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Todd Stupnik Art, Studio 222, 1500 Jackson St., NE, Minneapolis, MN (2026)

10/17/2026

🎨 Exciting Art News! 🎨

I’m thrilled to share that my original pastel painting, “Where the Sky Meets Silence,” has been accepted into the 31st Extremely Minnesota Fine Arts Exhibition at the Robbin Gallery!

Created using a combination of pastel pencils and soft pastels, this piece was all about capturing the incredible beauty of that fleeting moment when day gives way to night. The fiery oranges, reds, and pinks of the sunset contrast with the deep purples and violets of the sky, while the reflections along the shoreline bring a sense of calm to an otherwise dramatic scene.

One of the things I love most about working with pastels is their ability to produce such rich, vibrant colors while still allowing for soft, subtle transitions. This piece gave me the opportunity to really explore both.

As an artist, there’s something incredibly rewarding about seeing the hours of work, experimentation, and attention to detail come together in a finished piece. Having that work selected for a juried exhibition makes the experience even more meaningful.

I’m honored to have “Where the Sky Meets Silence” included alongside the work of so many talented artists, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my art with a wider audience!

10/15/2026

🦊 “Ember and Ash” 🔥

Sometimes artistic inspiration comes when you least expect it.

This past summer, our family traveled to the Black Hills of South Dakota to celebrate our daughter’s 10th birthday. While visiting an art gallery in Hill City, I came across the work of a local artist who had created beautiful wildlife portraits directly on natural pieces of wood, using a combination of acrylics, colored pencils, and other mediums.

I was immediately intrigued.

As someone who typically works on more traditional drawing surfaces, I loved the idea of incorporating the natural beauty and character of wood into a wildlife portrait. It got me thinking: What if I could take that concept and bring it to life using my own artistic style and the mediums I enjoy working with?

That idea eventually became “Ember and Ash.”

From the beginning, I had a vision: a realistic red fox, its fiery orange coat contrasting against soft whites and cool grays, all brought to life on a natural basswood slice. I wanted the wood to be more than simply a surface. I wanted it to become part of the artwork itself.

Turning that vision into reality was another story!

Working on basswood presented an entirely different set of challenges than working on paper. Colors behaved differently, layering required patience, and there were more than a few occasions when I had to rethink my approach. I experimented with Prismacolor colored pencils, markers, and fine-tipped acrylic paint markers to achieve the richness, contrast, and realistic fur textures I envisioned.

There was plenty of trial and error along the way, but I never lost sight of what I wanted this piece to become.

And now, looking at the finished portrait, it’s incredibly satisfying to see an idea that began during a family vacation transformed into something tangible.

The title “Ember and Ash” reflects the warm oranges and reddish-browns of the fox’s coat against the cool grays and whites of its fur. But it also pays tribute to the natural wood that inspired the piece in the first place.

From a moment of inspiration in a small art gallery in the Black Hills to a finished piece in my own studio—this one has been a particularly rewarding artistic journey.

“Ember and Ash”
Mixed media on natural basswood.

10/08/2026

Original art alert!

“A Quiet Moment” 🐦🎨

Sometimes a piece of art deserves a second chance.

I originally started this American robin a couple of years ago, and quite frankly, I wasn’t happy with how it turned out. It lacked the realism, depth, and vibrancy I was hoping to achieve. So I set it aside, fully expecting it might eventually end up in the trash.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and I decided to give this little guy another shot.

Rather than starting over on a fresh sheet of paper, I decided to see what I could accomplish with the transformative power of pastels.

What followed was a lot more work than I originally anticipated! Countless hours went into rebuilding the colors, refining the feathers, bringing life back into the eye and beak, adding depth and texture to the weathered stump, and creating a subtle background that would allow the robin to take center stage.

There was plenty of layering, blending, refining, and occasionally wondering whether I was ever going to finish. 😂

But somewhere along the way, a drawing I had nearly given up on became one I’m genuinely proud of.

The finished piece is titled “A Quiet Moment.”

I think what I love most about this one isn’t just the finished drawing, but the journey. It’s a reminder that sometimes the difference between a piece you’re ready to throw away and one you love is a little patience, a fresh perspective, and a whole lot of pastel dust.

From almost discarded to completely reborn. ❤️

09/19/2026

A Summer of Art Experimentation: My First Charcoal Drawing! 🫎
This summer has been all about stepping outside my artistic comfort zone, experimenting with new mediums, and challenging myself to try something different. My latest adventure? CHARCOAL!
Meet my moose! This is my very first true charcoal drawing, created with the guidance of a wonderful tutorial by charcoal and oil master Joel Pilcher ().
I used vine charcoal, a paintbrush, a sponge, a blending stump, and charcoal pencils to bring this magnificent animal to life. While I followed Joel’s tutorial, I also incorporated some of my own techniques along the way, including the use of charcoal pencils to build depth, detail, and contrast. Once I was satisfied with the drawing, I applied a fixative to seal and protect the finished piece.
Having never worked with charcoal before, I found the entire process fascinating. There’s something incredibly satisfying about using such a simple medium to create a wide range of values, textures, and depth.
Is there room for improvement? Absolutely! But for my first attempt, I’m genuinely pleased with how this turned out. And I certainly wouldn’t rule out adding more charcoal drawings to my artistic repertoire!
A special thank you to Joel Pilcher for sharing his knowledge and inspiring me to explore a new medium.
Here’s to continuing to experiment, learn, and grow as an artist. Who knows what I’ll try next? 🎨

09/07/2026

🦊 Trying Something New

This little fox was an experiment in more ways than one.

I created this piece using a combination of Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel pencils, Stabilo Carbothello pencils, and Unison soft pastels—but the biggest experiment was the surface. This was my first time creating a pastel piece directly on pine wood.

And pine definitely made me change my approach.

Unlike Pastelmat, the wood simply wouldn’t allow me to build some of the extremely fine details I normally rely on, particularly in the fur. Instead of fighting the surface, I tried to work with it—letting the grain show through in places and accepting a slightly looser approach to the texture.

That challenge ended up being one of my favorite parts of the process.

I’m always interested in experimenting with different mediums, materials, and surfaces, and for a first attempt at pastel on wood, I’m really happy with where this one landed. There’s something about the warmth of the pine underneath the reds and browns of the fox that I especially like.

And who knows…this little guy may even find his way into an upcoming art competition. 🦊

Pitt Pastel + Carbothello pastel pencils | Unison soft pastel | Pine wood

09/06/2026

Apparently, rejection has its perks. 🐺

This guy didn’t make the cut for the Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition… but he wasn’t quite ready to disappear into the woods.

I’m happy to share that my wolf is now on display at Douglas Flanders & Associates⁠ in Minneapolis as part of their 3rd Annual Minnesota State Fair Reject Show.

There’s something wonderfully fitting about an exhibition devoted to the work that heard “no” from the State Fair. Art is subjective, juries are unpredictable—and sometimes a rejection just means your work ends up hanging on a gallery wall instead. I’ll take it.

If you’re in the Twin Cities, stop by and see him in person—along with a whole collection of talented Minnesota artists who apparently didn’t take “no” for an answer.

The MN State Fair Reject Show runs through October 10 at Douglas Flanders & Associates, 5025 France Ave S., Minneapolis.

Rejected by the Fair. Accepted by the wolf. 🐺

09/05/2026

A familiar subject, but a completely different experience.

I’ve drawn several cardinals over the years using colored pencils, but this was my first time tackling one entirely with pastel pencils.

I’ll admit, this one took me a little longer than I had planned. But I thoroughly enjoyed the process—learning how to build and blend the layers of pastel while still preserving the fine details that give the bird its character.

What I enjoyed most about working in pastel was the vibrancy I was able to achieve. Cardinal red is such an intense color in nature, and pastel allowed me to really push those rich reds while still creating the subtle shifts in color, texture and light needed to keep the bird looking realistic.

I especially enjoyed balancing that detail against the softer, out-of-focus background and letting the cardinal remain the unmistakable focal point.

It took some patience, a few adjustments along the way, and definitely more time than expected—but I’m very happy with where it landed.

08/23/2026

I like to experiment with different mediums from time to time. Pastel pencils, colored pencils, and graphite are my standards, but this weekend I decided to try soft pastels for the first time.

The result was this landscape.

It was a very different process—much looser, with more emphasis on broad areas of color and simple marks to suggest the flowers and landscape.

Definitely a departure from my usual work, but an interesting first experiment with a new medium.

08/21/2026

Dropping this “State Fair reject” piece off at Douglas Flanders & Associates this weekend as part of their “Reject Show”

08/16/2026

Three days of horseback riding in the Black Hills of South Dakota felt like the perfect way to celebrate my daughter’s 10th birthday.

We stayed at High Country Guest Ranch in Hill City, where the horses are quite literally right outside your cabin door. And as an artist, there was simply no way I was going to spend three days riding and living among these beautiful animals without coming home with a drawing of one of them.

This is Jumbo, a red roan who immediately caught my attention. There was something about his long face, gentle expression, and that wonderful forelock that made me think, I have to draw this horse.

So while this graphite portrait became a keepsake from our trip, it also became a chance to slow down and really study one of the horses that helped make the experience so memorable.

A very special subject from a very special few days in the Black Hills.

High Country Guest Ranch: https://highcountryranch.com/

Todd Stupnik Art

10/17/2026

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