Keep experimenting!

"Quirky Friends"   Acrylic
Accepted into the San Diego International 2020 Exhibition

This painting started by me doing a blind contour drawing onto tracing paper.  I did each girl separately and then held my finger on the side so that I could maybe position them where I wanted them.  Blind contour means that you do NOT look at your paper, and you don't lift your pencil.  It's a great way to loosen up and get some unusual free paintings.  I had done a really abstract beginning, using acrylic and when I traced my new drawing onto the underpainting,  I loved how the design cut through their faces.  And the outfits just painted themselves, looking like the one on the right had bare shoulder.  This was a total experiment for me, and was so much fun to do.  I definitely plan to do more!  Notice how the light pathway leads the viewer all through the painting.  That's always very important to me.  This painting was accepted into the San Diego International 2020 Exhibition, where there were 874 entries and juror, Michael Reardon, picked 100 paintings to be included in the show.  This is one of the top shows in the USA.  I'm honored to be a part of it.

Happy New Year!

   

"The Flirt"  

    As I write this, it is 9:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve.  Yes, I'm at home and glad I am.  This has never been one of my favorite holidays.  We usually go to a movie, eat out, and come home by 9:00 p.m.  Then, it's a roll of the dice whether we make it till midnight to welcome the New Year in.  :)  Anyway, I thought I would tell you my New Year's resolution.  I have only One, but it's a big one!  They say that if you write out your plan, that it's more likely to happen. 
     I want more BALANCE in my life.  I tend to go full throttle on any one thing and then everything else falls by the way side.  So, in 2018, I pledge to try to have more balance.  That will mean that I have to think ahead and plan!  We'll see if this resolution lasts more than a month, like other years.  I wish all of you the Best New Year ahead! 
    By the way, this picture, "The Flirt" is an example of the subject for a 2 Day workshop in Sedona, AZ.  This Funky Lady workshop will be on January 17 and 18th of 2018.  I'm also teaching "Wire Drawing", one of my favorite things EVER during this workshop.  To sign up, contact Nancy Boulais at nancyboulais@msn.com

Funky Lady Workshop in Gladstone, MI

Paintings by the students in Gladstone, MI

I just returned from teaching a fun filled workshop in Gladstone, MI where we painted funky ladies on the first day, charcoal pour birds on the second day, AND people done in the Gustav Klimt manner on the third day.  They did terrific; so eager to learn anything that I threw at them.  When I teach the funky lady workshops, I love the giggling that goes on in the room.  Students throw out their fears and just go at it.  I always tell them that it doesn't matter if you get the features correct, that in fact, it makes them better if they are not perfect.  So, their imaginations go wild and they have a ball! I will also be teaching this process in Cross Lake, MN on September 26-28. Contact me if you are interested in getting more information.

"One of those Days"

"One of those Days"  $75
6.5" x 9.5"  Watercolor 

Sometimes, it's fun to escape the usual routine and just paint for fun!  This is one of my funky ladies.  I named it "One of those Days", because her crown is falling, her hair is messy and she's just feeling not quite like herself.  We've all been there, right?  I'm teaching in Kiawah Island, SC next week, and we are painting funky ladies one day.  Can't wait to see what they all come up with.  It's always a blast with lots of giggling.

Flying by the seat of my pants

"Helga, the Housekeeper"

Sometimes, you just need to fly by the seat of your pants!  Upon arriving at my Buffalo destination last night, I discovered that there was no mirror for the audience to see my demo.  So, I held the painting up with my left hand, while painting vertically with my right hand.  Then the audience could see what I was painting.  It actually went pretty well.  I finished the details on the hair this morning, using Tombow markers and permanent black markers.  But otherwise, this was my demo for the Buffalo group.  I was asked when I started painting funky ladies.  I think it was after watching a video by Anne Bagby, one of my favorite artists.  She has been a great influence on my work.
 And I finally discovered what my imaginary housekeeper looks like.  "Helga, the Housekeeper" has been my nickname for myself whenever I do my monthly deep cleaning.  I just know that this is her!  Got her hair all tied up in rags, but she's a bit of a diva, having to wear jewelry while she cleans.  And let me tell you, she is a minimum cleaner! I have no idea why I keep her around.  :)  When I arrived in Buffalo at the airport building, there was a blackboard, so I again flew by the seat of my pants and did the drawing on the blackboard so that all could see, as we did a funky lady drawing together.  They all loved learning the tricks!  It was a fun evening.  Below is my blackboard drawing. 

Another Funky Lady!

"Something Fishy about Karen!"

I'm preparing for another charcoal pour workshop and funky lady workshop that I will be teaching in Two Harbors, MN in 2 days.  I've done 3 of these "Something Fishy" paintings.  I really enjoy the play on words and creating the unexpected.  This particular workshop is my favorite workshop to teach.  We pour the charcoal on the first day, in prep for the bird painting, but since it has to dry, etc., we work on our funky ladies paintings the rest of that first day.  There's always lots of laughter and everyone succeeds!  In fact, the ones who aren't very good drawers actually produce the best ones, in my opinion.  I will be giving a demonstration on Drawing Funky Ladies, for the Buffalo, MN art group on November 17th at 7:00 p.m. It is held at the airport there.  Join me if you're in the area.