Announcing New Zoom class- Little Abbeys (small abstracts)

Announcing NEW Zoom class!

My Zoom Little Abbey workshop is posted on my home page of my website, with a link to sign up. Only taking 25 students. It is $65 and will be on March 2. (10:00 -4:00 Eastern time) www.karenknutson.com. This is filling fast! Be sure to get your place today!

Special surprise recipe! Chicken Piccata

During this pandemic, I've been cooking more than ever before, trying new recipes and actually enjoying cooking!  What???  My friends know that I've never been interested in culinary art, but now, I'm searching for things to fill my days, and since my husband and I used to love going out to eat, this is the next best thing till this pandemic is over!   We often cook together too, which I have to admit, I'm hoping Dick will love it so much that he will take over someday. (wink, wink)  I've decided that from time to time, I will be sharing some of my most favorite recipes.  And as a bonus, I am adding one of my latest paintings, just for kicks.  This painting is available for the first person to text me for only $50, half of my usual price!  This chicken dish is a combination of many different recipes that I found online, and I concocted my own version, based on our own tastes.  Hope you enjoy it! 

"Creative Energy"      7" x 11", watercolor and collage

"Chicken Piccata"

6 chicken thighs 

Flour (optional)

1/2 t. Kosher salt

1/2 t. Black pepper

3 T. Butter

1/2 c. Dry white wine

1/4 cup Capers, drained

3 or 4 t. minced or chopped garlic

1/3 t. thyme 

1 T corn starch

3/4 cup chicken broth

3 T. Fresh lemon juice and sliced lemon

3 Chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Optional:  Coat chicken with flour lightly, if preferred.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat a skillet over medium high heat.  Using 3 T butter to pan, fry chicken for 5 minutes.  Turn chicken over. Cook 2 - 3 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan and place them in a 9 x 13 pan.  Baste chicken with some of the butter that is still in the skillet.   Add corn starch, wine, capers, garlic, 2 T. lemon juice, and thyme to skillet.  Cook 2 minutes till slightly thicker.   Add sauce to 9 x 13 pan, but try not to pour over the chicken, so that the chicken will remain crispy on top. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes till internal temp of the chicken should register 190- 200 degrees. (I put loose foil on top of the pan for the first 15 minutes, then removed it for the last 15 minutes to allow the chicken to get crispy.  Sprinkle evenly with green onion, garnish with sliced lemons.  Serve over jasmine rice. 

Exciting news! Artist of the Day on Streamline Productions Facebook!

On this Thursday, May 21st at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, I am the featured Artist of the Day on Streamline Productions Facebook page.  Be sure to mark your calendar and tune in!  I will be there to answer any of your questions as the video progresses.  This video explains the charcoal pour process and then how to collage and paint a bird in watercolor.  Lots of design tips as well.  Hope you will be enticed to buy the video!
Here's the link to watch it:
https://www.facebook.com/StreamlineArtVideo/

Living your Best Life- Finding Balance!

Little Abbeys  (5" x 7" small abstracts)

Full disclosure:  I've started a new diet and welcome you to join me if you feel so inclined.  I've let myself go due to stress, poor management of time, and disorganization.  So, I'm eating mainly protein and green vegetables now.  Hoping to get the sugar cravings out of my head!  This is DAY 2 and I'm feeling empowered!  So far, so good!  It just feels so good to have a plan.  The other promise I've made to myself is to take a 30 minute walk EVERY DAY.  No excuses.  Just do it.  I always feel better afterwards, and we have so many beautiful places here in Minneapolis to walk.  Yesterday, I walked in Excelsior, along Lake Minnetonka and it felt so good to be outdoors in the open air, watching a guy throw a frisbee for his dog to retrieve, seeing young families at the beach....and even getting a little out of breath felt good! By the way, have I mentioned that our daughter is getting married in a month, so that deadline is a great motivator for me too!  :)  My master plan includes staying busy and trying to organize and think ahead.   Many new paintings will be done, I'm sure!  I make a menu for the following day, so I'm one day ahead.

My studio is being prepared for 2 upcoming home studio workshops that I will be teaching next week.  Little abbeys are so fun to paint and they really teach me to think of the important design principles of a painting.  They are my warm-ups when I haven't been painting for awhile.  If you'd like to get on my student list, send me your email, and I will inform you of future workshops.

Day 10 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Valentine Wishes"         $75
Watercolor and Collage          7" x 10"

Happy Valentines Day a few days early.  I wanted to post this one now, in case anyone wants to purchase this for their sweetheart or possibly for themselves.  The hearts in this painting truly just showed up!  I love the way the big heart seems to be breaking up into little hearts and then they are blown in the wind, as if you were blowing a kiss.  May you all have a special Valentine's Day!  Love yourselves and be happy! 

Day 9 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Looped on Life"       $75
Watercolor and Collage      7" x 10"   

 This is one of  my favorites of this challenge.  I started like usual, and the collage pieces that had loops.  So in the finishing touches, I added line-work, using my wire drawing technique, to repeat the loops from the collage.  I'm teaching this technique at several workshops coming up.  Bradenton, FL on April 10th and at Dillman's Resort in northern WI on June 18 - 21.  It's my new favorite thing to do!  It has helped ALL of my artwork AND I'm a better drawer now too.   Check out my website, www.karenknutson.com  to see my schedule.

Day 8 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Size 10 Dreams"     Watercolor and Collage
7" x 10"           $75

In this painting, I used pattern pieces for the collage, and there it was, "Size 10".  Look in the bottom middle to find it.  Yes, I used to be a size 10, and I used to sew a lot of my own clothing.  Those days are over, but I can dream about again getting back to that size.  We are taking daily walks now that we are in sunny Florida.  Maybe that will help.  Below is the first step to this painting, dry brush watercolor and adding collage.  I used the butterfly napkin as my color inspiration for this one.

First step of this painting

Day 7 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"New World"    7" x 10"
Watercolor, collage, metallics       $75

This painting was the hardest one that I've done so far in this challenge.  I used a wire drawing sketch that I'd done in early December.  I absolutely LOVE doing wire drawings.  The abstract patterns that evolve always surprise me.  Below is the value study. 

I will be teaching a 4 day workshop at Dillman's Resort in northern WI on June 18 - 21st with this process and how I use it in most of my paintings now.  By the end of the week, everyone will be doing a large abstract painting that they attained due to the wire drawing exercises earlier.  I can't decide which direction that I like this best.  My other choice is as a vertical.  Try turning the image to the right, and see which way you like it.  I decided to add gold foil paper as an extra bling. It's so shiny and inviting.  The painting is called "New World" because I think it looks like a magic is happening with the circle and our new world is beyond.  

Day 5 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Tangled Life Story"    7" x 10"
Watercolor and collage     $75

I've been having troubles with my computer, so I apologize for this late posted of Day 5.  This painting was fun to do, because I was learning during the process. My goal was to try new colors and see what happens when certain colors are place right next to other colors.  I have a new love of raw sienna, but only when I use 3 layers to get the richness of the color.  I love the vibration of color against the lime green.  Adding a neutral grey color was also effective to calm certain areas.  And then the Pop of the salmon color was just what this painting needed.  I have never been one to do graphs of color studies.  I like to do a miniature painting and try the colors there! So far, I'm really enjoying this 30 Day Challenge.  I've got some goals for myself for future paintings.  Maybe even some people in these abstract starts!  :)

Little Abbeys- Great Warm ups!

"Hope"    Original watercolor and Collage
5" x 7" Image,   $45 plus shipping

Whenever I'm feeling scared to face that white sheet of paper, I turn to a variety of warm up exercises.  One of those is painting "little abbeys".  This is a nickname that I gave to little abstracts many years ago.  The process is that you start with only 3 colors and paint a cruciform design.  Then you add that collage papers for pops of color and textures that are hard to paint.  I use napkins, gelli print papers, newspapers, and magazines for the collage papers.  I use acrylic matte medium to adhere them to the underpainting.  I'm teaching this process in Watertown, SD on October 18 and 19, 2018.  Contact Jennifer Stone at  jstone@wat.midco.net to sign up!
These paintings teach you some very good painting habits and I use these for studies for larger paintings too.  They really get my imagination going!  This one is called "Hope".  I used Spring colors to signify regrowth, and bright yellow for a happy color! 

Day 17: 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Sing like a Cardinal"      $99 SOLD
11" x 14" image      Watercolor, charcoal, and collage

I had started this painting last week in prep for the Cape Coral workshop.  So I decided to finish it up for one of my 30 paintings this month.  Cardinals are such a fun bird to watch, especially in MN when I spot them in the trees in the Spring.  It's like our first bit of color all winter, and of course, it's my favorite color, red!  This painting, started with a charcoal pour, explained in earlier blogs this month.  The preparation process is in the book by Virginia Cobb, Discovering the Inner Eye, Experiments in Water Media.   Then I added collage for the wings and in the background.  I love collage! This painting is available for purchase at the special January price of $99 plus shipping.

Upcoming Workshops in Florida!

I'm excited to announce that I will be teaching in Cape Coral, FL on January 12- 14th, 2017.  This is the second time that I've taught in this location.  I love escaping the MN winters, so timing is everything!  Charcoal pour birds is one of the subjects.  This procedure is so fun.  We actually pour a big bucket of water on a watercolor surface that is sprinkled with charcoal powder.  The effect is so fun!  Also, I will be teaching how to paint like Gustav Klimt.  That technique involves scraping dots of acrylic, using a credit card.  The colors are so beautiful!  These two techniques are my most popular workshops.  Both paintings below started using the acrylic scraping technique!  Students send me paintings for months after each workshop.  Pretty fun! For information on the workshop, please contact  Marjorie Ewell   Phone:  239-945-3158   Email:  strgazr39@comcast.net

"Every Trick in the Book" by Karen Knutson

"Every Trick in the Book"  $395
Original watercolor and collage,  Image:  15" x 21"

This painting was inspired from the little abbey (my nickname for small abstracts) below.  I talked about it in my last blog.  To enlarge the little abbies, you must think about big shapes and also be willing to do multiple glazes to make the values darker.  Otherwise, the process is very much the same as the little abbies.  We start by mimicking the little abbey, but then, we let the painting talk to us, and put the little abbey away.  There are collage papers in this painting that I made by creating a charcoal pour.  I know that the students are going to LOVE this process.  We actually throw a big bucket of water on the paper that has charcoal powder on it.  I named it "Every Trick in the Book", because it has lessons on the drip process, collage, masking, making a charcoal pour, glazing, unifying color, and ending with Tulip black outliner paint.  I'm teaching an abstract watercolor/ collage workshop on November 1-3 at the Lakeville Center for the Arts.  It's one of the few local workshops that I teach anymore.  To sign up, contact Suzi McArdle Suzimcardlehood@gmail.com

612-281-6781.  There are only 2 spots remaining, so act quickly! 

Little abbey (5" x 7")

Paintings LIttle Abbeys (small abstracts)

"Little Abbey 1", Original watercolor and collage, $45

"Little Abbey 2"  Original watercolor and collage, $45

I just finished teaching 2 separate workshops on Painting Little Abbeys.  "Little Abbey" is my nickname for little abstracts (5" x 7" images).  I use these as warm ups whenever I haven't painted for more than 3 days.  It's amazing how much I forget in those 3 days that usually comes naturally.  I sell them for $45 each.  We start these by laying in analogous colors.  Then I add collage for texture.  The things that I keep telling myself are 1. Simple shapes to start with. 2. Keep colors pretty by remembering the "clean color" rule. 3. Let my painting talk to me, so that I get interesting shapes.  4.  Repetition and variation of shapes and colors.  5. Make sure that I have accentuated the center of interest.  These paintings are so fun to do!  I've been asked to do another workshop on October 29 and 30th in my home studio here in Eden Prairie, MN.  It's a 2 day workshop: one of the days will be Little Abbeys and the other day will be Funky Ladies.  If interested, please email me.  Karen@karenknutson.com   Below are the student's paintings:

How I get my ideas for paintings!

"Rhythm of my Mind"

 

Do you ever wonder where I come up with my ideas for abstracts?  I have many different triggers to get ideas, but one of my favorites is to do "little abbeys" and then use that little 4" x 6" painting as my study for a larger painting.  I start out by dragging my loaded brush across the cold press 140 lb. watercolor paper, and the skipping action is how the whites are saved.  (I do this in a drybrush fashion.)  Then I add collage papers to liven up the colors and add a center of interest by adding a totally opposite color in that area.  After that dries, I weave a unifying color through the painting, and lastly add blacks near the center of interest.  Below is the small study that I used for the finished painting, "Rhythm of my Mind".  Even though the colors are different, you can see some similarities, I hope.

I'm going to be giving a demonstration on this process this Thursday night for the Minnesota Watercolor Society.  The meeting starts at 7:00 and is held at the Christ Presbyterian Church, 6901 Normandale Boulevard, Edina, MN. Hope to see you all there!