Tag: contemporary drawings

Two new artworks for summertime.

Posted on by Joseph Lawrence

 

These two pieces are both related to the summer season. They were inspired by a bouquet of flowers that I noticed while visiting my sister in Minnesota.  The painting’s ocean background  was inspired by a trip to England by way of the Queen Mary II.   The subject of the pastel drawing is the same bouquet.  However, the setting has been changed to a meadow in front of a forest.  Both artworks show aspects of nature.  A romantic critic could interpret the flowers as nature domesticated, while the meadow and forest are nature untamed.

 

Oil painting on canvas.
Seascape with Bouquet, oil on canvas, 30″x26″, 2025
Pastel drawing on paper.
Flower Bouquet and Forest, pastel, 25″x19″, 2025

News and Assorted Worries

Posted on by Joseph Lawrence

 

t has been a while since I last posted anything, and I am beginning to feel that my followers and friends have lost interest in me.  I have completed some new drawings and a small oil painting which are outside of my usual style.  I have lately been more interested in breaking up any implied narrative meaning in my work by overlaying the works with abstract, geometric shapes.  Need I go on about the latest news from Washington?  I worry about our country’s direction — and Income Tax Day is coming up!Building innovation to, consequently, create actionable insights. Considering above the fold while remembering to create a better customer experience.

 

Pastel Drawing 2025

Portal to Mystic Woods, Pastel and charcoal, 18×24 2025

Link 2

 

Oil on canvas painting

Upturned Male Profile, Oil on canvas, 20″x16″, 2025

Link 3

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Notes on drawing with pastels:

Posted on by Joseph Lawrence

Greetings!  This blog is about my preferred way to draw, which is using pastels.  I had experimented with various drawing media: pencil, colored pencil, charcoal and pen and ink, but I kept coming back to pastels. With pastels, I can create drawings in complex color pallets that have the richness of an oil painting.  The factors that must be considered while using pastels are many, the density and darkness of strokes, how layers of color affect one another.  The color of the paper being used will also affect the overall appearance of the finished drawing.

I enjoy working with pastels because they enable me to work with great freedom and experiment with different colors spontaneously.  There is no need for special tools or solvents.  A bad composition or mistake can usually be corrected.  

Pastel, lawrence-studio, 2024
Abstraction with letter forms, Pastel, 19×25″ 2024