Posing Mini Apples

 

Posing Mini Apples  oil 8x8 inches

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It's been a minute since I have posted here on Blogger.  If you have found this post, thank you!  In January I busied myself tremendously with the online "Strada Easel Challenge."  Alas, I did not win a coveted Strada Easel, but I did win lots of valuable daily practice and produced 29 paintings in 31 days.  As you might expect, I would much rather paint that take pics, edit, post, etc, so it will be a long time till you see them here or on my website.  My freshest most current work is always seen on Instagram.  I hope you can follow me there if you're not already.  

Here you see a demonstration painting for one of my workshops.  I'm particularly fond of this one for it's crisp freshness.  You should see it in person!  Reasonably priced and your satisfaction is guaranteed.  

Fruit, Flowers & Filippi

 

Fruit, Flowers & Filippi oil 9x12 FRAMED

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Using objects at hand, this still life includes roses and an heirloom apple from our garden.  The wine bottle is from a local winery.  This is one of my favorite recent pieces.  I love the color harmony of reds, yellow green and gray violet.

Fruit & Bottles

 

Fruit & Bottles  oil 8x10 inches

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Here are some of my favorite items for painting arranged in my favorite design: cruciform.  This design form goes off all four edges of the picture space, to create interesting negative shapes (empty spaces). 

Red Ribbon No.2

 

Red Ribbon No.2  oil  8x8 inches

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Look familiar?  The day after painting Red Ribbon, I still felt excited about this set up, (and it was still on my table) so I took a different approach:  a smaller canvas, a scruffy hog bristle that will make imperfect marks, an even cooler palette, undermixed paint, and time contraints.  Only the book is missing, but what a different look.  This was a lot of fun.  

Red Ribbon

 

Red Ribbon  oil 10x10 inches

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Here's a demonstration I did for a workshop I held in September.  Our tree was giving us hundreds of apples, so I continued to paint them while I had them   You may have noticed my love of red and green together.  Speaking of color temperature, these are cool reds, and comparatively cool greens, so I kept the drapery cool as well.  The book, apple russet (the golden brown on top) and the stems are warm browns.  An example of dominantly cool, with a bit of warm.  The composition is cruciform, my favorite.  The objects go off all four sides, dividing the picture plane into interesting negative shapes.  I hope this is interesting to you.  These are the things I think about, and teach in my workshops.  For me, it is very fun stuff!

Wine For One

 

Wine For One  oil 12x12

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You would think I'm a big wine drinker, but no.  I love painting wine bottles.  Here's a hunk of fisherman's bread from Crab Cooker.  It's about 7 or 8 years old.  Age doesn't matter when you're posing for a painting.  I do enjoy a good dense piece of bread with a nice glass of Cabernet.  

Cherry In The Gap

 

Cherry In The Gap  oil 10x10 inches

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What is it about backlighting that adds so much interest?  It could be the shadow shapes that get bigger as they come toward the viewer.  This painting was a lot of fun.  It's a strong design that I might use again with other objects.  

                                                                                     

A Fruity Wine

oil 10x10 Purchase info here. You might wonder why I include wine bottles in my still life so often. They provide a strong vertical anchor to the design, taking the scene up and breaking up the top horizontal edge of the picture plane. The labels often echo the colors in fruit, creating unity and color harmony. The green bottles are often very very dark so they add value contrast. Wine is festive, and adds to the upbeat feel of the work. There you have it! IN OTHER NEWS: I'm really looking forward to demonstrating in Huntington Beach on Wednesday! For more info, see my December 30th post.

Bottle & Glass

oil 12x9 inches Purchase info here. A painting from May. Some of my favorite subjects are here; wine bottles and glass. The small white flowers are fun too. When I paint small flowers, I know it's futile (and not at all fun) to try and paint each petal. Instead, I squint way down to see each blossom as just a basic shape. I usually paint the greens first, leaving the blossom shapes unpainted. I then paint the shadow side of the blossoms the right shape, value and color. Last, I paint the light side of the blossoms the right shape, value and color. I also focus on varying the size, shape, and placement of each blossom. A random look gives flowers a natural appearance.

Fruit & Wine

oil 8x8 inches. Purchase info here. In these small still life paintings I like to have objects (or their shadows) go off the edges. This divides the negative space nicely resulting in different sizes and shapes. Often, I use a wine bottle to take the scene off the top. You might think I drink a lot of wine! No, I just find the bottles useful and pretty. Here's a painting that has a variety of fresh color and high value contrast. I'm quite happy with this one. I hope you like it.

Demo On Blue and some NEWS

oil 8x8 inches Purchase info here. Here's a simple demo I did for my workshop back in March. This past weekend I enjoyed a fun and full workshop painting glass and flowers. This is an advanced workshop I offer to painters who have taken my "Paint The Lively Still Life" workshop. You can see fresh workshop pictures and easel shots of my current work on INSTAGRAM. I'm not able to keep this blog up to date as much as I can my Instagram. So please look for and follow me on Instagram at karenwernerart. IN OTHER NEWS: The American Impressionist Society's Annual Impressions Small Works Showcase is in full swing! Link here. 6/1-8/31/2019 at Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey, MI. My work, "Camellias & Bordeaux" pictured here is included in the exhibit. Thank you, AIS!

Camellias & Bordeaux

oil 12x12 inches The camellia bush outside my studio window was blooming it's heart out when a kind workshop student gifted me this bottle of Bordeaux as he departed. Thus, Camellias & Bordeaux! Even more exciting than these two lovely events lining up, is the news that the American Impressionist Society as accepted this piece into its Third Annual AIS Impressions Small Works Showcase Juried Exhibition! The exhibition will be held at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey, Michigan. June 8 through August 31. I'll be shipping it out soon. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend the show, so if you're reading this and you're near Petoskey Michigan, I would love it if you could take some photos of it hanging. I'll gift you with a small painting in return! Anybody out there in Petoskey???? IN OTHER NEWS: This Wednesday, May 8, I'll demonstrate for Associated Artists of the Inland Empire. Lewis Center, corner of Milliken and Baseline in Rancho Cucamonga. 9 am. $5. Refreshments. Open to the public.

April Workshop Demo

oil 8x8 Purchase info here.

Joyful

oil 11x14 inches Purchase info here. Last month I participated in "Art Uncorked" in Chino. While folks sipped wine and sampled local foods, I busied myself painting this. Music, food and friendly folks made for a pleasant painting atmosphere. I think that feeling came through in the painting. I want to sincerely thank Jane who added to her collection of my works with the purchase of two new paintings. Below are some other shots related to the event.

Fat Cat With A Knife

oil 8x8 inches Purchase info here. SO much better in person. Here we have the first of several paintings in an unplanned series of red and green color schemes. Here's an easel view. More accurate with the good old iphone.

Fiesta SOLD

oil 10x8 inches Purchase info here. Same objects, different arrangement and size. WORKSHOP NEWS: Last weekend's workshop was a big success with six hard working painters! Some serious work went on, but a lot of laughs too! I have one opening in my March 3&4 Workshop: Two days of fun, instruction and lively still life held in my Upland studio. Email me if you'd like to take this last spot. karenwernerart@gmail.com

Uncorked

oil 10x10 inches This painting is in a custom wood floater frame, about 1 inch wide, contemporary style, mahogany color. Purchase info here. I don't really drink a lot of wine, but I sure think the bottles are beautiful. In this painting I set out to create an abstract quality of design and also variation of transparency vs. opacity in paint application. I really like how this one turned out. I think the image is a bit blurry. The painting itself is crisp. Tomorrow I'm going out of state to visit family, so I won't be posting for a while. Thank you for your interest in my work.

Welcome Fall

oil 12x12 inches For a closer look and purchase info, click here. It's just now starting to feel like Fall here in Southern California. Cool nights and breezy during the day. IN OTHER NEWS: This coming Sunday afternoon, October 8, I'll demonstrate for the Loma Linda Art Association. The demo is open to the public. Stay tuned for more info on time and location.

Apples & Wine

oil 12x12 inches For a closer look and purchase info, click here. It's October already! I decided to jump forward and post my most recent Fall-ish paintings. Do you love the colors and feel of Fall? I do.

Still Life With Wine Bottle

oil 12x12 inches magnify/purchase info Number 23 of my 31 January paintings. I'm especially happy with the color scheme here; deep reds with that clean blue and natural greens. The objects give it an earthy feel. That's a handmade botanical greeting card in the back from my friend Mary Jo. It carries the horizontal plane beyond the subject matter. Thanks again, Mary Jo.