About me: Yelena Shabrova, an artist and web designer who lives and works in Silicon Valley, Ca. See more of my art at shabrova.com or visit duskowl.com for everything that has to do with graphic design and web development.
On the Racetrack III – 11 3/8″ x 8 3/8″, pen and ink on drawing paper
The third and final part of three drawings inspired by Bay Meadows, a racetrack that, sadly, does not exist anymore. We used to visit it regularly, and it was always a pleasure for us and our kids to spend a day there. Now the long stretch of stands, the smell of the paddock, the turf and the sight of stables and horses everywhere are all gone to yield space to houses and office buildings.
Scinthia – 4″ x 6″, charcoal on drawing paper
This is what I hope to be the return of my long lost love for portraits. I mean human portraits. Horses were always fine and still are. But I haven’t draw a single human face in more than 15 years except for an occasional sketch here and there. It’s coming back now an feels like slipping in old comfortable shoes. “Scinthia” is not a real person, it’s my guess at what the name might look like.
Fortitude – 9″ x 6″, colored pencil on drawing paper
“Fortitude” is an ode to the plant that grows in our patio. I can never remember what it is called. But whatever it is, it survived a serious frostbite last winter, had to be completely chopped out, and in a few months came back as lush and healthy as ever. Right now this plant with an unmemorizable name is taking over the patio despite the heat. I keep hoping that it will stop on its own and I won’t have to trim it. It would be difficult to decide which parts to take away.
I did this piece as a gift to my Mom and Dad. Mom grows many wonderful gladioluses at their summer house, but the yellow ones look most beautiful to me.
This is the first work in a series of small landscapes that I plan to do. All places in the series will be from California parks and preserves.
This one was in the works since 2000. I vaguely remember being excited when I just started with it, but then life got in the way with moving and traveling to Russia, and when I’ve picked the pencils again I hit a creative block. No matter what approach I tried, no matter what part of the drawing I chose to work on – nothing felt right. So I would walk away and work on something else, come back, felt that the creative block was still there, and put the stubborn artwork away again. I am not sure what’s changed recently, but “Running Free” was completed with just a few short sessions. Maybe it happened because last time I’ve left it alone for the longest period ever.
Plum Blossoms in Los Gatos Creek Park – 16″ x 20″, colored pencil on Bristol paper
I still consider 16″ x 20″ to be pretty big. Reference photos for this piece were taken more than seven years ago when my kids were much younger and often went to that park. The path along the creek is beautiful at all seasons.
