Scratchbord®

    You win some, you lose some. The stakes weren’t too high; I missed out on ‘bragging rights and a free t-shirt.’ But I gained a whole lot more. The International Society of Scratchboard Artists (ISSA) just selected artwork for their commemorative 2020 Exhibition t-shirts… and mine wasn’t chosen 🙁 I created “Anna’s Fairy Duster” with realistic expectations. I knew anything I entered would be a long shot to win, with my limited experience of just two years doing … Read More

  Beautiful ruby throated hummingbirds – the most common species which migrates to Eastern North America – visit our feeders from early April through the beginning of October. I’ve done numerous paintings of them, in watercolor and acrylics, and it was time for me to try one on scratchboard. As demonstrated in my previous post, I created a border design on a 14″ x 11″ black Scratchbord™, using colors to match those I planned to use in the artwork. For … Read More

I’m relatively new to black scratchboard, having done my first one just 2 years ago. The lesson which follows does not adher to the purist’s guideline for scratchboard, as reflected in this definition by the International Society of Scratchboard Artists: “…Sharp tools are used to remove, or “scratch”, through the black ink, revealing the white clay underneath.” In this border I have not used any abrasive tools to remove the black layer (although I went on to do the artwork … Read More

Through the wonders of technology, here’s a quick time-lapse of the creation of my new scratchboard “Locked In Time.” ‘Hard to believe that it took weeks, not seconds, to create this artwork! Learning to add a mini-video to my blog is one of my many quarantine-time activities. Perhaps I’ll get more adventurous (and better) in the future and maybe even add audio. Click on the photo to launch the slide show. On this 10″ x 8″ panel I aimed to … Read More

My scratchboard art has just been selected for an exhibit of the preeminent organization for scratchboard artists worldwide!! The International Society of Scratchboard Artists (ISSA) is holding their 9th Annual Exhibition in Tucson AZ later this year, and I have been accepted!  I achieved status as an active member of ISSA just last March, so this was my first opportunity to enter their annual exhibition.  My newest scratchboards “Locked In Time” and “Ruby-Throated Hummer” (which I’ll blog about individually at … Read More

I had a 4″ x 9″ black Scratchbord panel just waiting for the right inspiration, and my photo of a gorgeous young Persian kitty named Roger got me started. I liked his colorful eyes, tuffs of fur, and pink nose. His upward gaze had me pondering what to add that would appear to be attracting his attention – while simultaneously creating a work of art more interesting than merely a cat portrait. Scratchboards are ideal for creating linear textures and, … Read More

Earlier this month I received an invitation to be an “Ampersand Artist Ambassador” and I am truly honored. Ampersand™ Art Supply is family-owned company based in Buda TX which engineers the only archivally sealed artist panels on the market today. They produce the panels I love to use for watercolors and scratchboards and a variety of other art panels for many media… plus tools, inks, floater frames and more. The company hand-picked about 50 artists from across the US to … Read More

I just learned that my painting “Heart To Heart” won another very special award in the 2019 Oak Ridge Open Show (which ended in November)… the “Open Show Viewer’s Choice Award.” This award is tabulated at the end of the show, by the votes from those who viewed the show during its display for over two months. This black Scratchbord® was one of my two paintings in the show and won an award from the judge – “Sorghum Maker” was … Read More

The intense eyes of a money-cat which I photographed at our local animal shelter inspired this new scratchboard, just for fun. Our two outdoor cats have a wooden ‘cat house’ on our porch with a lid which opens like a toy box. Rick made an opening in a mouse-hole shape at one end so the cats fit into the box but our dogs do not… and hopefully no raccoons or skunks can enter as well! So for this painting, I … Read More

Two of my paintings are currently featured in the Oak Ridge (TN) OPEN SHOW 2019, and I am delighted to also receive my first award for a black scratchboard. Juror Victoria Boone gave critiques to every entry, and here are her comments about my art:  Heart To Heart “Magnificent detail in cat and dog – especially in the eyes with reflections. This makes this an extremely poignant pet portrait. Just amazing…” She awarded this painting Honorable Mention. Sorghum Maker “Beautiful … Read More