Karen's Bite

8" x 6"

I know the image is on its side - I have spent the last hour today (and a lot of time yesterday) trying to get Blogger to load it correctly but it wont and I can't be doing with the struggle anymore. I tried to load from an outside site but can't figure that out so its just going to have to lie on its side! I will try to reload tomorrow. Very frustrating!

These little paintings are fun, I'm enjoying them - and no, that is not because I get to eat donuts! This one is very stale and taking a bite was like biting into rather hard polystyrene. Nothing like suffering for your art!

Edit - 17 November - the photo still wont load the right way round!

Half Full and Comfort Eating

Two little paintings this week - I think they are 6" x 8". Fun to do (especially at 4:00 in the morning when you can't sleep!)

I was thinking about style and does one choose to paint in a particular way and can you learn to paint against your nature, is it necessarily that you paint what you love or is the way you paint just the way you paint because it is the sort of person you are?

PB & J

10" x 10" oil on canvas

I have to admit that the mixture still does not appeal to me! I just cannot imaging what peanut butter and jelly would taste like together - I know I now have the ingredients and could try it but I just can't bring myself to do it. I do love peanut butter and to me its best eaten straight out of the jar with a spoon! I try not to have peanut butter in the house because an open jar tends to be an empty jar and I am the only one thats eaten any of it. Already this jar is half empty and I only opened it this morning. I do prefer crunchy peanut butter over smooth, something about a little crunch amongst all that creamy smoothness. Nothing like piece of hot buttered toast dripping with butter and a thick layer of peanut butter. Everyone seems to be painting PB&J so here is mine.

Slightly thrown mid-painting to discover that what I thought was turps (ok it smelled a little strange) was something completely different and it had removed all the varnish off my paint brush handles! Horrible gooey mess! I'm trying to loosen up more but I'm still not quite there though using larger brushes is definitely helping - I just need to lock the little skinny ones up so I can't get hold of them.

One thing that I have realised that I am not doing and that I am sure would make an enormous difference is putting into practice what Michael has taught me of really looking at colours and assessing the warmth or coolness of them. I wonder at what point you can be spontaneous with your paint and still manage to capture those values in your work.

Something else that is challenging me is how to do an underpainting in umber and still get clean colours when you paint over the underpainting. It seems to be very hard to get anything other than various shades of mud.

Piece of Apple

My paints arrived on Friday!

Spent a fun couple of hours with this apple. As usual I got way too tied up with the detail. I need to limit myself to big brushes - very hard to become detail oriented with big brushes. I'd like to thank Joe Lacorte who sent me a link to a picture of his still life set up which showed me how to get good lighting.

I spent a good portion of yesterday watching videos on YouTube with demonstrations by Duane Keiser, Bill Groats, Carol Marine and others from the Painting a Day Group. What a treat to watch such accomplished artists at work - they make it look so easy! With the premise that practice makes perfect I am going to try to do some sort of artwork every day. Not promising a painting a day!

Portraits are coming back into my life - I have a commission for a friend and I also signed up for the annual WetCanvas! portrait exchange as an excuse to try out a new medium - thinking of either charcoal or watercolour.

Aquarius

I posted this last night but didn't write anything because I couldn't think of anything to say. I've spent several hours wondering if I should remove it as I really am not sure what I think of this piece. But of course every piece should be a learning experience and this was certainly one of those. When I set up the jug of water I spent quite a time positioning it so I would get lots of different colours in the water - I think this was probably not entirely wise as it made it very difficult. I also had set it up outside in the sunlight and of course that changed from minute to minute and had shifted considerably by the time I had finished. I might try this set-up again taking into consideration these points and hope to get something that overall pleases me more. All in all one to put down to experience and learn from.

Macro Photos

I set out today to do some plein aire work. I find working outside incredibly hard. The whole thing of carrying pastels, paper, board, easel out and then trying to find something that inspires me is so stressful! I set up in one spot, I liked the light in the leaves, falling on the bank to the right of the picture, and also the added benefit of being able to put myself in a position where no-one could come up behind me to watch. Almost immediately I decided that I was not inspired so I packed everything up and moved to a new spot. The light was lovely, falling on the ground and making wonderful mix of dappled colours from pale apricots to acid greens in the light and deep purples in the shadows. The sun on the bark of the eucalyptus trees was silver and bright against the dark background. Almost a perfect set-up - the resulting picture was horrible. I could feel my blood pressure rising within minutes of putting pastel to paper. I can't decide what it is that I find so stressful - whether its the feeling that time is limited and that the light is going to change quickly, or wondering if someone is going to come up and speak to me. I just don't know - maybe I am just not a plein aire artist.
The day was not a total deadloss though. A friend and I had arranged to swop lenses and I had some time to play with his macro lens. A real challenge taking photos with it as the focal length is incredibly short and even though it seemed like there was no wind at all, just the slightest movement made the object that I was photographing go out of focus. A dragonfly very cooperatively posed for me and I was able to take a number of photos of it from different angles. Best photo of the day was the fan palm which had lovely mix of lights on it.

Tea Tower

Interesting time this week trying to organise lighting. It seems to be the biggest test I find each time I set out to do some artwork. Artificial lighting drives me crazy - its either too blue, or too yellow and I end up sticking bits of translucent coloured plastic up between the light and the set-up to try and get something that remotely appeals to me. So I've decided to buy coloured bulbs, coloured cellophane and some good lamps in an attempt to cut down on wasted time sorting out lighting.
I had fun doing this drawing - the colours were wonderful reflecting off the pink fabric. I was amazed by how it went from cool blue pinks in the light to quite strong reds in the shadows. Finding the contrasting blues and greens on the cup shadows was an added bonus.

Sour Grapes

Its been way too long since I did any artwork. We have moved to Pakistan since last I wrote. My daughter got married and the bridesmaid dresses turned out beautifully - the bride looked amazing! Ok I am a little biased. And now we are almost settled into our new house though I am still waiting for most of my art materials. I do have my pastels here though and today I did this picture. Pleased to find that I can remember how to put pastel to paper - I was beginning to have my doubts. I'm planning to do a lot of work while we are here. Though security is incredibly tight there are going to be opportunities to do some plein aire work. The light is lovely in the morning and the trees here are amazing. Everything is very green which means I will have to conquer my fear of green or find a way to avoid it!

"When fate hands you lemons, make lemonade."
Dale Carnegie 1888 - 1955

SOLD! SOLD!

Ok! I know I need to show some new work but you will have to forgive me at least for a couple of days. My daughter is getting married and I have 4 bridesmaid dresses to make and suit for myself before my sewing machine gets packed and I head off to a new home. I am taking a week off work next week and intend to alternate sewing and drawing for a luxurious 7 days so there should be something new coming soon! I hope!



But I had to post just to say that I have sold another 2 pastels - and for the first time experience a pang of sadness as I say goodbye to them. I particularly liked these pieces but intend to do paintings of them so will be revisiting them soon.

Sheep

I drew this sheep for a friend on a virtual Christmas present exchange on WetCanvas! a couple of years ago. I've been having some work framed recently and decided that Sheep deserved a frame too. A great friend asked if I would sell him when she saw him framed so here is my second sale for this week! Could this be a forecast of things to come or a total fluke? There is nothing like dreaming!!!

“If someone wants a sheep, then that means that he exists”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

New Year's Resolutions - failed again!

My New Year's resolution for this year was to produce vast amounts of artwork - ok, I'll revise that. My New Year's resolution for this year was to produce a regular supply of work, to post on my blog at least on a weekly basis and I have failed on both counts.

Life, basically got in the way! I know, its a lousy excuse!

Anyway, I'm here today - not to post anything new but to shout out about a new Blog that I am linking to. Michael Newberry has joined the blogging world - AT LAST!!! I would heartily recommend everyone to go and take a look!

And also I am happy to say I have sold a picture - the pastel ....... just checking .... three posts ago ..... "Family Affair". Always nice to make a sale and just the boost I needed. So now I am going to make a Half New Year's Resolution - is that what you make in the middle of the year? - and say that I am going to post at least once a week and do more art!

"New Year's Day… now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual"
Mark Twain

Hidden Secrets

I think I am developing a love hate relationship with stripes. They start of being fun to do and rapidly turn into a nightmare. I have to admit these particular stripes were worse than any others I have dealt with. Black and white are not the easiest colours to deal with in pastel. This was certainly a challenge not made easier by feeling very rusty after not doing anything for a while.

Family Reunion

I did this before I went home on leave but didn't have time to post it then. Sometimes things just work with a piece and leave you with a quiet satisfaction when you look at them. This is one of those pieces. I love the shapes and the colours that emerged as I did this. It was a lovely piece to leave on before going home to be reunited with my own family.

Family Affair

Life has been busy with things other than art but yesterday I was determined to put pastel to paper. I've found that the only way to tackle my lighting nightmare is to shine light through coloured screens (in this case a red pashmina) and I have found that it gives some really interesting effects. I love the colours that appeared on these mugs and was very happy with the result.

Tea Time

This was fun - falling in love with colour all over again!

The Devil is in the Detail

Still working away at this. Getting a little closer with every hour to end.

I started a little "moonlighting" project last night (shhhh, don't tell Michael!) working on a portrait. I spent two hours sketching out my outline and collapsed in a heap feeling very pleased that I had got that far. About an hour later it struck me that I had used the wrong paper. Instead of using Arches Hotpressed watercolour paper I had used Rives. I'm not sure how the graphite will take to the Rives. Trying to decide now on whether to start all over on the right paper or to just try it out on the Rives. Or maybe try using charcoal instead of graphite. I haven't done a charcoal portrait in many many years. Decisions, decisions.

"Success in any endeavor requires single-minded attention to detail and total concentration.”
Willie Sutton

"Your purpose is to make your audience see what you saw, hear what you heard, feel what you felt."
Dale Carnegie

Eating Cold Porridge

I started reading a book the other day and the opening chapter captured my mind completely. It said that in order to become really good at something one has to "eat the cold porridge".

"The way he explained it, eating the cold porridge means working at something for so long that when you get home there is nothing left to eat but cold porridge......
That’s how you get good at something ...... That’s how you get good at anything. You eat the cold porridge.
You work at it when the others are playing. You work at it when the others are watching television. You work at it when the others are sleeping.
To become the master of something, you must eat the cold porridge."
From One for my Baby by Tony Parsons.

I'm still working at the grisaille of "Comfort Zone" and am very determined that I will get this finished. It has been cluttering up my easel for far too long. Its an incredible learning experience to work and work at something to develop it beyond a level with which I previously would have been satisfied. The fabric of the chair is still proving to be very difficult to get right.

Making Lemonade

My year started completely on the wrong foot. Resolutions disappeared as fast as they were made as life at work became really hectic and time I had earmarked for art was swallowed up by overtime. OK, so the money is good!

So tomorrow will be the first day of my year and I am determined that this year will be a productive one.

I'd like to say a big thank you to all the people who comment on my blog and keep me going in the down times, bolstering my spirits. I have been extremely flattered by several people whose work I love, who have said some very nice things about my work on other sites. Thank you! To you all, I hope the new year will be filled with wonderful things!

Pickled Peppers

I've been doodling a little this week - on a pepper frenzy! I like the interesting shapes of these vegetables but have previously found them a bit of a challenge. Only one way to beat a challenge! SO here are my peppers.
I've also been doing battle with lighting. My house is painted a sickly colour of very pale green and the light is awful. As a consequence everything ends up looking a little putrid! This week I set up my peppers with a spotlight from one side but bouncing the light off a red surface to give some interesting colour variations. It works a treat! Admittedly people might find the lamp suspended off an armchair and pieces of red plastic taped to lampshades a little odd! Whatever works is ok in my book!

Tagged

Belatedly posting in response to Vivien's tag.

So I think I am supposed to post 7 facts about me

1. My favourite colour is Blue.
2. Rich, dark chocolate is my weakness.
3. I like flat, comfortable shoes.
4. I've lived in 7 countries.
5. I love early mornings.
6. I go to the gym 6 days a week.
7. I have a daughter, a son and two stepchildren.

And now to tag:-

1. Robin Neudorfer - extremely talented and a great friend http://rednews5.blogspot.com
2. Mary Woodul - wonderful abstract and realist artist http://a-constant-search.blogspot.com/
3. Robyn Sinclair - lovely sketches and watercolours http://havedogswilltravel.blogspot.com/
4. Billie Crain - watercolour magic http://artbycrain.blogspot.com/
5. Lisa Lorenz - a breath of fresh air with her bright paintings http://lisalorenzstudio.blogspot.com/
6. Anita Davies - an artist who excels in many media http://artbyanita.blogspot.com/
7. Kim Barker - An Australian, artistic Diva! http://laketrees.blogspot.com/

More on "Comfort Zone"

I've been putting in long hours on this grisaille - benefits of having a week off work! Also putting together thumbnails to try to work out the problems I am having with the painting. Huge learning process on both. I begin to long for colour and tomorrow plan to have a day of doing pastels for respite.

"You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives." Clay P. Bedford

Memorial Bridge, Arlington

Two pastel sketches of Memorial Bridge, Arlington - one from the Arlington side and one from DC. I tried to be strict and restrict the amount of time that I spent on these so that the light wouldn't change too much. I feel that working fast in pastel is something that is going to take time! Still it was an enjoyable experience doing these. Only one spectator stopped to chat and he stood about 15 feet away and asked before approaching me for a closer look. Interesting explaining to layman what I was looking for in terms of the colour of the light.

Back home now and determined that the year here will prove a little more fruitful artwise than the last year. Goals are set and I have some ideas of directions that interest me.

"The only limits are, as always, those of vision." James Broughton

"Start where you are." Edgar Cayce

Georgetown Canal

There has to be an easier to way to carry art materials around for plein aire. From the hotel to the location in this post is about a mile and carrying portfolio with paper, drawing board, easel and pastels requires a team of mules. Still I made it there and back and survived the ordeal.

This was my first real adventure into plein aire where a possible audience would be total strangers. As I was struggling with getting this to look anything people would stop and say, "that's nice" and I would smile and say "thank you" while thinking "They must be blind - this is a disaster!" They were probably just being kind! Oh and then there was the nice lady who wanted to take my photo as I worked! I wonder where that will end up!

It got very hot as the shade I started out in moved away so I gave up in the middle of my second attempt and struggled back to the hotel. My next venture out is going to be with half the pastels, half the paper and possibly no easel. (I swore, as I struggled back, there wasn't going to be a next time!) I have not done nearly enough weight-training to be in shape for this!

Under the dock

Have taken my pastels and paper on leave. We had a great few days at Lake Sinclair, Georgia, and I managed to squeeze in some pastels between rides on the boat on the lake.

The light in the early morning on the dock and creating shadows under the dock was pretty - lots of lovely colours in the water and on the wood of the dock. So peaceful out with just the lapping of the water against the seawall.

"The light is moving and not moving upon the water."
David Ferry

Barely outside

The light outside didn't seem too good today (too much sand blowing around) and the most dramatic shadows and nicest light were just outside my front door. My poor mangy palm tree! We transplanted it a few months ago and its only just beginning to recover, not that you can tell by looking at it! Still it is a refreshing dash of green in an otherwise drab and dusty world.

"Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams"
St. Augustine

“I see drawings and pictures in the poorest of huts and the dirtiest of corners.”
Vincent van Gogh

On the Threshold

I've been longing to get out to do plein aire work but have several things conspiring against me - the incredible heat (working in the sun with temperatures over 110 degrees F (44 degrees C) and also with the restrictions imposed here so I decided that the next best thing was just to open my front door and the door to the street and draw what I could see from there. Of course, this then becomes somewhat symbollic too of my life here.

“Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole, clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!”
Andrew Carnegie

“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.”
Kahlil Gilbran

Across the room

Looking across the living room to the patio window. Feeling quite happy about this pastel. The light was interesting as it was coming from three directions. The window in the background, from a window behind my left shoulder and also very diffuse light from the skylight windows above the chair and table.

Sunny Side Out

View out of the window from my breakfast table. Fun doing this pastel and feel particularly happy with the light showing through the cloth on the table. Begin to feel more at ease with this medium.

"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun."
William Shakespeare

“Sunlight is painting.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne quotes

Developing a theme

Working with "Comfort Zone" has become rather like working with an old friend. I begin to know this chair so well that I can imagine the feel of its curves as I work. Developing the colour studies - not quite there with the chair yet but feel much happier with the background colours now.

The grisaille is an ongoing work ........ everyday another step forward. One blessing to living here is that the oil paint I put on one day is dry by the next! I knew there had to be an upside to living in the desert!

“Shades of grey wherever I go,
The more I find out the less that I know
Black and white is how it should be
But shades of grey are the colors I see.”
Billy Joel

The Harem - pastel

I'm beginning to enjoy the pastels. Having to fight the temptation to use the same colours in every orange - have to think of each one as a separate object and not that they are all identical.

“There is no blue without yellow and without orange.”
Vincent van Gogh

"Champagne and orange juice is a great drink. The orange improves the champagne. The champagne definitely improves the orange."
Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Pastel "Comfort Zone"

Trying to pinpoint the colours in the walls - not sure that these are right yet but an exercise in pastels none the less.

Comfort Zone - Oils

Started the grisaille of Comfort Zone this week. This is the first pass.

Painting is a refound pleasure!

Brief glimpse of colour

Interesting lesson learned doing this on how colour moves objects within the visual plane.

Refreshed and Invigorated

Its been too long - but I am freshly returned from rainy Spain and ready to pick up my brushes.

A couple of photos from the trip - I have a passion for doors and windows and this pair from the Bullring in Ronda particularly attracted my attention. Super blue shadows!

The flowers were just from playing with learning how to use my complex camera on manual settings rather than entirely from the automatic ones. Of all the pictures I took of flowers I like this one the most.

“Come, woo me, woo me; for now I am in a holiday humor, and like enough to consent”
William Shakespeare

Jarhead

"Jarhead" - graphite on paper

It was a pleasure to do this for a friend.

“The devil is in the details, and everything we do in the military is a detail”
Hyman George Rickover

Just a snippet

I've been very bad at posting lately - mainly because I really didn't feel I had anything to show. However, I've been told that I need to post something so I am doing so (and may even post more in the next day or two!).

I've cut this section out of a pastel that I did (its the best section) and I was pleased with the glassiness of the bottle and the reflected coloured light on the bowl.

Working with pastels is a huge learning curve. I've been without colour in my life for a while and just getting my head back round that is huge! The new medium is another challenge all together! Just figuring out how to hold the pastel took hours! Still each one I do puts together another piece of the puzzle.

"The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity".
Doug Horton

Solitary Vision and Comfort Zone

Comfort Zone


Solitary Vision

I think I am finished with these, at long last!
I'm starting to work with pastels with my mentor, Michael Newberry, and am finding using colour again an enormous but pleasant challenge. I hope to post some of these soon.

Blue flower, red thorns! Blue flower, red thorns! Blue flower, red thorns! Oh, this would be so much easier if I wasn't color-blind!”
Donkey from Shrek

“Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we're stupid.”
Jules Feiffer

Freedom of Speech

I've been unable to post for the past few days as for some reason Blogger was being censored here! Thrilled to find today that I could log in!

Continued work on "Solitary Vision" - nearing completion.

Also "Study of a chair" which is preparation for another piece.

"Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to
conscience, above all liberties." John Milton (1608-1674)

"Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself." Salman Rushdie (1947-)

"I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it."
Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire (1694-1778)

Solitary vision

Language... has created the word "loneliness" to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word "solitude" to express the glory of being alone." Paul Tillich

“I lived in solitude in the country and noticed how the monotony of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind” Albert Einstein

Happy New Year!

I'm late with posting my resolutions - there are, as usual, many. From using handcream more often and taking my vitamins more regularly to creating a serious amount of artwork.

"May your walls know joy; May every room hold laughter and every window
open to great possibility." - Maryanne Radmacher-Hershey 1995

"We all need to have a creative outlet - a window, a space - so we don't lose
track of ourselves." - Norman Fischer