little sketch in this more finished form. I am also offering it as a digital print, and in the very near future will also offer this and many others as small prints on stretched canvas—my first proofs of these have worked well and been very attractive. Read more about this sketch from the day I posted it. [...]
Bernadette, I absolutely love this! Would you consider selling prints or even the original? I’m definitely interested!
Susan, she’s all framed and ready, check in on Sunday!
I absolutely love this portrait! The colors are magnificent .
Paulette, thanks! I’m very pleased with it. It’s right here by my desk so I can keep looking at it.
That is BEAUTIFUL!
I’m pretty pleased with it Jaffa Cat!
Breathtaking! I’ve got a perfect place in my home for this….I’m just sayin’…
Check on Saturday, Chris!
I love how many colours it takes to really capture dear Kelly’s beautiful tortioseshell!! In the warm light of the Sun.. n of your Love.
Annie, if you look close some of them are pretty unexpected. Even though I’m the artist and chose the colors, I’m surprised myself.
Bernadette:
This is one of your best, I think. I love the colors you chose and Kelly’s whiskers, eyebrows and the hairs on her chest. Just lovely.
Roxanne, funny you mention the whiskers—I was pleased but it just wasn’t quite done and I was concerned it might be too abstract until I added just those few tiny lines and I knew it was there. Thanks!
So nice to see Kelly in your “native” medium of pastel, Bernadette. This is so beautiful. I love the colors – the two shades of purple in contrast with the sunlight colors are magnificent! I can tell that Kelly had a delicious yoga bath and is now soaking up the glorious sun with every fiber of her sweet, rounded body.
Susan, no matter where I ramble, there’s no place like home. I love my pastels. And of course I have the most wonderful models.
I don’t just “like” this, I LOVE it – so beautiful!
Thank you, Denise! I do too, sounds strange, but I love it when I love my art.
It’s gorgeous! You can feel the warmth in the colours, so full of life even though she’s resting.
Mark, that’s the warmth and life of contentment, just right for our kitties–especially little Kelly!