Artist Statement

Ester Roi

Although nature stirs my curiosity, it’s the quality of color and how it changes that offers a perpetual challenge. How far can color be pushed? Nature’s subjects always take a backseat to color, which filled my childhood with magic in the form of crayons, colored pencils, and oil pastels. After years of working with traditional paint media, I happily returned to the immediacy of those “color sticks.”

The technique I invented, where wax-based media is melted on a heated drawing board, is a tribute to the memory of early experiences. Pigments are mixed directly on the warm surface and carefully blended into smooth gradations. The finished artwork resembles oil or acrylic paintings, but is intriguing enough to always be a conversation starter.

Biography

Ester as a Child

Ester Roi recalls the time when, as a little girl in Italy, she wanted to put a rainbow in her pocket and take it home with her. Color has been her key to success and not just in her paintings.

As a child, Ester color-coded words and numbers to help her learn. As an adult, she learned piano by translating the notes to corresponding colors. She also grows hundreds of plants from seeds so that she can create just the right palette for her garden masterpiece. These flowers that Ester knows so intimately serve as the primary characters in her other masterpieces: her artwork.

Ester’s art has been exhibited widely and has received numerous awards, but one of her proudest accomplishments is as an inventor. Turning her creative attention beyond fine art, Ester invented the Icarus Drawing Board® (patent pending), a portable, electric drawing board for wax-based media. She travels to organizations around the country to demonstrate her invention to other artists.

A member of the Colored Pencil Society of America, the Southern California Artists Association of Laguna Beach and the San Clemente Art Association, Ester received her formal education at Fullerton College and Orange Coast College. She has lived in California since 1978, and currently resides in San Juan Capistrano.

Exhibitions

• 2010 – “Pencil Painting”, CPSA Los Angeles Chapter, Cypress, CA
• 2010 – “Spring Judged Show”, San Clemente Art Association, San Clemente, CA
• 2010 – “Explore This! 6″, Colored Pencil Society of America’s Online Exhibition
• 2009 – “Winter Judged Show”, San Clemente Art Association, San Clemente, CA
• 2009 – “Fall Judged Show”, San Clemente Art Association, San Clemente, CA
• 2009 – “Summer Judged Show”, San Clemente Art Association, San Clemente, CA
• 2009 – “The Red Space…In Between”, CPSA San Diego Chapter , San Diego, CA
• 2009 – “Pencil Paintings”, CPSA Los Angeles Chapter, Cypress, CA
• 2009 – “Spring Judged Show”, San Clemente Art Association, San Clemente, CA
• 2009 – “Explore This! 5″, Colored Pencil Society Online Exhibition
• 2008 – “San Clemente Art Association Winter Judged Show”, San Clemente, CA
• 2008 – “Serra Mesa/Kearny Mesa Library”, San Diego, CA
• 2008 – “16th Annual International Exhibition, Colored Pencil Society, Seattle, WA
• 2008 – “9th Annual FMP Member Show”, Online Colored Pencil Magazine
• 2008 – “Orange County Annual Visual Arts Exhibition”, Costa Mesa, CA
• 2008 – “San Clemente Art Association Summer Show”, San Clemente, CA
• 2008 – “Saddleback Art League 9th Annual Fine Art Exhibition”, Mission Viejo, CA
• 2008 – “San Clemente Art Association Garden and Flower Show”, San Clemente, CA
• 2008 – “Gallery 21 Spring Exhibition”, San Diego District Chapter, Colored Pencil Society, San Diego, CA
• 2008 – “Pencil Paintings Exhibition”, Los Angeles District Chapter, Colored Pencil Society, Cypress, CA
• 2008 – “San Clemente Art Association Spring Show”, San Clemente, CA
• 2007 – “15th Anniversary Exhibition”, San Diego District Chapter, Colored Pencil Society, Poway, CA
• 2007 – “15th Annual International Exhibition”, Colored Pencil Society, Strathmore Gallery, Bethesda, MD
• 2007 – “8th Annual FMP Member Show”, Online Colored Pencil Magazine
• 2007 – “The Artist’s Magazine All-Media Online Exhibition”
• 2007 – “Explore This! 4″, Colored Pencil Society Exhibition, Brea, CA
• 2006 – “FMP Theme Show”, Online Colored Pencil Magazine
• 2006 – “Orange County Annual Visual Arts Exhibition”, Costa Mesa, CA
• 2006 – “7th Annual FMP Member Show”, Online Colored Pencil Magazine

Awards

• 2010 – First Place, “Pencil Painting”, Los Angeles District Chapter, Colored Pencil Society, Cypress, CA, “Above and Below”
• 2010 – First Place, “Spring Judged Show”, San Clemente Art Association, San Clemente, CA, “The Butterfly Effect”
• 2010 – EXPY Best Of Show, “Explore This! 6″, Colored Pencil Society of America’s Online Exhibition, “Above and Below”
• 2009 – Honorable Mention, “Winter Judged Show”, San Clemente Art Association, San Clemente, CA, “Popping Out”
• 2009 – First Place, “Fall Judged Show”, San Clemente Art Association, San Clemente, CA, “Above and Below”
• 2009 – Honorable Mention, “Summer Judged Show”, San Clemente Art Association, San Clemente, CA, “Daisy in E Flat”
• 2009 – Honorable Mention, “Summer Judged Show”, San Clemente Art Association, San Clemente, CA, “Across My Universe”
• 2009 – Honorable Mention, “The Red Space…In Between”, CPSA San Diego Chapter, “Popping Out”
• 2008 – Finalist, 25th Annual Art Competition, The Artist’s Magazine, “Into the Light”
• 2008 – Finalist, 25th Annual Art Competition, The Artist’s Magazine, “The Fire Within”
• 2008 – First place, San Clemente Art Gallery Winter Show, San Clemente, CA, “Into the Light”
• 2008 – Award for Excellence, 16th Annual International Exhibition, Colored Pencil Society, Seattle, WA, “Into the Light”
• 2008 – Best of Show, 9th Annual FMP Member Show, “Into the Light”
• 2008 – Third place, San Clemente Art Association Summer Show, San Clemente, CA, “Appassionata in F Minor”
• 2008 – First Place, Saddleback Art League 9th Annual Fine Art Exhibition, Mission Viejo, CA, “into the Light”
• 2008 – First Place, Gallery 21 Spring Exhibition, San Diego District Chapter, Colored Pencil Society, San Diego, CA, “Daffodil
• 2008 – Honorable Mention, Pencil Paintings Exhibition, Los Angeles District Chapter, Colored Pencil Society, Cypress, CA, “Appassionata in F Minor”
• 2008 – Honorable Mention, Pencil Paintings Exhibition, Los Angeles District Chapter, Colored Pencil Society, Cypress, CA, “”Into the Light”
• 2008 – First Place, San Clemente Art Association Spring Show, San Clemente, CA, “Preludio
• 2007 – First Place, 15th Anniversary Exhibition”, San Diego District Chapter, Colored Pencil Society, Poway, CA, “Appassionata in F Minor”
• 2007 – First Place, People Choice Award, 15th Anniversary Exhibition, San Diego District Chapter, Colored Pencil Society, Poway, CA, “Preludio”
• 2007 – First Place,The Artist’s Magazine All-Media Online Exhibition, “Appassionata in F Minor” 2006 First Place, Orange County Annual Visual Arts Exhibition, Costa Mesa, CA,”Magnolias”
• 2006 – Honorable Mention, Orange County Annual Visual Arts Exhibition”, Costa Mesa, “Trinity”
• 2006 – Honorable Mention, 7th Annual FMP Member Show, “Trinity”

Publications

• 2010 – “Pratique des Arts”, France, “The Butterfly Effect” featured on front page
• 2010 – “Pratique des Arts”, France, “Across the Universe” featured in Portfolio section
• 2009 – “From My Perspective”, “Across My Universe” featured on Showcase Page
• 2009 – “To the Point”, Colored Pencil Society of America, “Popping Out” featured on front page
• 2009 – “Colored Pencil Secrets for Success”, Ann Kullberg, “Preludio” featured in “Still Life Secrets Showcase” section
• 2009 – “Colored Pencil Painting Bible”, Alyona Nickelsen, “Working With an Icarus Drawing Board”
• 2008 – “From My Perspective”, step-by-step article, “Melt your cp!”
• 2008 – “Legion Paper’s website”, “Appassionata in F Minor” featured with testimonial for Stonehenge Paper
• 2007 – “Capistrano Independent News”, Ester Roi Wins First Price in Prestigious Magazine
• 2007 – “The Artist’s Magazine”, Appassionata in F Minor is featured as the winner
• 2006 – “From My Perspective”, Featured Artist
• 2006 – “Capistrano Dispatch”, Capo Woman Takes Art Honors
• 2006 – “Orange County Register”, San Juan Woman Wins County Art Prize

Demonstrations, Presentations and Workshops

• 2009 – Demonstration of the Icarus Technique, Pacific Arts Group, Torrance, CA
• 2009 – “The Icarus Technique”, mini-workshop, San Diego Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society, San Diego, California
• 2009 – Demonstration of the Icarus Drawing Board, 17th Annual International Convention, Colored Pencil Society, Atlanta, GA
• 2009 – Presentation on “Glassless Framing for Colored Pencil Paintings”, Los Angeles Chapter of the Colored pencil Society, Los Angeles, California
• 2008 – “The Icarus Technique in Botanical Art”, demonstration, 14th Annual Meeting and Conference for the American Society of Botanical Artists, Pasadena, CA
• 2008 – “The Hottest Thing in Colored Pencil”, demonstration, 16th Annual International Convention, Colored Pencil Society, Seattle, WA
• 2007 – “Expand the Boundaries of Wax-based Media With The Icarus Drawing Board” Los Angeles Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society, Los Angeles, CA
• 2007 – “The Icarus Drawing Board”, San Diego Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society, San Diego, CA

Other Accomplishments

• Judge of the 10th Annual FMP Member Show, an online colored pencil exhibit in Ann Kullberg’s magazine “From My Perspective”.
• Inventor of a portable, electric drawing board called “Icarus Drawing Board”® (patent pending) for wax-based media. Ester is marketing her invention through “Icarus Art, Inc.”, a company started in September 2008.

Artist Organizations

• Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA)
• Los Angeles District Chapter of CPSA, Los Angeles, CA
• San Diego District Chapter of CPSA, San Diego, CA
• Southern California Artists Association, Laguna Beach, CA
• San Clemente Art Association, San Clemente, CA

Education

• 1987 to 1988 – Orange Coast College, Art and Graphic Design
• 1978 to 1981 – Fullerton College, AA Degree, Art and Foreign Languages

Personal

• 1978 – Immigrated to the United States. Has been residing in California ever since
• 1955 – Born in Vicenza, Italy