Day 25 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Clara, the Chicken"    $75
Watercolor and permanent marker        7"x 10"

I have been drawing chickens for the past year.  The wire drawing technique works so well for this subject.  Every time I teach this workshop, the students are amazed how much fun it is, AND how it leads to them to develop better drawing skills.  I'm teaching Wire Drawing at 2 future workshops.  The first one is in Bradenton, FL on April 10th.  It is a one day workshop.  Click on this link to sign up. http://keetonsonline.com/theartistscorner.html  I'm also teaching this process at Dillman's Resort in northern WI, at a beautiful location, nestled in the pine trees and a gorgeous view of a lake.  This workshop starts with the process of the wire drawing and then each day, teaches the students how to develop their own designs into an abstract painting by the end of the 4 days!
Click on this link:  http://www.dillmans.com/dcaf/2018/karen-knutson.html
Students can choose to use mixed media or stick with watercolor or acrylic.  It's a great workshop that I'm really proud of!

Wire Drawings Workshop



"Crazy about Chickens", original permanent marker drawing with watercolor,  $195

This was one of my demos for the Yakima, WA workshop.  They did a terrific job and loved the concept of wire drawing.  I've never had a class so excited about the prospect of future paintings, using the wire drawing knowledge.  So rewarding for this teacher, that's for sure!  Here are their drawings below:

Say What?

"Say What?"    Watercolor     $295
Image:  11" x 14"

Hope your summer is going well.  I've been so busy this year, but I still manage to take lots of walks at nearby parks, just to appreciate the warm weather.  I LOVE summer!  I've been preparing for a chicken/rooster workshop that I'm teaching in Yakima, WA next week. Rarely have a finished a painting that I honestly felt like this chicken was talking to me.  Her eyes turned out so expressive!  This is basically a watercolor, with the addition of some acrylic for the neat effect in the background.  I saw this process on a video by Carrie Burns Brown.  I cut up a piece of matboard and mount the pieces onto another piece of matboard, and then use it for a stamp.  I have made at least 25 of them.  They are so much better than ones that you purchase! Well, off on another trip in only 2 days!  While in Seattle, I'm going to the big 75th anniversary celebration of the Northwest Watercolor Society.  There will be many demonstrations by nationally acclaimed artists.  I'm so excited!!! I have entered their show for many years, and sadly, missed the deadline for this year's show.  Too much going on!!!  Lesson learned.....maybe.... Anyway, it's a great watercolor society and I'm excited to meet many of the artists whom I have gotten acquainted with on Facebook. It's a small world after all!

Day 12 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"In one of my Moods"  11" x 11" commission painting

Sold 

I've had this commission since March of 2014, and the guilt just took over me today, so instead of doing my people paintings with abstract backgrounds, I did a "girl chicken" in front of an abstract background.  I feel like such a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders!  Below are the other 2 that are companions for this painting.  The buyer bought the middle painting from my 30 in 30 Challenge from last year, and wanted the chicken and rooster to go with it.  Hope she is pleased with the results. This painting is acrylic, watercolor, and collage.  To hear about the process of the dripping acrylic background, go to last year's blog from January 13, 2014.  Here is the link: http://karenknutson.blogspot.com/2014/01/30-paintings-in-30-days-day-14.html

  I'd love to get a conversation going about commission paintings with other artists out there!  Please post your comments below.  I have a love/hate feeling about them.  It's great to get sales, but I need to set deadlines for completion.  I think they push me to new levels, but obviously (from how long it takes me to complete them), I must not like being told what to paint!  I'm so spoiled!

 

 

 

 



Day 25 of "30 Paintings in 30 Days"

"The Hen Pecked Husband"  $145  watercolor and collage  (11" x 11" image)

This rooster hits me on so many levels.  First of all, I used a photo from a painting trip to France with Karlyn Holman.  Check out her schedule.  Her trips are so fun!!! My friend, Connie and I were taking a walk near the resort which was located in the country.  There were many chickens and roosters, but this guy was clearly in charge!  I took countless photos of all the chickens there.  Aw.....France, what a great trip that was!  I chose the name for this one, because I wanted it to be a mate for the painting that I did yesterday, and I have to say, I wondered if my husband would want it for his office. Now, I wouldn't call myself a nag, but when it comes to road trips, I have been known to pipe up a few times when Dick is driving. :)  I enjoyed painting this so much, that I may be painting a few more chickens this year.  They really do develop their own personalities as I paint them!

Day 24 of "30 Paintings in 30 Days"

"The Hen Pecker"  $145   watercolor and collage  (11" x 11" image)

Chickens have always fascinated me.  They have so many expressions that make them almost human.  I almost named this one, "Say what?"  but decided at the last minute that she is a bit of a nag, so I named it, "The Hen Pecker".  Tomorrow's painting is a rooster, so be sure to check back to see the companion piece for this one.  I love the feathers of this chicken.   I took this photo at a farm in Minnesota, where they had a big old truck that they had transformed into a flower garden.  Really cool place!   Wish I knew the breed of this chicken.   I'll bet my friend, Sarah Rosedahl would know. She wrote a whole book about chickens.  Click here to see it!  https://www.facebook.com/ChickenBreedsAtoZ