Author: Yelena Shabrova

Silicon Valley Open Studios “Sneak Preview” at Art Ark Gallery

Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

    About a dozen of my artworks will be a part of the Silicon Valley Open Studios preview exhibit at the Art Ark Gallery.

    Summer Day in Santa Cruz Mountains - colored pencil on Arches watercolor paper, 14.5" x 10.5"
    Summer Day in Santa Cruz Mountains – colored pencil on Arches watercolor paper, 14.5″ x 10.5″

    Art Ark Gallery is located at 1035 South 6th Street, San Jose, CA 95112.

    Gallery Hours: Saturday, January: 17th, 24th & 31st 11-4 pm.

    Opening Reception: Saturday, January 10th 6-9 pm.
    Closing Reception: Friday, February 6th 6-9 pm.

    I will also be sitting in the gallery on January 31, 1:30 pm – 4 pm.

    Stop by if you are in the area, it will be great to see you!

    Other participating artists: Lisa Babbitt, Rebecca Bangs, Leanne Bouwer, Trudi Burney, Jerry Carpenter, Gabriel Coke, Angela Cunningham, John Ediger, Marianne Eichenbaum, Liz Fennell, Yvette Head, Yvonne Head, Marilynn Host, Susannah Jackson, Leslie Lambert, Jim Lee, Alyssa Levitan, Oleg Lobykin, Stephanie Maclean, Daniel McLean, Dana Nehdaran, Dariush Nehdaran, Christine Oliver, Karen Olsen, Mohana Pradhan, Christine Rasmussen, Sally Rayn, Bill Sarnoff, Edwin Simon, Anthony Stenberg, Janet Trenchard, Nancy Woods, Helen Yang.

    This preview is an opportunity to see some of the art and meet the artists prior to the Open Studios held in the first three weekends of May, 2015.

    A sketch a day: horse head

    Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

      Yelena Shabrova ~ A sketch a day: horse head ~ graphite pencil on Canson drawing paper, 4" x 6"
      graphite pencil on Canson drawing paper, 4″ x 6″

      I wanted to finish this one yesterday and make it my last horse drawn in the departing year of the Horse, but of course that didn’t happen. So let it be the first horse of the new year with many more to follow.

      I want to thank you all for following me and supporting my art and wish you all the very best in the new year 2015!

      Gathering IV (rocks in pen and ink, 4″ x 4″) finished

      Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

        Yelena Shabrova ~ Gathering IV ~ pen and ink on drawing paper, 4" x 4"
        Gathering IV ~ pen and ink on drawing paper, 4″ x 4″

        The fourth piece in the “Gathering” series got no horses, it is dedicated to the beauty of many rock patterns.

        I think I will do the final piece the same way, without any representative images. Most comments that I get about this series is about the beauty of rocks themselves it seems fitting to get back to the original idea and focus on that.

        The original ($80.00) and prints are available in my online shop as a part of the “Pen and ink” collection.

        Artist trading card exchange at CAG – fall 2014

        Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

          As usual, the ATC exchange at CAG today was a lot of fun. Here are my contributions to the event:

          Yelena Shabrova ~ rocks in the mist - ATC ~ colored pencil, 2.5" x 3.5"
          rocks in the mist – ATC ~ colored pencil, 2.5″ x 3.5″
          Yelena Shabrova ~ last leaves - ATC ~ colored pencil, 2.5" x 3.5"
          last leaves – ATC ~ colored pencil, 2.5″ x 3.5″
          Yelena Shabrova ~ marsh after sunset - ATC ~ colored pencil, 3.5" x 2.5"
          marsh after sunset – ATC ~ colored pencil, 3.5″ x 2.5″
          Yelena Shabrova ~ sunset - ATC ~ colored pencil, 3.5" x 2.5"
          sunset – ATC ~ colored pencil, 3.5″ x 2.5″

          I love how the fall edition of the ATC exchange happens around my Birthday. This year it’s on a day before, so I got four early Birthday gifts:

          Dianne Daly ~ Persimmons in the Snow ~ watercolor
          Dianne Daly ~ Persimmons in the Snow ~ watercolor
          Dianne Daly ~ Persimmon ~ watercolor
          Dianne Daly ~ Persimmon ~ watercolor
          Gudrun Baumeister ~ Teachers Apple ~ watercolor
          Gudrun Baumeister ~ Teachers Apple ~ watercolor
          Karen Franzenburg ~ oil pastel
          Karen Franzenburg ~ oil pastel

          9th Annual HARK! Exhibit & Sale

          Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

            I will have a few pen and ink pieces in this show:

            Gathering I, by Yelena-Shabrova - pen & ink on drawing paper, 4" x 6"
            Gathering I – pen & ink on drawing paper, 4″ x 6″
            Yelena Shabrova ~ Gathering II ~ pen & ink on drawing paper, 4" x 6"
            Gathering II ~ pen & ink on drawing paper, 4″ x 6″
            Yelena Shabrova ~ Gathering III ~ pen and ink on drawing paper, 6" x 4"
            Gathering III ~ pen and ink on drawing paper, 6″ x 4″

            If you are in the area, stop by for the opening reception on December 5th, starting at 7 pm.

            HARK! 9th annual holiday exhibit & sale is open from December 5th, 2014 through January 16, 2015.

            KALEID gallery is located at 88 S 4th St, San Jose, California 95112

            Corinthian House Art Show 2014

            Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

              Corinthian House in Campbell has a new exhibit now, and several of may artworks are a part of it:

              Yelena Shabrova ~ Plum Blossoms in Los Gatos Creek Park - colored pencil on Bristol paper, 16" x 20"
              Plum Blossoms in Los Gatos Creek Park – colored pencil on Bristol paper, 16″ x 20″
              Fortitude - colored pencil on drawing paper, 9" x 6"
              Fortitude ~ Prismacolor colored pencil on drawing paper, , 9″ x 6″
              Yelena Shabrova ~ Newborn ~ Derwent colored pencil on Bienfang watercolor paper, horse portrait
              Newborn ~ Derwent colored pencil on Bienfang watercolor paper, 11″ x 14″

              Corinthian house is located at 250 Budd Avenue, Campbell CA 95008.

              The exhibit is open from 9:00am to 4:00pm, Monday through Friday till January 18, 2015.

              The reception will be held on Sunday, December 7, 2014, 2 – 3:30 pm.

              Silicon Valley Small Works 2014 at the Vargas Gallery

              Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                My mixed media creatures were accepted into the Silicon Valley Small Works exhibit at the Vargas Gallery on the Mission College campus:

                Yelena Shabrova ~ Explorer ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8" x 10" (raccoon)
                Explorer ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8″ x 10″

                Yelena Shabrova ~ Muncher ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8" x 10" (original drawing of a squirrel)
                Muncher – mixed media on canvas panel, 8″ x 10″

                Yelena Shabrova ~ Stranger ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8" x 10" (original drawing of an owl)
                Stranger ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8″ x 10″

                Mission College is located at 3000 Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95054. The gallery is in the Gillmor Center, room 102. See the map of its location here: GC-102.

                The exhibit will be on from Wednesday, November 12 till Wednesday, December 10, 2014.

                The opening reception for Silicon Valley Small Works will be held on Wednesday, November 12 from 4-7 pm.

                The Vargas Gallery is open Mon. 3-6 pm, Tues. 1-5 pm, Wed. 3-6 pm, Thurs. 1-5 pm, Friday 1-4 pm, Sat. 12-2 pm. Closed November 27 – 30 for Thanksgiving.

                After the Rain (miniature)

                Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                  Yelena Shabrova ~ After the Rain (Miniature) ~ Derwent colored pencil on canvas, 3.5" x 2.5"
                  Derwent colored pencil on canvas, 3.5″ x 2.5″

                  Here is my newest tiny digital canvas. I haven’t done any for a few months and completely forgot my past experience with colored pencil on this kind of surface. It is a bit slippery and does not allow to build up really dark darks unless you carefully plan for them from the beginning and use very sharp pencils all the time. Unlike with paper or traditional linen canvas it is not possible to start with lighter colors everywhere and then go darker in as many layers as necessary. Darker colors on a digital canvas start to chip off relatively quickly if you are not careful.

                  So with a refreshed memory, I am now going to use digital canvas with soft graphite pencils only and leave colors to linen ones. Or maybe it’s worth trying to gesso a digital canvas and see if it becomes more tolerant to dark colored pencils.

                  The original miniature ($35.00) is available in my Miniatures online gallery.

                  Gathering III (rocks in pen and ink, 6″ x 4″) – in progress

                  Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                    Updated: October 26, 2014

                    It’s finished. I like how it turned out more than the first two pieces in the series.

                    The original ($80.00) and prints are available in my online shop as a part of the “Pen and ink” collection.

                    Yelena Shabrova ~ Gathering III ~ pen and ink on drawing paper, 6" x 4"

                    Updated: October 17, 2014

                    So most of my ideas are not suitable for small shapes and have to be put aside for now. I think there is a larger rocky piece in my feature; meanwhile this one continues to take shape.

                    Gathering III - rocks in pen and ink, 6" x 4" - in progress

                    Updated: October 2, 2014

                    I have more ideas for rock textures that are going to fit into this small piece, and not all of them are going to play nicely together. Decisions – they are very time consuming.

                    Gathering III - rocks in pen and ink, 6" x 4" - in progress

                    Original post: September 9, 2014

                    For the third piece in the “Gathering” series I decided to start with the horses instead of smaller rocks. Apparently it is easier to complete more critical parts of the drawing first than worry about ruining the entire thing if something in the horse does not look right. Who knew! So, outlines are done, one foal is completed but may need some touch-ups when I get to its rock, the other one is not giving me problems so far.

                    Gathering III - rocks in pen and ink, 6" x 4" - in progress

                    You can see the first two drawings in the series here and here.

                    Explorer goes to print

                    Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                      Yelena Shabrova ~ Explorer ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8" x 10" (raccoon)
                      Explorer ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8″ x 10″

                      Just learned that one of my pieces in the Bay Area Wildlife art show, Explorer, was featured in The Epoch Times newspaper. Nice surprise. Thanks Teresa Silvestri for letting me know!

                      The Epoch Times, October 2-8, 2014 (PDF)

                      The original ($190.00), greeting cards, and prints are available in my online shop as a part of the “Mixed Media” collection.

                      Newborn (foal head in colored pencil, 11″ x 14″)

                      Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                        Updated: September 12, 2014

                        Newborn won the Best Realism Award at the Fall Festival Art Show

                        Updated: August 29, 2014

                        And it’s done! I don’t think there is anything to add to it, but if I were to do this piece all over again I would approach it completely differently. It was a nice detour from fully realistic colors and a few purely technique-related things I usually use.

                        Yelena Shabrova ~ Newborn ~ Derwent colored pencil on Bienfang watercolor paper, 11" x 14", horse portrait
                        Newborn ~ Derwent colored pencil on Bienfang watercolor paper, 11″ x 14″

                        The original ($980.00), greeting cards, and prints are available in my online shop as a part of the “Colored Pencil” collection.

                        Updated: June 2, 2014

                        He looks more like a living creature now and almost ready for darks to be added. The white stripe will need some gentle work first.

                        Yelena Shabrova ~ Newborn, drawing of a foal head in progress ~ Derwent colored pencils on Bienfang watercolor paper, 11" x 14"

                        Updated: April 21, 2014

                        Well, it’s been a while since I started this portrait, several different small projects got in the way, but finally I am back to the little foal.

                        In the end, he won’t be nearly as colorful as right now (or at least I hope for that), but it will be interesting to see what bright violet and yellows will be able to add to regular coat colors.

                        Yelena Shabrova - Newborn, drawing of a foal head in progress - Derwent colored pencils on Bienfang watercolor paper, 11" x 14"

                        Original post: Jan 18, 2014

                        I think it’s been a terrible while since I drew a horse that fits on piece of paper bigger that 4″ x 6″. Time to change that, so here’s the beginning of a very young foal’s head. Because for some reason I chose rough Bienfang watercolor paper, it may take a while to build up colors in this one. And it’s not just rough, it’s somewhat slippery too. But we will see. So far it was mostly working on the background to get a better feel of the paper that is new to me before adding much detail to the foal.

                        Newborn, drawing in progress - Derwent colored pencils on Bienfang watercolor paper, 11" x 14"

                        Fall Festival Art Show at the Quinlan Center

                        Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                          I will have several artworks in this show including the newest one:

                          Yelena Shabrova ~ Newborn ~ Derwent colored pencil on Bienfang watercolor paper, 11" x 14", horse portrait
                          Newborn ~ Derwent colored pencil on Bienfang watercolor paper, 11″ x 14″

                          Reception: Friday, September 12, 2014 – 7 PM

                          Show: Saturday, September 13, 2014 – 10 AM to 5 PM

                          Location: Cupertino Room, Quinlan Community Center, 10185 N.Stelling Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014

                          I will be sitting in the FALC booth (M01) outside of the Quinlan Center with my fellow artists the entire Saturday and will be glad to chat with my old and new friends.

                          The exhibit is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Cupertino and Fine Arts League of Cupertino.

                          Judge: Dr. Nancy Canter, Dean Creative Arts, De Anza College

                          2014 Bay Area Wildlife Exhibit at Filoli

                          Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                            I will have three small pieces on display at Filoli from Tuesday, September 9 through Sunday, October 26, 2014:

                            Yelena Shabrova ~ Explorer ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8" x 10" (raccoon)
                            Explorer ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8″ x 10″

                            Yelena Shabrova ~ Muncher ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8" x 10" (original drawing of a squirrel)
                            Muncher – mixed media on canvas panel, 8″ x 10″

                            Yelena Shabrova ~ Stranger ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8" x 10" (original drawing of an owl)
                            Stranger ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8″ x 10″

                            The exhibit will be held in the gallery at the Visitor and Education Center of Filoli. The address is 86 Cañada Road, Woodside, California 94062

                            Open: Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 am–3:30 pm (last admission 2:30 pm), Sunday 11:00 am–3:30 pm (last admission 2:30 pm)

                            General Admission: Adults $18 / Seniors $15 (65 & older) / Children $8 (ages 5–17)

                            Meet the Artist’s Weekend: October 11 – 12. Hope to see you there!

                            “Truckee River” earned the 1st place at the Campbell Artists’ Guild 16th Annual Art Show

                            Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                              “Truckee River” earned the 1st place at the Campbell Artists’ Guild 16th Annual Art Show in the Drawing category.

                              Yelena Shabrova ~ Truckee River ~ colored pencil on colored paper, 9" x 6"
                              Truckee River ~ colored pencil on colored paper, 9″ x 6″

                              “This is a little gem. I like the composition very much, focusing as it does on a small pocket of water off the Truckee River. The colors are delicate and exquisite showing good variation and are very convincing.” ~ Jeff Bramschreiber, juror

                              We had a wonderful reception today, thank you everybody who made it to the Rose Shenson Gallery.

                              The show will stay open till August 31 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 12 pm – 4 pm at the Triton Museum of Art, 1505 Warburton Ave, Santa Clara, California. Stop by if you are in the area, there is a lot of wonderful art to see.

                              Summer Exhibit at the San Jose Bridge Club 2014

                              Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                                “Plum Blossoms at Los Gatos Creek Park” and “On the Way III” were accepted into the Summer Exhibit at the San Jose Bridge Center 2014 that will be held from July 29 till October 28, 2014.

                                Yelena Shabrova ~ Plum Blossoms in Los Gatos Creek Park ~ Prismacolor colored pencil on Bristol paper
                                Plum Blossoms in Los Gatos Creek Park ~ Prismacolor colored pencil on Bristol paper
                                Yelena Shabrova ~ On the Way I ~ Faber-Castell oil pastel on Strathmore colored paper, 8" x 10"
                                On the Way I ~ Faber-Castell oil pastel on Strathmore colored paper, 8″ x 10″

                                There will be no reception for this show.

                                The San Jose Bridge Center is located at 1300 White Oak, Suite 103, Campbell, CA.

                                Campbell Artists’ Guild 16th Annual Art Show

                                Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                                  A few of my works will be on display at the Rose Shenson Gallery of the Triton Museum of Art:

                                  Yelena Shabrova ~ Changing Colors ~ pastel pencil on drawing paper, 6" x 4"
                                  Changing Colors ~ pastel pencil on drawing paper, 6″ x 4″
                                  Yelena Shabrova ~ Sleepy Creek ~ graphite pencil on drawing paper, 6" x 4"
                                  Sleepy Creek ~ graphite pencil on drawing paper, 6″ x 4″
                                  Yelena Shabrova ~ The Old Oak ~ charcoal on drawing paper, 4" x 6"
                                  The Old Oak ~ charcoal on drawing paper, 4″ x 6″
                                  Yelena Shabrova ~ Truckee River ~ colored pencil on colored paper, 9" x 6"
                                  Truckee River ~ colored pencil on colored paper, 9″ x 6″

                                  The show will be open August 1-31 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 12 pm – 4 pm.

                                  Reception is on Sunday, August 3, 1:30-3:30 p.m. There will be festive music, a plethora of delicious finger food and libations, and an opportunity to meet many talented artists.

                                  The Rose Shenson Gallery is located behind the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, 1505 Warburton Avenue.

                                  Stranger

                                  Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                                    Yelena Shabrova ~ Stranger ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8" x 10" (original drawing of an owl)
                                    Stranger ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8″ x 10″

                                    I was asked more than once why I don’t draw owls, and given the fact that they are my next favorite animals after horses it really begs the question. My explanation so far was that it’s far easier to obtain my own horse reference which is always preferred over free and inexpensive options that can be used by somebody else too.

                                    However, the time keeps marching by, and my own supply of owl photos stays at zero. I do see owls every now and then which is very nice, but the lighting conditions are such that even the best camera in the world will not help my shaky coffee hands to make even a semi-decent shot. So I finally looked for other options.

                                    So now I have my very own owl peaking out of a crumbling wall. Thank you, Lynton Bolton, for a great reference photo.

                                    An observation: if an owl has light, fluffy feathers they will do everything they can to turn out a mess. They observe no rules, no order, nothing of what fur usually does.

                                    The original ($190.00), greeting cards, and prints are available in my online shop as a part of the “Mixed Media” collection.

                                    Muncher

                                    Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                                      Yelena Shabrova ~ Muncher ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8" x 10" (original drawing of a squirrel)
                                      Muncher – mixed media on canvas panel, 8″ x 10″

                                      Squirrels are our little chatty neighbors who dig out everything I ever tried to plant in the patio. Even garlic is not safe with them. I would never believe that a squirrel can be interested in garlic cloves if I hadn’t seen with my own eyes how a squirrel hurries up a tree with a freshly dug-out clove in his teeth.

                                      I suspect that at least some odd grasses, bushes, and trees that grow all by themselves are actually squirrels’ work. We never planted any of that, and nothing similar grows nearby. It has to come from what squirrels hide around the patio.

                                      The original ($190.00), greeting cards, and prints are available in my online shop as a part of the “Mixed Media” collection.

                                      Furry explorer

                                      Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                                        Yelena Shabrova ~ Explorer ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8" x 10" (raccoon)
                                        Explorer ~ mixed media on canvas panel, 8″ x 10″

                                        Raccoons are adorable as long as you do not stand between them and what they think is their food or keep a healthy distance from them in general. I imagine gardeners don’t appreciate living side by side with them, but not being one I enjoy every encounter, be it in the wilderness or in the city.

                                        This is a Russian raccoon who looks exactly as his American relatives and can be just as feisty. I met him and his family in the Moscow Zoo more than a decade ago.

                                        The original ($190.00), greeting cards, and prints are available in my online shop as a part of the “Mixed Media” collection.