Cardinal in Progress and Carolina Bound

Cardinal Sketch ©St.Hilaire Nelson

This morning I'm headed to Asheville, NC to teach a workshop and be present at my show opening at the Grand Bohemian Gallery. Recently the gallery took a commission for me to create a cardinal as a pair to on they have on hand, a collector wanted to purchase two together. So, this week I worked on the cardinal while putting finishing touches on some work for the show and shipping.

Cardinal background underpainting ©St.Hilaire Nelson

As usual, I begin with a sketch on wood panel primed with clear gesso. I then under paint the background, let it dry and move to my favorite part, collage. The collector said they wanted more collage in the background than some of the pieces I leave more painted, so I tried to accommodate this request.

Cardinal complete underpainting ©St. Hilaire Nelson

This cardinal will go into a hand made 9x12 red rustic barn wood frame by my frame maker Owen Tomlin to match its mate. If you are interested in some super unique frames, contact Tomlin Wood Products and tell them I sent you!

Cardinal complete ©St.Hilaire Nelson

I am looking forward to my class and opening this weekend. If you are in the area, please stop by or consider the Friday/Saturday/Sunday Workshop, we still have a few slots! (click gallery link for contact info)

The show reception is Saturday, June 4th from 5:30-8:30pm in the gallery, which is located inside the 5-Star boutique Grand Bohemian Hotel in the Biltmore Village section of Asheville, NC.