Bits and Pieces and Peanut Butter

So here are a few of my recent attempts at painting from life in class. These first two are eight hours each sessions at four hours in a stretch except for the last one. I did not capture the first model's face that well but I am happy with how I used color as a whole.
This second painting has a previous weeks work under it that I sanded down and reused the canvas, hence the blue. Blue is not a great choice for an underpainting of flesh, but oh well.

Last session's worth which was just a four hour (and a frustrating and unsatisfying event as a whole from a class standpoint.) Overall eight hours to paint the same pose is not enough! 

All oil on canvas, 14x18 and slightly smaller.

Anywhoo, we had a lovely BBQ yesterday for my father's birthday and my husband requested Tri-Tip roast and what with everything I was trying to juggle in the kitchen I inadvertently overcooked the corners of the roast. Darn! So I cut those ends off and intended to feed those to the dogs, but today I decided to make a mostly vegetable soup with it. So of course the soup had a slightly burned taste. Ick. What to do? Go on the internet! The answer to help get rid of the burned taste in soups and stews and the like? Peanut butter. Yup. Peanut butter. I was skeptical (probably like you are now) but I added just a smidge to a bowl and sure enough....pretty much took that slight burned taste away without adding any real peanut butter taste to the veggie soup. Who knew? (Margie probably knew, huh Margie?) I found the answer on the GardenWeb in their kitchen forum. AND obviously DO NOT feed a peanut butter laden soup to anyone with peanut allergies. Just sayin'.
Cheers all and God's peace. Hope you are all well and to those of you up to your eyeballs in snow I wish you a bright sunny day and the gentle warmth of spring.
Karen

Into the Light

So we've had as much rain in the last three days that we've had in the last year and already my husband  has cabin fever. He wouldn't make it in snow country.
Oil on paper canvas, about 6x6", still life, tangerine
Cheers all,
Karen

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

Bits and Pieces 6

Well, I have to say I am a little starstruck at the moment. I went to the Autry Museum today to trip around by myself for the Masters of the American West 2014 show. It just opened yesterday and I thought with the Stupor Bowl on it would be pretty quiet. Wrong. Anywhoo, I went around most of it and turned a corner and Z.S. Liang is standing in front of his section of art and then just after that Jeremy Lipking came in with his wife and newest baby. You can really tell the people who know these artists by the way they stare at them with that deer in the headlights looks - not me! I acted all casual. Besides, I live near both of these guys and I was pretty sure one day I'd be standing in back of one of them at the super market. Would I talk to them? Er, probably not, other than to ask Mr. Liang if he ever opens his house/studio for a visiting day.

And the show was super! Way more Super than that Bowl thingy.

And so here is Model 6. This may be one of my favs. She came together real well. 

Available

Oil on canvas, 12x12", figurative 

Cheers all. Karen

Here's a link to the show

http://theautry.org/masters-of-the-american-west/masters-of-the-american-west

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

Bits and Pieces 5

So I may be getting my models out of order, but I believe this girl was week five. She was a pro! George Paliotto, who formerly taught at school and now is an adjunct professor at CLU, tried unsuccessfully to make this model laugh. It was quite funny as she would scrunch up her face for just a moment and then resume her pose with fluidity. And, yes, her hair was several shades of red not found in nature.

Oil on canvas, 12x12", figurative
Available and, yes, I used the side of my canvas as a test block for colors. It was useful and I think it looks rather mosaic like.
Cheers all and God's peace.
Karen
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/karen-stitt/bits-and-pieces-5/196123

Give Me Strength

Hi,

Been very busy.

I've got those glittery tears in my eyes right now, mostly because of Terry Stricklands' beautiful Samson and Delilah painting and her words to go along with it.

 I can only hope to paint so beautifully someday. Here's a link    http://terrystricklandart.blogspot.com/2014/01/samson-and-delilah-trust-and-betrayal.html

Cheers all and God's peace.
Karen
Oil on deep edge canvas, 12x4", still life, available

Field Trip

How does it get to be January 10th so fast!!
So about, what?, three years ago or so my husband and I went to Nevada's Valley of Fire. So beautiful! So hot. Wow. But really cool.
So anywhoo, here is Robby the Robot on a field trip.

Cheers all.
Karen

Oil on panel, 8 x 10", landscape
Available

Bits & Pieces 3

Life model week 5
I had started this one in landscape and Mark strongly suggested portrait so I changed it and then didn't have as much time as a result. I do like her blue bra.
Oil on canvas board, 12x16", figurative Available
Cheers all,
Karen

Bits and Pieces 2

Week 4 Life model
Oil painting, 12x16", woman nude, Figurative
Available

Karen