White and Red and Happy New Year

Hello and Happy New Year!
I am hoping it is prosperous and healthy for you all and for us. I so enjoy looking at everyones art and creative endeavors. Keep it up!
So here is my final (hmmmm, may still touch up one or two things) of the red bowl and white amaryllis.  Oil on canvas 8x10
Again, may you (safely) enjoy the New Year festivities and beyond.
Cheers!
Karen

White and Red (WIP)

Because this month is getting away from me, I thought I'd better post something. So here is a work in progress. Happy with the red bowl and still tweaking the layers of the amaryllis.
Very Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate and A Very Happy New Year to all! (if I don't finish this and repost it before the end of the year.)
Cheers All!
Karen

Eagle Owl

I love the challenges that are posted around on various sites and sometimes I actually say OK, I'm gonna partake in that one! Lee, of A Day Not Wasted, posts his beautiful photos and a monthly challenge for artists of all styles.

http://adaynotwasted.com/2012/11/november-2012-painting-challenge/

Charcoal and earth pastels on Canson paper
cheers all!
ks

Respect the 'stache (Gustave Courbet; the Desperate Man)

Gustave Courbet. The Desperate Man. (See, Eileen, I can spell) 

His self portrait and one of my favorite paintings. 

So close! Dang it! but just the slightest nuances and the whole thing shifts - his nose, as I ever seem to do - is dropped down a touch to far and that dropped his mouth down. Oh well, back to the drawing board. Had a blast drawing him. Charcoal on newsprint.
I am hoping and praying for those affected by Sandy. I hope you are all recovering. Rooting around for something to donate to the dailypaintworks Hurricane Sandy fundraiser

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Challenge/C0EB586C-7142-4c96-A589-DF9DC9BABA1A

God's peace, Karen

Melanie in charcoal

My youngest daughter had photography class in high school with her friend and I always liked this picture she took of Melanie.  She was very sweet girl and, as you can probably tell, very long and lanky and angular. They don't see each other any more but I think I'd like to call Melanie up and see if she would like to have my drawing of her. Unfortunately it was done on newsprint - ugh, not a fan - but oh well.
Should I work up the background? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Cheers all!
ks

Model - Charcoal

Hi all! Its always an interesting emotional challenge to post your failures as well as what you (I, that is) consider successful. 

So I am taking a drawing class taught by Chris Armstrong at the same location where Tony Pro and Ryan Wurmser teach, where Warren Chang and Jeremy Lipking have taught.  

Coooolllll!

I have felt the need to be in a world of like-minded people (other than you distant like-minded people) for a while and needed get in better touch with my focus and discipline. I think I am making progress. The bottom pic is my first attempt with the actual photo of the model on left. The single is my second attempt with some direction from Chris. He is a very kind and patient instructor. There are errors on my second that - always! - jump out at me when I post them. The most glaring is that her eye is slightly too far to the right and slopes downward. And I dropped the corner of the mouth down. BUT at least it looks quite a bit more like her than the first attempt. Moving forward - that's my goal. 

Cheers all! And God's peace to you.

ks

Like Velvet Cake

I bought my husband some Trader Joe's Red Chocolate Velvet cupcakes a while back, then took a picture of one to paint. I don't bake sweets much. It's not that I can't. I can. But I don't eat much in the way of sweets and try hard not to keep much in the house - gotta watch his waistline! I'm so much more a savory person (but then you knew that, didn't you?) So anywhoo, this cupcake will be resurfacing soon now that I've got its mugshot. I did enjoy painting it so much more that the latest previous quick pass at the lightbulb (deleted that one to repost a better pic) and its so much more edible.
Oil on canvas panel 8x10  No longer for sale https://www.etsy.com/listing/109643653/like-velvet-cake
Cheers all!
ks

Lamb and Kid

I drew this for our neighbors for their granddaughters. They are wonderful people, much older than us (at least he is muuuch older - married that younger woman, ooh la la). He had given me a magazine he gets and there were two separate pictures in there I combined. Re-uploaded this. Tweaked the daffodils a bit more but the paper cannot take much more. Overall pleased with it and decided not to rant.

Not her type

My, that Traveling Chicken is a cute gal. She really made an impression of my little friend here.  He quickly offered her a Tsingtao beer, but she said she preferred the South of the Border type (from what I've read in more ways than just her beer selection.) They agreed to let me paint them together - acrylic on watercolor paper - while they chatted. I must say he got all wound up for her, but she was kind and let him down easy. So now she and her "troop" are nearly packed up and ready to fly off to Sandy Sandy. I do hope in the future she'll come back for a return visit. We could go to Malibu beach, Disneyland,  Hollywood, Beverly Hills......
I forgot to add her blog: http://travel-chicken.blogspot.com/  She is always looking for new places to roost.

Raspberry Seduction

This was actually done - as done as I think I'm done with it - about two weeks ago. But my husband and I went with friends on a small trip to June Lake for the holiday. (Fireworks at Bridgeport, a trip to Bodie, talking and reading...and eating, oh man, eating at the Convict Lake lodge! Thank heaven I could run every day I was up there.) That and other assorted things and I've looked at this and just didn't want to put a brush to it again. So its done.
Oil on canvas 8x10
post note: :)
LOL! Well judging from the reaction over on deviantart, I'd say I guess it certainly appears suggestive. Snapdragon warned me which is why I titled it thus. In reality it was only a glass of wine and soda with ice, topped off with raspberries. haha
Cheers all!
ks