The latest Malamute

As the title says, here is the most recent of my Alaskan Malamute paintings. It is an oil on canvas and will be for sale. The painting is either 16" x 16" or 18" x 18" (I need to double check). I just recently sent a query out to Malamute folks with my question regarding the curve of the tail, which is why I'm quickly getting the image up on my blog -- so they can give me some feedback. I look forward to your comments.

This painting is currently untitled, so if anyone has any name suggestions I'd love to hear those suggestions also.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to help out.

Karen

English Square

16" x 16" framed original oil on canvas $650.00

Close cropping -- I love it -- the feeling of intimacy. Just capturing the moment with movement and color. This still untitled oil painting (suggestions welcome) is 16" x 16". It is not a commission piece and is therefore available for an investment of $650.00, which as usual includes a beautiful custom wood frame, so all you need to do is hang it on your wall. I took the photo reference for this painting at the 2008 Evergreen Classic hunter/jumper show.

This is the last of my "Equine Lifestyles" for a short bit. I'm back to painting snow and Alaskan Malamutes for their national in November.

Cowgirl X

Cowgirl X oil on board 20" x 16"

Another of the western equine lifestyle paintings. While not having all the bling of a western pleasure shirt, this more casual working shirt still shows the fun western gals can have with their wardrobe. If you wish to invest in this oil painting (or any other painting, if still available) the size is 20" x 16" and the price is $800.00. The price includes a beautiful custom wood frame. My studio contact number is 425-330-8879.

Buckskin Bend

I've been working on several of my "Equine lifestyles" paintings recently. This is a framed oil on canvas, 24" x 12" and it is for sale. Drop me a line if you are interested. klm@kmdogart.com. I'll try to get the other two (one western, one english) onto my blog in the next couple of days.

I had planned on painting on Wednesday, and bought a yummy little dessert to do a still life of (as I've mentioned since I do a lot of paintings from photo reference I like to do some small still lifes to keep myself loose). I ended up running around and not making it to the studio. Poor little dessert, I had to eat it to keep it from going bad. LOL. I hope to get to my studio today, but instead of a perishable dessert, I think I'll just grab one of my grandmothers cups out of the china cabinet to paint. But I'll get to on of those desserts sometime.

Cheers,

Karen

Neil's Team

Untitled 20" x 16" oil on canvas For Sale $900.00

The Lhasas are finally all finished, and I can move onto other things. Here's an Alaskan Malamute painting I'm very pleased with. Until I get a title I'm just calling them Neil's team. As I painted to a new Neil Diamond CD this time around.

As some of you know when I'm painting I play music, and it is almost always the same CD over and over during a painting. Therefore the paintings kind of get there own theme music. I stand when I paint, which if the painting is going well usually evolves into dancing while I'm painting. This time to America and Brother Love's Traveling Salvation show among the other Neil Diamond hits.

I will be doing a couple of other Malamute paintings in the next month or so,

Out for a Walk

11" x 14" oil on board NFS Lhasa Apso Walking

At 11" x 14" this is the third of the three larger Lhasa paintings I'm doing. I find I'm losing my oriental momentum. And actually reaching a "Lhasaed out" point, but luckily only have a couple of the smaller ones do go.

That being said . . . I love this painting! It is so me in color, drama, movement, subject, light, etc. I like it so much I have contemplated not letting the Lhasa folks have it by painting another 11 x 14 for it's place. Then the piece can go a more traditional gallery route. Or my most recent thought as I gazed at it last night (I brought it home from my studio to my living room), is that maybe it can go to the Lhasa folks, and I'll paint another . . . similar, but not the same, and larger at 16 x 20 . . . hmm that maybe the way to go.

Either way, this will probably be the last of the Lhasa series that I post on my blog, since I want to keep some variety going for the non-Lhasa readers. But it probably won't be the last time my daughters feet make an appearance. I purchased the gold shoes a couple of weeks ago, and haven't worn them yet, but feeling they were a look I wanted had my daughter wear them and walk back and forth on the porch, as I stood below taking the shots. So I do feel walking feet will make another appearance in my work.

As I've mentioned before I listen to music in my studio when I paint, (actually it's about the only time I listen to music) it helps me to disengage part of my brain from painting. As I play the same CD over, and over, and over, my pieces often end up having theme music, -- especially these smaller paintings -- that I associate with them. I can say when I painted that I was listening to . . .

This Lhasa walking painting broke in a new CD, by Bobby Darin. So I went beyond the sea with mack the knife and then up a lazy river with my dream lover LOL. Dancing around my studio in between strokes at the end of the painting. Although I love painting in the public eye as an artist in action, that's something I have to be careful of -- painting with my mp3 on and not getting carried away and waving my tush around!

Odds are good that I will have prints made of this painting. Cheers.

Another Green Ball

I thought I'd posted this image already, but after directing someone to the site for viewing, I see it was the square one in an earlier post. So here is the second "green ball" painting of this fellow pushing his ball around in the sand. Again I experimented with the linen canvas with the clear gesso, so that I could let the color of the natural linen canvas show through.

I've enjoyed the results of working this way, and may do a few more in the future. While this was not a commission piece, working this way and in
this style, (which for me has

The Green Ball 2" Oil on canvas
24" x 12" for sale $650.00

a different approach and thought process to it), I feel lends itself really well for commission work.

This painting is for sale, the canvas is a deep gallery wrap, and although it could have a floater frame on it and look nice, I am offering it for sale unframed. The size is 24" x 12" $650.00.

Western Horse

Currently untitled, original oil on canvas. Framed size about 26" x 26" For Sale $1,000.00

I though I finished this painting this weekend. But I just spotted a faux pas. I forgot the right hand rein. Sheesh, now there would be some tricky riding. I'll have to take care of that little error. Maybe an artist shouldn't be so in love with their own work. But man I'm happy with this painting. Of course the ones that don't turn out the way I want you'll never see here LOL. And while I like the equine still life in the entry before, this is the looser style that I'm painting in now. This painting is for sale, if your interested in adding it to your home contact me at klm at kmdogart.com

As a small brag "Working Out" which is somewhere earlier in my blog, just won the Washington Thoroughbred Publication Award at the prestigious Emerald Downs Equine Art show. It will be on a magazine cover in September I believe. Yipee!

Equine Still Life

Untitled equine still life framed size 18" x 24" original oil on board $650.00

Life got in the way last week, and not much painting got done. So here's a painting I did awhile ago.

This equine still life features a older Crosby jump saddle with a glorious pantina to the leather. I coupled it with a velvet show helmet and some horse appropriate snacks. This painting positively glows. It is not as loose and brushy as I'm currently working, but oooh it's lovely just the same.

I varnished and framed it this week, and it looks wonderful, maybe I should hang it on my walls. LOL But it is for sale. The size is of this original oil painting is 14" x 18" (18" x 24" framed) and the price is $650.00. Contact me if you love all things equestrian and would like this painting to come from my home to yours. klm at kmdogart.com

First Lhasa

The first Lhasa painting I did several months ago was a puppy. It will be the only Lhasa puppy painting I'll be doing. Not that they aren't adorable beyond words, but I needed just one.

I'll be back in my studio tomorrow -- I've got so many directions I'm going I'm not sure which painting I'll work on. Last week (before the radishes intervened on the weekend) I started working on a western equine painting, that I'm just itching to get to.

Unfortunately I won't get any painting done on Friday, have to pick up work from one show, and take a bunch of dog paintings to Paddywack (Paddywack.net) where my canine work will be hanging on their art walls for July and August. So if anyone happens to be in Mill Creek, Washington stop by and see them in person. I'll be painting as an artist in action on July 12 at the Mill Creek Festival.

Radishes

"Radishes" oil on canvas 4" x 12" For sale $175.00 framed

A quick break from four legs.

I've had the good advice that if you work from photos a lot, it's good to still get in some live drawing every few paintings. It helps you maintain you looseness and spontaneity

So along that note, here is a small (4" x 12") still life I did with some radishes this weekend. As you can see it does help keep a fresh looseness (impressionism) with ones work. The lighting is beautiful, the colors luscious, and the edges are lost and found. I'm very, very pleased with the way it turned out, and can hardly wait for it to dry so I can put it into a nice wide gallery wood frame.

This piece is for sale, and will be framed as soon as it's dry enough. The price for the "Radishes" framed original oil on canvas is $175.00 -- first come, first served -- please send inquiries to me at klm at kmdogart.com (you all know how to make the email address work), or give me a call at 425-330-8879.

Lhasa Again

Here we go with another in the Lhasa Apso series that I'm doing. The coats on this breed are a great deal of fun to paint. And the color red, what can I say. It always gives me a visceral response. I knew it would play off well in the reflections of the gong. I had purchased the gong about a year ago at a garage sale -- knew I'd get around to painting it sometime. My husband tends to just roll his eyes when he sees the assorted things I bring home from garage sales to incorporate into my artwork.

If you've been following my other entries, yesterday I heard a great update from NOAH, both Bogey and Babs have found wonderful new homes.

11" x 14" oil on board NFS

Morning Workout

Recently my daughter's pony club made a field trip to the race track. We had a blast watching everything, including the morning workouts, and I took pictures like mad. As you folks have seen before I like to crop my images close. I really like the visual interest and tension it gives to a piece. Much less static than having horse and rider centered in the middle of the canvas, with a lot of space around.

This painting is all about the rider, not the horse. Earlier in this blog when I did "Andalusian Dressage" it was the opposite, about the horse not the rider. "Working Out" is entered in an art show next month, therefore it is not available for purchase right now. But I can always do something similar if you're interested, or contact me in the end of July, and I can tell you if this piece is available.

This painting really shows the size of the horse, versus the size of the jockey. Later I'll post another of the pieces headed for the show next month. It's that green ball and the young stallion again, he was just too much fun to paint.

Working Out 18" x 36" oil on canvas

Babs

Babs 9" x 12" oil on board For Sale

Babs is so sweet. She loves to just sit on laps and be pet. I enjoyed painting her, she's another of the NOAH rescue animals, the third of four. I've got one more cat to post, whom I'm just calling "Tall Cat" while my mother is scouring NOAH, to see if she's still a resident, and get her real name. If she's already off to a new forever home, the she'll just remain Tall Cat. Which is fine.

Like Bogey, Babs' painting is for sale. Custom framing, shipping, and a donation to NOAH is included for the price of $250.00. If you're interested drop me a line at klm at kmdogart.com

Lhasa, Lhasa, Lha-sa!

11" x 14" not for sale

Or Lhasa, Lhasa, Ap-so! I've been singing that to the conga dance tune, and breaking out in the dance occasionally as I've been in Lhasa mode in my studio. The reason being is that I accepted a commission to paint several small (small for me 8 x 10 to 11 x 14) Lhasa paintings to be the trophies for the next Lhasa Apso National specialty show. So I've been in Lhasa land.

While I admit that I'm a short haired dog, kind of a person, painting long hair is great fun! And they come in a wide variety of colors to boot. I've been trying to incorporate certain amounts of Tibetan/Oriental items in the paintings, which had been interesting to research.

This 11" x 14" Lhasa painting is not named, and will not be for sale. If I get interest I may have a limited number of prints made. So if you are interested in one please contact me at klm at kmdogart.com

More Lhasas and the NOAH cats will make their appearance over the next few blogs.

My name is Bogey

Bogey 8" x 10" For Sale

There's not much I enjoy more than painting white animals. I love all the reflected color. As with Blue in the entry before, I realized I hadn't signed the paintings yet, hence the digital signature -- next time in my studio I'll get that little detail taken care of.

This is another of the dogs at NOAH, a sweet fellow who may not have been adopted because he's twelve years old, just my guess as he's a nice fellow. I really hate to part with this painting also, but sheesh the point of doing the rescue dogs was to help benefit them, so I'll bite the bullet and have him for sale. The price is $250.00, that includes a custom frame, shipping, and a large portion of those funds going to NOAH.

Ol' Blue Eyes

I'm going to kick start my blog and get it going again. I've been painting, but just not getting snaps of the results and getting them posted. I need to get better habits in setting time aside to get my blogging done. So here is the first of several posts.

As a brief catch up, I've finished a commission, had several pieces accepted into juried art shows, sold "Andalusian Dressage" which was featured in an earlier blog entry. I've also been doing my artist in action thing, most recently at the posh opening to our annual members show.

When trying to decide what to work on at the opening, I decided to paint for a worthy cause. Which started me on a kick of four paintings of rescue animals. The group I was painting for is N.O.A.H http://www.thenoahcenter.org/Noah_Adoption.asp which stands for Northwest Organization for Animal Help. They are a no kill rescue center for dogs and cats. I've visited their facility with my mother who volunteers there, and they are wonderful folks. They have a great turnover rate, they take animals from regular kill shelters, and place them in new homes. They even have a vet clinic at their facility where they do the spay and neutering among other things. It is the cleanest nicest place you can imagine, not what you would expect.

But I'm digressing from my art. Although they have a high turnover in placing a lot of animals, they have a couple that have been there a bit longer than others, and are actually still there (at the time of my posting this).

I would like to share with you today a dog named Blue, a lovely older gent, with really light blue eyes, and sweet disposition.

Ol' Blue Eyes 9" x 12" NFS -- yet

I have to confess that I really like this painting. So much so that I'm not willing to part with it yet. I love the way the color and the light came out, so I'm just not willing for it to go to a new home, it needs to reside with me for awhile LOL. But I still wanted to share it with you.

I will post the other three paintings of the NOAH animals (two dogs and two cats). They will most likely be for sale, and when they do sell I will donate a large portion of the purchase price to NOAH to help them continue with the good work they do. The NOAH animals will be intermixed with other projects I'm working on, but I'll save that for another blog entry.

peppermints and pewter

Peppermints & Pewter oil on canvas 6" x 12" for sale

I've photographed this piece three times, and I'm still having a terrible time trying to get it correctly represented. The whites keep showing up to washed out without detail in the peppermints, and now, the reds are to bright especially in the peppermint reflections. I really like this little painting, but I'm sure having a tough time getting a good representation of it for this blog.

I've got to move on LOL so here it is. I found this funky little pewter horse on ebay, and paired it with some peppermints on green wooden stool. I loved the reflection on the polished wood.

the green ball

10" x 10" oil on canvas NFS

I've been playing around trying something new. This is a linen canvas, but with a clear gesso on it so that the linen shows clearly through. I did a minimal painting on it. Kind of as I assume watercolor artists have to work, with every stroke counting as important, and being the last stroke put down.

This is very different from how oil painters usually work (myself included), when you can go over things until you like them. I normally work in a traditional way of blocking in areas, and moving from large shapes to small details. So this is about as foreign to my usual way of working as I can get. I had put in the large green wash first, let it dry, and then worked in just the young horse, as I said making every stroke count, and be the last one.

My model is a young two year old stallion at the eventing barn where my daughter takes her lessons. He is hilarious playing with his green ball. He would bite it and throw it up in the air, pounce on it with his front hooves, shove it around with his nose -- not what you think of as typical horse behavior, he acted like a dog or cat with his ball.

I enjoyed the exercise and process of doing this painting so much I am working on another (again with Dino and his green ball), this pose is tall and on a 24" x 12" canvas. This new painting will be for sale. If you are interested in the painting in progress email me and I can email you a photo.

Bull Terrier

For Sale -- Currently unnamed -- oil on canvas 30" x 15"

I was away for the last several days at a painting workshop. It was wonderful. I have been wanting to take with Pam Ingalls (http://www.pamingalls.com/) for the last several years, but she had quit teaching. I am delighted that she was willing to do this, and hope she had a good time also and will consider other workshops in the future. She is truly a wonderful, fabulous painter.

So I had fully planned on posting for the blog one of the paintings I did in class (we had live models, clothed -- yeah!). But when I just took a look at the photo I took at the workshop I had to much glare from the very wet paint. The work was done (as much of mine usually is) alla prima, which means all in one sitting, wet into wet.

So instead I'm posting this fellow that I started quite awhile ago (before the horses started), but have never taken a photo of yet, or shared with others.

While I really enjoy painting animals I find more and more of my work is showing the intimate relationship with have with our animals. I find this fascinating, and interesting to paint. Those quite moments together.

I'll try to remember to post another example of what I'm talking about. This Bull Terrier piece is as of yet untitled. But is for sale. The size is 30" x 15" and is oil on canvas.

Just a note, "Old Shoes" earlier in my blog has been sold, and will be winging it's way from Washington state to Florida as soon as I get it framed.

Andalusian Dressage

For Sale -- no title yet -- 18" x 36" oil on canvas

Again I see small things to tinker with. But basically done. This is 18" x 36" oil on canvas. This breed of horse is an Andalusian, and they truly have this incredible amount of neck. It's not an exaggeration for the painting. For the dressage purists, I will be adjusting the riders body,

Partners

Here is a painting I finished and signed yesterday. It is oil on canvas, 30" x 15". Cropping a jpg in photoshop gives me a different perspective on the work, I see a couple of small things to alter. I find it helpful to see your work in a fresh way.

Walking Out

Here's one of the paintings I've been working on recently. It is 15" x 30" oil on canvas. I do not have a title for it yet. It is closed to being finished, only a couple of little touches to go. This is another of the many equine pieces I'm completing for a gallery in March.

My work will vary more in a few weeks, but for right now it will be horses, horses, horses. In my work for this gallery I enjoy exploring the relationships between people and horses. Taking a more intimate view on the relationship between horse and rider. Painting that chemistry is what interests me. That's where I'm at for the next couple of weeks.

This painting is for sale, and if your interested in it (before it goes to the gallery in March) feel free to email me for the details at klm at kmdogart.com -- you know how to put the address together.

As an aside we have only one horse here now. I lost my 30 y.o. Morgan mare (I had her for twenty years) a couple of months ago. Naturally that was really tough -- she was my girl. In residence now is my daughters eventing horse, he is an almost 16 y.o. German Warmblood -- and a great guy.

Karen

Old Shoes

Old Shoes oil on board 11" x 14" for sale
I can't believe it took me a week to get back to my computer to make this post. I did finish "Old shoes" a couple of days ago. These smaller paintings don't take as long as some of the larger ones. And I'll usually have a smaller painting in the works while I'm working on other larger pieces.

These old horse shoes have been hanging around for a year or so (don't ask why LOL) and have acquired a wonderful patina of rust with just a little glimmer of the bright original color. I loved the few old nails that remained with the shoes. Lighitng, color, drama, all elements I like in my work. In this case it was pushing the color on the shadows. To me it adds a lot of life and vitality to such a simple subject. Also the play of the warm and cool colors against each other. You'll see more of this as Russian Impressionism is a great influence in my work.

This painting is for sale. If you are interested you can contact me at klm at kmdogart.com

The large dressage painting I mentioned a week ago is still not finished. My daughter loves those extreme looks, and the Andalusian I'm working on has it in spades. I can't believe the neck! I have another painting I've done this week which should be dry enough, I'll see when I get to my studio today, and take some pictures if it is.

Karen

Entry accepted

This painting titled "Gotcha!" was just juried into a national art show. I am always so extremely pleased when this happens. This weekend I need to get my husband to build me another plywood box specifically for "Gotcha" to safely ship it to Kansas.

"Gotcha" is actually one of a pair that I painted. The other original "Sliding Home" has already sold. I do have lush giclee reroductions on canvas available of both, if your interested the links are http://www.kmdogart.com/goldengotcha.htm and http://www.kmdogart.com/goldenhome.htm

I entered one other piece into the LSU juried "Animals in Art" show. I'm still waiting to hear if that one was accepted or not. I'll be sure to post the image here if it makes it.

I was painting in the studio today, but didn't get any snaps of what I'm working on yet. One of the pieces is smaller, and I hope to finish it this weekend (if my kid's schedules will allow me some time). I've already got a name for the painting "Old Shoes" Although not the kind of shoes most folks think of. I just love it when I have a name come to me ahead of time. It's so much better than when the painting needs to go off, and I'm racking my brain for a title.

Cheers,

Karen

New Studio

I've been busy moving into my new studio, and the majority of the move is done. Only a few more things to bring (or acquire -- like wastebaskets). And I definitely need to hang a few paintings on the walls. But here are a few shots of how it currently looks.





























Yesterday was the first time I had a chance to paint in my new studio. It was wonderful!

Unfortunately I don't get to head back there today. Two days a week I work at a custom frame shop. But Friday I'll be back in my new digs.

I am currently working on a 18" x 36" canvas. It is one of several pieces I'm doing for a gallery in Seattle. On Friday (if I remember my camera) I'll take a photo of it to share.

Until then,

Karen

New Year's Resolution

Hurray! This was one of my New Year's resolutions. I wish the pounds would come off this easily. ;-)

I titled my blog as an oil painting journey. Well a journey is what it is. I hope you enjoy the trip as I move along my career path.

I will give a disclaimer right up front that I write horribly. I'm absolutely an artist, not a writer. My sister who is a writer (www.katiemacalister.com) laughs uproariously at my writing attempts. She says I write colloquially (which means I write as I speak -- just in case you didn't know off the top of your head). So I may butcher language, with incomplete sentences, fragments, etc., but if I waited to start a blog until after I brushed up on my grammar I don't think it would ever get done. So with the aid of the spell checker I'm pushing on . . .

One of the things I have wanted to do for many years is have studio space separate from my home. My paintings do tend to take over the house, -- so much to my families delight I have finally made that move. I'm leasing an upstairs space in beautiful downtown Snohomish, Washington. The room is roughly 11' x 15' feet, which is not enough room to move everything out of the house, but will give me my own space to do some painting. Here are a couple of photos of the empty room I took last week before moving in.














It doesn't' have the greatest natural light that an artist would wish for in a studio, so I'll have to adjust that with some special temperature lights. But for right now it gets me out of the house. I'm only doing a short lease of six months to start with. I want to see if having a studio separate from my house does help my productivity. Like most artists I lament not painting as much as I would like to -- a common complaint. ;-)

Tomorrow I'll post how the room looks now.

Best,

Karen