New Model

My daughter's settled at college, and I've been shooting a new model for reference photos. Above is the first painting I've done with her. It's 24" x 20", unnamed, and needs a couple of final tweaks (I often see things that bug me when I make the jpg for online -- it's just the viewing the art in a different way).

I've been asked several times over the past couple of years to teach. And I've decided to finally start. Probably a combination of workshops and some local weekly classes, starting in January in Everett. I will also be doing a demo this Saturday from 4pm - 7pm at Everett Artist Supply (9304 Evergreen Way, Everett, WA) during their artwalk. I'm looking forward to using one of those new reference shots!

I've got work in four shows starting this month, and need to talk off to deliver to the first now. . .

Quick Draw!

May and June are super busy months for me, so I'm playing catch up on blog entries.

In the middle of last month I participated in the 38th National Art Show and Auction in Ellensburg, Washington. I went specifically because I was interested in participating in the quick draw competition. It was a blast!

To explain the quick draw event -- it start in a large room with a circle of chairs on the outside, a bar serving beer and wine at one end and a stage with mike and announcer. About twenty artists brought their easels in and there were some tables in the center for those artists who wanted to use them.

The object is for the artist to create a painting (or wood carving, etc.) in one hour. The painting cannot be started, but you can have a light, simple pencil sketch for placement. There is a large audience filling the seats and more folks moving around talking to the different artists. Everyone is poised, with the announcer kicking it off the event at the top of the hour. He continues to talk about the artists, what they're doing, and call out the time, i.e. 40 minutes left, etc.

The event is all media, not just oils, so the watercolorists have hair dryers plugged into power to dry their work, so they can move onto the next stage. I should mention that at the end of the hour, not only does the painting need to be done, it needs to be framed! So I had my frame all ready, with the holes drilled, offsets loosely in place and wired. My electric drill was at hand, and when there were only a couple of minutes to go I popped the ooey gooey oil painting into the frame, and screwed it down.

As I mentioned I had a blast. I had gone to the event last year and watched, which is why I joined the western art association, so that I could participate this year. The one aspect of it I didn't think about last year was about the noise level when painting. It's so loud. There were hundreds of folks talking, hairdryers running, and the announcer's running commentary over the loudspeakers -- whew! To help my focus I had my mp3 player plugged into one ear, but left the other open to hear the time countdown, and answer an occasional question from viewers.

At this point the hour is up, the paintings are done. Next, the artists quickly gather their easels and stuff, rush them out of the building, the workers quickly come in, breakdown the tables and set up the chairs for the audience. This is all done fast! After hauling my easel and paints out, and dump them in my area, I rush back in a get assigned a number, (tying not to bump my very wet painting), we all line up in order of assigned number. The audience is getting seated, and the auctioneer is warming up his voice.

Because the last phase of the quick draw is that all the just produced artwork is immediately auctioned off. And then the piece is gone, taken buy it's purchaser. I'll say it again, -- what a blast!

The photo at the top of this entry is the quick draw painting I produced in one hour. I had someone shoot me holding the painting so I'd have a record of what I did, then ran into take my place in line. It was 16 x 12 oil on canvas. Needless to say the painting was not as complete as I would have liked, and the pressure was huge, but I had so much fun, that I will certainly participate in a quick draw event any chance I get.

The Day After

Last night was the opening reception of my solo show, Figures & Friends, at the Fountainhead Gallery in Seattle. It was great. I saw folks I hadn't seen in decades -- and sold art -- it doesn't get any better than that! The gallery is open Thursday - Sunday, and the show runs through March 28th. So anyone who missed it can still stop by and see the artwork. Give me a jingle, and I'll meet you down there if I can.

Above is a shot of the Fountainhead Gallery at night as we were leaving.

A Forest Ride

This is the last painting getting framed, (and just in the nick of time) for my upcoming solo show at the Fountainhead Gallery. It is for sale through them, an original oil on canvas, the size is 24" x 30", framed. For more information contact Sue at 206-285-4467 or fountainheadgallery.com.

I'll try to remember and have someone take some shots at the reception an share them with you folks who.

Cheers

Figures and Friends

Curious & George 20" x 24" oil on canvas

Okay so there were other things I forgot on my fall recap, like a solo show called "Western Life" in the Ballard area of Seattle. But I'm anxious to post newer things. So here are a couple of posts to catch bring things up to date. I'll break them up so they are not as lengthy as that one.

Naturally my big focus is on my one woman show coming up in March at the Fountainhead Gallery. Here is some of the press release info.

Award winning artist Karen McClelland will have a solo show of her original oil paintings titled "Figures and Friends", featuring people, cats, dogs and horses, at the Fountainhead Gallery, March 4th through the 28th, 2010. There will be an opening reception and a chance to meet the artist on Saturday, March 6th from 5-7p.m. The fountainhead Gallery is located in the Queen Anne area of Seattle, at 625 W. McGraw St., Seattle, WA 98119. For more information contact the fountainhead gallery at 206-285-4467.

The painting above will be featured on the front of the postcard. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come to the reception and say "hi" to me. If you want your very own invitation, send me your snail mail address and we'll mail you a postcard.

Whew! Six months have gone by

Who ever coined the phrase "time flies" was certainly right. I keep meaning to post on this blog, but never get it done. Despite hoping to change that trend in 2010, here it is February before I make a post. Let's see if I can turn it around now.

First I'll recap what happened in 2009 since my last post:

-- I won first place at a national equine art show

-- I joined Oil Painters of America

-- I chaired an all animal art show for Parklane Gallery, in Kirkland, WA, which was titled "Fur, Feathers & Fins". This was a huge, huge, (and yet again, huge) job. I have deep respect for folks who do this sort of thing all the time. The October show was great with a lot of funds going to various Pacific Northwest animal rescue groups. I also got to talk to some wonderful animal artists from across the country.

All in all it was a great experience that I wouldn't have missed, but it did have a downside. During those several months I hardly got any painting done! I was so busy working on the show, that I rarely got into my studio. But, one big perk, since there was not prior years winner for the postcard to advertise the show, the gallery said I could use one of my pieces. It was a wonderful extra for my volunteering all that time to do the show. The rescue groups involved sent out thousands of that postcard. And needless to say that painting sold! LOL. The postcard is above.

-- I did get into the Western Art Association, which means I will participate in their regular auction in Ellensburg, Washington in May 2010. Plus, the part I'm really excited about will be participating in the quick draw competition.

A quick draw is where a room full of artists (in all different mediums) create a work of art from scratch in one hour. There is beer and wine for the spectators, who wander around or just sit and watch. An announcer counts down the time. Not only at the end of the hour do you need to have the painting done, it needs to be in the frame ready to sell. So that means watercolorists, have hairdryers going, as their works are under glass. They have the mat and frame ready, dry it and frame it. As an oil painter, that means that yes, I am putting a frame on a very wet painting.

With a short break for the artists, and rearranging of chairs, the pieces created are auctioned off to the audience. I went over there and watched last year and thought it was a blast. I really look forward to doing it this year, since I am a fairly fast painter.

-- I've also been picked up by a new art gallery. It is the Fountainhead Gallery in the Queen Anne area of Seattle, (located at 625 W. McGraw St., Seattle, WA). Sue and Ron the owners are great, and they scheduled me for my first solo show in March (which is now just around the corner). Needless to say that's extremely exciting, and with the FFF show I was chairing over in October I got busy in my studio producing new artwork for the show. You'll hear more about the show when I get to my 2010 news.

I did start a facebook page, like folks have suggested. What am I doing with it so far -- nothing. I need lessons I think, and there seems to be never enough time. That should bring everyone up to speed on what I was doing in 2009. I'm sure there are things I missed, but oh well . . . .

I'll try to post again very soon with January and early February news.

Going Western

I've been very negligent in posting my recent work -- painting like mad, but just not getting it posted. So I'll try a bit of catch up here.

I am currently working on 10 - 15 western themed paintings that I plan to have done by September. Being a figurative painter it is not the western landscapes that appeal to me, but the animals and people of the west -- both modern and of times past.

My camera and I have been at western horse shows in the past couple of months (and a wonderful pow wow last weekend, but more about that later). So I'll share some of the cowboys I've been painting recently.

This fellow was at a show in his black shirt, black jeans, black chaps, everything crisp and pristine. I wanted him to look more like he stepped out of a western rather than out of a horse show. So I livened (and dirtied) him up a bit.

As you've often seen in my work, I'm drawn to where people are going, with the body language as the focal point rather than the face. So here is my first cowboy for your viewing pleasure. I realized after taking the photo, I've yet to sign him, so I'll get that done later today. This still untitled cowboy is for sale. It is an original oil painting 20" x 16" on canvas. Until at least September when the collection is complete this painting is available through me directly. Please email me if you are interested. klm (at) kmdogart.com

The Jockeys

Come up to the lab and see what's on the slab . . . er easel. I have to confess I was playing that soundtrack the other day when working on my new series. While the jockeys may be tan there is no blonde hair ;-).

This is the first in a new series I'm working on. They'll be shown at Parklane gallery in May. I have been enjoying painting the bright colorful silks immensely. I've chosen to do almost all of the jockeys from the back with the exception of a couple of side views. I made this decision on purpose because if I were doing them from the front, their faces would automatically be the focal point, which is not what I was going for. To me it's all about the posture, and the beautiful silks. What are they doing? What are they thinking? I find I am really drawn the to mystery of figures from the back. They capture my interest. B.C. Nolan, a fine artist who also paints many figures from the back expresses it much more eloquently -- but naturally I can't find that article when I want to. So I'll just have to leave it by saying it was a conscience decision.

This painting is done except for the signature, which I'll get done this week. So in the meantime I've got the copyright mark across the bottom.

They are for sale, each painting in the series is 16" x 8" and they are framed. The price for each one is $250.00 (plus shipping). Plus they do not need to be purchased as a set. I will probably have prints made of them, but do not have a final decision on that yet.

If you wish to purchase one of these fellows you can contact me directly until they are at the gallery (in May). After that they maybe purchased by contacting Parklane via their website at www.parklanegallery.com.

Salute painting

To finish up my "Salute" painting story. These are the deep gallery wrapped canvas, because obviously I didn't want a frame on them. When Salute is hung the canvases are spaced 1 1/2 inches apart. So I made block thing (from tapping several house paint type stir sticks together) that was 1 1/2 inches.

Then I could work on a couple of the paintings at a time. I'd have them stacked on my large floor easel. Naturally I couldn't work on the entire painting at the same time, although on occasion I did try. The painting was hung in my gallery from the very start, then I would take down the sections I wanted to work on to my easel. Then put them back up on the wall. Well naturally I kept seeing something I wanted to work on when standing back looking at the over all painting. So I'd forget and go up to make the stroke. Of course that didn't work. They paintings where hung, so they would tip and move all over.

I'm the kind of a artist who works a painting all at once. I also like to work alla prima (wet into wet) and with such a large piece I couldn't do that as much as I would have liked. Areas would dry before I could get back to them. Anyway I had those canvases up and down off the wall so many times. LOL

The one downside I did find to doing such a large piece was when I went to take a photo at the Parklane Gallery (in Kirkland, WA) so that folks could see it. Obviously to fit the entire thing in the frame I had to stand quite a ways back. And therefore the viewer doesn't get to see the brushwork that went into the piece. This always happens when trying to share small jpgs, but certainly I'd never encountered it to this extent.

So for your viewing pleasure (and to show that brushwork). This blog entry starts off with a portion of one of the panels - the nose.

Hope you enjoyed my "Salute" story. I'm on to jockeys next . . . . .

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.

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