Going Nuts with Progress

Imagine - you decide to paint your large bedroom, move the furniture, cover the furniture, go get the gallons of paint and brushes.  You wake up the next morning knowing full well it'll take several days of your life and you just go for it.

That's what it was like on Monday morning when I started this painting.  I should say when I started Seurat's painting 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte'.  Yikes.

The detail matters.  So I took my time, used every color in the rainbow and while painting, I imagined Seurat working on a canvas 10 feet by 7 feet and layering millions of dots.  How did he not go nuts?

And here I'm whining about 8 inches by 5ish inches.

My very-used pizza pan of colors....

Live, Work & Play Time

My apologies for not posting during the past two weeks.  By the time we arrived in Hilton Head - after days of packing and go-go-go,  I just removed myself from the real world including my iPad, email, laptop, phone and took a long, deep breath and relaxed for a change.

 our little slice of heaven

 Our Beach Boys - Zac and Joey

A couple of days later our friends, Karen and Neil Hollingsworth, joined us for a much-needed break from the routine.

 Brett and Karen

 Brett, the dogs and Neil

After they left, the weather reports started coming in about Sandy, and for a while, we weren't sure if we were in the path of the storm - just glued to the ever-changing news and hoping for the best.  I was mainly concerned about my workshop students who were on their way - turned out everyone arrived safe and sound during the weekend which was a great relief.

 rougher seas

The workshop started last Monday, I was joined by my assistant, Kelli, from the Sedona Arts Center and twenty-one of the most warm, friendly, eager and talented women - five which came back for another round.  I knew after the first day how very lucky I was to have such a great group of broads and they made my week so enjoyable.  Thanks to all who spent the week with me, I am recharged and more motivated than ever.

 my gals hard at work

 an exercise painting mugshots

 immersed in our stuff, enjoying the paints

It needs to be said - being at the beach for two weeks, watching the sun rise right outside my window every morning and the moon rise every evening to wish us a good night's sleep - being in the company of strong, fabulous women who love to paint and talk about art - sharing my down-time with the guy and the pups I love so much - knowing the storm and that mighty sea we walked beside every day reeked havoc in many lives and destroyed those homes they've worked hard to build and nurture - it was humbling and a profound reminder of how grateful we are for being back home safe and sound and having each other.

Peace to All

Please donate to the Red Cross today and help all those affected by Sandy.

Cover Girl

Sedona Arts Center - who facilitates my field expedition workshops, chose one of my paintings for the cover of their newest catalog.  How cool is that?  Makes me proud to be a part of their faculty - I'm in the company of some of my favorite painters - Carol Marine, Kevin Macpherson, Vince Fazio, Michael Workman to name a few.

Visit their website for more info - remember I still have openings in this fall's workshop in Hilton Head, South Carolina and next May's workshop in New York City.   I need eager, excited people to sign up so please do.  I'd love to have you join me.  Contact info for registration is on the right hand column of this blog.

Hilton Head Workshop

I'm back from my recent workshop in Hilton Head - it has taken me a couple of days to get organized, look through some photos, get caught up on sleep. I'm usually drained after the week ends, in a good way. I just had the greatest time with 19 talented, eager and wonderfully fun painters, I hated to see it end.




Thanks to all those who joined me in Hilton Head, and to Vince Fazio, from the Sedona Arts Center, who organizes and assists me in my workshops. I loved the experience.

Half the time spent away from home was family time, Brett and I took Zac and Joey - their first road trip and first time at the beach.




They were beside themselves - they LOVED the wide open beach, the waves, the room to run amok.




They turned 7 months old while we were there - amazingly brave and well-behaved the whole time.

The evening before the workshop began, one of my students who lives on the island, hosted a get-together at her beautiful home - a chance to get to know each other, which was great for all of us. One of my demos was the outstanding view from her back patio.

5 x 7"
sold

The first day, I talked a lot and painted this demo, a very loose, colorful piece - a woman I spotted on the beach the first few days we had arrived.

8 x 10"
sold

The second day, my students painted from the same photo, with amazing results. The different interpretations of the water were very cool - here's a few of those done.





This is another one of my demos, I wanted to concentrate on the skin colors - another woman I spotted on the beach.

6 x 6"
sold

On our longer day in the studio, I painted a mugshot - then forced everyone, including Vince, to paint one. I did this in my New York workshop, I knew they'd learn something from it, I think they enjoyed it more than they thought they would. Amazing results, a very cool exercise. Here is my demo .....

4 x 4"
sold

Our last day together went way too fast, one more demo to include swirly water and more skin.

6 x 6"
sold

What a fantastic week I had - family time beforehand with the pups and time with our friends, Neil and Karen, the beach and sunshine, painting and I got to know some really great people - it doesn't get any better than that.

I would normally head to Charleston after the workshop, this time I opted out, but I was told both my paintings 'Outdoor Dining' and 'Checked Out' that were part of the Charleston Art Auction sold (yay!) and they now have nice homes to go to. An excellent way to end my week.

Please take time to check out the blogs I've listed on the right column, of those artists who have participated in my workshops. I'm very proud of all of them. I also want to mention - if you're interested in my future workshops, check the info on the right column, or call the Sedona Arts Center and ask to be notified when one is scheduled. The next adventure is in San Francisco next April, a perfect city to photograph and paint - there are 7 openings remaining at this time.

Time to get back to the paints - see you back here very soon.

Workshop & Beach Pups

You know.... I honestly plan to blog from workshops, but by the time I get back to my place, I'm pooped and put it off and before I know it, it's time to crash and do it again in the morning. I did want to check in mid-week and say I am having a really great time, enjoying every single minute with my 19 artists and I'm very proud of all of them.




In my off-time, Brett and I have long beach walks with Zac and Joey - their first trip away from home. They have been awesome. They own the beach. Tomorrow they'll be 7 months old and they romp, wrestle, run, tumble in the sand without a leash - it's just been amazing to watch them. It just doesn't get any better than this.

We have a longer studio day tomorrow, I'll be sure to get some photos up of the work we've all been doing, and post those when I return home.

Bye for now ~ Karin J

A couple of things to mention......

This Thursday, the 23rd, I'll be a guest on the Artists Helping Artists internet radio show - you can listen to Live Streaming starting at 12 noon EST.
Some other helpful information:
To listen live and ask a question - call 646-915-9243 and when you want to be heard, press #1 to be in the hosts queue.
To listen to the recorded show later or download via iTunes, click here.

The Sedona Arts Center has arranged a workshop for me and 19 students next spring in San Francisco - the dates are April 9-13, 2012, held at the Friends School of San Francisco. Please contact Vince Fazio to reserve your spot, there are 9 openings remaining. You can call the Sedona Arts Center at 888-954-4442. Thank you.

My Week

I'm back home - bear with me - I've got a lot of catching up to do. I drove 14 hours straight yesterday, from Austin to Atlanta, so I'm a bit of a zombie today and soon enough I'll get painting again. This past week has given me increased respect for both teachers and truckers.

So if you'd like to hear a little about the new adventures of Karin - please read on....

Day 1 - I took a deep breath, jumped in my car, turned on my Tom Tom (which by the way, I could be a walking advertisement for) and proceeded down the dark road, heading west. Yikes. One of my greatest regrets, along the way, was that I couldn't stop in my 82-mile-an-hour tracks and take pictures of some of the most beautiful landscapes. It was just impossible. The bayous beside the interstate in Louisiana, the hundreds of quirky, colorful water towers spaced out for miles, the long shadows of the cars on the highway ..... I saw dozens of paintings in my head. I stopped for the night in Lake Charles, Louisiana - stayed in one of those hotel/casinos, which was quite the visual experience. I had never stepped foot in a casino and if the 50+ security guards would have looked the other way, I could have taken some of the best shots and done some of the best paintings of my life. The gamblers. Ugh. What a subject. Alas...... that's one of many lost photo ops.

Day 2 - Not long after I headed down the road, that road turned into a bridge equivalent to the most nightmarish roller coaster ride on earth. I was the one in the left lane, going 20 miles an hour, screaming at the top of my lungs. I was terrified. I think it was an hour before I pried my grip off the steering wheel. I hate heights.



The landscape soon became flat and absolutely stunning. I was thinking about the song "I Saw Miles and Miles of Texas" as I headed for Houston - where I met two friends for lunch. No time for photos - I had to get to Austin to meet up with Carol Marine, who was my teaching partner in the workshop.

Carol, by the way, is the most delightful person. I have a dozen of her paintings, all bought on eBay, so I'm a big fan of her paintings - but seeing more of her work and watching her paint affirms that this woman is gifted. Really gifted.

Day 3 - My only free afternoon - I waited out the rain and headed west towards Fredericksburg in hopes for some good landscapes - meeting some creatures along the way.

Day 4 - Up at dawn and the first of the 3-day workshop. Twenty students and all were great fun from the very beginning. Carol and I did similtaneous demonstrations - mine resulted from a borrowed photograph from one of the students - which was a great subject to try out.


Day 5 - Our second day of teaching, talking and another dual demonstration - this painting resulting from one of my own photos. What I thought was interesting was the examples of two different painters using two different sources - Carol painting what was right in front of her and me painting from photographs.


It was a completely new experience for me to have 21 people watch me paint. The trick was not to turn around.


I also contributed some figure drawing tips that have helped me.



Day 6 - The last day of the workshop was about painting faces, enjoying the oils and being loose with the brush strokes. I painted a student and Carol painted this fabulous self-portrait.



We spent the afternoon talking about the business part of being an artist - Justin Clayton and Qiang Huang, fellow DailyPaintworks artists and friends - joined the group as well.


I wrapped it up with a great feeling of accomplishment - I did something new and I learned a lot myself. Thanks to all who participated in the workshop - it was my pleasure and truly a privilege. I hope to do it all over again one day.

As I left Austin, I thought the only negative thing about the city was their scary overpasses - otherwise a beautiful place to be. I need to get some sleep, catch up at work and I'll be back to painting in a day or so. It's good to be home.

Workshop with Carol Marine & Me

Carol Marine is one of my favorite painters and when she suggested I join in on one of her workshops, I jumped at the chance. It'll be the first workshop I've ever attended and the first I've taken part in. A trial by fire for me - I'm very excited.

The details that are available now:

March 14th, 15th & 16th
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
At the Art Center of Williamson County in Round Rock, Texas
(north of Austin)

More details and contact information available here.

Carol and I decided on a maximum of 16 participants - if you are interested, please reserve your spot early on - and come paint with us!

The workshop enrollment has sold out, as of Monday, the 7th - but please keep in mind you can put your name on a waiting list, in the event someone cancels. If this goes well, Carol and I teaching together, we will happily consider doing another workshop in the future.