May 14, 2019 -
I was honored to have a special article written about me and my art, and published on the Howling Moon Arts website along with photos of some of my most recent artwork. Please take a few minutes to visit the below link to read the article:

Confessions from Arizona

Merit Award
My painting "Sublime", 11"h x 14"w, Oil on Panel, received the Emerging Artist- Merit Award for the month of May 2019. Special thank you to Kim Van Der Hoek and Kelley Sanford for this special honor.     http://www.artmusecontest.com/may-2019

This painting was also on exhibit in January 2019 by the Portrait Artists of Arizona 9th Annual Members the Juried Portrait Exhibition held at the Scottsdale Artists School.

Recent Awards

"Shades of Blue"

Oil on Linen

16"x20"

Honorable Mention - Arizona Stair Fair Fine Art Exhibit 2015

"The Red Turban"

Charcoal and Red Chalk on toned paper

11x14

Second Place - Arizona State Fair Fine Art Exhibit 2015

Portrait of a Young Girl

This was done for the "Freedom 48 Project" http://www.freedom58project.com/about-us/portrait-artist-ministry/  traveling portrait exhibit. It is oil on canvas 11"x14".

 

Review of DVD by Robert Liberace "Vol III: The Classic Portrait"

I was so excited to find the New DVD on Classical Painting by Robert Liberace in my mailbox today . It did not disappoint. Definitely for the advanced portrait artist, but, anyone with an interest in classical painting or aspiring to be a portrait artist would learn a  great deal from watching this DVD. Rob Liberace shares his vast knowledge of history, painting styles, master artists' materials and techniques in this 4 hour demonstration. He worked in lead-based classical paints by Rublev and Daniel Greene and explained in detail the materials he uses for this painting. He begins with a loosely rendered grisaille on day one, then day two proceeds with glazing on of the color. Watching a master such as Rob was inspiring! Seeing up close how he models ever nuance in light and shadow and mixing his colors I know will help me with any painting I do, not just portraiture. I saw Rob give a 2 hour demonstration at the Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale a couple of years ago and was mesmerized by his skill and charisma as an instructor. Getting to one of his workshops has not been possible. But, this DVD is a great option and an excellent learning tool for me, since I learn best by observing. The DVD is worth every penny of the $85 cost. I highly recommend it to any artist at any level. I also plan to purchase his figure drawing DVD.

Why a Fine Art Portrait?

In this day and age of digital photography and the many special software programs available...a photo portrait can easily be modified and changed at the whim of whomever. But, a fine art portrait is hand-painted or drawn onto a physical surface, canvas, panel, paper, etc. and is a more permanent testament and capture of the human essence.

A Portrait of Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton)

My recent submission to a painting venture by a group of portrait artists on Facebook and LinkedIn to paint Kate the Duchess of Cambridge. It was inspired by the very controversial and large official Royal portrait commissioned by Kate. I started this earlier this year and it has been sitting on my spare easel begging me to finish her. So...here it is!

Duchess Kate 
Oil on Linen Panel 12"x16"
by Pamela Jonas

Sketching again...

It's been awhile since my last post, though I have been busy with my art. Will post some painting soon, but today I was watching a period film where some of the scene were quite dark and candle lit. One in particular just made me want to sketch. So, I put it on "pause" and grabbed some black pastel paper and some conte'. I used white, sepia, flesh, and dark brown.

Marisa in circa 1900 costume - updated with final entitled "A Classic Lady"

Final was finished in the studio and I was just not happy with the figure's proportions from the bustline down...so I cut it off and mounted to hardboard. This was on exhibit in the Portrait Artists of Arizona 3rd Annual Exhibition at Scottsdale Artists' School April-May 2013.

"Red Ivy" in the Zorn Pallette of colors - updated with final

Final version was completed and in the PAOA exhibition at SAS in April-May 2013.

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New Painting from PAOA's Portrait Studio Today...guess I missed all the St. Patty's festivals! But, really enjoyed working in the "Zorn Palette", though I used French Vermilion (blue red) vs. the recommended Cad Red, Ivory Black, Tit. White, and Yellow Ochre. Lot's of fun. In our demo at PAOA on March 3rd given by Romel de la Torre he brought an example of his portrait work and one of the paintings was done in this palette and it was so beautiful I just had to give this a try.

Study of Brandon

Monochrome oil painting (about 2.5 hours) from life done this last Sat. Feb 18th at a PAOA Portrait Studio. Used Paynes Grey and Tit. White. It was a very full session, over 16 people came to paint or draw from Brandon..he was terrific!

"Girl with a Gold Earring"

Update 10/7/2012 - Entered in the Arizona State Fair Fine Art Exhibition - 4th Place in the Oil Category -

Another study started from life in a Portrait Studio of the Portrait Artists of Arizona. Made some refinements in the studio. Really had fun playing with color! Her rich skintone provided for a variety of colors, reflections, etc. Oil on canvas panel 12"wx16"h.

Final "Pensive" all ready to go!

Completed and already submitted to the Members Exhibition of Portrait Artists of Arizona. I little more refined and fairly happy with the outcome. Now to find the perfect frame!!! Oil on canvas 18"wx24"h

Stage 7 - nearing completion

Painting hands are tough! After doing them 3 times now, I've got to step back and take a breather...they are more proportioned now, but not 100% happy yet. Put in some background, but I think it needs more work.

On the Easel - Stage 6

Didn't post Stage 5 which was mainly her face. I've finished the blouse, but not completely happy with the hands. Will wait for the paint to dry to go back in and do some refinements on hands and finish the background. Also, the pearls, look more like gold beads, than pearls, so need to figure out how to fix those. But, looks like I will make it for the deadline next week and I will be able to work on a couple of other over the weekend. More updates later :)

On the Easel - Stage 4

Moving on with adding the background. Having transitioned back to regular oils using "odorless" spirits...I love the work, but the "fumes" are bothering me :( ...it's isn't always the smell people have problems with. The chemicals can be a killer. That and spending a whole day on Saturday in a room with 11 other oils painters. My allergies are really bothering me. But, I will continue to use current oils to complete this particular painting...am reconsidering the water misible...hmmmm...

On the Easel - Laura Di "after" Princess Di

I can't believe it's been nearly one year since I've posted to this blog!!! Shame on me. I have done some painting, but mostly studio work and just haven't gotten around to posting here. But, I have renewed vigor and excitement in working on a new painting. I was inspired by the famous portrait of Princess Diana by Nelson Shanks, so dress up my gorgeous niece in an outfit I can no longer wear :( and posed her in a similar style to the "master" work. It came out very nicely and I am in the early groundwork. It is on my favorite surface "Yes" triple primed linen streched, 18x24. I really wanted a 20x30, but they did not have my brand in that size, so I settled. Anyway...this is a start and I have a dealine, again, of Feb 18th to enter the Portrait Artists of Arizona 2nd Annual Members Exhibition coming up in April!

Art Shows and Exhibits

New for 2011, I have work exhibiting from Feb-July at the Skye Restaurant in Glendale, AZ off Bell Road and the 101. Also, from March 8 through April 6th, I have work in the Portrait Artists of Arizona Members Exhibition at ASU Gammage. Gammage exhibit is availabe for ticketed patrons or on Monday's between 1-4pm.

"Andalusian Spirit" - equine painting

Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 18"w x 24"h

I have always loved the beautiful Spanish breed of the Andalusian horses, because of their beautifully curved necks and extremely long and flowing manes. I searched extensively for the right inspiration, one that exudes fire and drama to bring out my own passion for horses. I had a short turnaround time because I wanted to enter it into an art exhibit and only had one week. So, I chose acrylics because they dry very quickly, yet also allow for blending, glazing and texture. To achieve the dappled gray effect on the body, I used sponging techniques with natural sea sponges. This is the first horse painting I've ever done, and what I hope to be the first of a long series of Andalusian equine paintings.

It will be on exhibit/sale at the Alliance show at Skye Restaurant in Glendale, AZ from Feb-July 2011.
This painting also won 1st Place in the Artist of the Month for Tempe Artists Guild in January 2011.

"The Bellydancer"

Recent commission. So much fun to work on because of its interesting pose, love doing costumes and my favorite medium, charcoal and white chalk. Approx 16"wx19"h, on pale green canson mi-tientes.