Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas and joyous Holiday Season!
During all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I wanted to take a moment to say how much I appreciate you all. Your supportive comments and encouragement throughout the year were much appreciated. Your curiosity in the process is energizing. Thank you for playing a role in my art journey.
Cheers to a blessed, happy, and healthy New Year.
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Back in September I wrote about “The Opportunity of a Lifetime”. In that post I mentioned a second mural my daughter and I would be working on at the Museum of Automobiles in Morrilton, AR. We finished that mural this weekend. It is now the largest mural we have done at 6′ x 25′. The car is approximately 17′ with Petit Jean Mountain in the background. It was an honor to create this lasting memory mural for the Hoelzeman family.
Here is a little more about the car: 1957 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday Hardtop owned by former long time Museum of Automobiles Director Buddy Hoelzeman and his wife Tootsie. He worked at this Museum for 55 years from 1966 to 2021, being the Director 53 of those years from 1968 until his retirement in 2021.
If you are in the area, stop by and take a tour. The murals are in the lower level of the museum.
Now on to the final mural…stay tuned.
The Ozark Pastel Society is hosting their annual online member show. Click on “OZARK VISIONS 2022 Members Exhibit” at the top of the website page. I’m honored to have three paintings entered into the show. – Awaken, Weathered Beauty and Memories of the Past.
Argenta Public Library Gallery, North Little Rock Arkansas
The Arkansas Pastel Society Juried show will be on display at that Argenta Public Library in North Little Rock from November 18, 2022 thru December 9, 2022. If you are unable to attend, you can view the show at OnlineJuriedShows.
There were 53 entries by 28 artists submitted to be juried into the show by Charles Peer. Of those entries, 30 paintings were selected to hang in the show.
Please join us at the Opening Reception and Art Walk
The Opening Reception is Friday, November 18 from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. The reception will coincide with the Argenta Art Walk featuring walkable galleries on the 3rd Friday downtown North Little Rock in the Argenta Arts District.
During the Opening Reception, Charles Peer will present the Awards for Best of Show, 1st, 2nd, 3rd place and Honorable Mentions.
Argenta Public Library Gallery
North Little Rock Public Library System
420 Main Street
North Little Rock, AR 72114
A Little about our Juror
Charles Peer has worked as a professional artist for over 45 years and has over 40 years of teaching experience to individuals, small groups, workshops (local, regional and national) and 36 years at the college level. He earned his MFA in
painting and drawing from the University of Arkansas and is a signature member of the Ozark Pastel Society (OPS) and the Pastel Society of America (PSA) as well as having been awarded the Master Circle designation from the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS). Peer has been recognized with prizes in regional, national, and international exhibits, including the
Best of Show award in both the 2018 and 2021 APS exhibits, and his work has appeared in Pastel Journal, PSA’s Pastelagram, the Colored Pencil Magazine and Pratique de Arts (published in France). Additionally, he has served as a Juror and/or Judge of Awards for IAPS, Pastel Society of Oklahoma, and the Pastel Society of Eastern Canada.
This is the first “Juried” show that I fully organized, and I must say, it was fun! I will post photos after the reception.
Hope to see you there!
I was honored to be asked if I would paint a mural at the Museum of Automobiles in Morrilton, AR. Why is this an opportunity of a lifetime:
This mural is a 1912 Ford Model T Touring, it is 6′ wide by 8′ high. It is the largest, most complex mural we’ve done to date. It challenged us, we learned a lot, and I could not have done this without my daughter! Art is even more joyful when I can share it with her.
I find that it is good to swap mediums once in a while. The painting below is done in oils and is a work in progress. What are the differences between working in oil vs pastel?
1) With oil I need to mix the colors I want vs pulling pastel right from the box with the color, value and intensity work already done. Mixing the colors reinforces the basics of color theory.
2) I need to adjust mark making to create textures and do so from a brush at the end of the stick vs holding the pastel with my fingers.
3) I need to understand how wet medium reacts to the canvas vs dry pastel on papers.
4) The downside of oil painting is waiting for the paint to dry 
5) There is also prep and clean up time I need to build in 30-45min.
As you can see the skills are transferable, it takes patience and practice.
After several years of following Tom Christopher on Instagram, I had the opportunity to take one of his Workshops. Tom has a unique process for creating texture and movement in his work. He graciously shared his process during a two-day workshop hosted by the Ozark Pastel Society and some members of the Arkansas Pastel Society joined as well. The first morning was spent learning the process Tom uses to create the underpainting. Then he worked his magic during a demo as he shared his thoughts on value’s importance over color, mark making, standing back often, and keeping it simple. Let the human eye knit it together.
The afternoon was our turn to try his process for the underpainting and mesh it in with our developed mark making style. Tom walked the room and provided guidance and praise to each of the artists.
Day 2 was the same flow as Day 1; however, our focus was a snow scene. At the end of Day 2 we came together as a group and Tom critiqued each artist’s piece. It was amazing to see all the wonderful pieces using Tom’s process, yet each artist added their own flair. I was in awe, the work of this group of artists was stellar!
I will definitely be leveraging this process in some future pieces. Thank you Tom!
During the month of July 2022, 24 members of the Arkansas Pastel Society showcased their work at the Thea Foundation in North Little Rock, Arkansas. There were 68 paintings on display during the 3rd Friday Argenta Art Walk.
This is the first show that I fully organized, and I must say, it was fun! I think the best part of the show was to watch the guests try painting with pastels. See the photos of the still life of bottles on the table.
p.s. I’m in the floral dress standing next to Awaken, Memories of the Past, and Weathered Seasons.
Welcome to Caprise’s Art Studio, where I share news and images of my pastel paintings. If this is your first visit to my website, I’d like to share a little about myself and my art.
I work primarily in pastels but also explore oil and pencil. I’ve been passionate about art since a very young age and began collaborating and studying with other artists at the age of sixteen at Studio in The Woods in Wauconda, IL.
I have an Associate’s Degree in Fine Art from the College of Lake County and won several awards throughout my career. After a 20-year break to raise a family, I returned to my practice at Mainstreet Art Center in Lake Zurich, IL.
My new studio is in Arkansas on Petit Jean Mountain, an area adjacent to the Arkansas River between the Ouachita Mountains and Ozark Plateaus. You’ll find much of this area represented in my work.
Thank you!
To see a full range of my work, please visit my online gallery.
I work full time, so balancing work, life and art is challenging. So last year, I built a metal barn with a dedicated space for my studio. This allows me to walk across the lawn for quality time at the easel, if for only an hour. Here are some photos of the studio.
Caprise Cooper Art 