"Tradition"

8 x 10"

oil on panel
sold

Watching the skillful hands of the Gullah men and women weaving their baskets with sweetgrass and thin strands of palmetto leaves is quite awesome.

A little history - the unique culture called Gullah is a blend of African and European that lives today in Sea Islands along the coast of South Carolina and Georgia.  All around the city of Charleston SC, the Gullahs exhibit a long standing West African tradition of what they call 'sewing' baskets made of dried sweetgrass and thin strands of palmetto leaves - both resources that grow in the low country region.  Their technique is not the usual weaving - rather they bundle dried sweetgrass and coil it into baskets held together by sewing the coils with the strands of palmetto leaves.

It is said these sweetgrass baskets are durable and will last indefinitely if taken care of.  The declines in habitat for sweetgrass are threatened by coastal development and the Historical Society of Charleston has established reserves on nearby Sullivan's Island - recognizing the culture and history of the Gullah communities.

From a sunny sidewalk in Charleston, South Carolina.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Weavin'"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

Back from Charleston and back to painting.  Yay.

More about the opening on the next post...

A woman weaving beautiful baskets from sawgrass in Charleston.

"A Community United" Benefit in Charleston SC

The Charleston food and beverage community is honoring the victims, familes and congregation of Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church with a gathering bringing together the people of Charleston.

The event 'A Community United' will be held at the Belmond Charleston Place Hotel on July 9th.

Robert Lange Studios has organized an auction of about 90+ pieces of art - all donated from the artists.  100% of all proceeds will be donated in 9 equal portions directly to the immediate surviving family members.

I have donated "Retirement Benefits".

sold

~  Thank you and Peace to All

"Emanuel A.M.E. at Dawn"

5 x 7"

oil on panel
sold

Before I began heading home early in the morning, on my last visit to the beautiful city of Charleston,  I pulled over to look at the colorful, glowing sky and the church steeple of Emanuel A.M.E..

I suppose I painted this peaceful moment to make myself feel better.

"Mercato"

12 x 7"

oil on panel
sold

I was in the middle of painting this piece earlier in the year and had to put it aside to jump on paintings for a group show and frankly, I forgot about it.  I discovered it a few weeks ago in my storage area and decided to finish it.

This was a scene from No. Market Street, in Charleston, South Carolina - just across the street from the Charleston City Market.  The restaurant is now closed, but I did see a new French restaurant took it's place.

Studio Sale!

I've got three paintings that I removed from the frames - painted in August 2012 - and I would be pleased to sell them.   If you'd like to take a quick look, I'd appreciate it.

'Fleeting Moment'

8 x 8"

oil on panel
sold

We were in Aiken, South Carolina for a Steeplechase event and visited their little city for dinner, where I spotted this gentleman watching a butterfly on the sidewalk.  

'The Shy One'

7 x 10"

oil on panel

I spotted this young man weaving roses out of palmetto leaves outside the city market in Charleston, South Carolina.  I love the shadows in this piece.

To purchase this painting, please click here.

 

'Early in Sterling'

10 x 6"

oil on panel

sold

From our cross-country travels last spring, a Edward Hopper-like painting of a row of little houses facing the early morning sunshine in Sterling, Colorado.

"Foot Rest"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

It is a happy painting day when I can balance the loose with the tight.   A woman resting her feet on a park bench around Charleston, South Carolina.

"The Hot Seat"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

I've been leaning towards nit-picky and needed to loosen up.  From a storefront, on a sunny day, in Charleston, South Carolina.

"Outdoor Dining"

9 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

I'm packing up my art stuff for a workshop, I won't be painting until I start that up November 1st - I'm really looking forward to it. Lots to do to prepare. Also heading to Asheville on Saturday to attend the opening for a group show at 16 Patton - hope to see you there.

Before I go, I want to show you one of the paintings that will be included in this year's Charleston Art Auction - a scene from my visit last November - some diners I spotted on East Bay Street, outside of Pearlz Oyster Bar, on a cool, autumn evening.

Please click here for a larger view.

Happy Trails ~ I'll be sure to blog from the coast. It's Zac and Joey's first beach trip, so they'll be blogging too.

"St. Michael's Tower"

4-3/4 x 7-3/4"
oil on masonite
sold

A bright, crisp November morning in Charleston, South Carolina - around Meeting & Broad Street.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Lamp Post"

6 x 12"
oil on masonite

A gentleman I spotted in a hotel lobby in Charleston. And despite a lot of bustle going on all around him, he find a nice, lit spot to ignore it all and quietly read his newspaper.

detail

Please click here for a larger view and purchase information.

"Wanted Posters"

8 x 10"
oil on masonite
sold

Today I am able to start showing you the new paintings that will be included in my upcoming show titled Just Plain People and a Few of Their Special Companions. The opening reception will be April 21st at the Morris & Whiteside Gallery on Hilton Head Island. Please join me if you can.

I can honestly say painting for this show was a bit of a struggle, timing-wise, with closing up a business in January then agonizing the sickness and death of our dog Petey - just a big transition time. Hard to feel the creativity, hard to concentrate a lot of the time. The trick was to make each day as distraction-free as possible, and oddly enough, I started streaming in the TV show '24', starting with the first year. I painted with my photo to the left of my easel and '24' to the right - and I finally got in a groove. Whatever works.

I focused on 'just plain people' doing the things they do, wherever they found themselves - and added 'a few special companions' - which seemed to bring me great joy as I got to paint one of my favorite subjects. I'm in the stage of envying anyone with a dog, looking forward to the day we adopt again.

With each post, I'll include a detail that I particularly like about the painting - hope you all enjoy the new pieces.

Starting with the above painting, a gentleman window-browsing on a fall evening on King Street in Charleston, South Carolina.

detail

Please click here for a larger view.

"East Bay Walk"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

A November evening stroll on East Bay Street, in the Holy City, Charleston, South Carolina.

Proceeds from this sale were donated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home, a terminal-cancer hospice in Atlanta. The hospice operates solely on private donations. The Sisters and staff cared for my dad, with amazing compassion, humor and dignity and I will be forever grateful.

and a note......... it's a good time to sign off for a bit - lots to do to get ready for the holiday. I wish you and yours a peaceful, happy time together. Enjoy every minute of it and Merry Christmas.

~ Karin J

"Under The Influence"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

This, you could say, is painted from my alter ego - enjoying less detail, seeing things in a more abstract sense. A blink, a glimpse. And to paint this way - a lot of squinting.

From Charleston, diners enjoying a mild, November evening under the glow of Pearlz Oyster Bar.

My Week Away

If I could have managed time for blogging last week, I surely would have. I thought I'd catch up when I returned to my hut - when I'd make more sense. Still a tad out of it, I think I caught me a cold. Not surprising given at one point, I'm teaching in shorts with sunshine and 82 degree days - then painting outside in 43 degrees by the weekend. Wacky.

I arrived in Hilton Head a few days ahead of schedule - my guy and Petey joining me. Petey got the best seat.



The workshop began Monday morning - the studio we painted in was excellent, spacious and plenty of elbow room for 17 artists, my assistant Vince Fazio (from the Sedona Arts Center and also an artist) and me. Fabulous space - I really enjoyed it.

8 x 10"
my demo on Monday
sold

Some of my talented painters at work.

4 x 4"
sold

My demo on Tuesday morning - very quick, very loose
and painterly, the way I love to paint.

Another talented participant.

A quick note about the desktop easel Kris and others are using - my guy custom-made these for my students who were interested - he made 10 and sold out at the workshop. They're a deluxe version of the one I've used for the past five years - very sturdy, you can set it to a dozen different angles and it folds flat for traveling in luggage. A new batch will be built soon and I'll offer them for sale in my eBay store - so I'll holler as soon as they're ready to purchase.

8 x 8"
sold

A demo I painted on Tuesday afternoon, from a student's
photo taken around Palmetto Bluff.

Tuesday evening, Ben Whiteside of the Morris & Whiteside Gallery in Hilton Head, hosted a get-together for all of my students and guests at the gallery - thank you Ben. We really loved that experience.

A very talented participant who used her iPad as a tool to paint from.
Smart girl, I was so envious.

6 x 6"
sold

My demo for Wednesday, a happy dog I met on the beach.

Another talented artist painting from her own photo.

6 x 6"
sold

My demo for Thursday, a longer day in the studio,
so I spent a little more time with it.

Not only one of my talented participants, Jerry is also the writer of the award winning comic strip Zits, creator of Baby Blues and one-time cartoonist for Nancy - we were thrilled to have him paint with all of us.

A fabulous, unique painting done by one of my talented students.

5 x 7"
sold

My demo for Friday.

I'm not kidding when I say I lucked out with 17 talented, eager, friendly, optimistic artists.


I enjoyed every minute of the time we worked together. It totally inspired me to get back to my hut and start painting as soon as possible.

After the workshop wrapped up on Friday, I headed straight to Charleston, met up with my good friends, Neil and Karen Hollingsworth - both extraordinary painters.



Above Neil and Karen was the view from our terrace at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning - I'm off to paint in Washington Park, something completely new for me.

A Charleston artist, Rhett Thurman - painting in the park. Rhett and I shared a model that morning.



That's the tip of my head and several folks watching me paint in the park, including a Charleston artist, Tate Nation (second from the right). Great guy, great painter.

6 x 8"
sold

8 x 10"
sold

These are the two paintings I did in the park, which were included in the auction that night along with all the other artists who participated - proceeds going to the local public school's art departments - a great cause. On Charleston Today's website, there's a cool video of the Painting in the Park - take a look.

The auction was so exciting - a big Thank You to both the Morris & Whiteside Gallery and the Sylvan Gallery for representing my work in the event - makes me very proud.

For now, I'm happy to be back to my hut and have a lot of catching up to do. If there are future workshops scheduled, I'll post that info on the right hand column - also take some time to visit the blogs and websites of those artists who shared their time with me, both in New York and Hilton Head.

I'm grateful to those who joined me last week, as well as Vince Fazio for the help in not only arranging the workshops but assisting me and the artists during the week - couldn't have done it without you Vince.

Back to the paints ~

"The Red Line"

20 x 7"
oil on masonite
sold

One of my personal favorites - a double-decker ship embarking on a guided tour of the Charleston harbor.

detail

Please click here for a larger view.

"Palm Monday"

12 x 11"
oil on masonite
sold

I've been playing with a palette knife in the recent months, mostly with the small portraits - and I wanted to give it a try with a larger painting. See if I could maintain some control, which is the tricky part to me - but I'm new at it. I went back to the photos I took of these two young men, thinking it would be a great subject to use the knife - the long leaves, the thick, stucco-like wall. Also realized I took the photographs on a Monday, hence the title. I labored over this painting - moving slow and deliberate - and I love the finished piece - mostly for it's strong color and additional texture. This painting will also be included in the upcoming Charleston Art Auction in November - a quintessential scene around the bustling market in the center of the city.

detail

Please click here for a larger view.

"Canopy Express"

6 x 14"
oil on masonite
sold

A slow and easy carriage ride under the canopy of palmettos and oaks, in Charleston, South Carolina.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Mosey Along"

5 x 7"
oil on masonite
sold

Packed in like sardines, folks take a relaxing carriage tour through Charleston, which by the way, I'd highly recommend.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Spirit In The Sky"

5 x 7"
oil on masonite
sold

This new painting will be added to the Sylvan Gallery in Charleston - along with several more I'm currently working on. They're small, casual, intimate scenes - much like the Holy City itself. This view is looking down Meeting Street towards St. Michael's Church, lit up in the early morning sun.

Please click here for a larger view.