Island Palm

Oil on canvas
10x8"
landscape

I love warm weather.
Been very busy. Will post more soon. Smiley face.

Available Buy with PayPal

Oh Deer

Oil on canvas

8x10"

Cheers

Karen

SOLD

Gull Lake in June

Oil on panel, 8x10", landscape, Sierra Mountains, June Lake, Gull Lake, Mammoth Mountains, summer in the Sierras
Available

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Fall at the Ranch

8x10"
Oil on canvas


SaveSave

Bought this delicious pineapple, painted its portrait and then ate it. Yum.

Oil on canvas board, 8x10", still life

Cheers all,

Karen

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Wisdom

Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still

....Or I could have said, "Not birds! Stars!"
Cheers!
Karen
Colored pencil on illustration board, 8x10", portrait
available

Avocado 2

Still having fun with the same avocado. Well, not really the same avocado. Cause they turn all brown and squishy.
Cheers all!
Karen
Colored pencil and ink on illustration board, 8x10", still life, available

Avocado 1

Catchy title, huh?
Yeah....

I believe the entire month of July went by without time to create art, to the point where I was dreaming of sketching.
We had a delayed memorial for my mother in law's passing on a day in July that rained three inches, complete with lightning and thunder. Some people experience that almost everyday in summer, but in Southern California it is almost a sure bet it won't rain.....until next February.

So I just found time to sketch this avocado.
He/she/it was very patient with me - taking its time to slowly turn brown.

Cheers!
Karen

Charcoal and graphite on Strathmore paper, 8x10", still life. Available

Olive oil and a pear

I was told to take the pear and paint its portrait so thank you, Reem http://rgfelnerart.blogspot.com, for the lovely pear. It made a nice compliment to the olive oil and I enjoyed painting this.

Oil on canvas, 8x10", still life
SOLD

Also, I don't know how I missed this but watercolor artist Steve Hanks has passed away. I and so many others have admired his amazing skin tones and skill. His work was sensuous, at times I found some of his paintings a tad lascivious but always, always beautifully done. I grieve that we won't have any more of his stunning art. Pinterest is a good place to see a great deal of his work.


And perhaps some of you can help me: My blog loads so slow on the sidebar. The main page loads rather quickly, but for me at least, it just lags when loading the sidebar. I've reduced the number of posts and also the number of sidebar people I watch but I really enjoy seeing the newest that others post so I don't want to reduce it more than what it is currently. I'm wondering if there might be something I'm missing. Any clues?

Karen

Under Lock and Key

Hellooo,
Had fun painting this and submitted it to a contest. Now it's a wait and see.
Cheers all!
Karen

Oil on canvas, 8x10", Still life   May become available at some point

If not for you my sky would fall

I really enjoyed painting this, but I was torn between posting it or tweaking it a tad more. There is just something about seeing it in different light, on the computer, etc, etc. I decided it was better to move on.

Hope your world is bright.
Cheers,
Karen

Oil on paint board, 8x10", landscape, nfs

Artichoke Flower

 Artichoke blossoms.

They are just giant thistles, right?

But they are so pretty and they taste so good!

(There is even a liqueur made from it. Weird.) 

Hope all is well in your world.

Karen

Oil on Fredrix paint board, 8x10", still life, Sold 

Winter Blessing

I love when the cymbidium orchids bloom in winter. It makes it feel warm and tropical even if it isn't so.

Oil on canvas, 8x10", still life, orchid
Available

God's peace,
Karen

Y B Blu

I never had one of these but I did have a Karmann Ghia. A convertible. I loved it, little rackety thing. After a big rain, when I hit the breaks it would do a slow "slosh, slosh, slosh" back and forth. A woman in a big truck came a little too fast around a corner and climbed right up over the back of it and crushed it all to pieces. I do mean pieces. It had been held together with bondo and duct tape. Sure was a fun little car.

Oil on canvas, 8x10", cityscape, landscape, nocturne, night, Volkswagen
Available
Cheers all, God's peace
Karen

Strawberry Fields Forever

Hi,
I had set this aside for quite some time. I couldn't get it to gel. And then one day I pulled it out, told it I was going to win this draw and it cooperated - at least to the best of my abilities at this time.
At the painting classes I attend, there is a group of artists there whom appear to have been in class together for some time. They are a very pleasant group. But.... (you saw that coming didn't you?)
One of them in particular does this slow rant under their breath as class progresses until it erupts into a group chant "I can't paint, you can't paint, we all can't paint."
I'm starting to not enjoy that aspect of class, especially when the pallet get cleaned up early (with grumbling), the painting goes into the trash with a loud "thunk" and the artist storms out.

So, when I read this other day I chuckled:

From Studio Incamminati blog Nov. 9, 2011 by Robin Dawn Frey

Several things have helped me overcome feelings and thoughts of inadequacy: I heard Richard Schmidt once say that he does not degrade himself or his art...(that was sort of a wake-up call for me!). Having Nelson Shanks tell me to "rise to the challenge of painting..."(never forgot that!). Reading the book "Painting and the Personal Equation," by Charles Woodbury, and landing on the passage where he says to become a better painter, he or she has to change as a person. Lastly, I got completely exhausted from questioning myself and my work. That kind of self-dialogue just doesn’t help...it gets in the way of progress, and it just is not necessary!

I had one student who used to perpetually degrade herself and her art, and I used to tell her over and over that she had to quit doing that. She continued taking my Saturday class, and slowly started to improve. One day I asked her how she had turned this corner, and she just said “I got tired of being so negative.” Hmmmm...

I wish I could attend classes at Studio Incamminati but whatever class I am in, I am there to learn. (I remember reading something - I think it was about conducting workshops by the wonderful egg tempura painter Koo Schadler, but I could be wrong - who said the hardest student was the one who thought they'd be taking home a masterpiece.)

Oil painting on panel, 10x8", landscape (?!) (hm, still life? fantasty? - your guess is as good as mine! For sale on dailypaintworks.com

Cheers all! God's peace.

Karen

Pumpkin and Glass

Hi,
Perhaps you've read the same thing I recently read in one of the art magazines. Some artists don't paint "orange" pumpkins for the sheer reason it is considered "seasonal" art. Makes sense. But I love orange. Give me a yellowy-red orange and it makes me feels all warm and cozy. My husband carried home this little gem and presented it to me like it was a diamond ring. I gushed all over it. See! Warm and cozy.
Oil on canvas 8x10" still life (painted from life - yeah!)
cheers all,
Karen
Contact me at ksstitt@aol.com for purchase info
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/karen-stitt/pumpkin-and-glass/175180

Life Model 1

Hellooo,
This is my result of the first day at a new class over at Calartinst with Mark Schwartz. Life painting with a nice length of four hours and, of course, I loved every minute of it.  Omg holding the same pose that long with just a few stretches. Oooph! I would never want to do that! I never did catch her name, although the others in the class called out hello to her. I do wish I had begun with a few colors rather than (ivory) black and (titanium) white as she had beautiful long, red hair and was wearing some bright turquoise earrings.
Titanium dioxide is used in paints, of course, and paper, plastics and..... wait for it..... toothpaste. Makes me want to run out and buy the natural stuff.
Here's a link to Mark's blog http://markschwartzart.blogspot.com/ Check out his drawings. wow

Oil on canvas 8x10"
Cheers all and God's peace.
Karen

Lemon up

I had to force myself to s l o w d o w n on this one.
      I wasn't happy with it at first and now I like it better.
so
     yeah.
For sale on dailypaintworks.com
 http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/karen-stitt/lemon-up/170032
Oil on canvas 8x10
Cheers all. Hope you are thawing out.
ks

Credit for a wonderful photo by a fellow who goes by samygpunkt on deviantart
http://fav.me/d4gwj6x