Bridge

20x30 I'm not too sure where this bridge is. I think it's near Jerome, Idaho. My sister Amy takes pictures and brings home ideas for me. I'll post a better picture after I frame it.

Cactus

New CityScape

This is a commission piece for a friend. If you spend anytime in John and Amy's living room, I hope you enjoy it. The glare on the left obscures it a bit. I'm getting it scanned on Monday and will have a better graphic then. Original building, located on 300 South and about 300 East in downtown SLC.

Jackson Sketches

I have started packing around a large pad of paper, 16 x 14 inch, when I go sketching. This tends to raise a lot of interest in the people around me. I went to Jackson Hole recently with friends, but I went up a day early to do some sketching. I hiked around Jenny Lake, up to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point carrying a back pack of snacks, water, and pencils. I also carried the giant pad of paper.

When I got back to the lake, four kids sat by me at a picnic table and wanted to see my pictures. After awhile the five of us were eating raisins and drawing pictures together. Then the Asian tourists came over to see what we were doing. Then came a boy scout troop, a family with four teenagers and a guy who sparked a conversation about woodworking. Another lady had taken some very good photos of Jackson Lake and wanted to email me her photos. So, my art lesson on this trip is: a giant pad of paper makes a great billboard.

Since the paper was so big, I had to scan the sketch in pieces. So here's a composite of a sketch I did from the porch of this fantastic house where we stayed.

More flowers

The interesting thing about this picture is the glass vase. It took some experimenting to make something transparent from an opaque medium like paper.

Treeline

Two suggestions from others: The white matte from my friend John, who says it forces viewers to look at the image, great idea. The other, to exaggerate the geometric lines to emphasize movement. So, I hope it now looks forceful and emphasized...jk.

Closer Look

Not Blank

Very large. Very layered. Zoom in close to the peak.

Thinking...

Thinking...

Thinking...

Thinking...

Thinking...

BLANK

Snake River

My sister also took the original photograph this picture is based on. I like the color scheme with blue at the top and bottom, greens in the middle, then the warm browns and yellows breaking up the cold colors. It is slightly symmetric from the top to the bottom as well as side to side. ALSO: I'm back to making prints of everything.

Hillside

I actually finished this one last year and it was included in the March art show. It's very detailed so click to enlarge it.

Art Show

I look all artsy in the purple dress.

Wheeler Farm Flyer

Click to enlarge

Wheeler Farm!! Huge Art Show!!

22 Complete Works ranging from 2004 to 2008

Artist Reception, March 10th, 6-8 pm

Wheeler Farm Activity Barn

Wheeler Farm Location and Hours

Email me with questions, comments, email and mailing addresses of interested people

evans_abby@yahoo.com

http://www.wheelerfarm.com

Narrows

Original photo taken by my sister Amy. This is the narrows of the Bear River near Preston, Idaho. It's still kinda glazy looking because the enamel isn't dry

Lake of Ink

I'm doing a tear art version of this: I bought a nice pen set with a gift certificate to Ruele's downtown. I'm doing all ink sketches on my trip to Peru in two weeks.

Christmas Commission

Mars: Portrait of a Dog Mars--makes a great gift:

Death Valley

I was supposed to be doing homework this weekend.

Under Dione

The moon in this picture were taken from the National Geographic picture of the Saturn moon Dione. Click to enlarge, it's better bigger. I might bring it to the gallery later this week, but haven't decided yet.

October Show

September Show

I've been invited to stay at the Contemporary Design and Art Gallery for the September show, 10 Artists 10 Styles.

Flier: I think this means I have representation now... New stuff pending, I'm preparing for a large show in February and have completed about 4 new works. I'm also starting a concentration of buildings done on canvas with a fabulous product called PAPER CEMENT... how much better can life get when there is such a thing as PAPER CEMENT?

GALLERY

Hours:
Tuesday and Wednesday 11 am – 8 pm,
Thursday and Friday 4 - 8 pm,
Saturday and Sunday 12 - 6 pm,
& by appointment afterhours

Deseret News Landscape Art Show

I am participating in the Deseret News Landscape Art Show, Color of the Land MUAH, 125 South Main, SLC Now until July 24 I have been juried into this show for the last three years. More info on Color of the Land can be found at: About the Show Jurying and Winners Participating Artists 2005 At Arches 2006 Desert Moon 2007 Above Alpine

Bookstore

The initial idea is from the Moab Bookstore on the North side of Main Street. Click on the image for a better view of the texture and pieces. The bricks used for the picture were taken from the photo, and integrated in the collage.

Pictures in Pictures

New picture: Taken from a photo given to me by the inset couple. The rock formation in the background is called Grosvenor Arch, south of Cannonville in Garfield County, Utah.

Fabulous Lady!

Picture taken by Brad Sharp for the North County Newspapers, Provo, Utah. March 13, 2007.

This is a fabulous lady. Mary Ann Judd Johnson was my neighbor growing up. She taught me to watercolor, sketch, draw, think, collage, ignore and take criticism, and to live with a free spirit since I was seven. She also taught art at Lehi High School for many years and took me in as a refugee from physics class almost daily. Her and I have travelled through Europe, to London, Paris, New York, and Washington, DC together. She has the most welcoming, shining personality you'll ever find. She has achieved a vast concentration of watercolors of older homes in the Lehi-American Fork area. They are on display at the American Fork City Building for the upcoming year, 51 East Main in American Fork, Utah.

Good story: When traveling in Northern France to see the Beaches of Normandy our party got lost. We couldn't find the town, visitor center, or anything but the waterfront. We stopped the vans so the drivers could look over the maps. We waited right on the water, looking over the English Channel. When on vacation, why stress and waste time, right? So Mary and I took off our shoes, rolled up our pants, and ran out into the water.

Mary was out a lot farther into the water than I was.
Me, holding my socks.

Beachside

Last June I toured Great Britain and Ireland with six other people, my mom and college roommate included. From Prestwick we traveled in a luggage packed van to Inverness, Scotland and drove to the South of England as far as Chichester. We then came back up to Luton where we caught a flight to Ireland and circled its southern portion.

After a week and a half of chasing historical sites and Travel Lodges, we spent the morning on the most serine beach on the English Channel. The water was warm and the air was cold. It was rocky and clean, hedging a small whitewashed town east of Portsmouth. We had a peaceful morning with our pants rolled up splashing in the tide and examining shells.

Fast forward to grey, cold, wintry Utah. For Christmas my mom asked me to make a picture from our trip to that beach. She picked out the frame for it before Thanksgiving, specifying the size. What stood between Thanksgiving and Christmas was a couple of large papers, finals, Christmas shopping, and the regular 8-5. I had also lost a midterm a professor wanted another 'look at.' I tore my room apart looking for it. Where would I put a midterm from last October? Instead of the 'blue book' I found a red bag full of sandy small shells from our trip. The paper chest had already been torn open in search of the midterm so I put in a movie and started looking for more sand, water, sky, surf, breeze.

Louis Vuitton ad, great turquoise. Utah tourism picture, great rocks. Photo shoot of anemic girl, great sand color. But the artificial nature of advertising wasn't catching the feeling of that beach. Exhausted patrons, rich air, shiny wet sand, sea spray and distant waves. So I looked at my pictures from the trip again and printed a large portion of real sand out on shiny paper. There. Then the sky. There. I made an authentic picture from the real thing. It may look like any beach on any sea, but it's specific to that place, at that time. Only those from our van know it, however.

Five movies and an all nighter later, I finished. It was laminated, scanned, and ready to go by December 22.

And I found the midterm, a week too late, mixed with my mail.

Real Sand:

Christmas Morning:

Buildings

This is the first picture done on canvas, which is why the photo was taken at an angle. It is 16x20. The texture of the bricks play off of tearing the paper, exposing the white layer beneath the ink. Each brick is an individual piece, and in some places they are layered several deep for shading and dimention.

Landscape Arch

We took another trip to Moab this fall. The day we took the short hike to Landscape Arch it rained. All the rocks had a sheen glow to them, changing the usually dry landscape. It was cold too, soaking clear through my sweatshirt. When hiking down the slick rocks from Partition Arch, we had to crab walk down the red rock water slides. I finished this piece last weekend even though I started it several months ago. Sometimes you have to study the real thing to make it work. At the visitor center at Arches National Park, they'll tell you about a portion of this arch falling out just a few years ago, making this a very temporary natural sculpture. The thinnest point is less than 6 feet thick. It's amazing to think Landscape arch (as wide as a football field) took a billion years to make, but can turn to simply sand and rubble in only a breath's notice. See the real thing while you can. This one is 16 in x 20 in and has been sold to a good friend of mine. Prints are now available.

Blue Mountains

A great thing about creating is the ability to adjust old ideas into new ones-especially the real muddy ideas. Originally this idea was from a photo taken in the Swiss Alps. There is a "Things to Come" post about it below. It could easily be called "Things That Come, Simply to Pass"There is a huge maple tree in Logan, Utah somewhere along 200 East. Trying to avoid Main Street traffic on the way to see my nephews, I used the detour. I also had my camera in the bag next to me and was stopped a long time at a busy intersection. When I took the photo, from my car window, the yellow maple against the blue sky, the car behind me honked. Suddenly it was clear. This piece has recently been sold. Prints are available. The first print was given to a friend from near Logan, Utah.

Days of '47 Landscape Art Show

During the Days of '47, or Pioneer Days celebration, the Deseret News puts on a landscape art show for local artist called Colors of the Land. It is displayed at the Museum of Utah Art and History (MUAH), 125 South Main, Salt Lake City. This year, my Desert Moon piece was juried into the show. Many local artists are being exhibited between now and the 24th of July. The MUAH is a beautiful building. They are still restoring the facade on the ouside, but inside you will find a high, arched ceiling, stained glass, and great art work.

The show is well varied, including sketching, oils, watercolors, gouache, serigraph, acrylic, woodcut, pastel, and collage. Few of my favorites included a watercolor by Rebecca Livermore entitled "Timpanogos Autumn," an acrylic piece by Greg Newbold called "New Crop," and the Purchase Award winner by Brad Teare entitled "Rock Moss," done as a woodcut. I was also impressed by a work by Mr. Steve L. Day entitled "Brook." The amount of detail used in every blade of grass, every stone and nearly every drop of water made it look like a photo from a distance. He and his wife said it took hundreds of hours and he does a little at a time. I tried to explored every space with my eyes, but there was so much on the canvas it would have taken weeks. You can view some of these in the Desert News Article from July 2, 2006. Or, you can view them all at the MUAH.

Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch, as completed This piece is 22 inches x 28 inches. When I compare the Arch I made two years ago to this one, I can see progress in my style. It's exciting to see something I enjoy becoming more than a habit. It changes both instantly and gradually, depending both on mood and practice.
"And my aim in my life is to make pictures and drawings, as many and as well as I can; then, at the end of my life, I hope to pass away, looking back with love and tender regret, and thinking, 'Oh, the pictures I might have made!' But, this does not exclude making what is possible, mind you." -Vincent Van Gogh, October 1883

Things to Come, Part 1

I haven't posted in awhile. Someone gave me a great idea tonight to post pieces of pieces I'm working on. I'll post the full picture when it's completed.

Delicate Arch If you scroll down further, you'll see the first Arch I did. Recently, the earlier piece was purchased by a colleague of mine. This image is just a portion of the whole picture. When it is finalized and released, I'll post the whole thing. Delicate Arch is an icon of Utah, and is even portrayed on the license plate. I was surprised to see it wasn't on the Utah quater. This one took about 20 hours to this point, and I've been obsessing about it for about a week. I made my two great roommates sit on the floor and look at it with me for awhile. I think they were just humoring me. I've had a lot of pent up energy lately, and I've been running and ripping paper like a mad woman to let out some steam. So, you'll see there is a lot of movement and energy in the entire picture, which is 22 inches by 28 inches. In the background you'll see the blue La Sal Mountains east of Moab, Utah among layered landdscape of Arches National Park. If you've had the chance to hike up to the Arch, you know you can touch it, get your picture taken under it, and try not to fall into the vast hole behind it. I'm looking forward to another trip to Arches this spring. I plan on hiking through the entire north portion of the park where the larger formations can be found. Things to Come, Part 2: The German Alps

Small Cactus

I'm doing a series of smaller pictures, about ten that match with this one. Here is a sampling. It's 8 in. x 10 in. Copyright, Abby Evans, 2005

Lady Bug

I did this one when I was still in high school. It's kinda cute and fun. I think it's the second one I ever did. Copyright, Abby Evans, 1999

Business Card

Snow Field

This idea is from the mountains east of Thatcher, Idaho. Last February I took several photos of the area under a foot of snow. Snow Field's dementions are 16 in x 28 in. Original and Prints available Copyright Abby Evans, 2005

Poppies

Ok, enough with the desert pictures. This picture is a standard, decorative, flowers in a vase. 'Flowers in a Vase' is almost a requirement for an artist's collection. It's very cliche. I made it to match a beautiful cherry wood frame I'd bought. I studied Van Gogh's poppies and used real pictures of dandelions from a gardening magazine which denounced them as weeds. They looked so bright I thought they deserved a little more status than weeds. By using real images, instead of just colors, that makes this one more of a collage than a tear art. It's nothing too deep, just nice to look at. It is about 24 in x 18 in. Prints available there in half sizes starting December 23, 2005. Prints in all sizes available here. Copyright, Abby Evans 2005

Desert Moon

This summer I took a trip to the Grand Canyon with my extended family and roommate. After hiking several miles through the desert and driving a few hundred miles, we found ourselves in Kayenta, AZ without a hotel; everything was booked. So, we found a phone book and called every hotel within 100 miles. Finally, we found an opening in Mexican Hat, UT. Between the two desert towns is Monument Valley. I was hoping we would go through there the next morning so I could get some photos and see it better in the daylight. But, we were all hot, sticky, and dirty, ready for a shower and soft bed. After sleeping on rocks and hammocks at the bottom of a crack in the earth, it was time for more civilized accomodations. The lady running the San Juan River Inn in Mexican Hat offered us her cottage, and we set off across the desolate highway. It sounded like the beginning of a murder mystery. My dad recently bought a truck with XM radio. Now he's into this station called "Visions" which is like Enya mixed with no beat techno. It was creepy. While the sun was setting the shadows and colors deepened, they blended into what looked like a Mars landing. The music Dad insisted on listening to made the atmosphere perfect for an alien abduction! The moon that night looked three times it's usual size and it reflected off the northern angles of the buttes and bluffs. When we finally got to the only hotel room available in the South West, I sat down by the San Juan River, waiting for the shower to become available, looking at the moon and thinking about the strange evening driving across a distant planet south of 'Bland'ing. I hope this piece reflects the mood and foreign surroundings of that night. It is 15 in x 15 in. Prints are available. Copyright, Abby Evans 2005

Cactus

Today I thought I would branch out and post a sketching. If you remember the Desert Flowers post, this is an outline of the cactus in the foreground. These ideas look a lot better with paper pasted on them.

Highway

This is the second Highway I've done. The first was purchased by a friend before I had it scanned. I liked the concept so much, I did it again with differences. I love road trips and I hope this reflects that great feeling of having somewhere exciting to go. The bluffs to the right remind me of the Vermillion Cliffs in Southern Utah. This piece is about 22 in x 28 in and the original has been framed. It took about 27 hours over Christmas break 2004. Original and prints are available. Copyright, Abby Evans 2004

Desert Flowers

This piece is fairly recent. It's the combination of three ideas. One, the butte, found near Blanding, Utah. Two, the flowering cactus found in the hills above Kennecot. Three, the open valley on the right from the West Desert, near the Salt Flats. The first printing was donated to SLCC for a fundraiser and silent auction. The sale went really well and I am excited for the college. The original is still available, as are prints. Copyright, Abby Evans 2005

At Arches

The most famous arch at Arches National Park is the Delicate Arch, of which is displayed on some Utah license plates. I do have sketches to tear art it someday. But, this one is a little more unfamiliar. It's both from a photo and in my head. But, a little artistic license never hurts. This piece was recently displayed at the Days of '47 Deseret News Colors of the Land Art Show, July 2005. It is about 18 in x 20 in. It took about 25 hours to make, and I did most of it late at night in May of 2004. I didn't really give it a name until I entered it in a local art show and the nice check-in lady asked "Where is it?" meaning "Is it in your car? In the back room?" But I thought she meant "Where is it?" I said "At Arches." She responded "Is that what it's called?" So, during a Who's on First? like moment, it got its name. Prints available. Copyright, Abby Evans 2004

Mittens

I love the South West. The shapes, hues, color variations, and shadows of this vibrant geography is great for tear art. Ironically, I did this picture of The Mittens of Monument Valley while living in Washinton DC. Maybe I was home sick. I do remember I was watching an all night Red Sox game last fall when I finished it. This last summer I went back to South Eastern Utah and Northern Arizona. I took a lot of photos and made many sketches. For the next little while, you will see several pictures of the Utah/Arizona Desert, including more of the Monument Valley, Arches, and the Grand Canyon. This picture is 15 in x 28 in. Original is available. Prints are available. Copyright, Abby Evans 2004

US Capitol

Staying with the recent Washington DC theme, I thought this one was appropriate. This angle of the capitol is taken from the Senate side, in a parking lot. From this side the Capitol still looked as massive as it is, but doesn't show as much of it. To the right, where the pillars are, is the Senate side (or wing) of the Capitol. This one is smaller than the last two, only 25 in x 18 in. I cut a lot of the black off the bottom because it made it look too dark and unbalanced. It belongs to my friend Travis who worked at the Senate at the time. I also have a copy in my dining room and have sold many prints. I had to purchase both sculpture and bridal magazines in order to get that many shades of white, gray, stone, mauve, etc. The sky was a product of trying, and failing, at making clouds look real, but the highlights from the dark to the light looked really cool when made more gradual. I couldn't figure out how to make the rotunda fit into the whole piece at first. My first couple of attempts were very ornate and detailed, which made it look like an Easter egg. Then one foggy morning I was walking towards the Capitol from the South (Union Station). The fog was really low and the early morning sun gleamed off one side. The shadowed side fell into the fog and disappeared. It was a very cool effect. After stripping the first attempts at coloring the rotunda, again, I dug out the bridal and sculpture mags and made the dark side of the rotunda match my sky. Why it took several weeks, then finally a natural phenomenon to figure that out, I'll never know. Prints Available. Copyright, Abby Evans 2004

Washington Monument

Washington Monument. The center point of the Capitol, taken from a mental snap shot just as you step into the sun from the Smithsonian Metro. If you ever get the opportunity, stand at this point and pretend you are sitting in the tree at the center edge of the Mall. You'll see this. I walked out to the center of the Mall, mentally deleted the tree, and started doing sketches. I sat in the gnarled grass for about 3 hours thinking and sketching in a lined notebook. This is among my favorites because it reminds me of all the feelings, ideas, etc. I had in that busy, creative city. When I was stressed out, alone, freaking out about the Metro getting blown up, or whatever, I could get lost in this. What I loved most about DC was, from our neighborhood, it was only an hour and $1.35 away from the National Gallery of Art in the Smithsonian. The first neighborhood we lived in is in the background, Rosslyn. I wasn't a big fan of Rosslyn. It's across the river, or the Memorial Bridge from the Washington Monument. I guess the sparkly blue paper could be the Potomac, but I don't think it's been that color since Washington actually lived at Mt. Vernon. This piece is about 22 in. by 28 in. The original was sold to Spencer Stokes after being FedEx-ed home from DC. I believe he has it displayed in his office, Stokes Strategies, in Salt Lake City. Among the prints sold, one is in Senator Bennett's media office and in the office of one of my favorite professors at Utah State University. Prints available. Copyright, Abby Evans 2004

Introductions: City Scape

My introduction piece: I call this one City Scape. It's older, about 2002. So, we can start from the beginning. I did this one on the floor of my mini Logan apartment. My new roommates at the time didn't know I liked to cover the floor in scraps, but they were cool about it. This one is 28 in x 22.5 in. Prints available. Copyright, Abby Evans, 2002 ******************************* As I build a proper website for my artwork, I thought this would be a great forum to start from. I will be posting images of my artwork at least weekly so my friends, family, and other interested parties can view them, comment, and enjoy. I will also be including who the owner may be, dimentions, print availability, pricing, ideas to come, crude sketches, and interesting photos that may turn into "tear art." What is "tear art?" "Tear art" (tear as in ripping, not crying) is the complete masacre of heavy magazine paper to use the colors as an impressionist artist might use oils. I appreciate the quality of Vogue, National Geographic, and InStyle mostly. I like many mediums, but this precise form of collage is my favorite. There's nothing better that destroying a magazine and putting it back together better than you found it. I have many pieces, most are quite large. The smallest is among the most recent, measuring 15 in x 15 in. The rest are about 24 in x 30 in, give or take a few inches in any direction. Favorite artists: Van Gogh, as most people often comment, Monet (of course) and Mattise. Maybe one day the Marilyn Monroe of our time, who ever she may be, will hang a couple of my pictures up side down in her NY apartment. I do have two works of art in the media office of US Senator Bob Bennett in DC, the first in the hallway of Lehi High School, and several in the homes and businesses of good friends and family. My mother is my gallery curator, as her house is wallpapered in this stuff. I hope you enjoy this site and visit often. When the 'real thing' is going, I'll let you know.