New Art

“Conversation” for 8×8 Gallery with a Twist at The Arts Center in Corvallis

Posted on by Yelena Shabrova
Conversation – mixed media on canvas panel, 8″ x 8″

My 8″ x 8″ piece, “Conversation”, is  a part of this year’s Art for the Heart Gala at The Arts Center in Corvallis. The opening reception is on Thursday, September 28, 2023, 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. There are 150 small artworks to choose from. All sales benefit The Arts Center that does a lot of good work for the community.

All artwork will go on sale after the reception through the Art for the Heart 2023 Catalog. Preview price is $75. You can get the event or free online catalog tickets to purchase your favorite artworks at 8 p.m. on September 28 (following the reception). For those pieces that do not find their collector during the preview period, the art will be for sale at the Gala for $40 starting October 7. 

More info on the fundraiser >>

    Sunrise Tree for Twitter Art Exhibit 2023

    Posted on by Yelena Shabrova
    Good Morning – black ink and colored pencil, 7″ x 5″

    Sent my 7″ x 5″ contribution off to Canada today. It is colored pencil and black ink on mixed media paper. It will benefit Urban Native Youth Association. UNYA has a philanthropic goal of $6 million to build the Native Youth Centre. Every contribution they receive will help them create a community of caring in support of Indigenous youth.

    If you are in Vancouver, BC, or close enough to make a trip, here are the dates for the live TAE show at The Pipe Shop:

    Opening Reception: June 24, 1-8 pm PDT
    Exhibition Continues: June 25, 11 am-6 pm PDT

    Please head to TAE’s RSVP page if you plan to attend either day.

    Online Sale will be held Jun 26 – Jul 24, 2023, at https://www.twitterartexhibit.org/.

    And no, I am not a sunrise person, so my knowledge of that time of the day is mostly theoretical. I was planning a sunset, but the drawing had its own idea, and I went with that. Arguments usually do not lead to a good result.

    This year’s beneficiary of the Twitter Art Exhibit is Urban Native Youth Association.

    We strive to empower Indigenous youth to make positive changes in their lives by offering a wide range of services, resources, and opportunities.


    In everything we do here at UNYA, we take into account an understanding of trauma, aim to accept youth without judgment, and respect youth as experts in their own lives.

      Magnolias for Twitter Art Exhibit 2021

      Posted on by Yelena Shabrova
      Drawing of blossoming star magnolias. Flowers were done in white gel ink pen, branches and young leaves were done in black felt tip pen. Colored pencil was used for add pink to flowers, various greens to leaves, and earthy colors to branches. Background is a warm, slightly green shade of gray with visible small fiber parts in it.
      Magnolia Melody ~ colored pencil and ink on toned gray paper, 12 x 16 cm

      Got a word yesterday that my 12 x 16 cm drawing made it to the 10th Twitter Art Exhibit that this year is helping Horry County Disabilities & Special Needs.

      The show was going to be held in Myrtle Beach, SC but is now in limbo due to the COVID-19 outbreak. I do hope that there still be an option to buy the cards online like in previous years, no matter what the fate of the live show. Then we still do good and all is as well as it can be.

      Every volunteer who helped with the show is very much appreciated, as are many artists who sent in their little creations.

      Also on Social Media

      Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter

      Updated July 13th, 2021

      My card for the Twitter Art Exhibit 2021 has been sold! The live one-day show happened later than originally placed, it happened the Cheltenham Racecourse and was a big success. There are still cards available at https://www.twitterartexhibit.org/shop. 100% of proceeds from TAE21 Postcards goes to The Leukaemia and Intensive Chemotherapy Fund – LINC. (http://www.lincfund.org/) 

        End of Day series – how it was created

        Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

        “End of Day” is a short series of three 6″ x 6″ drawings on clear gessoed wood created for the 6x6x6 Community Art Show at the Alberta Street Gallery. As it often happens, small format lends itself nicely to experiments, and the main thing I wanted to find out here was how well multiple layers of colored pencil on a primed wooden panel would accept ink.

        The answer is: not really well if it is a felt tip pen, better if the tip is a soft brush, but an actual brush dipped into India ink is the easiest way. Really, should’ve used a brush or at least a brush pen from the beginning, but I wanted to exhaust all available pen options first. And no, this is not an exaggeration: I went through dozens of different pen brands before one finally sort of worked.

        It may be that I didn’t sand the clear gesso enough and that made the texture get in the way of pens. I am going to try the same combination of colored pencils and black pen on clear wood to be sure.

          Art for the Heart 8×8 Gallery 2020

          Posted on by Yelena Shabrova
          Delicate Beginnings I, mixed media drawing by Yelena Shabrova
          Delicate Beginning I ~ mixed media, 5″ x 5″
          Delicate Beginnings II, mixed media drawing by Yelena Shabrova
          Delicate Beginning II ~ mixed media, 5″ x 5″
          Delicate Beginnings III, mixed media drawing by Yelena Shabrova
          Delicate Beginning III ~ mixed media, 5″ x 5″

          Dropped my contribution to the Art Gallery for Art for the Heart that benefits Center for the Arts in Corvallis. I am not sure if the show will be an actual physical one or online only like many others. I haven’t been to the place since way before the pandemic, and it was so nice to walk in and enjoy the current show and new things in their gift shop. It was almost normal. Almost.

          Three 5” x 5” drawings make the “Delicate Beginnings” little series. It would be four, but the forth one became a casualty of forgetting to cover the ink drawing with final fixative before attempting to mount it on top of the tissue paper with pastels and powdered bone. It will require heavy touch-up and maybe adding some color to the foal. I am not sure about color yet, but it’s a possibility. Maybe all four would benefit from some color.

          More details about the show: https://theartscenter.net/call-for-artists-8×8-art-gallery-for-art-for-the-heart/

          Updated September 25th, 2020

          The Art for the Heart 8×8 Gallery is going up in the Corrine Woodman Gallery tomorrow.

          The show will be up from September 26th till October 8th, 2020.
          The current hours of The Arts Center are Thursday – Saturday, 12 pm – 5 pm.

          Masks and Social Distancing Required

          Virtual Reception
          The 8×8 Gallery reception will be held on October 1, 2020 at 6 pm online. It will be the first chance to purchase any artwork in this gallery.
          Register for Art for the Heart by clicking here. Registration is free. Also visit The Arts Center’s Facebook page by clicking here for more info.

            Digital collage with a blackbird

            Posted on by Yelena Shabrova
            Digital collage with a blackbird ~ ArtFlow and Painter (both are Android drawing apps) and Photoshop
            Digital collage with a blackbird ~ ArtFlow and Painter (both are Android drawing apps) and Photoshop

            Digital collage with a blackbird, a joint effort of ArtFlow and Painter (both are Android drawing apps) and Photoshop. The bird took forever and some to get right. I could draw it on paper times faster, but somehow “digital” translated into “quick” in my mind. It’s not quick, at least not if you were born way before computers, tablets, and digital pens.

              Last Traces of Fog – my 12 x 16 cm contribution to #TAE20

              Posted on by Yelena Shabrova
              Last Traces of Fog ~ colored pencils and ink, 12 x 16 cm

              Got a word yesterday that my 12 x 16 cm drawing made it to the 10th Twitter Art Exhibit that this year is helping Horry County Disabilities & Special Needs.

              The show was going to be held in Myrtle Beach, SC but is now in limbo due to the COVID-19 outbreak. I do hope that there still be an option to buy the cards online like in previous years, no matter what the fate of the live show. Then we still do good and all is as well as it can be.

              Every volunteer who helped with the show is very much appreciated, as are many artists who sent in their little creations.

              Also on social media

              https://twitter.com/twitrartexhibit/status/1239552836016451587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

                New Blossoms for the 6 x 6 x 6 show at the Alberta Street Gallery

                Posted on by Yelena Shabrova
                Blossoms I ~ mixed media (pen and ink on tissue paper collage) on primed MDF board, 6" x 6" ~ Yelena Shabrova
                Blossoms I ~ mixed media (pen and ink on tissue paper collage) on primed MDF board, 6″ x 6″
                photo of the original artwork, Blossoms 2, mixed media (pen and ink on tissue paper collage) on primed MDF board, 6" x 6", by Yelena Shabrova
                Blossoms II ~ mixed media (pen and ink on tissue paper collage) on primed MDF board, 6″ x 6″

                These two new artworks were delivered yesterday to the 6 x 6 x 6 art show at the Alberta Street Gallery. Artists were free to create whatever they wanted as long as their art fit within 6″ x 6″ x 6″, and my choice was to do something related to spring that was all around me already.

                I’ve spent more time experimenting with background collages than actually drawing and had to stop experiments at some point while I still had time to finish the pieces. It was fun, and I now have notes to continue playing with new ideas as time permits.

                The Alberta Street Gallery is located at 1829 NE Alberta Street, Portland, OR (directions)

                The show is open March 1-22, 2020, Monday – Friday 11 am – 7 pm, Saturdays 9 am – 9 pm, Sundays 9 am – 5 pm.

                If you can, stop by for the opening reception on March 1st.

                See show details on Facebook.

                Also on social media

                  Pause

                  Posted on by Yelena Shabrova
                  Yelena Shabrova ~ Pause ~ colored pencil, 5x7
                  Yelena Shabrova ~ Pause ~ Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor colored pencil on Daler-Rowney card paper, 12 x 16 cm

                  Got notified that my card for Twitter Art Exhibit 2019 safely arrived at Edinburgh, UK. Phew! I was so unbelievably late this year that I was not even sure it would make it in time for the opening night on May 11.

                  For my artist friends who would like to participate next year, here is the TAE website: http://twitterartexhibit.org. This year they support an Edinburgh based charity, Art in Healthcare, that organizes workshop programs for patients.

                  Updated May 15, 2019

                  Just got notified that my card has been sold! Yay!
                  The live Twitter Art Exhibit is over, but their fundraising for Art in Healthcare continues at https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/tae19.php

                  Updated May 16, 2019

                  https://twitter.com/SharonsArk1/status/1129093697948258304?s=03

                  Updated May 26, 2019

                  My little Jay that got sold at #TAE19 looks all pretty in its new happy home. Thank you for sharing the photo, Sharon! Great choice of frame! 

                    “Improbable Dreams of a Tree” goes to the HIP 2B Square show

                    Posted on by Yelena Shabrova
                    Yelena Shabrova ~ Improbable Dreams of a Tree ~ colored pencil on primed wood panel, 12" x 12"
                    Improbable Dreams of a Tree ~ colored pencil on primed wood panel, 12″ x 12″

                    Delivered my latest drawing to the Sequoia Gallery today. It is for the HIP 2B Square show that benefits this nice and cozy cooperative gallery and its artist studios. The show opens on April 2nd with a reception and award announcements and runs through May 3.

                    Sequoia Gallery is located at 136 SE 3rd Avenue, Hillsboro, OR 97123. Hours: Tuesday – Saturday from 10 am – 5 pm.

                    The gallery provided an option of a 12″ x 12″ Blick canvas or primed and cradled wood panel, and I chose the panel.

                    After the fiasco with an Ampersand panel it was interesting to try something different. To my delight, the texture of the gessoed wooden surface was strong but pretty even and was almost as easy to work with as good textured paper. I will do more with it, just maybe without cradles. Not a big fan of working edges of those things.

                    Updated on April 4, 2019

                      Character for TAE 2018 – colored pencil, 12 x 16 cm

                      Posted on by Yelena Shabrova
                      Yelena Shabrova ~ Character ~ colored pencil, 12 x 16 cm
                      Character ~ colored pencil, 12 x 16 cm

                      Finally mailed my postcard art to the Twitter Art Exhibit (TAE) today. I blame Creatacolor pencils for the delay. It was my first time trying oil-based colored pencils, and as a Prismacolor/Derwent girl I found their behavior way too different.

                      This year TAE helps an Australian charity, Pegasus Riding For The Disabled of ACT Inc., http://www.pegasusact.com.au/. All proceeds from postcard art sales go to the charity. If you feel like helping out, the deadline for submissions is March 19, 2018: http://twitterartexhibit.org/call-for-artists/

                      Updated on February 12, 2019

                      Here is how “Character” came to be.

                      Yelena Shabrova ~ Character ~ colored pencil, 12 x 16 cm

                        Stories of the Forest series finished

                        Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                        image of Stories of the Forest I, mixed media drawing on canvas board, 12" x 9", by Yelena Shabrova
                        Stories of the Forest I ~ mixed media on canvas board, 12″ x 9″
                        image of Stories of the Forest II, mixed media drawing on canvas board, 12" x 9", by Yelena Shabrova
                        Stories of the Forest II ~ mixed media on canvas board, 12″ x 9″
                        image of Stories of the Forest III, mixed media drawing on canvas board, 12" x 9", by Yelena Shabrova
                        Stories of the Forest III ~ mixed media on canvas board, 12″ x 9″
                        image of Stories of the Forest IV, mixed media drawing on canvas board, 12" x 9", by Yelena Shabrova
                        Stories of the Forest IV ~ mixed media on canvas board, 12″ x 9″
                        image of Stories of the Forest V, mixed media drawing on canvas board, 12" x 9", by Yelena Shabrova
                        Stories of the Forest V ~ mixed media on canvas board, 12″ x 9″

                        This series started with a title, and that almost never happens to me. By the time I sketched the very first piece I could not remember how exactly I came up with “Stories of the Forest,” but the initial idea was to make ink drawings of groups of trees and shrubs that would gradually fade into the paper collage background to showcase the beauty of common plant inhabitants of Western Oregon forests where I often hike. Every little plant, every shrub and tree have a story to tell if we look close, and together they weave a more complicated story that makes some unassuming spot in the forest look amazing.

                        It all looked good in pencil, but moving forward with inking was a different story. It looked too busy. Varying density of strokes and dots didn’t really work, so two ruined drawings I decided to change the approach. Maybe pen and ink was not the right choice for what I wanted to achieve, or maybe (and more likely) I failed to collaborate with my pens properly.

                        So I started to remove details that were less essential from my sketches, starting with varied growth under and behind tree branches, then with nonessential branches themselves. I do all corrections on tracing paper laid on top of the original sketch that needs to be improved. This considerably speeds up the process and keeps new ideas flowing without interruption of redrawing the same parts of a sketch.

                        And that’s how I’ve ended up with just a few leaves and scarcely spaced branches, letting the gently colored background to hint at whatever a viewer wants to see in the finished piece. There is special beauty in simplicity, and that old saying “less is more” gave me exactly what I wanted.

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                          Golden Lilies for the Twitter Art Exhibit

                          Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                          Updated 6/6/17: My Golden Lilies are now coming back to their new (hopefully happy) US home because somebody saw them online and in their words, could not resist. Funny how art travels sometimes 🙂

                          Yelena Shabrova ~ Golden Lilies ~ gel pens on colored paper, 6.3 x 4.7 in (12 x 16 cm)
                          Golden Lilies ~ gel pens on colored paper, 6.3 x 4.7 in (12 x 16 cm)

                          An experiment with gel pens. It will be a part of the Twitter Art Exhibit that this year supports Molly Olly’s Wishes. Mailed it to UK today and hope it will get there safely.

                          This is my first semi-serious drawing in gel pens. I did sketches before, but they were line works, never pointillism. Turns out it’s more enjoyable to stipple, I just need to get a better grasp of color and opacity changes as gel inks dry and remembering how different pens interact when placed on top of each other.

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                            Small commission for a small horse person

                            Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                            Yelena Shabrova ~ Butterfly ~ graphite pencil on drawing paper, 4" x 6" ~ commission
                            Butterfly ~ graphite pencil on drawing paper, 4″ x 6″

                            Did a sketch for a girl who loves horses (should probably be in all capitals and blinking) and dreams of riding her own horse one day. Until then, a very own drawing of her favorite 4-H equine will have to suffice. This is a Birthday gift to her from her big sister.

                              Paradise – a miniature on canvas

                              Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                              Yelena Shabrova ~ Paradise (Miniature) ~ colored pencil on canvas, 3.5" x 2.5"
                              colored pencil on canvas, 3.5″ x 2.5″

                              A kind visitor at the third weekend of recent Open Studios came up with the title, not me. I often draw during SVOS. People like to see how art is created, and whatever I am working on easily becomes a conversation piece. Sometimes I get a free benefit of getting stuff named for me.

                              The original miniature ($35.00) is available in my online shop as a part of the “Miniatures” collection.

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

                                Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

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

                                This last little drawing completes the “Gathering” series. It going to be a while before I want to anything other than single drawings.

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

                                See the first four pieces in this series:

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

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                                  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

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                                      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.

                                          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.

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                                              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.

                                                Ghostly white horse

                                                Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                                                Yelena Shabrova ~ Ghostly White ~ white Prismacolor colored pencil on canvas board, 5" x 7"
                                                Ghostly White – white Prismacolor colored pencil on canvas board, 5″ x 7″

                                                University Art carries something I never saw before: a canvas mounted on a cardboard. 5″ x 7″ pieces are sold unprotected, unlike canvases and real sturdy canvas boards. They come in white and black versions. Naturally, I had to buy both to see what can be done with them.

                                                This white horse was done on a black one. Even though the canvas accepts many layers of color the result is not purely white (hence the “ghostly” reference). Alas, colored pencils are not completely opaque.

                                                The original drawing found a new home at the Midsummer Art Festival 2014, but greeting cards, and prints are available in my online shop as a part of the “Colored Pencil” collection.

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                                                  Gathering II

                                                  Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                                                  Yelena Shabrova ~ Gathering II ~ pen & ink on drawing paper, 4" x 6"
                                                  Gathering II ~ pen & ink on drawing paper, 4″ x 6″

                                                  As busy as this year’s Silicon Valley Open Studios were, I managed to snatch up some time for drawing. The result is the second piece in the “Gatherings” series that was finished yesterday a couple of hours before the last day of Open Studios in front of the Cupertino Library was over.

                                                  Thank you everybody who came to see my art, to ask questions, share your stories, and support what I enjoy to do so much. Those were three wonderful weekends!

                                                  The original drawing ($80.00) and high quality 4″ x 6″ giclee prints are available in my Pen and Ink online gallery.

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                                                    Artist trading card exchange at CAG

                                                    Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                                                    I planned to try something new with ATC for this exchange at CAG: galloping horse hooves, parts of horse faces, or something like that. Instead, I ended up with four whole horse heads.

                                                    Maybe the fact that Newborn is taking longer than anticipated to get finished has something to do with it, I don’t know.

                                                    Here are the heads:

                                                    Yelena Shabrova ~ Brown Horse Head ~ artist trading card (ATC), colored pencil on illustration board, 2.5" x 3.5"
                                                    Brown Horse Head ~ artist trading card (ATC), colored pencil on illustration board, 2.5″ x 3.5″

                                                    Yelena Shabrova ~ Chestnut Horse Head ~ artist trading card (ATC), colored pencil on illustration board, 2.5" x 3.5"
                                                    Chestnut Horse Head ~ artist trading card (ATC), colored pencil on illustration board, 2.5″ x 3.5″

                                                    Yelena Shabrova ~ Gray Horse Head ~ artist trading card (ATC), colored pencil on illustration board, 2.5" x 3.5"
                                                    Gray Horse Head ~ artist trading card (ATC), colored pencil on illustration board, 2.5″ x 3.5″

                                                    Yelena Shabrova ~ Gray Pony Head ~ artist trading card (ATC), colored pencil on illustration board, 2.5" x 3.5"
                                                    Gray Pony Head ~ artist trading card (ATC), colored pencil on illustration board, 2.5″ x 3.5″

                                                    And this is what I got from my wonderful fellow artists:

                                                    ATC from Dianne Daly ~ inks and pastel
                                                    ATC from Dianne Daly ~ inks and pastel

                                                    ATC from Sharon La Bouff ~ monoprint
                                                    ATC from Sharon La Bouff ~ monoprint

                                                    ATC from Donnalynn Chase ~ collage
                                                    ATC from Donnalynn Chase ~ collage

                                                    ATC from Marlene Bird ~ acrylic and collage
                                                    ATC from Marlene Bird ~ acrylic and collage

                                                      Overlooked Beauty

                                                      Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                                                      Yelena-Shabrova ~ Overlooked-Beauty ~ colored pencil on wood panel, 4" x 4"
                                                      Overlooked-Beauty ~ colored pencil on wood panel, 4″ x 4″ ~ $45.00

                                                      Lady’s smock (cuckoo flowers) are tiny and very unassuming when we walk past them or over them. Their beautiful purple, lilac, and whitish colors is about all that can be easily appreciated when they form a patch. I love shooting and drawing little things like these and then look closely at the shapes, lines, and colors that make them up and draw it all bigger than in real life.

                                                      This was my first attempt to use colored pencils on wood and do a three-dimensional piece. While it was an interesting experience spreading a drawing over more than one plane I think I will stick to my usual two dimensions. But I do want to continue experimenting with drawing on wood. It adds a unique glow that shines through pencilwork and makes it look quite different. I like that.

                                                      As it turned out, I need to be careful placing strokes over wood; the same color will look differently as wooden textures change over the board, as strokes are laid along the fibers, across them, or at an angle. And forget about scanning the finished piece. A lot of fine color details get lost along with the wonderful glowing effect of the wood.

                                                      The original is available in my Colored Pencil online gallery for $45.00

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                                                        White Fantasy

                                                        Posted on by Yelena Shabrova
                                                        White Fantasy (miniature) - graphite pencil on canvas, 3.5&" x 2.5", by Yelena-Shabrova

                                                        White Fantasy (miniature) – “graphite pencil on canvas, 3.5″ x 2.5”

                                                        This is my latest miniature partly inspired by a very cold and snowy winter of 2011-2012 and partly made because right now here in California it’s overly warm and sunny even by local standards. In the process of bringing winter closer to me I found out that a digital canvas can take a fair amount of scraping with x-acto knife which is pretty convenient for putting snow over heavily darkened areas.

                                                        The original is available in my Miniatures online gallery for $35.00

                                                          Artist trading card exchange at CAG

                                                          Posted on by Yelena Shabrova

                                                          Yesterday at the meeting in the Campbell Artists’ Guild we had an artist trading card exchange. This is what I brought, they are my experiments with metal pens and markers combined with colored pencils:

                                                          artist trading card

                                                          artist trading card

                                                          artist trading card

                                                          And this is what I got in return:

                                                          Gudrun Baumeister - Sunset in the North Sea - watercolor 3.5" x 2.5"
                                                          Gudrun Baumeister – Sunset in the North Sea – watercolor 3.5″ x 2.5″

                                                          Barb Overholt - Golden Open acrylics, 3.5" x 2.5"
                                                          Barb Overholt – Golden Open acrylics, 3.5″ x 2.5″

                                                          Anne Olander - Zion National Park - acrylic, 3.5" x 2.5"
                                                          Anne Olander – Zion National Park – acrylic, 3.5″ x 2.5″

                                                          Pretty wonderful extra gifts for my Birthday! 🙂