Painting on Cardboard

This is Clarice.

 

Trying out a new surface: Cardboard.

Picasso did it, http://www.wikiart.org/en/pablo-picasso/embrace-1900 and so did Miro, Vuillard, Toulouse-Lautrec and Degas, along with many others.

 

I love the texture of the cardboard. And of course I had to use my Perfect Portrait mix. It's a wonderful skin color. Every color I used in this painting was mixed with a little PP. I heart acrylics.

Matisse Derivan Create Your Own Color contest

Hey everyone! I entered the Matisse Derivan Create Your Own Color contest over at JerrysArtarama and the voting is taking place now through June 2nd. If you like the color I created, I would love to have your vote.

Please click here, then scroll down to Karen Kay, and click vote. There are some beautiful colors there created by different artists, so enjoy the eye candy and let me know what you think of my color.

Here is the work that inspired my color but you'll have to click on the link to see the color I made from this painting. Take a look around JerrysArtarama while you're there and check out the Matisse paints, they are awesome!

 

In my studio...

 

 

And a close up...

 

or two...

Perfect Pair of Pears

Perfect pair of pears. I love pears. The real juicy ones that dribble sweet pear juice down your chin when you bite into them. Another 4x6 on watercolor paper. You can purchase this original work here.

Flowers in Pitcher, original mixed media painting

More flowers in a pitcher. This one was done with ink washes and graphite and a smidge of gouache. Loving the 4x6 size. On watercolor paper. You can purchase the original here. 

 Looks great in a frame I purchased half price at Hobby Lobby!

Table Top Fruit Basket

A fun little fruit basket for the table. Another one of my 4x6 original art pieces. Pastel and ink on paper. You can purchase this piece in my etsy shop here.

Pointing Fingers mixed media on canvas

 Oh my, I had such fun with this one. Painted on a 30x30 canvas I have to say painting large is freeing. Rather than tell my own story on this one, I'd like you to read into it what you will. I am sure you can relate.

Breaking Point

Sometimes in life you get to that point, as Popeye says, "I've had all I can stands cause me can't stands no more". That's the breaking point. You've had enough and you're not going to take it anymore. Time to make changes. This piece helped me to work out a few emotions but I think I may have to do a whole series!

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone. Just a little bit of art to post to start the weekend off right. A limited palette of two analogous colors and one complimentary. And a little bit of "spice" in the sky!

Landscape and abstract landscapes from a photo.

These paintings were taken from a photo I took on a farm in Iowa. The photo is on my FaceBook  page, you can view it here. I like the "plain" one, but there is something about bright colors that make me happy and being able to use your imagination to create a different scene than what is before you. That's what it's all about.

Fiery Forest

Mixed media on cotton rag, approx. 16x20. Finding inspiration from all the trees in my backyard and taking advantage of the Spring like day, finally.

Healthy Girl

She's "Healthy Girl", saving the world one smoothie at a time! Her hair is full of organic goodness with clipped images from a health magazine.

Dick Blick Studio Catalog Winter 2013

My art is in the Blick catalog, yay! I am a huge fan of DickBlick and have been for a long time. I buy almost all of my supplies from them. They closed their Kansas City, MO and Kansas locations years ago so now I buy from them online. Best prices, best quality, name brands and a huge variety. Plus quick shipping and good customer service. Who could ask for more?

The piece featured sold two years ago to collectors in Cornwall, ON, Canada. It started out as a blind contour drawing on a wood panel and developed from there. I used graphite, acrylic, ink, and colored pencil to create this work.

100 likes for my Face Book page!

Just got 100 likes on my Face Book page! Celebrating all day by wearing a red hat. It just seemed like the right thing to do...
Follow me here.

Cowgirl

Who doesn't love a cowgirl? This one is painted on an 8x8, 1/2" deep wood panel from a sketch that I did a couple of years ago. I outlined the hat with a wood burning tool. I love the effect but the smoke smelled awful. Must have been the acrylic I was burning through. Yee haw!

Browne's Irish Market and Deli

What an amazing place! I feel as though I have stepped back in time. And who knew this treasure was right under my nose? Browne's was established in 1887 and is the oldest Irish business in all of North America. They serve delicious Irish food (the potato soup is a must eat) and have an awesome market where you can browse through all kinds of Irish imports and handmade goods.

I was so impressed by the friendliness of the owners (still a family owned business) and staff (Hi Wendy!) that I created this piece using their brown paper gift sack... the same sack I had filled with items I had to have from their market. So if you are visiting the Kansas City area, or if you are a native, you must visit here... you will be welcomed!

For more info on Browne's go here.

I am loving Stillman & Birn! I received a sample pack of their paper and put it to the test. It stood up to erasings, acrylic and watercolor washes and collage with nary a paper curl. I used the backside of the paper so I could make use of their paper information. Now I want a tank top that says this on it. Oh, and kudos to Stillman and Birn for the whitest paper I have ever seen. Seriously white. It is truly beautiful... clean.... fresh... and beckons you to paint on it.

And here it is...

 My work was published in Somerset Studios Gallery Magazine, Summer 2012, in an article that Misty Mawn wrote. I just got my copy in the mail but it won't hit newsstands till June 1st. Doing a happy dance!

Time Triptych

I've been consumed with time lately. It's the one thing you can never have enough of and once it's gone, you can never get back. My huge 32x48 year-at-a-glance wall calendar is mocking me at this very moment, knowing that June is a milestone birthday for me. Ugh.

A visit to the new art supply store in Kansas City, Artist and Craftsman Supply, was just what I needed to get me out of my funk. I bought all kinds of art goodness. And then there it was, sitting by the cash register were  bags and bags of watch parts. I knew I had to have them even though I had no idea what I was going to do with them. It was that time thing again.

And so my "Time" triptych was born. This is the first piece in the triptych and I used up a half a bag of watch parts on it. I also deviated from my usual palette of bright vivid colors. I like the muted neutral tones, it kinda matched my muted mood. So I'm off now to work on the remaining two.

Walk in the Woods

Title: Walk in the Woods, 12" x 9", on 100% cotton rag paper.
 I have fond memories of many walks in the woods behind my house when I was a kid. We would catch crawdads, pick up earthworms after a good rain and mushroom hunt. Those were good times!

A New Year filled to the brim with possibilities.

Sometimes you can just feel it coming. I know 2012 will be filled with good things and I thank God in advance for that. I bought a huge dry erasable year at a glance calendar. It fills most of my wall. I almost didn't buy it because it somehow scared me to look at a whole year at once. Daunting yes, but I don't want this year to get away from me like last year did. I will plan ahead, fill up my calendar and be happy. So I wish you, my dear blogger friends, a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. May your cup overflow.