Happy New Year to You

I like this quote.

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in.  A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves."  ~ Bill Vaughan

If that doesn't inspire, there are the wise words from Bob Marley...

"Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing gonna be all right."


I wish you a very happy, healthy and creative 2015 and thank you for your support and friendship.

Cheers  ~  Karin J

"Summer Camp"

13 x 6"

oil on panel

A nice reminder of those warm, summer days.

Email me if you are interested in a purchase.

"Greener Pastures"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

Back to work.  I had a wonderful Christmas, hope you did too.

Homemade beef stew and biscuits, double-chocolate brownies for dessert.  

From the Art Institute of Chicago, women studying John La Farge's 'Paradise Valley' in the American Art Gallery.

Merry Christmas My Friends

Calendars

Just a reminder - I have a few calendars left...

purchase your Wall Calendar 'Days at the Museum'

by clicking here.

SOLD OUT

"Goodness"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

I needed a sweet, positive image to paint today and this darling woman just embodies goodness.

From Atlanta, Georgia.

"200 Faces, No. 145"

4 x 4"

oil on panel
sold

A new addition to my ongoing series BUST-ED.

"Madonna"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

Inspired by the Christmas reds and from a good friend's photo, taken at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy - a visitor admiring Raphael's 'Madonna del Cardellino' or 'Madonna of the Goldfinch'.

"Humble Abodes"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

Home Sweet Home in Natchez, Mississippi.

"200 Faces, No. 144"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

I've had a frustrating painting week with a couple of wipe-offs.  Rusty I guess.  Too tight.  And the way to climb out of that is to paint a mugshot.  It's been a while, I don't know why, it's one of my favorite subjects and I'm so, so happy with this new addition to my ongoing series BUST-ED.

"Tute Boots"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

I took time out from painting this week to enroll in the Affordable Healthcare Program and I would highly suggest anyone check into the program - the website works, the call center was helpful and starting next year I'll be saving a LOT of money that will buy me more paint among other things.  For many full-time artists and all self-employed people, it's a godsend.

Anyway.... if you've been watching my work for a number of years, I have a preference for cutting off heads.  The reason is I find the figure more interesting - it becomes a form.  Body language takes over, identity is moot.  Composition becomes the fun of it, color takes center stage.  That's why I love it.

From the Art Institute of Chicago, a young woman and her boots takes a rest on a bench.

"Divine Intervention"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

Brett entered the studio as I was finishing this new painting and said 'he looks like he's walking on water'.  Hence the title.

From Hilton Head Island, a dog chasing his ball in the ocean.

"Reflect Upon"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

The truth about my absences - I've been on three road trips, totalling over 4,000 miles since the end of September.  I like to get out in the world in the fall and hole up in the winter so I got it all out of my system.  I don't post 'Hey, I'm out of town for a week' for obvious reasons but I am home, back in the studio and I'm not going anywhere until I see spring flowers.

I live in the Deep South, but today it's bitchin' cold, even for Atlanta so naturally my thoughts turn to warm days at the beach, with this new painting - a scene from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

You know how I love reflections.

Upcoming Hilton Head Auction

Happy November and Hello to All ~

My beloved Mac was returned to my studio today and I'm whole again.

First thing this week, I wanted to let you know about the details of the upcoming Hilton Head Auction taking place this Saturday, November 8th, starting at 2 pm.

I have three paintings in the auction. If you're interested in participating in the bidding you can do it three different ways.

- You can be present at the auction taking place at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, in Hilton Head.

- If you can't attend the auction, you can place an absentee bid with the gallery. 

- Not able to make it to Hilton Head for the auction?  Watch it through a live streaming webcam and bid online!  How cool is that? 

So..... here are my three paintings.

'Savior'

7 x 10"

oil on panel

sold

'The Boys of Summer'

10 x 10"

oil on panel

sold

 'True Grit'

10 x 10"

oil on panel

sold

I do hope all of this helps for those who are interested in my paintings and love the thrill of an auction. 

I'm excited and thank you all.

Brief Break

Well..... my studio's Mac is in the hospital which has forced me to catch up on fall cleaning and getting the house ready for guests.

Also wanted to mention Carol Marine's book 'Daily Painting: Paint Small and Often To Become a More Creative, Productive, and Successful Artist'.

Carol included a little bit about me, a few images of my paintings, along with more really great artists who contributed their thoughts and practices.  I'm very proud to be included, thank you Carol Marine.

You can order your copy from Amazon by clicking here.

As for me, I'll be back to painting as soon as humanly possible.

~ Happy Halloween~

"Dropped Buy"

8 x 10"

oil on panel
sold

A new painting featuring one of my favorite paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago - Edward Hopper's 'Nighthawks'.  On a bench that faces this Hopper, I sit and watch people's reactions and I swear, I want to shout out loud when someone passes it by without so much as a glance.  "It's a MASTERPIECE!'  I want to scream.  

There are those who stop and stare, those smart ones.  Like this fellow, who dropped his bag to share my awe.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Immobile"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

And now, for your moment of Zen.

A woman choosing to be idle for the time being.

From Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

"Flower Power"

5 x 7"

oil on panel
sold

Geezaloo.

I'm back from the dead.  Mostly.

I brought back a nasty cold from my trip to Chicago, despite all that diligent hand-washing. It knocked me out for the week.  All I could muster was laying around watching post-season baseball.  My brain is working a little better today.

Back to the paints with this new piece - a young woman admiring Georgia O'Keeffe's  'Yellow Hickory Leaves with Daisy' in the Art Institute of Chicago.

Chicago

I've just returned from my favorite city - Chicago.

Perfect weather, thank you so much Mother Nature.

The sculpture is one of four in Millennium Park by the artist Jaume Plensa - on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his Crown Fountain, pictured below, which features 1000 portraits of local Chicago residents.

GREAT city.  You must go.

I'll start painting as soon as I get caught up.

"Royalty"

5 x 7"

oil on panel
sold

I was in the mood for something calm to paint yesterday and the horizontal stripes of grey-blue caught my eye and I zoomed in on these cool birds.  It took time to find out just what kind of birds are in the foreground - they are the North American version of the Lesser Crested Tern, which is primarily African, called the Royal Tern.  How cool.

From Hilton Head Island during low tide, two Royal Terns mingle with other shore birds.

"Curvy"

5 x 7"

oil on panel

sold 

I finished just in the nick of time.  The cracking of thunder over my painting hut means time to turn off the computer and go home.

From the Art Institute of Chicago, a curvy woman admiring a curvy woman in Joseph Stella's 'A Vision'.

"Shape Up"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

From the second floor in the American Art Gallery, one of six 'Chicago Panels' by Ellsworth Kelly hangs above patrons standing in line for an exhibit in the Art Institute of Chicago.

"Hat Day"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

A patron enjoys some French Impressionism in the Art Institute of Chicago.  In full view is 'Young Girl With Hat' by Berthe Morisot.

"Under The Dome"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

The sculpture 'Cloud Gate' in Millennium Park reflecting the Chicago skyline, visitors and the clouds above.

As I was going thru earlier photos of Chicago, back in 2004, on Halloween, Brett and I were at the new 'Cloud Gate' when about 50+ Star Wars fanatics descended on the scene.  People loved it, the guards, not so much.

Just thought you'd get a kick out of that.

"Ticket Please"

5 x 7"

oil on panel
sold

I l-u-r-v-e this painting.

And I loved this whole afternoon holed up in my little hut, away from the traffic jams and long lines and crowds of sweating people all over this city.

That's my idea of a holiday.

A visitor waiting at the ticket counter in the lobby of the Art Institute of Chicago.

"A Casual Look"

9 x 12'

oil on panel
sold

Brand-new, hot of the easel, a woman looks closely at Grant Wood's iconic 'American Gothic' in the Art Institute of Chicago.

"The Blues"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

Often I am asked how I am so prolific with painting.  First there's motivation and mine, right now, is to raise enough money to take a trip to Chicago in September.

As for prolific - I have a simple method - I find something to binge-watch while I'm painting.  I once finished 32 paintings in 2 months while watching the entire series of The Sopranos.  I kid you not.  The trick is, I stay put in my seat and cut out any distractions except what's on the tube and on my easel.

Lately,  I've gone thru Top of the Lake, Durham County and now Lost.  I will take this opportunity to plug Roku, which streams in Netflix and tons of others.  

And that's my method of cranking out painting after painting.

From the Art Institute of Chicago, a woman in blue views Claude Monet's 'Irises'.

"The Shorter Version"

6 x 8"

oil on panel
sold

I wanted to do a larger version of this scene, so I thought I'd get a better idea of colors and composition with a smaller study first - then I got a bit carried away.  That's what happens with painting a Sargent, it's mesmerizing.

From the Art Institute of Chicago, a woman stands before John Singer Sargent's 'Mrs. George Swinton (Elizabeth Ebsworth)', one of my personal favorite paintings in the museum.

"A Look Of Disapproval"

5 x 7"

oil on panel
sold

A museum visitor getting a seemingly disapproving look from 'Madame Roulin Rocking the Cradle' by Vincent Van Gogh.  She does look a little disheveled.

 From the Art Institute of Chicago.

"How Thoughtful"

5 x 7"

oil on panel
sold

I'm so very pleased with this painting I did today.  It's just the right balance of tight and loose.  Yay.

From the side garden outside of the Art Institute of Chicago.

"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.

"Purple Bell"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

I thought I'd take the day off of painting but that would mean cleaning the house. 

I did, however, take a break from painting people.  In fact, anything that required sketching out first. It's nice to just start painting freely.

My recent acquisition at the local farmer's market - a lovely, vividly-purple bell pepper.

"The Day's News"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

There is a place I like to go to fuel up before I hit the Art Institute of Chicago, just a few blocks from the front steps.  And it's always a great people-watching spot.

"A Rainy Night in Chicago"

5 x 7"

oil on panel
sold

This was a tough one.

I started out wanting to keep it very impressionistic and loose, then I started painting in each window like a nutball - took a break for dinner - came back to it and forced myself to paint the remainder with a wide brush.  I'm kinda amazed I finished it, and just the way I pictured it in my head in the beginning.  Yay.

This view is from a high floor in the Fairmont Hotel on North Columbus Drive - on a very rainy night in the city.  You can make out the Sheraton Towers on the right with its glowing tower.

"Red Heads"

5 x 7"

oil on panel
sold

I spent my high school years in a suburb of Chicago and I'd occasionally cut school and spend the day in the city where I'd prowl the Art Institute of Chicago all morning, meet my dad for lunch, go back to the museum, then ride the train back to the suburbs with my day around 6.  My idea of a perfect day.

This Renoir painting, 'Two Sisters (On the Terrace) is a crowd pleasure, one of his most-recognizable oils.   And yes, this really happened. 

"Bare Market"

11 x 11"

oil on panel
sold

I spent all weekend and today on a couple of paintings that had a deadline date - including this new piece that may be included in the Hilton Head Auction in November, unless it sells before.  I wouldn't argue that.

Inside the Museum of Modern Art in New York City - women admire Picasso's masterpiece 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon'.   In case you didn't know, his title is a reference to a street in Barcelona famous for its brothel.

Please click here for a larger view.

 4 x 6"

oil on panel

sold 

This is a smaller painting I am donating to a charity auction taking place in Connecticut in October.

Now I move on to more Chicago scenes and a start on an upcoming solo show in Atlanta sometime in November.

"Benched At Wrigley"

7 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

I'm starting a fundraising effort for a return trip, in the fall, to my favorite city Chicago.  

This taken from the side of the famous Wrigley Building, on Michigan Avenue - a couple of weary tourists resting on the bench in the shade.

More Chicago scenes to follow.  I thank you for your bids.

"Because I'm Happy"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

That song just played in my head while I was painting this happy hound.

From the beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

"200 Faces, No. 142"

4 x 4"

oil on panel
sold

A warm-up that turned into a portrait I really love.  And a new addition to my ongoing series BUST-ED.

"Papaya Innerds"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

I'm abstaining from all sweets that are wonderful and I'm trying to embrace fruit.  After all, the colors are beautiful and rich in fruits, a little more so than that of an Oreo.

"Prosciuttaloupe"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

What I think is a perfect summer lunch of cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto with cold, red grapes.  

"Strawberry Reds"

7 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

I can be a real stubborn knucklehead when it comes to figuring out what to paint.  I took a few days off then spent two days stewing over what to start on.  Over thinking.

Turns out, most of the time, it's right there in front of me.

~ Happy Summer

"A Rock Star"

6 x 8"

oil on panel
sold 

This morning I read the NYT article about 'The Goldfinch' painting's return home to the newly-renovated Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in the Hague, after a popular tour in the U.S.   Carel Fabritius's little gem of a painting was a rock star at the Frick last year.  

It's celebrity status was largely due to the connection with Donna Tartt's best-seller 'The Goldfinch' about a 13-year-old boy, who's life is turned upside down when he and his mother visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the exhibition of Dutch paintings, including her favorite 'The Goldfinch' - when a terrorist bomb kills his mother and many other museum patrons.

'The Goldfinch' back home at the Mauritshuis

My painting will be included in the July 19th Small Works Auction in Charleston.

Please click here for a larger view.