Black on Grey on White

Curious to have a peek at some of the best pencil artwork out there? Excellent ;) The Pencil Art Society' s new 2017 online exhibition has just gone live and showcases a wide spectrum of pencil art. A nice range of work is on display: from monotone to colour, through still live to surrealistic animal art as well as beautiful black and white portraiture. One identical element, that of quality craftsmanship and execution runs through the entirety of the selected of artwork.  Stoked to be amoung such talent.   Well done to all the winners!!!! "Jumping" 2016 Graphite on Paper 50x37 cm Sheona Hamilton-Grant

and has been an inspiring muse for my latest equine portrait. That's right: no capital city but a beautiful bay mare. Scribbling has begun in earnest again this year and Canberra is the first off the drawing board. Isn't she gorgeous? Up next: also dark and also super cute ;) Canberra pencil on paper 25x15 cm SOLD

but all to do with art, pencils and horses. Time and inspiration collided and this black and white image came to life.   Inspiration stuck around until the signature made it onto the paper. I love this drawing. Not sure if it's the subtle twist on a classic portrait (rider tightening girth), the look in his eye or all the unfinished edges. What do you think? A la Carte NRW pencil on paper 49x31 cm

Time and inspiration. They've collided and are creating a noise  vision! They are making a mess on paper and it's ending-up looking like ... a horse!? Wee note to all fellow artists,  when they (time and inspiration) come calling at the exact same time. Knock on the creativity door with a synchronised bang! Peek through the same window holding hands. Let them in. Go with it! Rejoyce! They are not playing any kind of joke. There is no blue moon. They are, simply (amazingly), in the same room at the same time. It's an amazing feeling. A feeling of speed and lightheadedness. A feeling of good solid fun. Not finished, but here to prove my thoughts: the first few steps in the still-to-be-titled-big-portrait-of-beautiful-stallion. More to come :D 'cause I believe miracles can last (well long enough to get this drawing signed!)     

Sometimes (well actually most of the time!) my mind will ponder and "sit-on" an image, a concept for years, waiting until the time is right. Nothing different with this drawing. I shot the references back in 2011... After 5 years of pondering, my pencils have been on active duty for the last 2 weeks, working hard to get this big-new-in-between-commissions-drawing of Cornado NRW (super good German Warmblood show-jumping stallion) out of my head, on and off the board and into the world. The hard work and the strange facial expressions have paid off! All of us here in the studio are relaxed and grinning with the sweet sense of a job well done. Think I'll go and start another one ;) Grey 40x34 cm graphite on paper

One thing I knew: it had to be big, bold and dramatic. The concept and image had been floating banging around in my mind for a couple of years (constantly drawing even without pencils in hand!) Daring to crop harshly and spend the better part of a month scribbling a high risk composition was, until a few months ago, way too far out of my comfort zone. With age and maturity there seems to be serious rebirth in my "go get ya!" streak. It's rubbed off on my scribble friends and three weeks ago we got to work. The result: "Focus", an image full of power, beauty & silky smooth equine brilliance. Hope you all like it too ;) "Focus" pencil on paper 39x50 cm Available Sheona Hamilton-Grant © all rights reserved.

A classic head portrait. Sound boring? Yep, but not if you push the contrast, the size and sprinkle it all over with relevant details. This guy is gorgeous and was dressed up to the nines for our photoshoot. You can really tell: he looks a million dollars. "Jack Sparrow" Pencil on Paper 36x40 cm SOLD

Been a good week. Pencils were on form. (Has to be down to the imminent start of spring: it affects us all!) Their form was such that they rustled up this portrait of beautiful Fiona effortlessly, composed, working untiringly with a steady daily tempo. A rarity of late. It felt exceptional. Fiona Pencil on Paper 23 x 27 cm SOLD

Tender and trusting. I met Ally last year. Outside. free as a bird but never further than a metre away from us (and the camera lens). She was a sensational model, posing beautifully with an air of elegance and wisdom. Displaying an air of such grace and peace that instinctively the only way forward was to reach out and hug her. And hugged she was. "Ally" Pencil on Paper 42x48 cm Sold

Last week, like so many weeks, went by in a bright spinning flash (there is such a thing... really!) The trendy "dreaded lurgy- virus thingy" paid us all individual visits and tried it's damnedest to cool my hard fought back resolution of getting back into the swing of things. It tried... and failed. Now finished, with revisited lessons in mental focus, how to embrace loose strokes, speeding up, drawing from the "gut" and foreshortening, is Pull Forth. A fab way of warming up the pencils! "Pull Forth" Pencil on Paper 38x26 cm Up next: one gorgeous mare

Here's the utterly gorgeous Dama. A very fluffy Icelandic Pony. Leading my scribble friends through the intricacies and complexities of her thick mane and coat was a new and very zen adventure. There are portraits, despite their innate complexity and numerous subtleties that just instinctively fall into place. Dama's large portrait was one of them. Dama Pencil on paper 44x37 cm Sold Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

Honour and humility come in multiple forms. One of them is being invited to be a part of something new , being invited to be a part something of great quality, being asked to be part of something you know is going to be big ! The   Equis Art Gallery , owned by the very talented Fine Art Photographer and Director of the ex Arte Equinus International equine art competition Juliet Harrison ,  is in the run-up to its GRAND opening on Mai the 24-26 and judging by the wee-behind-the-scene-peeks I've been able to enjoy, I can confirm this gallery is going to be a force to be reckoned with . Focusing on representing equine artists who excel in working in non-traditional  mediums and styles, the Equis  art gallery  offers art collectors a varied selection of equine artwork that  step  well beyond  the realms of the "traditional" into the contemporary and new . Equis Art Gallery 7516 North Broadway Red Hook, New Y...

Over 200 photographs, many blurred due to nosy-foal intervention , led to this final drawing. This moment really did happen . It's not a "photoshop special". The four babies stood together , safe in their own proximity, attention and curiosity divided between a waving branch and a very strange sounding photographer. Drawing this piece has been a bundle of fun , from start to finish.  By the end of the very first line I knew it would all fall into place. Working out of my comfort zone and approaching it with a different goal in mind, the overall effect is looser, not as tight and detailed as I have been drawing. Being a study of a moment , of a scene that was not staged but left to fate, s pontaneity and movement had to take centre stage. Detail really welcome only as a (VIP) backseat passenger. The choice of paper helps tremendously in staying looser. For "Get together", I went with  Hahnemülle Nostalgie  and smooth flowing strokes of 6B, 2B and...

a work in progress that lead to my new drawing "Buckled". "Buckled" Pencil on Paper 35x26 cm Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved. Pencils: 2b, 2h and a 6b Paper: Mellotex Size: 37 x 26 cm (pretty much lifesize)

This year, the focus is on daring to spice things up, dramatically. "Cornered", in my mind for over 4 years, as seen the light and I love it. My scribble friends have delivered. They have dared to push compositional boundaries, over-use negative space, confront the viewer with a new phenomenon, highlight a slice of the bigger picture. Successfully cornering reality. "Cornered" Pencil on Paper, 17x21 cm 950 Euros Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

Time to say cheerio for this year.  Pencils are resting after another scribbled packed year. So without any further ado and a massive cheery-hohoho, wishing you all a   merry Christmas and a  fandabidosy New-Year !

Finding myself all caught up in totally new terrain has been frustrating yet stimulating, unhinging yet grounding. In a wee winter nutshell: inspiring! My new Paper Clone had to be fun, difficult and unusual. I had a picture in my mind. My pencils had another at their tips. I managed, with the invaluable help from a groups of artist friends (thank you so much!), to learn from my mistakes, to bust new barriers and to bring "Unstuck" to life. "Unstuck" Pencil on Paper 48x42 cm Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved

Drawing Henry was easy. A warm friendly aura encircled him, reflected in his eyes, echoed in his sun-bleashed forelock, highlighted by his bold sprinkled blaze, completed by his soft snuggly nose. It was an honour to immortilise this noble soul. It is so easy to see why he is sorely missed. "Henry" pencil on paper SOLD Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

Unique Trust Pencil on Paper 57 x 46cm Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved After spending a little more than six weeks hand in hand with my feelings, memories and pencils, I proudly present "Unique Trust". In line with my 2013 resolutions, I was determined to jump out of my comfort zone and roam a little in the unknown suburbs of my drawing ability. A different approach had to be taken. So I went big much much bigger, stepped away from the classic head pose and began discovering how to convey a very special intimate, precious moment.  "Unique Trust" happened in layers: a layer of technical knowledge topped with a double layer of whipped emotions, sprinkled with a wee bit of pencil magic. 

Currently on the board: a new drawing. Pencils have been scribbling dreamingly and slowly on this new piece. Leaving marks highlighting tenderness, trust and emotion. Technically I wanted to push myself and work big (57x46 cm). Emotionally it's all about pulling off combining that very special contact between horse and man. So far :  one (half-closed) eye and two ears closer to my goal! (Untitled) Pencil on Paper WIP Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.