Peggy Burkosky FCA Artist of the Month Sept 2015

I was completely honored and pleased at receiving First Place Award in the Federation of Canadian Artist Sketch 2015 Exhibit. The exceptional reception of “Kyla Watching – Study” during this exhibit won me an invitation as FCA Artist of the Month Sept 2015 and shown here is the piece “Compelling” submitted for the Artist of the Month display.
The support for this charcoal study is Strathmore 3 ply 400 series paper, a smooth surface well suited to the rigors of sketching, “lifting” with a kneaded eraser and thick enough for some water media and acetone effects. The largest planes and blocking of mid to dark values with a “sock” of charcoal powder allows for an immediate modeling of the head, and subsequent lifting with a kneaded eraser begins to model the finer details. This is an excellent way to pre-empt an oil painting study, whereby the same process of blocking the mid and dark values first sets the stage for removing the paint right down to the surface, much like “lifting” in watercolor.