Artist: Linda Wesner

Linda Wesner: The Art of Colored Pencil

I have been drawing since I was old enough to hold a pencil. My Master’s degree is in drawing, and I have been working in this medium for almost twenty-five years. Often viewers exclaim, “I can’t believe it’s colored pencil!” They mistakenly associate colored pencils with primary school map-making. Actually, it has been used for hundreds of years by famous artists.

My technique follows the “speak softly and carry a big stick” approach. I use light pencil pressure to build up layer after layer of color for a luminous effect. My work is softly rendered, but my focus is bold.  I want the contemporary viewer to contemplate his surroundings.

Colored pencil is not for the faint of heart. It does not easily erase. It requires endless patience. It strains the eyes and taxes the hand and arm. The results emerge slowly after many sessions of applying pencil point to paper. And yet, it continues to confound, entice, and challenge me with its direct connection between eye, heart and hand.

Her work is regularly featured in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, including The National Art Club, Manhattan; The College of Notre Dame, Baltimore, Maryland; The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Memphis, Tennessee; The Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York; Academy of Art College, San Francisco; and Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, Chicago. Her art has been featured in The American Artist Magazine, American Art Collector, and most recently, Strokes of Genius 3, as well as other publications and books.
Recent awards include The American Artist’s Magazine Award for Excellence, Allied Artists of America, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, and the Hudson Valley Art Association.

Her work is represented in numerous collections including IBM, General Motors, Syracuse University, Ohio Wesleyan University, and Delaware County Library.

Linda Wesner is represented by Marcia Evans Art Gallery, Columbus; The Gallery of CNY, New York; and Clayton Galleries, Tampa.

Linda Wesner gives colored pencil workshops and teaches drawing. She is available for commissioned work.

For more visit: www.lawesner.com