Shelley Schoenherr ~ Recent Work

INTRODUCING Father Christmas

2011-11-16T00:20:00.011-05:00

Father Christmas

Oil Pastel on Textured Mat Board

24x32, Oil Pastel on Textured Mat Board
Giclee's are Available

Artwork for the 2011 Holiday season will be officially introduced and made available at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club Holiday Boutique tomorrow, November 16th and 17th. The event promises to be a grand event, with hundreds of attendees at the Champagne Preview Party tomorrow night, and hopefully, more visitors than I can handle, on the day after!

This years Santa image (there are actually TWO Santa oil pastels this year) is an old world Santa inspired by the talented creator of exquisite St. Nick sculptural "dolls", my friend Jane Altadonna ...Her creations have influenced each of my creations in past years ... you can see all the additional Santas in the series by clicking this LINK.

See you at the BOUTIQUE!

Little Berry

2011-11-04T22:42:00.005-04:00

Little Berry

oil pastel on Cason Mi Tienes paper

matted and framed, 10 x 12.5

The last good strawberry of the season has given up it's life as subject matter, for a quickie oil pastel ... rather than delighting someone as Strawberry Shortcake! Fewer calories on paper than in the stomach, is always a good thing. Getting ready for the short but sweet exhibit of works, at the annual Holiday Boutique at the GPYC, this little goodie will be exhibited as a matted and framed offering, and not as dessert.

Ya gotta have a little fun sometimes!

2011-10-31T23:13:00.014-04:00

Not all work has to be serious and heaven knows the pieces I just finished are an example of that

.... I am preparing some light hearted, holiday art works which will be displayed and offered at the annual Grosse Pointe Yacht Club Holiday Boutique, November, 16 and 17, at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, 788 Lakeshore Road, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI.... I created a batch of oil pastels on textured mat boards, with whimsical snowmen as my subject matter, and had a great time laughing at each character when they were in progress and ultimately finished....

They will go to happy homes after the close of the boutique and the acceptance and enjoyment of the snowmen will again make me wonder if I should have been an artist for DISNEY rather than try to gain a reputation with the likes of Mary Cassatt ... OK, that's a stretch, but I figure ... "Dream big or go home...."

Anyway, I am pretty sure it would have been more FUN to work for Walt than to follow the life the Impressionists carved out for themselves... Oh, YUCK! All that Absinthe and angst! And, I can't be serious for all that long........ See you at the BOUTIQUE! :o)

October Sky

2011-09-06T00:22:00.014-04:00

October Sky

Pastel on Hahnemuhle Suede Paper
14x9
Private Collection
giclee available in custom sizes of your choice

On an evening when there was an almost cloudless sky, I needed to record the sunset as a remembrance for a couple celebrating their wedding reception at the nearly 100 year old, historic Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.

But, for me, sunset with not a cloud in sight presents an unexciting viewpoint. And, that is what I was getting. I searched and scanned the sky for something memorable, other than perfect blue.

Finally, as if on cue, a silver cloud-band appeared, the sky turned coral pink, and the cloud became illuminated with stripes of silver. The wedding couple may not have had eyes toward the sunset, but I on the other hand saw it all unfold, at just about the moment their wedding toasts were being completed.

For many reasons, I for one will not forget the beauty of the special evening.

The temptations of St. John, USVI

2011-03-11T16:34:00.005-05:00

Oil Pastel on Paper
Evening Ferry to Red Hook
5x7

A quick trip to St. John, VI produced more R&R than ARRRT, this past week. Sometimes the desire to sample the sunshine that the islands offer, almost 365 days a year, and to become engulfed in the sounds, fragrances, tropical breezes and relaxation in this place, is too much to take. I caved!

But, one evening I pulled the oil pastels out of their little box and sat in front of the amazing show seen nightly from St. John -- the sun setting across Pillsbury Sound, behind the little islands that pepper the east end of St. Thomas where the ferry boats lazily go and come out of Red Hook.

For several hours I scratched out a few sunset pictures, capturing the scene as it changed from point to point.

Then, I packed away the oil pastel sticks and gave in to the beckoning sounds I heard from the activity of the evening in the little town of Cruz Bay, about a mile away. I should have stayed home to work on more art. But, all I could hear in my head were the words .... Dont worry, be happy! How can you argue with that?

Results of the CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE in the STUDIO Dec 12 and 13 -- Weekend of the huge snow and ice storm in the Upper Midwest!

2010-12-16T12:15:00.003-05:00

T'was 2 weeks before Christmas
and all through the house,

the studio had no visitors,
Not even a mouse...

but the pictures were hung
by the chimney with care

in hopes that St. Nicholas
soon would be there -- TO BUY SOMETHING!

UNFORTUNATELY:

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,

gave the feeling of ALASKA and froze off my toe!

So, away to the window
I flew like a flash,

Tore open the studio door
and yelled with Panache ...

WHERE THE HECK ARE MY VISITORS?

I HAVE SANTAS GALORE,

NUTCRACKER PRINTS AND OH, SO MUCH MORE!

FRAMED PICTURES OF QUALITY ADORN MY DISPLAYS

10 PERCENT OFF, FOR THE NEXT 14 DAYS! ! !

I AM SERVING HOT COFFEE
AND, I ALSO HAVE WINE! ! !

OK! 30 PERCENT OFF

FROM NOON UNTIL 9!

Then, what to my wondering eyes should appear

but a bare naked driveway and NO cars! OH DEAR!

So ...... I listened to Carols

on my old CD player.

Even sang some out loud

since NO one could hear-er!

The snow kept on falling

and nobody came.

I whistled and shouted

50% OFF FOR PASTELS OF FAME!

......So, I relaxed for two days

and ate all the cookies

As I sat all alone.

CAUSE NOBODY TOOK LOOKies! :O(

The wine disappeared
cause it was open already.

Drank so much of it
my feet got unsteady.

As I stumbled to the door
for a last ditch appeal

75 PERCENT OFF,
I heard myself squeal!

Rock bottom prices

didn't bring the crowds in

So, I decided t'was useless

and closed up my bin!

Closed up the shop,

put a lock on the door,

I'll try again next year

with NEW work, and much more -- WINE!

I'll plan it for June

when the weather is warm.

Not close to Christmas,

or in a snow storm."

T'was fun and I'm saying

I'm glad that I did it ...

So, Merry Christmas to all

who didn't come visit ! :o)))))

Love, Shelley

The Commemorative Santa for 2010

2010-08-07T23:50:00.040-04:00

St. Nick and the Nutcracker

Oil Pastel on Textured Mat Board, 32x24

. Each holiday season, I create a commemorative image of Santa and offer giclees of the original to family and friends... During a hot August week in Ohio, the commemorative Santa for 2010 was created and is now ready to be introduced. As a nod to my interest in collecting wooden nutcrackers, the 2010 Saint Nick is seen bringing a stout and festive holiday nutcracker your way, and with a twinkle in his eye, he is decorating early, for the holidays. .

The original oil pastel of Saint Nick and the Nutcracker is 24x23, unframed on textured mat board and unlike any year previous, is available for purchase. (10-15-10, SOLD)

Recent Award for ROSIE'S GAZE

2010-07-18T23:54:00.009-04:00

Rosie's Gaze
Oil Pastel
on Strathmore 500 series charcoal paper
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North Light Books has compiled what it considers the finest examples of contemporary drawing out there today. It titles the coffee table book Strokes of Genius in reference to the fact that all the works represented are drawings. So far North Light Books has published two volumes in approximately 6 years... with a third volume in the final stages of development. The hard bound fine art book will debut in the fall of 2011.
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Rosie's Gaze, my drawing in oil pastel on Strathmore 500 series charcoal paper, has been selected for inclusion in Volume Three of Strokes of Genius. I was notified a few weeks ago and I am still up in the clouds. I know this is an amazing achievement to be included with today's finest contemporary draftsmen and I consider this one of my highest honors ...
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It seems my stars have aligned in the past year, because I have enjoyed an incredible amount of success: Inclusion in Pastel Journal's Pastel 100 for 2009, second place Detroit Society of Women Painters and Sculptors Annual Exhibition, and attaining the Virginia Thibedeau Award for Drawing in the GPAA Annual Exhibition.
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I should stop typing and start arting, in order to confirm and validate my good fortune ... More about the publication when I know more.

Night Lights - a new pastel

2010-04-29T21:30:00.047-04:00

Night Lights
a pastel on sanded paper

Night lighting creates shapes, reflections and colors that do not exist in the bright light of day. Everything changes ~ over water, everything becomes magically mysterious at night.
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Reflections can dance or crash or hang quietly upside down, depending upon the elements. Rendering an impression of these late evening and night scenes offers a new artistic challenge and has captured my interest ... Night Lights is my most recent pastel, completed today, and will be exhibited at the Great Lakes Boating Festival which takes place in three weeks.
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Personal note ... walking the docks on a dead calm evening last summer, I felt like I had found secret treasure. The soft blue light that glows on, then off, on the tip of the majestic Yacht Club tower, also resides in the dark murky waters below the building... In all my years of perusing the harbor, I had never seen the twin of the tower light until that moment. Now, on totally calm nights, I regularly use the water as a magic mirror to view the scenes around me in a whole new "light".

A ONE PERSON SHOW

2010-04-23T15:00:00.001-04:00

Preparations are continuing ~

Excited and in preparation for an exhibition in my hometown of Bryan, Ohio, I am preparing my work that is influenced by farmland and scenes a few miles from the city limits. In such a small community, all you have to do to find fertile fields and the charm of old barns is drive a few moments from the courthouse square and BINGO, you are there... The photo above is that same courthouse square at the Holidays. An easy task for me to find inspiration in this place ...

The exhibit will showcase over 90 photographs and 35 original pastels and oil pastels, in the series Hometown Ohio. The pieces will be on display in the History and Genealogy Department of the Williams County Public Library, Bryan, Ohio, starting June 1st, 2010 through August 27th.

Honorable Mention - The Pastel 100 for 2009 !!!

2009-11-12T15:55:00.023-05:00

Rain on the Hill - Grosse Pointe

The Pastel Journal holds an annual competition to choose the top 100 exceptional pastel paintings of the year. I just got the exciting news that Rain on the Hill was awarded an honorable mention in the Abstract & Non-Objective catagory! The piece will be included with the 100 pastel paintings chosen for 2009 and will be displayed in the April, 2010 issue of The Pastel Journal.

What a thrill. Being included is my greatest honor. I hardly know what more to say, so I think I will just let the news sink in. THIS IS WONDERFUL :O)

Rain on the Hill is currently on exhibit with the juried exhibition URBAN EDGE, at Grosse Pointe Art Center, 16900 Kercheval, Grosse Pointe, MI. January 22 - March 6th, 2010. ~ juror: Taurus Burns

The 2009 Commemorative Santa Claus

2009-10-26T14:19:00.035-04:00

I'll Be There with Bells On

We all like to believe that Santa promises to visit the homes of all good little girls and boys each Christmas Eve. We can imagine that he waits all year with excited anticipation for his stopover at our houses. Here he assures us that he will be there by telling us "I'll be There with Bells On".

For a number of years I have created a Santa image to commemorate the holiday season. I completed the 2009 Santa this week. The piece is done in oil pastel on textured mat board is 24x32.

VISIT THE SANTA CLAUS SERIES at this link ... Santa Series.

In years past, I have worked on the Santas while I was in various locations. A few were done in the studio, this one was done while I visited my hometown of Bryan, Ohio. And, I find it comical that several were done in the hot Florida sunshine while I over looked the glittering waters of the Florida Keys. Seems a strange place to find inspiration to create art for the holidays. ~ Confirmation that if we believe, Santa visits all of us no matter where we are.

Pierre's Palm

2009-09-19T13:19:00.017-04:00

Pierre's Palm - Islamorada Sunset

Pastel on Sanded Paper 15.5 x 12.5

There is an ancient palm that overhangs the coral beach on Islamorada, in the Florida Keys. Many a family and many a visitor to the beach overlooking the Gulf have marveled at this tree. How it shaped itself and angled it's trunk to stretch far out beyond the waters edge is a marvel. Even more so, considering the weather that must threaten it, not to mention the kids who scramble upon it, and the people who hang over it for the perfect "Christmas Card" shot or two....

The scene above is that palm at sunset, on a night when there was not a cloud in the sky nor ripple on the gulf below. It happened this way, February 28, 2009, and this is the pastel that resulted.

Watching the Wake

2009-09-09T17:00:00.050-04:00

Watching the Wake ~

Pastel on sanded paper, framed 23x35

One special evening a few weeks ago, I was treated to a trip back in time ~

I had not been to CLEAR LAKE in Indiana since I graduated high school! My buddy Marcia headed her car out of Bryan, Ohio and drove us both to Clear Lake for a slow drive around this marvelous lake and to retouch with the grand old days. At the end of our evening, with high school pals at my side, we took a pontoon ride while the sun set. I sat in the back, watching the wake behind us, as we floated on and on. The moment was special for many reasons, and this pastel commemorated the memory...

Working in the studio, I started and finished this pastel today... not quite the same as sitting on the pontoon, feeling the fresh evening breezes on the lake, laughing with friends as we made the trip all the way around the shoreline ~ but just as rewarding.
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MUSEUM GLASS

Artists Note: Watching the Wake is a large pastel, framed, 23.5x35. This particular pastel has commanded a bit of special framing - it's been framed with Museum Glass. Museum Glass is an amazing bit of technology, not to be confused with non-glare glass, that allows the piece of art to appear to be protected with NO glass at all... in a few instances there is a bit of light reflection, but only minimally. Museum Glass covers a good number of paintings in museums, but viewers are hardly aware they are looking at their favorite artists oil painting protected by a piece of this miraculous stuff.

There are times when I have completed a pastel or oil pastel and felt the subtle colors were distracted by glare on the protective glass or Plexi. With this piece, framed as it is, I proudly take a step in the direction of being able to exhibit and offer my artwork for viewing almost as clearly and purely as if it came right off the studio floor.

(Yes. I work on the floor. That's another story).

Another Award ~ WHEEEE!

2009-08-23T16:42:00.013-04:00

The Dawning

Pastel on Hahnemuhle Suede Paper

24"x32"

On a crisp 4th of July morning, in the harbor of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, a predawn walk-about presented me with a moment that awakened a myriad of sensations. The sun had not yet risen. The dew was still thick and made walking on the docks dangerously slippery, without a morning coffee. The harbor smells were fresh and intense - in a good way. And, the quiet was astounding.

There in the sky and reflected in the water of the harbor was an amazing chevron of pinks, oranges, mauves - pierced by the spire of the majestic and nearly 100 year old Grosse Pointe Yacht Club tower.

The pastel above resulted. Today, this piece was awarded second place by the juror of the annual member exhibition of the oldest women's art organization in Detroit, Michigan - The Detroit Society of Woman Painters and Sculptors. Again, I am honored and thrilled by the affirmation that my work is appreciated and enjoyed.

Virginia Thibedeau Award

2009-07-17T03:44:00.013-04:00

Regal Watch Oil Pastel 24x32

Regal Watch is an oil pastel, recently entered in the 71st Annual Member Exhibit of Grosse Pointe Artist Association and was juried by Phil Vanderweg. Regal Watch was awarded the Virginia Thibedeau Memorial Award, for drawing or pastel. Whee, I am thrilled for this confirmation. There are not many ways for artists to know they have done something 'right'. Art, afterall is subjective and relative. It's personal and as the heading to the pastel below says "one man's trash is another man's treasure".... if your car breaks, you fix it, it runs, you know you did good ....it is not that easy in the subjective art world. It often happens like this ~ if you do an art piece, you show it, it's rejected from a show, you wonder what you did wrong .... if you show the same art piece in another exhibit, it is an award winner, you are confused but very PLEASED. All this is to say, awards to me are not silly fluff. They confirm that for the moment, someone else believes you have "done something right".

Another Man's Treasure

2009-05-09T11:54:00.013-04:00

Another Man's Treasure - Pastel on Textured Mat Board - Framed 19.5x21.5

Lets' do a total turn around ... no more snow, beautiful blue sky, different farm and family ... While driving back forth, back forth from Michigan to Bryan, Ohio I like to study the unencumbered open sky and tranquility of flat farmland. I see patterns of shape and color rather than winter wheat, soy beans and corn. The stretch of turnpike between Toledo and the Bryan exit is one huge patchwork quilt. Each shape is a new color and piece in the blanket.

As soon as I make the turn from turnpike toll booth to the straightaway toward the west, I feel calmed and freshened. For me it's the landscape and the open sky. Hoping the same will happen to you, I offer this pastel for viewing - Another Man's Treasure. I will not be surprised if your story and feeling for the scene is far different from mine, because I often hear "what DO you see in those run down old farms, anyway?" ... my answer is "Everything".

~ One man's trash is another man's treasure.

Thanksgiving - A Light Dusting

2009-05-07T21:36:00.010-04:00

Thanksgiving - A Light Dusting, Pastel Framed 19.5x21.5

This farm is one which served as model 9 years ago. I did an oil painting of the same farm, surrounded by corn rows accentuated by a light dusting of snow. The piece sold immediately and I have missed the piece ever since.

Problem solved .... This is a new pastel, done the week I spent in Ohio, and celebrates the feeling one might have during the afternoon of Thanksgiving while taking a walk as the turkey bakes and makes the house smell grand, kids in the house tear the place apart, and whistles and cheers and talk of football games on TV add constant background noise to the day.

Escaping all that hustle and bustle, this is the late autumn scene I would like to see while taking time out in the fresh country air.

Williams County Castle - Hometown Ohio Series

2009-04-21T21:29:00.016-04:00

Dusk at the Courthouse Square,
Pastel - Framed 20x22

I have developed a series of work inspired by the rural landscape, historic buildings and old fashioned values of the little town where I grew up. I am visiting there this week, doing works to add to the series. Scenes in the town offer pictorial images almost around every corner. The Williams County Court House stands in the center of town, and pretty much knocks your socks off when you see it. My choice for all time most magical view includes the band stand after sunset, when the sky is Van Gogh blue and the court house is bathed in dramatic spot lighting...the pastel I finished today.

Check out the photo below, for a view of "the castle" all decked out at Christmas.

I don't leave here for a few more days, so hopefully there be more additions to the series as the week progresses.

Soul Mate

2009-03-27T23:50:00.012-04:00

Soul Mate
Oil Pastel Framed 25x30

This piece may look familiar because it was begun 11 months ago. Two soul mate monarch butterflies perched for a short time on the porch of the house we have been lucky to stay in each spring. This was Florida, certainly not Michigan! I was inspired to capture them as they stayed there motionless for half a glorious tropical day. But, I was never pleased with the result, because I feel true soul mates should be rendered with more passion, fire, connection and balance than I originally expressed. Today, in the hopes of rekindling that emotion, I revisited the work and this was the result -- Better! The work is framed and finished, at least for the time being ...

What would Monet do?

2009-03-15T21:35:00.009-04:00

What would Monet do...
You’ve seen the bumper sticker. Well maybe you haven’t. You know what I mean. But if Monet was asked to do a bear for a benefit, would he do it, or say, NOPE, I just make SERIOUS art. Sorry.

Serious art or not, I’ve done a bear (subject as requested) for a benefit and will give the piece to the hosting organization for auction.

And, it’s my honor and pleasure to do so!

But, I hesitate to replace the previous artwork below, with this one, because I feel “Rain on the Hill” was one of those special pieces that when completed, the artist says … “who painted that? I held the medium, yes, but something took over -- and did the rest of the job”. Does not happen like that but a few times, ever! Such was “Rain on the Hill”. So to displace it with this pastel disappoints me. And to have gone from such a serious piece to this one … well …

...Back to the bear. It was fun. I am very happy to be able to help this cause. And, as always I took the creating of it very seriously.

But Monet is still rolling over in his grave, I bet.

Rain on the Hill, Grosse Pointe

2009-02-22T08:57:00.011-05:00

NOTE added 11.12.09:

The artists magazine "The Pastel Journal" awarded Rain on the Hill an Honorable Mention in the catagory of Abstract and Non-Objective, and it was chosen by the publication as one of the top 100 pastel paintings of the year for 2009. The top 100 paintings will be featured in the April 2010 issue.

Blog entry: 2.21.08 .. .This pastel represents a sight I experienced last week at sunset ... at dusk I was driving up a hill, toward the small shopping district here in town. This happens to be that time of evening when the sky can appear Van Gogh blue. The rain on the cement, the water blurring my vision through my windshield, and the colorful orange reflections on the pavement were wonderful! This pastel on paper resulted. I started and finished it yesterday....Saturday, Feb. 21st, 2008.

Character Study for Cocoa McCracken from The Tales of Boots McGee

2009-02-22T08:49:00.005-05:00

In the words of Mary Elizabeth Arwady~

Cocoa McCracken, A lovely black squirrel,
A good friend of Boots, for a long time, this girl,
Sent Boots a message, "we need you, you'll see,
To help us solve a big fudge mystery!"

To Mackinac Island, he sailed due north,
Cocoa in the harbor, she paced back and forth.
She was so sweet, the most stylish of squirrels,
With flowers in her hair and classic white pearls.

Character Study Boots McGee - February 13, 2009

2009-02-22T08:43:00.003-05:00

It is a joy to be asked to try to create the first visuals for a character brought to life in poem form by another artist. Above, in the early stages, is a pastel drawing of Mary Elizabeth Arwady's character, Boots McGee.

Boots McGee is a great little cat, born with only one eye with which he joyously sees only the good in life, "no eye for the bad". His missing eye spot is dapperly covered with an eye patch, which makes him appear distinguished and somewhat jaunty. As captain of his very own boat (do you suppose its a cat-amaran?) Boots sails the fresh and salt waters of these great United States. As he travels, Boots meets other characters who, like him, experience some sort of minor malady in life which is quickly overcome, proving to young readers that personal strength is not gained by being perfect. Together Boots and his many animal friends visit wonderful places and they share warm and engaging and comical experiences in their many adventures.

Mary Elizabeth Arwady has created an endearing character in Boots McGee and has amassed an amazing batch of magical stories. It is my pleasure to work with her for a time, creating visual images for her many charming poems in the series,
THE TALES OF BOOTS MCGEE