Koi IV

Here's my latest Koi painting for your viewing pleasure. (LOL) I think I only have a few more of them in me. I really cannot figure it out but everyone loves them. At the Artisans in the Park Art Show this weekend almost everyone that came into my tent commented on the Koi. Is it because they have such bright colors? They are very simple in shape and look almost like cartoon Koi to me. Does that make them more abstract than my usual paintings and more interesting? Maybe it's the crazy looking eyes. Or is it the feeling of freedom of movement that they seem to have? I really cannot figure it out but I'm not complaining!

I poured the paint to do the background and I must say that I really like the way it turned out. I mixed a blue, yellow and red and in no place does it look muddy. The colors are clear, transparent and bright. I then painted the Koi in fluid acrylics. They are so much fun to paint.

I'm planning on doing two new paintings for the Seawall Art Show later on this month so I have to buckle down to work on them. Then I'll be free for a while before any other art shows and taking on my fall teaching schedule. I want to explore my style and try and expand my horizons as far as my subject matter is concerned. Either that or I might just collapse for a couple weeks!!! Not likely.

Sweetlips

Here are my Sweetlips. Aren't they sweet as they swim in the Indian Ocean? They appear so free and happy as the move along the coral reefs.

After painting three Koi paintings, I decided to try a different fish in watercolors and fluid acrylics.

I am very pleased with the overall look of the painting. I added the texture to the background and I really like it but it brings the value too close to the value of the fish. Otherwise I love the colors of the painting. They are so bright and clear as they depict the fish.

I just want to remind everyone that this Saturday I will be in the East Beach Art Show. It is from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and it is on 27th Street off Pretty Lake, East Beach, Norfolk. Then on Sunday I'm doing a watercolor demo at Artistic Creations Gallery in Pembroke Mall, Virignia Beach form 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Monday I am starting a watercolor class at Artistic Creations Gallery from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Please contact me if you have any questions. My email address is katsart01@gmail.com.

Art Show Season

Well the Art Show Season is starting and I couldn't be happier. My Koi III were given an Award of Merit at the Chesapeake Bay Watercolorists spring show at Cape Henry. I am so honored to be amongst the artists that have been granted awards at this show. It is an annual show that has some of the most beautiful watercolors in any of our local shows.

I have listed the upcoming shows that I am going to participate in on the right side of my blog. Check them out. You might see something that interests you. If I don't know you and you attend one of the shows that I am in come and introduce yourself to me. I'd love to meet you.

This Saturday I will be at East Beach Art Show at 27th Bay Street at Pretty Lake in Norfolk, VA. If your in the neighborhood stop on by!

Koi III

I recently finished my latest Koi painting. Unfortunately the background is a little darker in the painting than in the photo. Whenever I paint the same subject over again, I am prone to compare the two paintings. And as usual there are things I like better about the first two and things I like better about this one.

In my previous Koi paintings the colors were more coordinated and I feel as if the fish and the water were more connected. In the water I had poured yellows and reds and they brought out those colors in the Koi. In this painting I think the fish themselves are more three dimensional . I also have slowly improved with the use of the fluid acrylics. Yes I will paint Koi again and this time I want to vary the shapes of the fish a little bit. They are certainly fun to paint.

Right now I'm busy going back to teaching and that means I'm getting into my teaching mentality. I keep striving for the perfect classes and yet I always end up finding somewhat better ways of presenting the same materials. I want to entice my students to come out of their selves and allow their paintings to soar. It is a very moving, changing and growing process.

Under the Palm

This is the painting I had been working on for the Seawall Art Show and had to put it aside. I have reworked it and am more satisfied with it. I like the painting; it is alot of fun with great colors. It just does not capture the mood I was going for. Almost, but not quite. I might try it again as I have some ideas of creating the feelings I want from the painting. (Another plus for being an artist.)

I did this painting with a watercolor background and fluid acrylics for the palm tree. It was the same media as my Koi were. The watercolor background is very simple. I had fun with the fluid acrylics. They are different than watercolors; they are more opaque. But they are more transparent than regular acrylics. The challenging part about using them is you need to "stay in the lines" and you can only put so many coats of paint down before it gets too shiny. But I loved exploring the colors for the fronds. I like the way they frame the trunk.

I have not been spending that much time painting recently. Over the last couple of weeks I have started teaching again and spending a great deal of time preparing my classes. The other day I got a flu shot and now voila I have the flu! Next week I will be preparing for the Ocean View Art Show. I can't wait to get back into a painting mode. My creative spirit is wanting to come out and sing with joy, and peace and beauty.

Palm Leaves

On my last post, I was talking about all the ways that I was trying to plan my next large painting. I took pictures, searched through photos, did some sketches and experimented with different media. I finally decided with the help of my muse, that I'm going to paint a palm tree from below.

This painting started by my working with Da Vinci fluid acrylic paints. I used the paints in new ways. With a little more water added, the acrylic paints were more transparent. Then in subsequent layers I used them a little thicker. Then I added watercolors. I did a little bit of this and a little bit of that and voila a painting was born.

I see the painting with beautiful colors and sensuous movement of the fronds. It will be challanging but I have a good feeling about it.

Koi

I have said goodbye to my Koi. I sold it and even though that makes me very happy, I am still a little sad. I mailed it out to a very nice woman that I met on Facebook and I'm sure she will take good care of them.

Now I have to paint another large painting and I'm stressing out over it. I would like to have it done and framed by the end of the month so I can put it in the Seawall Art Festival. (Check my listing of Art Shows.)

I have had a couple of ideas and have not been able to decide on which to pursue. I have been taking photos and pulling pictures, drawing possible sketches and playing with different media but have not come up with a decision yet. I go back and forth between something that is relatively easy and would not give me a hard time to produce. (This is due to my limited time frame.) Then I feel that it needs to be really special and I have some ideas but do not know whether or not they will work out.

I like it much better when I see something and know I need to paint it. I know what media and size and colors I want it to be. And then I sit down to paint and I'm immediately in the zone and the painting just flows off the brush for me. Like when I painted the Koi!

I sure hope that my muse visits me tonight as I need to start the painting tomorrow.

Koi

I painted "Koi" last summer after doing an art show at the Pagoda in Norfolk. They have a large pond filled with Koi and it inspired me to do the painting. I have always been fascinated with them. I tried a fairly new technique. I "poured" the watercolor paint in the background. This consists of mixing up some liquid watercolors and literally pouring them on to the paper. I then lift the board that the paper is taped to and move it around in different directions. (Sometimes I cheat and take my large round watercolor brush and move the paint.) Then I painted the fish with fluid acrylics. This was tricky because I could not take off any paint that went where it wasn't supposed to.

When I painted this painting it was pretty amazing. I remember it being a very freeing experience. I moved through it so quickly and it was as if the painting was trying to paint itself.

I am very proud of this painting and have received wonderful feedback for it. I put it in the 17th Street Art Festival last year and a couple commissioned me to do it as larger painting (even though this one is 20" X 28".) Just recently I put it in the Chesapeake Bay Watercolorists 1st on-line Art Show and it won best in show!!!

Please feel free to send comments on this painting and any new ones that I post.