Tres Tomates

 

Tres Tomates  oil 8x8 inches

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Tomatoes posed for me last April in this Spanish style bowl.  

From The Garden

 

From The Garden  oil 10x10

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Last August my friend Marj invited me to pick veggies in her garden. Her onions made a nice linear element paired with my tomatoes from my garden.  I love the little brown bits.  The painting has a fresh crisp look compared to this slightly fuzzy image.  

Tough Tomatoes

 

Tough Tomatoes  oil 6x6 inches

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It has been a long while since my last post!  I've been painting here and there, but also had Shingles for over a month, then asthmatic bronchitis.  I'm feeling much better.  Another development since my last post: Feedburner went dead, then Google stopped filling in, so as as result, if you're subscribed to my blog, you're no longer getting my latest work in your inbox.  I'm slowly transferring over 300 subscriber addresses into a Google Group.  UGH!  So if you are reading this, I thank you for finding me!  

I could take a lesson from these Tough Tomatoes.  One plant, a "Sweet One Hundred" cherry tomato plant held on through winter last year, and I picked and painted these sweet little gems in April!  So if you're going through challenging times, hang on, Little Tomato!

For a better picture of this painting, see me on Instagram: karenwernerart.  Look thru my page to April. 

Summer's Last Pickings

 

Summer's Last Pickings  oil 10X10 inches 

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At the end of fall I still had some string bean vines barely hanging on, and a few cherry tomotes too.  I like the scattered look of this painting.  Isn't it interesting that the human eye finds randomness more interesting than order?  We like variety and surprise more than what is predictable.  The background color is a cool gray even though it may appear blue or violet here in the image.  This piece is custom framed in a narrow mahogany floater frame, ready to hang.  If you'd like to see it in the frame, just email me. 

Eat Your Broccoli

 

Eat Your Broccoli   oil 10x10 inches

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The is the last of my Eat Your Veggies series.  I painted these last October, so basically I paint faster than I post on my blog!  If you would like to see what I'm currently painting on a regular basis, please follow me on Instagram.  Last week I spent the week planting a veggie garden.  We had wonderful warm sunshine, so I did some digging and tilling, and sowing of seeds and seedlings: tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, pole beans, zuccini, carrots, and cucumbers.  This week we have cold rain and even a bit of tiny hail yesterday.  Good for the garden!  In a rainstorm I thank God for being able to paint still life in my cozy studio.  What do you enjoy doing during a rainstorm?

IN OTHER NEWS:  I have opened two in person Paint The Lively Still Life workshops.  Dates: April 24-25 and May 22-23.  Beginner/Intermediate  6 MAX.  Location: Upland, CA.  Email me for more info/to register.  

Eat Your Corn

 

Eat Your Corn     oil 10x10 inches

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The second in my Eat Your Veggies series.  This one was so much fun!  My favorite part of this painting is the onion.  I buy the large sweet onions.  They have such pretty color and mild flavor. I enjoy the challenge of painting something intricate such as the kernels of corn in a way that suggests, rather than each kernel tightly perfect. Design-wise, this painting has a variety of sizes and shapes.  Many vegetables and fruits are round, so for good design I always try to include line: the edges of the white cloth, the green onion, and the corn cob.  This painting is ready to hang.  

Tomato Drama

 

Tomato Drama  oil 6x8 inches

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I'm finally up to my September paintings with my posts!  Here we have home grown tomatos (and one brave lemon).  They posed under backlighting while I slathered on some undermixed paint with a scruffy hog bristle...not my usual modus operandi.  Experimentation is important to me.  Looking at this painting again brings to mind a statement I heard just today on a podcast: "A painting is not a drawing.  It's a mosaic of shapes."  Michael Chamberlain

Summer Tomatoes

 

Summer Tomatoes   oil 10x10 inches

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We had a nice crop of tomatoes last summer.  Our favorites are cherry tomatoes called "Sweet 100's."  One plant gives us enough to share with others.  The yellow fruit is a tiny lime.  Surprisingly,  when the limes ripen they turn yellow and fall off the tree.  Good thing, because the tree is so thorny, you'd tear your arm up trying to pick them.  We get hundreds for making limeade or margarita mix.  

Backlit

oil 6x8 Purchase info here. With this painting I played with the effects of backlighting on semi-transluscent objects, their edges and reflected color. The painting is better in person, as alizarin crimson (dark red areas) does not photograph well. IN OTHER NEWS: In Claremont, CA I currently have work at the following venues: Studio C (on Bonita) carries a few of my petite unframed gems. Square i Gallery (on Harvard) has 4 paintings in it's December 11x11 Show. Integrated Bodywork (on Indian Hill) has 16 available paintings hanging through the end of January. In Laguna Beach The Vanessa Rothe Gallery currently has 4 available. In all your holiday shopping, I hope you'll consider making purchases from artists like me who create one of a kind fine art not found in stores!

Red Reflecting

oil 6x6 inches Purchase info here. A simple demonstration of reflection in silver done for one of my workshops.

Demo In Yorba Linda

oil 8x8 Purchase info here. Please see the picture below for a more accurate view of this painting. I was quite happy with this demo when I finished, but when I got home I noticed that the tomatoes were floating. The next day in the studio I got them to sit down. Maybe you can see the difference in the two photos. For my fellow painters out there here are my tips to avoid floating objects: Correct shape and placement of shadow, gradating value in the shadow. The shadow is darkest right up against the edge of the object. In fact, it is usually as dark as the bottom edge of the object. IN OTHER NEWS: A "Paint the Lively Still Life" workshop is scheduled for April 21 and 23 at my studio in Upland, CA. Open to beginner and intermediate painters. If you'd like to register or for more info, just email me. karenwernerart@gmail.com

Reflecting Red

oil 8x8 inches For purchase info click here. At my recent Advanced Still Life workshop we worked on reflections in metal. This is my demo painting. Just TWO DAYS LEFT of FREE SHIPPING on any painting in my gallery. Cash refund for shipping paid with an online purchase. See all my work here.

Still Life With Asparagus

oil 12x12 inches magnify/purchase info I prepped this panel myself with gesso, muslin and acrylic paint. The toothy surface gives a slightly rough texture to the painting. Thank you to my biker/painter friend Lorry for the little blue vase. I'm very excited about tomorrow's demo for Westlake Village Art Guild. For more info see my post on May 26th.

Debbie's Bowl -a still life painting in oil

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase info A great group of enthusiastic ladies joined me for my weekend workshop. I guess I was having too much fun to take pictures! Here's one of the demos I did for them. I painted about twice as fast as I normally do so they'd have more time to paint. No time to fuss over this one, resulting in fresh, chunky strokes. Tonight I'm off to demonstrate for the Tustin Art League.

Tomates -an oil painting of tomatoes in Paris

oil 14x11 inches magnify/purchase info I just realized I've never posted this painting I did last month. I used a photo I took at fruit stand in Paris. The photo was already a nice abstract arrangement of circles and lines, not to mention the gorgeous color. I don't use thalo blue very often, but that was one aspect I enjoyed the most; a great foil to all the reds. IN OTHER NEWS: This Tuesday night I'll demonstrate for the Redlands Art Association, 215 E. State St., Redlands, CA. 7:00 pm. Open to the public.

Balboa Art Walk

We had a great day at the Balboa Art Walk yesterday! I always meet the nicest people and their dogs too. I'm a happy artist when I get to display a "full rack" of my work...20 linear feet on that tiny little island. Thank you to friends and relatives who visited, and to all the folks who enjoyed and purchased my work. Pictured are a mother and her two daughters visiting from Utah who were buying my paintings as gifts to each other. So sweet and fun to be part of that! I think they bought a couple more after these shots were taken. I told them I'd recently gotten back from Utah and wished I could go home with them. Special thanks to my hubby who helped me schlep all that stuff and set it up, then hung around all day and took care of me. :-) IN OTHER NEWS: Here's the revised version of "Golden Oil".

oil 6x6 magnify/purchase info

Golden Oil -a still life painting in oil -SOLD

oil 6x6 This is one of the demos I did at the workshop today. Painted fast because time was short, and I just realized I need to tweak the symmetry of the bottle! Will be for sale shortly. Thank you, Teri Gammalo for hosting us today. What a great group of ladies! So much fun teaching a small group. I packed in the content and worked them hard, but they held up to the end. See?

Spring Pickings -a still life painting in oil -SOLD

oil 12x16 magnify This half-head of cabbage was talking to me from inside my fridge. I might hold on to this painting for a while. It might be for sale at a later date. UPDATE: This piece is now available. magnify/bid to purchase

Mediterranean Diet -a still life demonstration in oil -SOLD

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase Thursday night's demo for the Yucaipa Valley Art Association was a blast! What a welcoming and responsive group of artists. Among them were my friends Carol and Joan, pictured below. Thank you, Alan for inviting me. I'm very happy with the way this painting turned out. It's always a bit tricky finishing the next day at home where the lighting is not exactly the same. The Graber olive oil was like liquid gold in a bottle! Such beautiful color. Very exciting! I had my greens pre-mixed as I do for plein air, and they worked here as well. Cad Yellow Lemon and Payne's Gray. One pile with more yellow, and the other with more gray. For the very bright greens, thalo blue and cad yellow light. As usual, the painting looks better in person. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Heirloom Tomatoes -a still life painting in oil -sold

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase This one is from August when Amy's Farm harvested their amazing tomatoes. I have a small backlog of paintings to post from August and September, plus some commissions to share, so I've got some catching up to do. Art In The Park Newport Beach last Saturday was a great day! A perfect venue and friendly crowd. Thank you to all who visited my booth and also to those who purchased my work.