My OBT

What if you spent every day looking for One Beautiful Thing?

Pencil Pusher

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Jesse Lane

In 2016, colored pencil portraitist Jesse Lane had his first gallery show, which he called Face Reality. The morning of the show opening, the gallery caught fire, and $1.4 million in art was lost, including all of Lane’s best pieces. Each of his incredibly complex, photo-realistic pieces take more than 1,000 hours to create, so it was a really devastating loss for the young artist.

In spite of those heartbreaking beginnings, the artist persevered, and has now had another show at the newly-rebuilt RJD Gallery in Bridgehampton, New York. The things this artist can do with colored pencils absolutely blow my mind.

You can see all of Jesse Lane’s remarkable art on his website and on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. You can also check out his work at RJD Gallery.

Many thanks to Hal L. for sending me this one!

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Here is a close-up of my latest piece, “Abyss.” “Abyss" took over 1,000 hours, making it my second most challenging piece to date. It's different, but similar to my other works. AND…It has been accepted into the Colored Pencil Society of America's 27th International Exhibition in Brea, CA this summer! #rjdgallery #jesselane #artwork #contemporaryrealism #realism #art #fineart #americanartcollector #hamptonsart #artistsoninstagram #hyperrealism #photorealism #portrait #portraits #painting #drawing #contemporaryart #portraiture #instaart #contemporarydrawing #strathmorepaper #artcollector #drawanyway #instaartist #figurativeart #imaginativerealism #coloredpencil #cpsa #coloredpencilsocietyofamerica #abyss

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FINAL “RIPTIDE” WORKSHOP It's been great traveling and teaching artists to draw "Riptide.” This is the final opportunity to take a “Riptide” Workshop! Only two are left, and one is SOLD OUT. Sign up now. The workshop is April 13&14 in Chattanooga, Tennessee at Townsend Atelier. Full details at https://www.jesselaneart.com/workshops This is my first workshop tour and it’s been a blast! #artworkshop #drawingworkshop #coloredpencilworkshop #coloredpencil #art #drawing #art_collective #worldofartists #artistsoninstagram #art_spotlight #realism #artofdrawings #portraitworkshop #chattanoogaart #chattanoogaworkshop #jesselane #portraiture #coloredpencilmagazine #theartistsmagazine #coloredpencilsocietyofamerica #pencilworkshop #artfido #townsendatelier #figurativeart

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Abyss – a deep or seemingly bottomless chasm "Abyss" was inspired by the feeling of being in love. The feelings of love engulf us. Love makes us feel weightless. It's magical. It means stepping outside ourselves into new territory and experiencing someone different from us. However, love is delicate. Our emotions can spiral. We realize that to love someone means being vulnerable. Even if we’re careful, we can get hurt… so hurt it can feel as though we will never recover. As confusing as love is, it's something we live for. Whatever feelings we experience, they are often deep, like an abyss. This piece will be showing at the Colored Pencil Society of America's International Exhibition and is a finalist in this year's ARC Salon. It will also be shown at RJD Gallery. Materials Used: Colored Pencil on Strathmore Bristol 500 Vellum Derwent Lightfast, Coloursoft, Drawing, Prismacolor and Polychromos contemporaryrealism #realism #art #fineart #coloredpencilsocietyofamerica #hamptonsart #artistsoninstagram #hyperrealism #photorealism #portrait #portraits #painting #drawing #contemporaryart #portraiture #cpcau #instaart #contemporarydrawing #strathmorepaper #artcollector #drawanyway #instaartist #figurativeart #imaginativerealism #coloredpencil #coloredpencilworkshop #drawingworkshop #magicalrealism #jesselane

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December 16, 2016 Two years ago today, I was having my first solo show at RJD Gallery when it was destroyed by a fire. I lost five of my best pieces. The loss challenged and haunted me for quite some time, but in the long run it pushed me harder than ever before. I used the fire as inspiration for a number of pieces, including "Face Reality." In all people, there is a great level of satisfaction that comes from creating something. That joy is something that still remains with me as I work on each piece. The fire has also helped me to see the magic of the world we live in. I'm excited to share the next chapter of my artistic journey with you. I also want to thank the persistent efforts of the RJD team, who immediately reopened in a larger space and worked tirelessly to make sure their artists' work was insured. #coloredpencil #artistsofinstagram #jesselane #rjdgallery #artcollector #risefromtheashes #figuredrawing

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Author: Donna from MyOBT

I have committed to spending part of every day looking for at least one beautiful thing, and sharing what I find with you lovelies!

10 thoughts on “Pencil Pusher”

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  1. StellaKate Blue
    September 27, 2019 at 6:12 am

    Incredible work!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. bcparkison
    September 27, 2019 at 7:08 am

    Wow! Are we sure these aren’t photos? Unbelievably talented.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. janhaltn
    September 27, 2019 at 7:47 am

    you mmight want to check this out also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L8foqNiJsE It seems this is the same pencil and paper he uses. If you checkout his web sites, they are done on a large sheet of paper and it would probably only take me 10 years to learn how to it. Humm age 79 today, I would be 90, Since I had to give up my art because old age has ruined my hands. I am always hunting for more art. Hal

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Laura (PA Pict)
    September 27, 2019 at 3:14 pm

    Woah! I never would have believed that coloured pencils could be used to create such photorealistic works of art. That’s amazing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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