Roses & Irises

 

Roses & Irises  oil 14x11

Purchase info here.

A painting from April, when my bulbs were blooming, and my "florabundas" were well...flowering and abundant!  Below is a demonstration for my April workshop, which happily sold to one of the participants.  

Oh Happy Day!  12x12 sold

Lemon Joy

 

Lemon Joy  oil 10x10 inches

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I hope you're enjoying your summer.  Here's a summery painting from my work in March.  Our lemon tree is perhaps my favorite tree.  It's a Meyer, so the skin is smooth and a rich deep yellow.  The smell of the juice is heavenly!  

Study After Renoir

 

Study For Discarded Roses  9x12 oil

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In February I completed a commissioned master copy of Renoir's "Discarded Roses."  The painting pictured here is a small study done in advance of the larger painting, 16x20 (below).  This preliminary study allowed me to work out design and shapes, but most importantly color.  I researched Renoir's palette, which turned out to be quite different from mine.  It included lots of Viridian and Naples Yellow, both of which I generally avoid.  I had to ignore my own color harmony sensibilities.  I took a few subtle liberties with flower shapes. The collector was very happy with the finished painting.  

Discarded Roses After Renoir

oil 16x20

SOLD

Autumn Beauties

 

Autumn Beauties  oil on cradled panel, framed

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This is the fourth in the series of Fall botanicals. The mums are from our garden and the grapes...are from the grocery store!  Why grapes with flowers, you say?  The grapes provide variety of shape. 

IN OTHER NEWS: I'm happy to report that the following works have been juried into upcoming National Shows.  Perhaps you can visit one of the shows.  

Veggies  oil 10x10

available through Steamboat Art Museum

Oil Painters Of America National Juried Exhibition, 

Steamboat Springs, CO 

June 3- August 27, 2022

Pear & Pom oil 10x10 inches

available through Wilder Nightingale Fine Art

American Impressionist Society's 6th Annual Impressions:

Small Works Exhibition

Taos, NM

May 12-June 19, 2022

Spring Demo -a demonstration for Westlake Village Art Guild

 

Spring Demo  oil 12x12 inches

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Here's a demonstration painting I completed for the Westlake Village Art Guild on Zoom.  I much prefer demonstrating in person, but this art guild made Zoom easy and successful for myself and the audience.  In fact, they created a video of the demonstration that is now viewable on their website.  If you're interested, here's a link to the video.  Many thanks to Wendy Gordin and the Westlake Village Art Guild!

Cannoli Afternoon -SOLD

 

Cannoli Afternoon  oil 10x10 inches

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I set this up in my back yard one cool afternoon in May.  It was still yummy hours after I had painted it!  I've had a couple of recent online sales, so I want to take the opportunity to thank all of you who enjoy looking at my art, making comments and making purchases.  Thank you sincerely for supporting my work.

Below you can see a painting I did as a surprise.  This family welcomed us into their backyard garden very early in Spring because I wanted to explore growing in buckets.  They generously shared all their gardening expertise, then picked us some salad greens to take home.  I happened to get a great photo with my iphone that I later painted from.  I surprised them with the painting just before they moved to Idaho.  Gardening in buckets worked well!  We have cucumbers, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, and two heirloom tomatoes all coming from buckets!

                                                     The Family Garden  6x12 inches

Petals A Plenty

 

Petals A Plenty  oil 12x9 inches

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I painted this piece originally in 2017.  Recently I made some major changes, mostly to the surface and background in the interest of better color harmony.   I also added the fallen debris.  Normally I'd post the "before" photo, but I lost a lot of my files when my computer crashed a couple of years ago.  I hope you've had a nice weekend.  I got my second Covid vaccination on Friday and I'm almost back to normal today.  Stay well, my friends!

Valentine Bouquet

 

Valentine Bouquet  oil 12x12 inches

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I really enjoyed painting this bouquet given to me by my husband.  A variety of sizes makes a still life more interesting.  I painted the teeny tiny bits and lines last, and just as I expected, they tied the whole painting together.  One might think they were baby's breath, but no.  Even smaller!  I don't really know what they were, but they added sparkle much like a highlight on a shiny object. 

I HAVE SCHEDULED TWO FALL WORKSHOPS  September 18 and 19, and October 23 and 24.  These are two day workshops.  Everything you need to know about painting, (well almost!) in two days! Email me for more info: karenwernerart@gmail.com

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.  

Camelia Stages

 

Camelia Stages  oil 12x9  

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Right outside my studio window lives a full grown camelia that blooms her heart out in January.  I clipped this small branch and noticed every stage of blooming.  I thought that was pretty cool.  The fully opened bloom being only partially visible helps the viewer roam around to see the other stages.  

Flowers & Poms

 

Flowers & Poms  oil 8x16 inches

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Similar to my last painting posted, it's fun to take the same subject matter and create a different design.  I'm a big fan of red and green.  In person, the flowers are lighter.  Flowers are most often in vases or jars, but once in a while their shapes and shadows are pleasing when resting on a table.  

Bouquet With Apple -SOLD

 

Bouquet With Apple oil 9x12 inches

Purchase info here.

Here I used a green toned canvas and let bits of it peek through in the background to create unity with the rest.  The minty green with the reds is uncommon and interesting to me.  I hope you like it.  

IN OTHER NEWS:  I have 3 spaces open in my workshop coming up in just a couple of days.  The date is changed to this coming Friday and Saturday.  Email me quick if you'd like to jump in!

Winter Bouquet

 

Winter Bouquet  oil 12x12 inches

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Taupe is an illusive color.  Not quite gray, not tan, not beige.  In this piece, my goal was a dominantly neutral painting.  I experimented with raw umber in my color mixes.  Better in person.  

NEWS FOR SUBSCRIBERS:  These emails with my new posts come to you via Feedburner.  I have just been informed by Feedburner that come July 1 this service will no longer be available.  I hope to copy my subscriber list and find/install a new service.  I hope I don't lose any of you in the process!  There is nothing subscribers need to do, but I wanted you to know what's up.   

Ginger Jar Mums

 

Ginger Jar Mums  oil 8x8  

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These mums came with the house.  All my pots of mums that come from the grocery store end up in a hidden corner of my backyard where they grow and bloom over and over again.  When we bought our house the previous "lady of the house" (boy, that's an old term!), planted her mums there also, so I have a nice variety.  The easiest flower to paint is a daisy type in my opinion.  They typically have a large circular center with one or two rows of petals coming out.  Sunflowers qualify also.  This type of flower can be painted simply which gives it a fresh, not overworked look.  I paint the center first, then the petals in shadow, followed by the petals in the light.  When the stems, leaves and vase are in I "cut in" around the flowers with the background color, This allows for some soft edges and irregularity of petal shape and placement.  Easy peasy!  And fresh.  

I have two spots open in my May 22-23 Workshop.  Email for more info: karenwernerart@gmail.com

Autumn Lillies

 

Autumn Lillies   12x9 oil 

Purchase info here.

Of the Fall paintings, this is my favorite.  This photo is a little blurry.  If you buy this painting, I'm pretty sure you'll love how it looks in person. Even so, I always offer a money back guarantee for all my work purchased online.  You can read my Return Policy details by clicking the link above.  

Small Joys

 

Small Joys   oil 8x8 inches

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I very much enjoy painting on a square format.  This design in particular is typical of my work.  The eye moves around the painting. Nothing is smack dab in the center.  The weight of the vase and sunflower is balanced by the tangerine and foliage above.  Objects are unequal distances apart, and there is a variety of sizes and shapes.  I think about these things when I compose a still life.  I hope you like it!

Flowers & Grapes

 

Flowers & Grapes  oil 12x9 inches

Purchase info here.

Here's a floral I did in November. I hope you like it. I love painting the colors of Fall,  but weather-wise, give me Spring and Summer!  Finally I have pole beans sprouting, bulbs blooming and California poppies popping with color.  I've been working on a large beach scene from a photo which is not my favorite way to work.  Can't wait to get out to paint!  If you celebrate Easter or Passover, I hope it's a happy and meaningful one with family and friends!  

IN OTHER NEWS: There are two openings in my May 22-23 Workshop.  Email me for more info:karenwernerart@gmail.com

Great news!  Recently Oil Painters of America invited me to write a post for their blog.  It published last Monday, March 29.  The title: STILL LIFE: More Than What You Might Think.  To read it, click here. 

The American Impressionist Society's National Juried Small Works Showcase has opened in Charleston, SC at Reinart Fine Art, and runs through April 30.  I am grateful to be included in the show with the piece below, Toast & Jam  12x12.  I'm not able to be there, so if you visit the show, please take a picture of my painting and email it to me!  Thank you!

Toast & Jam  oil 12x12

Tea & Hydrangeas

 

Tea & Hydrangeas  oil 8x8 in.  

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This little 8x8 has a springy feel, though it was painted in November.  We have an atrium near our front door where hydrangeas thrive.  They grow as tall as 6 feet and produce pink blossoms.  A few years ago I learned that in the Pacific Northwest, where soil is more acidic, the same hydrangea will produce blue blossoms.  Interesting.  Tbis is my first attempt at painting their delicate blooms.  It turned out to be less difficult than I thought.  I like the the softness and the lost edge in the upper left.  

"Toast & Jam" Made The Cut! -SOLD

 

Toast & Jam   oil 12x12 inches

Available through Reinert Fine Art, 

Charleston, SC April 1-30

I'm thrilled to announce that my backyard plein air piece has been juried into the American Impressionist Society's 5th Annual National Small Works Showcase in Charleston, SC April 1-30.  This is my sixth consecutive acceptance into an AIS National Show.  I'm truly grateful to be included again.  There were 1,357 entries, and 154 were chosen.  

Gallery Arrangement

 

Gallery Arrangement  oil 12x12 inches

Purchase info here.

On a day when I was working at Mission Fine Art in San Juan Capistrano, I brought my paints and these still life elements with me.  The background color made for a nice harmonious color scheme, and the shadow shapes added interest.  I love this mustardy yellow or yellow ochre in a painting.