Slice Of Life

 

Slice Of Life   oil 6x6 inches  

Purchase info here. 

I painted this one as a class demo back in June.  At this point, I hardly remember the details of that day!  Life has had its ups and downs since.  I'm sure it's the same for you.  Some slices of life are sweet, and others are tough to chew and hard to digest!  No matter what, we can choose to be thankful and make it a good day. 

IN OTHER NEWS: 

I just opened up two Paint The Lively Still Life 2 Day Workshops: Feb 5 & 6 and March 5 & 6, 2022.  These are located in my studio in Upland, CA.  If you're interested, email me at karenwernerart@gmail.com for more info.  

Juicy, Big And Little

oil 10x10 Purchase info here. I reworked this painting from September. I don't often go back into a dry painting, but here I think it was successful. The surface color was too orange. The added grapes give it some small dark shapes, and the cooler, neutral surface and background are more harmonious with the fruit. What do you think? Here's the original version:

Just A Bite

oil 8x8 inches Purchase info here. Such a beautiful and luscious fruit! I could use some watermelon and sunshine right now, how 'bout you?

Juicy Big & Little

oil 10x10 inches Purchase info here.

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.

Demo In Red And Green

oil 8x8 inches For a closer look and purchase info, click here. This is the last demo from the workshop I taught in September. Here I'm teaching composition, color mixing, paint application and edges. These delightful ladies were fun and highly motivated. I love teaching and their enthusiasm adds so much to the weekend! Here they are with the work they're most pleased with.

Tweaking Paintings

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase info Haven't you seen this painting before? Yep! I made some changes to things that were bugging me. During a demonstration for a large group, I'm painting while talking at the same time, answering questions, and working much faster than I normally do. Oftentimes I feel they are not my best work. So I tweaked a few things on this one. It is now for sale. Just click on the purchase link above. Also below, I reworked the figure in "Deck Work." This is a plein air piece I did last summer for Just Plein Fun, an invitational on Balboa Island. I decided that a red shirt would bring the focus to the figure that the painting needed. This piece is sold. By the way, I'm very happy to report I have been invited to participate in the same event on Balboa Island this year, August 1-7. Thank you, Debra Huse Gallery!

Demo For Rancho -a still life painting in oil

oil 8x8 inches magnify Here's the demonstration I did for Associated Artists of the Inland Empire a week ago today. I may make some minor changes. Haven't made time to do that yet! I taught a workshop with a wonderful group of students this past weekend. Pictures are coming in my next post. Tomorrow, (Friday June 17) I'll be at Studio C in Claremont painting all day with Elizabeth Carr. If you're in So Cal drop by and hang out a while. 260 W. Bonita Avenue. 10am to 6pm.

Watermelon Wedges -a still life painting in oil

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase info My first time painting watermelon. What luscious color and the smell...oh my gosh I just wanted to eat it the whole time. When a local fabric store went out of business (boo), I bought a lot of their upholstery fabric samples. You know, those things on the little hangers? The fabric in this painting is one of those; a natural colored linen. That neutral color is perfect for showing off fruit. IN OTHER NEWS: Just finished another watermelon painting as a demo for Associated Artists of the Inland Empire. Photos to come soon. Meanwhile, last Saturday my artist friend, Elizabeth Carr had the Grand Opening of her art studio in Claremont, STUDIO C. She graciously asked me to be her first guest artist. Thank you, my friend, and I wish you mad success! Here are some pics:

BEFORE - It had been a wig shop and "secret" hair salon!

AFTER -Opening Night

Elizabeth and her beautiful work on hanging day.

Some of my work. Elizabeth gave me space to hang over twenty paintings through June. She's so generous and supportive of other artists! IF YOU'RE IN SO CAL BE SURE TO VISIT STUDIO C. 260 W. Bonita Ave. Claremont, CA 91711. Open Tues-Sat 10am to 6pm and Claremont Art Walk Nights, first Saturday of each month 6pm to 10 pm.