Wow, I can't believe I'm making a post and I can't believe I was in my studio today. I haven't been there since the beginning of July, but I wouldn't trade the summer with my kids for anything. They are back in school now and I have started my new adventure teaching art to preschool - 8th grade at St. Joseph's Regional School here in Keene on Mondays and Fridays. The kids are loads of fun... I hope I can provide them with enough inspiring projects throughout the year. Thanks so much for the responses to my question in the last post - they were very helpful.

The plan for the year is to be in the studio all day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

So here's what I did today! on Tuesday! :-)

Its small - about 6" x 12' prismacolors on Fisher 400. I think I'll call it "Monadnock Berries" after the place I picked the berries in Troy, NH and where I took the pretty view of Mt. Monadnock.

I'm going to bring it right over for framing so it can go in my show at the Monadnock Fine Art Gallery (opening night is September 25th). Actually I hope to get a few more still-lifes finished for the show to add to the 15 they already have.

I've got some news to share from this summer. My piece Zen won Best of Show in Ann Kullberg's annual FMP show! :-)

& it also was a finalist in the Artist's Magazine Competition.

Hey & check out Karin Jurick's new painting challenge! It's cupcakes!! I'm so excited - I may even do it this time! http://differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/2009/08/week-46-48-challenge-cupcakes.html

It's Official!

I know I already posted about this but it is now up on their site. My dawing Zen won 3rd place in the children's category in the Portrait Society of America's Member's Showcase Competition (for those of you that didn't see that post)! Here are the winners in the show http://portraitsociety.org/membersonly-competitions/2008/winners.htm

It is soooo amazing to see my colored pencil drawing alongside all those traditional oils! & and dang good traditional oils! I just wish it listed the media it was made in and the sizes along with the titles. but YAY!

I feel bad, but I won't be posting any new artwork this week. The kids have winter break this week from school  and I am busy cleaning the house from after leaving the kids at home with their father for four days... and planning my 6 year old's birthday party which we are having on  Thursday. We invited her entire kindergarten class - 20 kids - to my little house, so we are having to put furniture in the garage etc. Fun huh? I think I'll be buying the cake instead of making it this year! 

OMG!

OMG!

My piece 'Zen" won Best of Show at the Thorne Sagendorph Biennial Regional Juried Show!

It is a regional juried show open to artists living within 30 miles of Keene and is one of those shows that you are just happy to get your piece accepted in. My hope was to get in (my fingers were crossed as well as my stomach in knots waiting to find out if I got in) and have a piece that, this year, people might stop and look at instead of walk past. The last two times I got in, my pieces were small or insignificant next to the amazing art in the show and it hit a nerve when it seemed no one even stopped to take a look at my drawings. So this time, I just hoped my pieces would command a little looksee from the viewers of the show.

BUT to win Best of Show was beyond my expectations!

Seriously, just getting in the show had me excited. The gallery space is such a phenomenal space & they really know how to hang and light work. Just to see my pieces hanging, lit up better than when I was working on them was a thrill I was looking forward to.

If you remember I did the piece Zen with the intention of entering it in this show and one other - the CPSA national show... and if you remember more... I found out that it is too big to be entered in the CPSA show. :-( Oh well........ I would have liked to have had the chance to get it in an all colored pencil show.

Here are some pics from the opening last night.

Another piece of mine got in the show, and here it is with me and my model posing in front of it. People kept on coming up to her during the opening asking her "Haven't I seen you before."

Here's me with my beautiful older daughter who is the model in Zen. :-)

& look! People stopped and looked at it, lol!

If you didn't have a chance to go to the opening -

the show runs January 24 - February 26, 2009.

The gallery hours are:

Saturday – Wednesday noon to 4 p.m.
Thursday and Friday noon to 7 p.m.

The Thorne Sagendorph Gallery is on the Keene State College campus on Wyman Way (off of Main St.)

If anyone would like to look back at 'Zen' being made - it is in my October archive (link below) Just scroll down the page:

http://nicolecaulfieldfineart.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html

Shortlisted for MAMA!

Merry Christmas!

We've had a great Christmas here at the Caulfield house. The kids got more than they needed yet again and are preoccupied with their new toys. You all know I opened my favorite present early this year... oops... The leftovers from Thanksgiving are still cluttering the freezer so instead of a traditional feast my husband Mike bought half the menu from a local Chinese Restaurant. I see a possible new tradition there! The rest of the day I set about finishing book 4 from the Twilight series - eek should I have publicly admitted that? Oh well... book 4 was the best by the way.

& a bit of news.

Thank you to Sheona Hamilton who nominated my portrait 'Zen' for 'award for best portrait by a female blogger' on Katherine Tyrrell's blog Making a Mark ( & her yearly MAMA awards)! Its great to be nominated, but Sheona's graphite work is amazing, so I'm excited that she picked my portrait to nominate! It then has been shortlisted - which means it is one of 5 you can vote for to be the favorite. Go on over and take a look at the entries (all of which are great) and vote on your favorite. :-)

H20 Show in Newport, RI

More great news! My beach portrait won Best of Show in the CPSA district 112 memebr show. You probably remember me working n the piece. The show was a water themed show, so I decided to do a beach inspired portrait. My inyentions were to get that sun drenched, windswept feeling. The colourful skintones of the outdoors proved to be really hard to achieve. I even had to do a redo and create some color samples to get me through it! Here are my original posts on the piece while it was in progress:

1 - http://nicolecaulfieldfineart.blogspot.com/2008/07/beach-portrait.html
2 - http://nicolecaulfieldfineart.blogspot.com/2008/07/beach-portrait-update.html
3 - http://nicolecaulfieldfineart.blogspot.com/2008/07/beach-portrait-finished.html


If anyone is in the Newport, RI area and want to see the show the information is below. The opening reception is over but they are having a gallery night on the 15th of Novemeber!

Members of the New England Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society of America
will exhibit colored pencil works at the Spring Bull Gallery during the month of
November. The exhibit, titled "H2O" incorporates each artist's interpretation of
water.

This diversified exhibit will encompass a wide variety of colored
pencil techniques and colored pencil mixed with other mediums. In conjunction
with the exhibit, the chapter will be having a silent auction of 5x7" original
colored pencil drawings that will last throughout the month. Come meet the
artists and explore this unique art medium at the opening reception on Saturday,
November 1, 2008 from 5-7PM. Exhibit runs November 1 - December 3 2008, and
Newport Gallery Night is Thursday, November 13, 5-8 p.m.
Spring Bull Gallery

located at 55 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island, is wheel chair
accessible and open free to the public. Gallery hours are noon to 5PM daily. For
additional information on this exhibition, future gallery events or member
artists please call the gallery at 401-849-9166 or visit the gallery on-line
www.springbullgallery.com.

UKCPS

I received some great news yesterday. My piece, Night's Agents, won the President's Award (3rd Place) in the United Kingdom Coloured Pencil Society Annual Exhibition 2008.

You can view the entire show on their website: http://www.ukcps.co.uk/2008Exhibition.html

& Katherine Tyrrell has a great post about the exhibit on her blog Making a Mark.

If you remember, this piece has a sister called Light Vanity, which had the honor of being accepted in the Catharine Lorillard Show in NYC in 2007. Light Vanity is now on display at Chasen Galleries.

I've started a new piece that I was going to photograph and post last week, but I couldn't find my camera. I did find it now, but the piece is ALMOST finished, so I might as well wait and post it tomorrow.