100 DRAWINGS IN 100 DAYS 2014 - Studio de Shan

Whether you’re a collector, an art lover, or an aspiring artist, 100 Drawings in 100 

Days is an art exhibition not to be missed!

Just over half-way and I need to start showing these drawings off!! More will be revealed, but here are just a few of this year's selection:

The Johnny’s (Jack Sparrow; Edward Scissorhands; Hunter S. Thomas; Sweeney Todd; and Barnabas Collins) - pen and ink on bristol paper, each drawing is 210mm x 148mm.

Sunshine Coast-based internationally acclaimed artist de Shan, showcases her impeccable depictions of 100 pop culture and movie icons, fairy tale favourites, and historical figures at Red on Thomas, 4 Thomas Streetin Noosaville, Thursday 27 November, 2014 from 6:00 PM - 7:40 PM. Subjects range from Elsa of the Disney hit movie ‘Frozen’ to Alice and the crew from Tim Burton’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ movie, and from Johnny Depp’s character Jack Sparrow of ‘Pirates of the Carribean’ to Marilyn Monroe.

“This won’t be your average exhibition,” de Shan says of the unusual nature of the show. “I want to steer away from a formal setting for these annual shows as the pieces are eclectic in nature but definite conversation pieces - something to chat about with good friends over cocktails while placing silent auction bids”.

Each of the drawings is matted to a standard 8”x10” (280mm x 356mm) and hung for display on the night for the silent auction. The reserve price on every drawing will start at $100 with bids going up in $5 increments. “A percentage of the sales will be donated to Redkite, a charity supporting children with cancer,” she says, “as it’s important for me to give to a charity in which I believe and respect. My father died of cancer when I was quite young and I would love to help a child live a long and healthy life”.

de Shan, an internationally renowned artist and former gallery owner, has earned her Masters of Fine Art degree from the University of Oklahoma School of Art, and describes herself as a paint-slinging maven with a penchant for capturing personality and sass in her art.
“Of late I have been taking on commissioned pet portraits for my clients. Working from photographs and without needing to meet the pets, I am able to form an accurate idea of and capture their personalities in oils on canvas by way of a handy secret tool that I use which I can only divulge when you commission your own pet portrait,” she says smugly.
All of the drawings are available for viewing and silent bidding online at her 100 Drawings in 100 Days Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/studiodeshan

To place an online bid, email or private message (Facebook) de Shan with the title of the drawing and the amount to which you are prepared to go. That information will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. Bidding will start at $100 and go up in increments of $5. Designated spotters will note the bidding and add your bid to the list, being careful not to go to your highest bid unless necessary.

Email: info@studiodeshan.com
Facebook: facebook.com/studiodeshan

100 Drawings in 100 Days - Catwoman

BLYTHE (ALWAYS WANTED A TAIL...)

have you ever noticed that there are not too many superhero women, as they're usually typecast as the villains? well such is the case for my subject today, DC Comic's Catwoman. the very first Catwoman we saw was in 1940 and was played by Selina Kyle, usually as the villain, but sometimes as an ally and/or romantic figure to batman.

beginning in 1954 and until 1966 however, Catwoman took a bit of a hiatus due to the newly developing 'Comics Code Authority' and their issues regarding the portrayal of female characters. she was eventually to return, but as the anti-hero rather than the super villain and was played by several actresses, including the husky-voiced Eartha Kitt, Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry. her primary role began as a high-end jewelry thief and has morphed into a full-blown villain-turned love interest to Batman.

but, as my title suggests, i've always secretly wished that i had a tail, preferably a prehensile tail, but hey, a cat tail would do in a pinch too...

100 DRAWINGS IN 100 DAYS - BLYTHE ATHENA

100 DRAWINGS IN 100 DAYS - BLYTHE ATHENA

BLYTHE (JAMMING AS ATHENA IN THE REALM OF WAR GODDESS AND HER LITTLE PET OWL...)

while we are on the topic of classical mythological goddesses, we can't forget how important Athena was. her roman counterpart, Minerva, possessed very similar attributes and traits as Athena, mainly being the Goddess of War. some of the others were the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, female arts, crafts, justice, and skill, to name but a few. and interestingly enough, Athena was the polar opposite of her brother Ares, who was always up for a battle, whereas Athena was more interested in resolving the disputes in a more civilized manner, which is how most of the Goddesses conducted themselves.

the story of her birth is one that is quite obviously a fable, and is fantastical, while at the same time quite intriguing. her father, Zeus, the Supreme God and ruler of Olympus bore Athena from his forehead, and she emerged ready for battle. there are numerous versions of this story, but this is the more common:
'Zeus lay with Metis, the goddess of crafty thought and wisdom, but he immediately feared the consequences. It had been prophesied that Metis would bear children more powerful than the sire, even Zeus himself. In order to forestall these dire consequences, after lying with Metis, Zeus "put her away inside his own belly," he "swallowed her down all of a sudden." He was too late: Metis had already conceived. Eventually Zeus experienced an enormous headache; Ares cleaved Zeus's head with the double-headed Minoan axe, the labrys. Athena leaped from Zeus's head, fully grown and armed, with a shout and pealed to the broad sky her clarion cry of war'.*

and that is the story of Athena, who is also the patron saint of Athens, Greece. what a woman!


* courtesy wikipedia

100 DRAWINGS IN 100 DAYS - pocahontas takes a ride with thelma and louise!

BLYTHE (IS INSISTENT THAT HER FRIEND LOUISE CALLS HER 'THELMA' WHILE THEY DRIVE AROUND)

or as my mother calls it, 'de Shan and Laura', after my niece was visiting from the US last year. she rented a convertible and we drove around and stirred things up a little bit during her trip here, much like the two in "Thelma and Louise"... we did not, however drive the car off a cliff. this is a very good thing.

but this movie was a classic tale of female soul-mates, and if you haven't seen it, do make the time to check it out on DVD. Thelma is played by Geena Davis, while Louise is played by Susan Sarandon, and they both do an exceptional job of portraying 2 women throwing all caution to the wind and just living their lives the way they want to. and i think that's what my niece and i are doing at present as well. sans the driving off the cliff. again, this is a very good thing... "Somebody said get a life... so they did".

BLYTHE (POCAHONTAS)

it is a well-known story, thanks to Walt Disney, about the little indian girl, Pocahontas, whom i have chosen to illustrate Blythe-style. i have just read a little bit about her life, and it was most definitely interesting to say the least. she was born around 1595, and her nickname was 'Pocahontas', meaning 'frolicsome'. in her tribe, they used to have many personal names, for use at different times or in different contexts. among the many things that happened in her life, Pocahontas was captured by the english and held for ransom to release the english prisoners held captive by her father Powhatan, the paramount chief of Tsenacommacah, and she was considered a princess. there is this story about her rescuing the englishman John Smith, which has been under dispute, but she then went on to meet and marry the englishman John Rolfe and bear a son.

there was just so much about Pocahontas in the blurb on wikipedia, but this is just a smidgeon of what you will find there. at any rate, she has always been portrayed as a beautiful woman, and here i have drawn her as a beautiful Blythe.

100 DRAWINGS IN 100 DAYS - the bunny gave it all away...

BLYTHE (THE ONLY DEAD GIVE-AWAY THAT SHE WASN'T A MOULIN ROUGE DANCER WAS THE BUNNY...)

it's really hard to not get too attached to these drawings during and after i have worked on them. that is particularly true for this one... when you create a piece of work, you are building a relationship with it while you're working on it. every song that plays in the background, every phone call you take, every interruption or smell, taste and sound is recorded inside the artwork. and what amazes me, is that when i hear a song or a tv commercial jingle that i listened to while drawing, it reminds me of the drawing. and likewise, when i revisit a drawing much later on, i can remember what song or tv show was playing... (just for the record, i was listening to the movie "punch drunk love" in the background while i drew this one!)

so i am quite fond of my little Moulin Rouge girl here, with her amazing costume and the cutest little bunny toy.

100 DRAWINGS IN 100 DAYS 2011 BEGINS

i started a little early this year... i just couldn't wait! and i have been off work for some time due to a work-related accident, so i have a bit of time on my hands... i broke my arm (AAARGH!! the drawing arm too!) and injured my knee, but the arm is much better now, so i am spending my time drawing and researching for drawing inspiration all day.

i stumbled across a plethora of websites that creative people can post images, photographs, recipes, and OH!! i love EVERNOTE! so in love with evernote, and it has reduced my time rummaging through my files by half!! ok, staying on track here... so one of my all-time favorite things in the world is the 'blythe' doll by kenner, and i found 'blythe-ville' on the internet. she's such a pretty doll, and so high up there on the "doll-o-meter"! (i think she's much more clever than barbie...)

so here are the first drawings, titled "BLYTHE (KNEW SHE MIGHT GET CAUGHT WITH THE PRETTY SCARF, BUT IT MATCHED HER SHOES!)", "BLYTHE (ACTING COY, BUT IN REAL LIFE, ROCKING THE GEISHA WORLD)" and "BLYTHE (ALWAYS HAD A BAD HABIT OF KEEPING THE THINGS THAT FOLLOWED HER HOME...)"

then i went out and celebrated with some new ink pens...

deer in drag - 100 drawings in 100 days

not too long ago, i was at an antique store and saw a deer head on the wall for sale. it made me think about the history behind the head, and what it's life would have been like, who hunted it, what the house where it was hung was like, and why it was here in an antique store, etc. and then, as it does so often, my mind wandered to having a deer in drag on the wall...

now, i definitely do NOT condone hunting and killing a deer or any animal for it to become a trophy on a wall, nor would i ever WANT one. however, if i were to come across one that was already for sale (such as the one at the antique store) and i could afford it (far too expensive at that store), i would like to get it and dress it up in drag. i think that would be a discussion piece...

so, this one is called "deer in drag".