Author: Kelly

Having fun!

July 12, 2015

This spring has been such a whirlwind of fun that I haven’t stopped and written like I should. I can’t bring myself to apologize too profusely because I am more of a painter than a writer after all, but I admit I have been neglectful again.
Since May, I have had a number of travel opportunities where I have taken pictures for future paintings, lectured on the rich heritage of the Arts in America, painted on historical sites in historical attire, and just plain had fun.

Plein Air sketch of the cabin home at the Farm Museum on Washington Island.
Plein air sketch of the cabin home at the Farm Museum on Washington Island.
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Painting en plein air. Photo courtesy of Mike Schroer, photographer.

This picture was taken over the 4th of July while I was working (playing) on Washington Island, Wisconsin. Although painting en plein air is not correct for the time period I represent (Regency in 1803) it is showy, pulls people in, and provides a perfect segue to talk to them about the impact and chronology of art movements, evolution of medium, and the importance of art in society both in the past and today.

Looking back at the Kalamazoo Show

April 13, 2015

Working on this painting has certainly been fun. Process aThe 2 pictures I am adding here were both taken on Sunday, later in the day as I painted and talked to the public. I have cropped the people I was talking to out of respect for their privacy but you can see that the trees were developing with each few hours. I apologize for the delay in posting them.
Through the course of that day I got to a point where I might estimate only another good day to be able to devote to the piece, and I could get it done.
Sadly, it is rarely that easy to stay at the easel. Once I got back home I put the work on my home easel and haven’t been able to touch it since. No, there isn’t any painting block or lack of muse at play here. I don’t tend to react to that kind of impediment. It is simply a matter of the demands that come along in lime 1fe that are a great blend of business and pleasure and the painting got bumped to a back burner. I have been on a family vacation, to a national library conference, and to an indoor music festival. If all goes well, perhaps I can get a chance to paint this coming weekend and if I do, it would be wonderful.
Time will tell.

A new way to watch the process.

March 3, 2015

I had the opportunity to spend some good time at the easel, painting at the Oshkosh Trade Fair this last weekend. What I have posted here are the first two pictures taken of the painting I started there. Oshkosh SaturdayThis first photo is of me starting the fresh canvas on Saturday morning. The second photo here is on Sunday morning as I started back on the painting. Oshkosh sundayMy thanks to my husband for being the photographer and capturing these snapshots of the process. I will keep taking pictures as I work on this painting so that you can watch it grow as you have others. This time, though, the process pictures will include the artist in the process. I hope you enjoy coming along with me.

 

Day one of Oshkosh Trade Fair.

February 28, 2015

Today was a wonderful and fruitful day at the fair.

Oshkosh 2015My setup is a new one, using professional panels that a friend has loaned me for my next 2 shows. I love them already and know I must consider making this move permanently.

I really had a lot of fun talking with people about art and working on a new large scale canvas. People love to watch artists paint. The new layout draws people in to see the art because they want to get behind the canvas and see me paint. I sold an original and two prints today and enjoyed seeing old friends and making a few new connections. Best show day ever. I SO love doing this. Can hardly wait for tomorrow.

Landscape in a smaller scale.

February 24, 2015

I have always loved painting in little and painting in the scale needed to fit dollhouse walls or a piece of jewelry is especially fun. landscape pinIn honor of the upcoming show this weekend where I will have a few new large-scale landscapes, I created this small brooch to wear. It is 1 1/4″ long watercolor on Bristol vellum and is behind glass.

New in the store.

February 21, 2015

Getting ready for the trade show I decided to add the recent paintings to the store under original work on the right hand side of the page here. This should allow all of you to see more detail in the paintings you been watching. I hope you enjoy seeing the larger images.

Ready to move on to the next canvas.

February 21, 2015

I have spent the morning painting and I think I am ready to call this sunset done. I hope you have enjoyed watching the process.a sunset 6

This last picture I shot of it was done outside and the color is definitely different when in natural daylight. Most of my photos are shot inside and after dark and it makes the color all over the place. This is the main reason why I have my work professionally photographed and the captures color matched before talking the originals to a show. That way, if the original sells at the show, I would have a record of the original and I could make prints at a future date.

I will be taking these landscapes and other selected works to the Echoes of the Past Historical Trade Fair in Oshkosh next weekend. Come see me there or at any of the events you see on the calendar.

 

Truly growing the foreground.

February 17, 2015

I had the opportunity to get back on the painting this last weekend and it was fun.a sunset 5
At this stage it is a slow process of adding details in the grasses in the foreground. I paint a few bits and sit back and see if it is what should be there. The small size doesn’t show the amount of detail that is growing there but when I get done, rest assured, I will post a larger version.

Slowly dithering.

February 8, 2015

I haven’t had a lot of time to paint the last couple weeks but this afternoon I had the chance to spend time looking at the color. a sunset 4Although the intensity was nice, bright like I like,  it was feeling ingenious somehow. So, today I softened the light and gave it diffusion, defined the clouds a little more, and began to move closer to the viewer.

The pictures I take for this process blog do not capture subtle color well but you can see the light growing … and the detail of the midground begin. This will be a tough painting but they are more fun and more satisfying when done – solved.