Kathy Thoughts on an Art Life Nov - Dec 2010

11-19-10 I joined FAA just a couple days ago and now I am now able to move about in this virtual gallery. I am still learning so much everyday.
I received my check for my Five Wings Arts Council Individiual Art Grant Award yesterday. It is so appreciated! I am so grateful and thankful. The funds are earmarked and some will be used for furthering my art education in a spring workshop. Kathy


11-20-2010
Saturday - It's a Busy art day today.

We were up for an early drive to St. Cloud to the Paramount Arts District to retrieve my Central Minnesota Watercolorists Member Show paintings around 10 am. Then I and my husband moved on to the cities to pick up art at Century College, White Bear Lake, at the end of a big Fall Exhibition for the Northstar Watercolor Society by 12 noon.
This trip is 100+ miles one way from our home town.
It's always a pleasure to see my art friends at any gathering.

From 2-5pm the Elk River Arts Alliance Main Gallery, Elk River, hosted a delightful reception for their Holiday Show and Sale. Such variety in paintings and medias and jewelry, fiber art, glass, wood, pottery and metal. There was even more choices I didn't name. The food was good too!
The gallery is open for the rest of the holiday season till Dec. 24.
Shoppers were coming to meet the artists and choose one-of-a-kind art creations.
I smoozed, had a great time and even enjoyed making a sale to a happy customer who likes MY art. I wish you well in your life with art! kathy


Sunday 11-21-2010

I can't believe winter is here again!
We have a coating as thick as a grapefruit peel (up to 1/2 inch) over all the driveway surfaces, the car windows, and covering the bushes to name a few. My walk to the car was a slow slippery shuffle.
The cars in motion are not used to winter driving anymore and I see they are over-estimating their stopping power.
So .... we holed up today and hibernated in the warmth of the house and I have added 3 new paintings to my new galleries. I concentrated on my current paintings which had been in art shows in 2010.
Do expect more paintings to show up in this Recent Exhibition Gallery site as I am an active artist who participates in many events throughout the state. Perhaps you will enjoy these selections which were displayed to the public during this year 2010. kathy


11-22-2010 2 pm.
Ok, now the snow is really covering up the slippery ice!

Last night I felt really creative in the later hours of the evening. Peeked through some returned art that I have not been able to touch for awhile and made decisions to revise this piece and that. My painting abilities are stronger and broader then in the past. So from 10 pm - 2 am, I was having fun painting!

What did I do to them? Sometimes they were exposed to more inside light with no UV protection, so the pigment colors were not as strong as I liked anymore. As I reveiwed the winter landscape last night, I recognized the original birch tree shapes were whimmpy (but they were like the original reference material) and so using an Elegent Ink Calligraphy pen, I changed the entire grouping to become stronger and have larger trunks and birch tree bark activity. It was worth the effort!
Fear not! It is easier to make changes with your art when you get to that "I don't care" feeling then it is to go that last mile the first time. Plug on! yours in art, Kathy


11-28-10 9 pm

The Thanksgiving holiday weekend has filled my soul with happiness and joy of being with family and feeling relief of not having to cook and clean up like that on a daily basis.
Now I will have time to jump in and paint again.

I belong to a group of artists who are sharing a common painting challenge and then commenting to each other on suggestions to each other's paintings. We will have our work exposed to the eye of others in it's young stages. That is slightly frightening. The paintings will evolve. We will grow. I hope to get my brush wet tomorrow and join those who are already making strides in understanding the media and the December challenge.


12-2-10
Time is moving on and we are in the 12th month of the year 2010 already.

Our city is home to the Great River Arts Association.
I am part of the Visual Arts Board and our meeting was last evening. It's time for the new employees to the center to now take charge and send us in new direction - of growth and support to our community and our organization. If only I knew more to be of help ..... the apex time ....

How do you incorporate the arts and all it's richness into the lives of folks just trying to survive? Winter adds early darkness, unreliable temperatures & weather, and more time to spare. Job situations of most of the folks in the area restrict them from doing little beyond necessary. My heart is heavy at this instant but I have hope we can make a difference to the youth. We just need to find the key.

12-3-10
Another snow storm is now collecting and sending us this evening into our warm little homes.

I am considering entering a local art show contest with the topic theme, Strut your Stuff.
How am I to depict this to be inclusive? Boys and girls. The best art chosen must also be suitable for the promotional material for the event. Now I will need to think like a graphic artist. No backgrounds are needed. Posters need white space.
Hummmmm, Roosters come to mind! They are very good at preening themselves and making a great presentation to a mixed sex group.
Country western and down home on the farm flavor was also mentioned when considering the basic theme.
I can see a fiddler figure, fingers flying on the strings, bow bent to the beat, farmer hat, comfortable overhauls, plaid shirt sitting perched on a straw bale. Hummmmm.
Or a boy and girl dancing, braids flying, twirling or holding on to each other by one hand - dressed country western.
Or a mother duck with a line of baby ducklings. Hummmm
Then again, Roosters really are colorful and I do love making chicken and rooster paintings. I'll probably just mess with that idea some more.


December 8, 2010
Where are the days disappearing?

Well, It has been an exciting week! I got a telephone call informing me that my work had been chosen for the Best of Show award at the Winter in Minnesota Show, Blaine, MN. That's good! Then we can plan to come down to the awards event and make arrangements .... 100 miles one way. We have family, local to that area, so can enjoy time with them too.

Blaine hosted a very active activity on the awards night that included all three generations in surprising numbers involved in active games, art activities, Santa encounters, a hay ride, s'moores at a bonfire and more. We were impressed.

I did work with my chicken references mentioned earlier in the week and was able to identify quite a variety of poses and cropped them out for use. I found my newsprint and charcoal and made a mess of black dust and smear - but I now have a couple of 18 x 24 fast drawings to consider. I might get this done yet!

I belong to a Homemakers group and have stayed put in one place in this community for years.
We have been around each other through most of our lives and raising children or getting old.

We are having a Christmas party tomorrow and I will bring my potluck dish, Swedish Kringler, for dessert. It's kind of a baked almond flavored custard on a crust, has minimal ingredients and it tastes best fresh - so that means an early morning. Just like art, this cooking and baking treat is done in stages and can be very artfully arranged with frosting, nuts, and flavorings. I also have an original painting that will go to my secret pal.... hot off the press. I hope she likes it. Her bio said she loves poppies and so do I.
Best wishes to each of you reading this - to enjoy each day to the fullest! Love, kathy

12-9-10
Sunshine today!

The Christmas party was great. We also had a club fundraiser activity. Everyone brought a gentlely used or new item to silent auction off on tables to the side of the room. Fresh baked goods and candy went well too. Participants used "their number" (private) to submit a bid and a timer ended the sale. Some items had many bids, others not so many, but all were sold. We were pleased with the income activity. I had brought Cranberry Orange Nut Bread cut in 4 slices to a plate so the colorful bread was displayed. I think the ladies were just buying a taste of good food ... something like they used to make for the holidays. I was the highest bidder for a whole variety of holiday cookies and fudge. Won't have to bake much this year!


12-13-2010
The Twin Cities is recovering from 17.5 inches of snow over the weekend. Just very cold in our area.

I attended the CMW meeting, Central Minnesota Watercolorists, tonight in St. Cloud 30 miles south of me. It was our Christmas Party and a chance to view the CD show of the 2010 the National Show of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America (TWSA).
Central MN artists gather from 30 miles in all directions to share, put on art shows, education opportunities and fellowship.
Advertising is a cooperative effort for our fall show. We talked about new projects coming this year too.
Groups give you a sense of belonging. I have been a board member also. Nothing like being in the heat of the action.... but it sure wears you out!

12-14-2010
You get a Weather report everyday - so we can appreciate when it starts to warm up again. The temps were low, just above zero with blue sky and some clouds. Last night the sky was clear, stars and a halo ring of light around the moon.

I have been working on drawing chickens lately. It is subject matter mentioned earlier in this blog.
After I have my rendition decided, I hang the drawing in my big dining window in the kitchen and let the bright afternoon sun turn this area into a big light box. The drawing will come right thru a sheet of watercolor paper put on top of the prep drawing.
Sometimes I have to make the lines bolder to see the image. The window is kind of cold to work on too.
Now with it getting dark earlier in the day, 3:30 pm is almost the end of using this light box - as the sun goes behind the trees and turns out the bright lights needed to see through 140lb. paper.


12-15-2010
Half way through December today.

I am bogged down with learning new technology. Facebook, linking, likes, etc. It takes sooooo much time to get lined up and running. I think my wheels are spinning but I am not going anywhere. A great gal from Australia befriended me and I hope to learn something from her. I figure she is sleeping when I am up, so our schedules are probably half a world apart.
Today I painted chickens.
Colored ones are more fun.... so they have rust, golds, greens and blues in them. Will probably continue the experience but need to get more drawings ready on the paper. I was getting kind of picky on my sketching yesterday and I think I will do more decisions with a brush and less a with pencil.

12-17-2010
Friday

I have enlisted help from a knowledgeable friend. Perhaps I will be able to solve my technical problems and learn some new tricks! I have hope today.....
5 chicken paintings are waiting to be delivered for consideration - oops, just remembered I need to take their photos so it is reflected for my bookwork. Some will make cute chicken art cards. kathy


12-20-10 Monday 10:30 pm

It's Christmas week and it is snowing and making the world white. I'm sure we now have 5 inches new snow on the ground.
I did finishing touches on another rooster this am, took good reference photos, recorded the name and number and got my last entry delivered for the contest. Lots to remember, to do a good job of referencing.

It's possible I might be able to work on a larger painting tomorrow with a tropical subject..... A fisherman and large salt water fish. Won't that be fun to depart from this frozen countryside for a few hours in my mind? I'll just crank up the house thermostat and turn on the kitchen fireplace and pretty soon, I'll just get lost on ocean waters and rocking on a boat in my steamy kitchen. Peace and love, Kathy

12/23/10

Yes, my tropical painting is 75% done! I am making an effort to reduce my use of pure colors everywhere and introduce more grayed compliments. The end result is to have a more vibrant center of interest.

Good News here today! My last chicken painting submitted to the Boys and Girls Club contest was selected to be the winner of the contest. Someday I may figure out how to add a rooster pic for you to see in this blog.
It's a good cause and I am sure I will be giving them more art for auction use.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I wish you well, peace in your heart, happiness, and love. yours, Kathy


12-30-2010
It's raining today! We have snowbanks, snow on the roofs, and this is putting heavy moisture all over everything. Be careful to all who have to drive for New Years Eve time with unclimate weather conditions!
I am safe at home, will burrow out soon and wrap up some art to do ends. I did just joined a FAA contest. Learned some more about navigating the site and am stopping to write comments on the paintings I like.
Happy New Year to you, my friend!